Friday the 13th was a lucky day this June for the southwest Iowa city of Avoca, pop. 1,700. Restaurants along Main Street had their best week since problems with the city’s water supply began. “It was the first time we hit our standard Friday mark in weeks,” Andrea Radd, owner of Raddberry’s Bakery and Cafe, […]
Iowa Agriculture
Posted inCommunity/News
Polk County water report pins unhealthy rivers on ag pollution
A long-awaited scientific report commissioned by Polk County says farm pollution threatens the ability to drink clean water and to safely interact with central Iowa streams, Iowa Capital Dispatch reports. The county announced its Central Iowa Source Water Research Assessment in 2023 and heralded it as a first-of-its-kind, unbiased and comprehensive examination of the watersheds […]
Posted inRecreation
No yard? No problem! Here’s how to start a container garden
We are now living in the bizarro timeline and food is just going to get more expensive, so all of us should be thinking about brushing up our gardening know-how. I started gardening in 2020 and I am still an amateur, but I can tell you a lot about how to start and nurture a […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa lawmakers move to prioritize corn, pork and dairy in school lunches
Iowa senators advanced a bill Tuesday to implement nutrition guidelines and education in Iowa schools that prioritize the state’s “unique” food sources like corn, pork and dairy. The bill would also update school health class curriculum to include a section on nutrition and include instruction on food production and the benefits of local sourcing in […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Water advocates challenge DNR final decision on permit for cattle facility near Bloody Run Creek
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources issued a final action on a water-use permit to a 10,000-head cattle operation in Clayton County, following a years-long legal battle with an area environmental group. The group, Driftless Water Defenders, announced Thursday it would appeal the DNR decision to renew the permit. A group of citizens initially challenged […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Bird flu detected in Palo Alto County flock, disaster proclamation extended
The highly pathogenic avian influenza was detected in a commercial turkey flock in Palo Alto County just days after the bird flu was detected in an egg-laying flock in Sioux County. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship announced the fifth detection of the H5N1 influenza virus this year on Sunday, and Gov. Kim […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Iowa Food Co-op provides a never-ending farmers market for the Des Moines metro
For some, the scariest part of October isn’t Halloween, but the last day of the farmers market. Des Moines area residents, however, need only pay a visit to www.iowafood.coop to buy fresh, local produce all year long. “We’re focused on small, local, independent producers,” Karen Davis, general manager of the Iowa Food Cooperative, told Little […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa produces the most factory farm waste in the country, new report shows
Factory farms in Iowa produce 109 billion pounds of waste each year, according to a new report from Food and Water Watch about concentrated livestock operations in the U.S. That’s 25 times more waste than what all Iowans combined produce, according to the report. “Factory Farm Nation” is an analysis of the 2022 U.S. Department […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Animals get to live life as more than livestock in the Iowa Farm Sanctuary’s pastures
Henry the one-eyed turkey stands just inside the pasture gate, proud and handsome with his white feathers fanned in display. He may look regal, but he also appreciates a rub of his gnarly red head. At 3 years old, Henry is a senior citizen: most turkeys raised in Iowa and elsewhere spend the first 20 […]
Posted inFood & Drink
The new Wilson’s Orchard and Farm is growing its own farm-to-table tradition in central Iowa
Since 1980, Wilson’s Orchard, located just north of Iowa City, has been a popular “you-pick” opportunity for area families, students and couples in the late summer and fall months. After Paul Rasch and Sara Goering took ownership in 2009, the beloved orchard, pumpkin patch and bakery grew into a cidery, restaurant, wedding and reception venue, […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa Food Systems Coalition sees future of state’s agriculture in food diversity, not ethanol and animal feed
A new plan for Iowa agriculture seeks to increase the state’s production of food rather than ethanol and animal feed, the Iowa Food System Coalition announced at a Monday press conference. The plan, known as Setting the Table for All Iowans, outlines the coalition’s policy goals which include producing more locally grown food, getting more […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Many Iowa rivers are brimming with nitrate
Nitrate contamination of Iowa’s rivers has surged in recent weeks amid heavy, widespread rainfall, according to data collected by the Iowa Water Quality Information System. Concentrations of nitrate in several large waterways — including the Boone, Cedar, Iowa and Turkey rivers — have recently reached four-year peaks, the data show. Further, many of the affected […]
