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Biorefinery offers welcome opportunities

Editorial

In the early 1990s, local residents heard repeated, often vague plans for a corn plant west of Fort Dodge where the tiny village of Tara once stood. It took awhile, but the community, region and state got something much bigger and better than a single corn plant in that area. What developed instead was an ag industrial park called Iowa’s Crossroads of Global Innovation. It is home to Valero Renewables, Cargill and CJ Bio America. And the site is about to grow again. The community got a nice infusion of good news recently when company and local leaders announced that a new ...

Investing in renewable electricity for a healthier future

Local Columns

The way our pets enjoy nature is inspiring — bounding around local parks or stalking through backyard grass. As I think about making a difference in my local community and caring for the planet for my own pets and family, I’m driven to seek out sustainable actions I can take at home and at work. Creating impactful change is especially top of mind as we conclude Climate Week, one of the largest annual climate events taking place Sept. 22-29. During the week, corporate and government leaders from around the globe gather to discuss how they’re moving the needle. In Fort Dodge, we ...

Urban deer hunt is underway in Fort Dodge on private lands

Editorial

A deer hunting season is underway in Fort Dodge. It began Saturday, and chances are many people have seen no indication that it is happening. The fact that the ongoing hunting isn’t obvious to everyone in town is a good thing. We hope it stays that way because that means the hunt is being conducted flawlessly by expert archers. The hunt will continue through Jan. 10, 2025, on privately owned land that meets size requirements. Most of that property is on the northern, eastern and western edges of the city. The decision to allow what is called an urban controlled bow hunt within ...

Flu shots provide potentially lifesaving protection

Editorial

Just about everyone has called in sick at some point, saying they had the flu when they were sniffling, sneezing, maybe running a fever and generally feeling lousy. Those symptoms definitely add up to an illness, but the problem is not really the flu. Influenza, as it is properly known, is much, much worse. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, influenza is caused by viruses that infect the respiratory tract. Influenza and pneumonia are among the top 10 causes of death in the state. Fortunately, there is a way to prevent influenza. A yearly vaccine can protect a person ...

American farmers need a five-year Farm Bill

Local Columns

After years of inflation, high interest rates, increased energy costs, trade uncertainty, and bureaucratic red tape, the outlook for the farm economy is bleak. U.S. farmers and producers continue to face drops in farm income, regulations like WOTUS still pose the threat of punitive and costly fines, and inflation has made the cost of doing business more expensive and forced producers to delay new equipment purchases. This combination of poor economic conditions, government overreach, and repeated failures by the Biden-Harris administration to foster new trading relationships poses a ...

Bonnie Barnett left great example of generosity

Editorial

Leaders of seven Fort Dodge organizations received stunning news of the best kind recently. They learned that their organizations received large amounts of money from the estate of Bonnie Barnett, a woman most of them never met or had even heard of. Barnett, who died Nov. 16, 2023, at age 80, bequeathed a total of $1,337,613.15 to the groups. Iowa Central Community College received $535,045.26. That money will be invested and will be used to create the Bonnie K. Largent Barnett Scholarships. As a result, community college students for decades to come will get vital help paying for ...