JEFFERSON — A freakish December EF2 tornado could have ended it all for Iowa Cover Crop (ICC). The fledgling business suffered a setback to their seed and custom application operation when the weather turned for the worse in Paton, just north of Grand Junction, in December 2021. Not only ...

AURORA, Neb. — “Build me a robot so I never have to go into a grain bin again.” When Nebraska farmer Zach Hunnicutt made this comment to his friends Ben and Chad Johnson a few years ago, neither man fully understood the remarkable innovation this would unleash. Timing met opportunity at ...

ODEBOLT — For farmers who utilize cover crops, Lundell Plastics Corporation has unveiled its latest product, the crimping gauge wheel, to support the benefits of this practice. Cover crops help with soil erosion, improve soil health, crowd out weeds, control pests and diseases, increase ...

GRANTON, Wis. — When it’s time to spray or spread, how many times is it either too muddy to get into the field, or you can’t get a plane scheduled? What about getting cover crops seeded on time? Forget all that frustration. Things are looking up, thanks to today’s high-tech ...

Downtown Fort Dodge is more than a collection of buildings, streets and sidewalks, in the opinion of Sharon Stroh. “A downtown is a heart beat,” she said. “It’s a snapshot of everything a community was built on.” And, she said, downtown is here to stay. “You can’t tear down ...

DUNCOMBE — A new product is being shipped from the Koch Fertilizer plant in Webster County, thanks to a recently completed $2 million project. “We are definitely excited about our ATS tank and terminal loading site,” Shawn Campbell, the former plant manager, said in March 2022 when the ...

Jeremy Pearson uses an informal term from the world of information technology to describe the status of Fort Dodge Fiber at the beginning of 2022. “At the start of 2022, it was all pretty much vaporware,” said Pearson, who is the director of the new municipal broadband utility. “It was ...

An investment of more than $50 million in the Cargill plant in Webster County will enable it to begin making corn syrup for the first time. The first shipments of corn syrup are expected to begin in mid-2024. Cargill leaders had announced a planned investment in the plant in February 2022 and ...

Though a small school with just over 100 students in grades K-8, St. Paul Lutheran School aims to create the best learning spaces for its students. Over the summer, the school installed all new interactive projectors and screens in the classrooms to upgrade the instructional technology. The ...

LAKE CITY — Mission statements — whether it be for a business, a school, or church — are often written, placed in a binder, put on a shelf, and forgotten about until further notice. But not at South Central Calhoun (SCC) Community School District. This district’s mission statement is ...

Some very young new faces can be seen on the campus of St. Edmond Catholic School this year. That’s because the Fort Dodge school’s preschool program for 3-year-olds debuted at the start of the 2022-2023 academic year. The demand for the program was strong. School leaders were planning on ...

GOWRIE — After seven years of whole grade-sharing, voters in the Prairie Valley and Southeast Webster Grand community school districts decided to make their partnership permanent. Voters in the two districts cast their ballots on March 2, 2022, to approve a resolution to reorganize the ...

For the many patients who see their providers at Community Health Center of Fort Dodge, some recently completed renovations will allow the center to serve their needs even better. The work includes an expanded dental area and additional mental health care offices. Beyond the construction ...

The last year was a year of growth for the Fort Dodge Police Department, which welcomed six new officers to its ranks, as well as a new community officer. Officers Vic Slape, Dominic Morriss, Max Patkins, Zach Colin, Keaton Schultz and Ciara Sturm joined the force in 2022. Community service ...

Kelsey Felch’s hands were a blur as they flitted across a black screen, touching groups of green lights as soon as they lit up. In less than a minute, Felch, the manager of Next Edge Performance in Fort Dodge, completed the hand-eye coordination drill on the Reflexion system, one of the ...

As the transition from a New Jersey company managing the Webster County Telecommunications Center to the Webster County Sheriff’s Office taking the reins, a new director of communication has been hired by the county. Webster County Director of Communication Brain Hitchcock started in early ...

St. Paul Lutheran Church is celebrating 160 years in Fort Dodge. Located at 400 S. 13th St., the St. Paul church and school were formed on Dec. 20, 1863. The original church, called Old Stone Church, was located at 615 Third Ave. S., with the first resident pastor being the Rev. Gottfried ...

Opening back in August 1953, Mikos & Matt Furniture is celebrating 70 years in business. Located at 3336 Fifth Ave. S. in Fort Dodge, it was originally owned by Walter Mikos, Hugh Matt, and Bob Matt. Later on, the store was passed down to its current owner, Walter Mikos’ son John Mikos. ...

Off-highway vehicle riders will now have a space to develop their riding skills — a space that honors the man who was instrumental in the creation of the Gypsum City OHV Park south of Fort Dodge. Larry Leiting was the owner of Flooring America in Fort Dodge and the chairman of the Fort Dodge ...

Like so many other places that were affected by the COVID pandemic, the Blanden Memorial Art Museum is on the path to getting back to normal again. Museum Director Eric Anderson said that the last year has been one of positives at the Blanden, and that there are many bright highlights on the ...

ROCKWELL CITY — In the not too distant future, when someone is injured anywhere in Calhoun County, the first person to help may be a neighbor with some training and a bag of basic medical gear. Calhoun County is seeking to join a new state program that would provide money to recruit, train ...

MANSON — The Calhoun County city of Manson celebrated a big birthday last year. It marked 150 years since the town was established. That milestone was celebrated June 24-26 with a series of events, including the Crash My Crater concert featuring country star Chris Janson. Residents of ...

LAKE CITY — In 2020, the City Council in Lake City faced a decision that many towns with 100-year-old buildings must make. Was it time to build a brand new community building or was the Memorial Building worth saving? “There was an argument for a new Morton building,” said Nick Gorden, ...

ROCKWELL CITY — If you live in a rural community, you know just how vital the service shops are to a town. Whether it’s your friendly insurance provider or the knowledgeable hardware store clerk, it’s businesses like these that keep small town Iowa moving forward. Phil Heinlen has been ...