The season for summer fairs and festivals is nearly at an end. For the countless Iowans and others who love county fairs, however, one big event remains — the Clay County Fair. The fair that opens in Spencer on Saturday and runs through Sept. 20 is not just any fair. It is by far the ...
Thousands of people will soon be converging on Boone for what is described as the largest outdoor agriculture show in the nation. That event is the 2026 Farm Progress Show to be held Sept. 1-3 at 1827 217th Road in Boone. Show hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The show is a highlight of the summer ...
The time for eating all kinds of food on a stick while gazing at a cow sculpted in butter has arrived. Yes, we are talking about the Iowa State Fair, which begins Thursday and continues through Aug. 23. It may well be the grandest of our nation’s state agricultural festivals. Iowans ...
It’s been more than 180 years since land that is now the state of Iowa was opened for settlers. The America of the 21st century is far different from the nation presided over by President Andrew Jackson in 1833. There is, however, one constant feature for Iowans — agriculture is at the very ...
There are times when a good idea can be made even better. That is the case with the expansion of the state’s Streamside Buffer Pilot Project. It uses a comparatively small amount of money to help farmers plant vegetation along the sides of waterways, with the ultimate goal of cleaning up ...
There’s more than corn and soybeans growing in Iowa’s rich soil. Iowa’s farmers grow staggering amounts of corn and soybeans, so it makes sense that those crops are the first ones many people associate with the state’s farms. But there is also a surprising amount of fruits and ...
During the month of May, it is worth noting that it is a time to celebrate an important meat product. May is Beef Month. For many of us, every month is a time to partake of a food that ranks high on the list of culinary favorites. It’s no secret that Americans have a love affair with ...
Spend any time outdoors in Iowa and one thing becomes immediately apparent — the wind is always blowing. We Iowans are accustomed to the corn stalks rustling in the summer breeze. And we complain when the wind chill factor makes a cold January day feel even colder. But wind is a fact of ...
A project just getting underway offers a chance to address two issues that affect the state of Iowa every year: water quality and the cost of fertilizer. It is called the Nitrogen Soil Sampling Project. It involves the state Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, the Iowa Nutrient ...
We are entering one of those times of the year when big, slow-moving farm machines rumble out onto roadways dominated by faster-paced traffic. That shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who lives in farm country. Even so, all of us should pay special heed to safety considerations as we share the ...