Commentary
New dairy promises Iowa industry growth but who will milk all those cows?
I’m delighted Daisy Brand, LLC will be building a 750,000 square foot manufacturing plant in Boone, Iowa. A total of 255 new jobs will be created, and in return, Daisy will receive $67 million in state and local incentives. It’s a feather in the cap of newly elected Mayor Elijah Stines. Daisy, a family-owned company […]
The Budget newspaper brings stories from around the world
In these days of digital newspapers, I find The Budget delivers a comforting, hefty thump when it lands in my rural mailbox. The Budget, published since 1890 out of Sugarcreek, Ohio, brings 50 to 60 paper pages of news from every Anabaptist community in the world, including Amish, Mennonites, and Brethren. It boasts “50,000 Readers each week in Plain Communities […]
Puppy-killing Kristi Noem may have brought us together
I dated a guy in college who grew up on a farm in southern Illinois — El Paso, Illinois, to be precise. The first time I visited his family, I was enveloped in a different world, stereotypical but wonderful in countless ways. The house is what I think of whenever I read something about farm […]
How bird flu virus fragments get into milk sold in stores and what it means
The discovery of fragments of avian flu virus in milk sold in U.S. stores, including in about 20% of samples in initial testing across the country, suggests that the H5N1 virus may be more widespread in dairy cattle than previously realized. The Food and Drug Administration, which announced the early results from its nationally representative […]
Two women from Arkansas — and the importance of public education
In April of 2022, coming home from a meeting in Storm Lake on a Sunday afternoon, my truck busted down on Interstate 35 north of Roland. I called Kenny my mechanic, described the symptoms, and he said, “Probably the fuel pump — better get-r towed to the shop.” Kenny knew the truck well; he sold […]
Farmers fear higher prices, consolidation from Koch fertilizer plant purchase
NEVADA, Iowa — Harold Beach, a northeast Missouri farmer who runs a row-crop operation and raises hogs and cattle, traveled to central Iowa last weekend to urge one of the nation’s top regulators to stop a multibillion-dollar takeover of a Lee County fertilizer plant he and other rural advocates say will further erode competition in […]
Farm insurance unfairness: Taxpayers foot the bill, but only for the ‘golden crops’
Let’s start with the price: $7,170. That’s the insurance quote I got this week from the only company that will insure us. The only company. Apparently “agritourism” — having tourists on your farm for classes or pizza night or to pet goat kids — is a no-no in Iowa now. And really, when you think […]
Iowa politicians are still trying to teach history to your children
Republicans in the Iowa Legislature are determined to meddle in your kid’s classroom. The House and Senate passed a bill last week directing the state Department of Education to develop revised standards for the teaching of social studies in Iowa schools. But rather than allow the professionals to do the work unfettered by political influence, […]
Des Moines council members shut out the public from development discussions
The Iowa Legislature took an important step last week in voting to toughen penalties for state and local officials who violate a key government transparency tool, Iowa’s open meetings law. Unfortunately, lawmakers’ actions may not be enough to reverse the love for secrecy that too many government boards and councils demonstrate. The latest example comes […]
Terry Anderson, journalist and former hostage, was also a poet and a friend
I knew about Terry Anderson as early as 1974, before his kidnapping a decade later by Shiite Muslims in Lebanon, where he remained a hostage for 2,454 days, suffering mental and physical torture. I worked as a reporter for United Press International. Terry worked for our competitor, The Associated Press. We knew him by reputation […]
Stranded at the crossroads of student debt
A long-time acquaintance called me in 2022 to catch up. Throughout our nearly 50 years of friendship, I don’t recall discussing anything political. Somehow the topic of President Biden’s signature plan for student loan debt forgiveness came up. I was startled when he challenged me, asking, “Why should I pay for someone else’s college debt?” […]
Inside angle: The power of hand-made political protest poster art in a digital age
The rich history of art as protest is a forceful feature of a progressive-leaning Iowa organization that’s been elevating the medium in the months ahead of what is expected to be among the most contentious of American elections. The art is as strong as the passions for politically minded people, from liberal to independent, gathering […]