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Killer flu

LIDDERDALE — The letters, written in pencil more than a century ago, may seem more like diary entries from rural Iowa at first glance, with details of a blizzard that dumped a foot of snow and how corn yielded 30 bushels per acre the previous fall, despite dry conditions. But read a bit further, and the tone becomes much darker. “It [the flu] sure made a cleaning of the Mowry family and lots of others right around here,” wrote John Tinte on February 20, 1919, from Casey, Iowa, to relatives living near Parkston, South Dakota. “All of the folks have had it, [except] at my place, ...

Celebrating the American farmer

SPENCER — For Ryan and Amanda Bare, entering into the distillery business means more than simply creating a brand of whiskey or vodka. The Bares own and operate Century Farms Distillery in Spencer where they pride themselves on celebrating the American farmer, using corn to make their Prairie States Whiskey and Open Gate Vodka. They use corn grown from, what they claim to be, the best farms in Iowa. Amanda Bare said they currently have their Open Gate Vodka, Prairie States Corn Whiskey Rapid Aged and Prairie States Corn Whiskey Unaged in 80 and 125 proofs available. But they ...

Shimkat leadership transitions

Although Bruce and Ed Shimkat have retired as owners of Shimkat Motor Co. — the longtime Fort Dodge car dealership — they are still very much a part of how the business operates, according to current owners Ed Shimkat Jr. and Bill Shimkat. Bruce Shimkat and Ed Shimkat serve as ...

It’s a new barn

HUMBOLDT — Heading west out of Humboldt on Iowa Highway 3 along the north side of the road sits a barn — which may not be an unusual site, but what some may not realize is, it’s not an old barn that has been restored, but rather a newer build. Roger Myers built the 60-by-40-foot ...

Farm News Ag Show winners announced

Nine prizes in addition to a hog raffle where two halves of a hog were given away as part of the 2019 Farm News Ag Show that was held Dec. 4-5 at the Iowa Central East Campus in Fort Dodge. In addition to the usual drawings for prizes, new to this year’s show was a $200 Fareway gift ...

Clay County Fair scoops up 14 awards

SPENCER—The 2019 edition of the Clay County Fair (CCF) was one that was noticed by others in the ‘fair world,’ as it scooped up 14 awards and cemented fair manager Jeremy Parsons into a leadership role in the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE). This all took place at the IAFE convention held earlier this month in San Antonio, Tx. “Fourteen awards is unprecedented for us,” said Parsons. “It’s good to get feedback from other fairs and find out if the programming we’re (presenting) is quality, and how it stacks up against other fairs. Obviously an ...