On the south side of Webster County Road D20 about halfway between Fort Dodge and Duncombe is a sprawling maze of tanks and pipes that is the local Koch Nitrogen plant. Every year this facility churns out hundreds of thousands of tons of nitrogen-rich fertilizer. It is a key element in the ...
State Rep. Mike Sexton, R-Rockwell City, has been chosen by his fellow Republican lawmakers to once again fill a key leadership role in the House of Representatives. They recently re-elected him to be the House majority whip. In that role he will be the right hand man for House Majority ...
Iowa’s rural landscape has changed drastically as farming has become less labor intensive in the last century. There was time when the countryside was filled with the assorted buildings needed in the farm economy. Today’s larger farmers have far fewer structures. If there is one ...
The economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has been reflected in a series of discouraging statistics. But Iowa recently got a bit of good news: The state’s unemployment rate has dropped and is well below the national figure. According to Iowa Workforce Development, the state’s ...
4-H is about helping youths achieve This week is a good time to celebrate a truly superb program National 4-H Week, Oct, 4-10, is a good 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 ...
Farmhouses are the centerpiece of the farm 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. ...
October is National Pork Month The industry makes a huge contribution to the Iowa economy 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 ...
As long humans have cultivated the soybean, but agricultural historians are quite certain its domestication as a crop in China dates back three millennia. There are actually Chinese records documenting soybean growth as far back as the 11th century. There is some disagreement about who first ...
Since human beings first learned to cultivate the soil, harvest time has had extraordinary significance. In earlier centuries, good crops meant prosperity and security. They signaled that the winter months just ahead could be faced without fear of starvation.In 21st-century Iowa, harvest season ...
A new trade agreement connecting the United States, Canada and Mexico is a good deal for Iowa's farmers.The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement became effective on July 1, replacing the North American Free Trade Agreement that had been in place since 1994.It is a massive document that brings together ...