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Local News

Thriving in Rutland

RUTLAND — Meat processor Don Thul grew up in northwest Iowa on a livestock farm, raising cattle and hogs with his dad. He opened his own meat processing business after 18 years with Iowa Beef Producers, and that business venture led him to develop a line of tallow products that people love. In 2001, Thul launched West River Meats. Sadly, his first facility was destroyed in a 2015 fire. Eight years later, Thul built a state-of-the-art facility just a block down from his previous location in Rutland. “I feel that there are a lot of benefits to developing relationships between the ...

Bird flu cases up to 7 for 2026

SPENCER — A group of Iowa State Patrol officers demonstrated K-9 training during a special session in front of Clay County fairgoers in September. Six dogs participated in the demonstration ...

Nominate your neighbor’s barn

SPENCER — A group of Iowa State Patrol officers demonstrated K-9 training during a special session in front of Clay County fairgoers in September. Six dogs participated in the demonstration ...

Columns

A Diamond Experience

Our weather of late proves the truth of the axiom, “Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it.” This past summer was hot and dry in our neck of the woods. Summertime conditions were so sizzling that an expectoration would evaporate before it could reach the ground. Thanks to ...

Hometown Cookin' Favorites

Celebrating National Pizza Month

With the news that certain brands of lettuce were unsafe, it was enough for me to stop buying lettuce altogether. Cases of the parasite called cyclospora have totaled 12,883 cases across 21 states. As I have eaten lettuce salads for lunch for quite some time, it was a big change for me. ...

Editorials

Farmhouses are centerpieces of farms

Siloes and big barns are usually the first buildings someone spots when driving by a farm. But tucked somewhere in between them is the structure that is the real heart of any Iowa farm — the farmhouse. Farmhouses come in all shapes and sizes. Often, they are older buildings that have been ...