People across the United States increasingly want to know where their food comes from. It just makes sense to know where something you put in your body comes from. And a problem like the recent scare over the possibility of tiny pieces of metal getting into shredded cheese only adds urgency ...
Iowa’s rural landscape has changed drastically as farming has become less labor intensive in the last century. There was a time when the countryside was filled with the assorted buildings needed in the farm economy. Today’s larger farms have far fewer structures. If there is one ...
For Iowa’s farmers, one of the most challenging periods of every year is coming to an end. We are, of course, referring to harvest, which consists of weeks of long days bringing in the bounty of Iowa’s corn and soybean fields. A drive through rural areas reveals not much corn standing ...
October has been designated National Pork Month. That makes it an especially good time to reflect on the importance of the pork industry to this state. It’s unlikely that anyone who lives in Iowa does not already know that pork production contributes mightily to the economic vitality of the ...
National 4-H Week, which began Oct. 5 and concluded Oct.11, is an annual time to celebrate the enormous contributions 4-H makes to our community and nation. It’s hard to imagine anyone in Iowa who doesn’t know a bit about 4-H, but this annual observance is an appropriate occasion to ...
Farms can be seen as quiet, peaceful places where the crops grow and animals graze in the pastures. Farms can indeed be such tranquil spots. But as all Iowans know, farming is an industry. And like all industries, there are certain hazards associated with it. Tractors can be in crashes on ...
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 Sept. 6 and runs through Sept. 14 is not just any fair. It is by far the ...
From the earliest days, the emergence of successful farms and related industries in the American Midwest depended on the hard work and vision of people who played leadership roles in these vital enterprises. That was true when pioneers first cultivated the vast prairies, and it is ...
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 ...
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 ...