By Roger Wolf —- Today, erratic and extreme water events have been the norm rather than the exception for Iowans. Water wasn’t kind to Iowa, with memorable flooding in 1993, 2008, 2010 and 2011 impacting upstream and downstream communities. In 2012, historic widespread drought across Iowa had us hoping wells wouldn’t be dry or [...]
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By Dick Sloan — Market and societal forces have led farmers to become more specialized and individual farms less diverse. We have converted from small fields with long rotations of corn, small grains and alfalfa fed to livestock into farming systems featuring only two row crops grown largely with commercial inputs. Many now [...]
continue »By The Gazette Editorial Board —- Five years out from our historic 2008 flood, many Eastern Iowans aren’t inclined to dredge up bad memories. They may have tired of the media coverage and follow-ups that unfolded day after day, month after month over the last five years. We can understand that. But we also [...]
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By Jason Johnson —- From drought to flood conditions, it seems there is no longer a “normal” growing season for Iowa farmers. A year of drought in 2012 was followed by a cool, wet spring so far this year. These types of weather extremes can be very damaging to Iowa’s soils, but conservationists are finding [...]
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By Bill Northey and Chuck Gipp —- Iowans have a long history of deep care for the land and working together to solve problems. The Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy continues those traditions and makes Iowa a leader in finding solutions to nutrient loading to the waters of our state and improving water [...]
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By Donna Winburn —- Because Iowa’s farmers face a tough global market, unpredictable weather and a long list of tough management decisions in pursuit of a strong harvest, running a family farm like mine takes hard work, responsibility and perseverance. Right now, like farmers across the country, I am waiting to see whether [...]
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If you want to know how dry the subsoil is, ask a grave digger. “It’s dry as a bone once you get below 6 inches,” said Carl Thoresen, superintendent at Oak Hill Cemetery in Cedar Rapids. Thomas Higgins of Independence, a grave digger for 28 years, said he’s finding moisture to 2 1/2 feet in [...]
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By Sean McMahon —- As Congress returns to work this week, it is imperative that the House of Representatives passes a farm bill with strong conservation programs before the current legislation expires at the end of this month. The farm bill’s conservation programs are critical to helping America’s farmers meet the growing domestic [...]
continue »By The Gazette Editorial Board —- Most of us have insurance. On our house. Our car. Our health. Our lives. Our businesses. We buy insurance to protect ourselves from financial, health, property or business disasters — events over which we have little or no control. The essential goal is protection — not an expectation [...]
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By Rob Hogg —- Iowa farmers are leading the way by producing renewable electricity, keeping dollars here at home, growing Iowa’s economy and helping provide clean air for future generations. The large wind farms we see from the highway are just part of the story. Smaller-scale, on-farm generation of electricity from wind, solar, [...]
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