I’ve been among those baffled by the use of our nation’s food safety net to allow the purchase of junk food and pop. That isn’t changing any time soon, but word from the American Medical Association is encouraging.
Could Cedar Rapids or Marion be in store...
Garden walks in Linn County and Iowa Cit...
Two spectacular garden walks are coming up next weekend, June 22 and June 23, 2013, in Linn County and in Iowa City. The tours offer a great way to see lush landscaping and be inspired by gardeners who really know what they’re doing. Here is more from ISU Extension about the Linn County Master Gardener […]
Iowa: From drought to flooding to normal...
After our drought worries earlier this spring and flooding concerns the past few weeks, could Iowa be on track for a “normal” summer? (And really, what is normal in Iowa, anyway?) Here is the most recent water summary update from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources:
Hitchcock in Mount Vernon: “lingering pa
“Farmer Dave” Miller from rural Mount Vernon has been writing some entertaining commentary for the Mount Vernon Farmers Market newsletter. He and his wife, Mickey, are vendors and are among the many reasons you should check out the Mount Vernon market, if you haven’t already. The markets are 4-6 p.m. Thursdays outside the First Street […]
Downtown Farmers Market in Cedar Rapids ...
Another Downtown Farmers Market is scheduled in Cedar Rapids for this Saturday, June 15, 2013. With more than 220 vendors, the market is one of the largest in the Midwest. I’m told the downtown market earlier this month had a crowd estimated at 18,000 people, which is amazing and wonderful for the vendors. But I’ve […]
A flood of memories: looking back at Iow...
Maybe people are tired of looking back and even I have been cringing whenever I hear the words “flood anniversary.” Still, it’s remarkable to think five years have passed since my hometown of Cedar Rapids, and much of Eastern Iowa, were inundated with unprecedented flooding. I keep a
Wet, cool weather delaying farmers; Iowa...
It was nice to see the sun today, after what has been an unusually wet and cool spring. That wet weather is keeping farmers out of their fields, as the following reports from Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey and the Iowa Crops and Weather report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistical Service show:
Viticulture: Japanese beetles and many, ...
CEDAR RAPIDS – Between the various vineyard diseases, voracious bugs, birds and other predators, I’m amazed that any grape can survive to maturity. At our most recent viticulture class at Kirkwood Community College, we learned about fungal diseases of grapevines, such as anthracnose or
Practical Farmers of Iowa Launches 100 D...
The age of farmers in this country averages in the 60s, so finding new farmers is an important task. Practical Farmers of Iowa has made numerous efforts with mentoring and other programs to forward that goal. The group is now launching a campaign to help with those efforts. Here is more about the campaign from […]