OCHEYEDAN — Making connections, helping young farmers learn from industry leaders and understanding the cooperative system are some key focal points behind Cooperative Farmer’s Elevator’s (CFE’s) CORE program. CORE began in 2020, providing events, connections with industry experts and ...

MADRID — From a small-scale start in 2012 to a full-blown business in 2015, The Cellar Winery in Madrid has continuously made changes to its operation to become a successful contributor to Iowa’s wine-making industry and a hot spot for central Iowa events. Iowans have been growing grapes ...

GOWRIE — Taking to the sky, made easy, that’s what AnswerAg and Sky Drones technology can offer to today’s farmers interested in bringing new technology to their farms. Duane Davis and Herb Dowse are co-founders of AnswerAg. Davis works out of Gowrie, while Dowse is based in St. Ansgar, ...

ODEBOLT — Lundell Plastics has introduced a new product to keep hog gates rolling smoothly. The company — founded, owned, and operated by Vance Lundell — has a steeped tradition in offering goods for farmers to make their equipment last longer and operate better. The company’s ...

For many families, it is an annual tradition to visit the Community Orchard north of Fort Dodge each fall during Apple Fest. They come away from the event with apples, apple pies, pumpkins and often photos of the youngest members of the family clinging to pumpkins that are almost bigger than ...

Freeze-dried candy has been taking the country by storm, and central Iowa is not immune. After seeing a few social media posts about a new candy trend last year, Amanda Geopfert, of Fort Dodge, decided she wanted to give it a whirl, so she bought her first freeze dryer. “I thought it ...

When Nolan Cook was looking for a name for his custom motorcycle business, he didn’t have to look very far. He simply adopted the nickname he’d been given. “It was a joke,” Cook said. “When I worked at Troy Waller, everyone started calling me ‘too broke.’ I even have it on my ...

UnityPoint Health — Trinity Regional Medical Center had an economic impact of more than $132 million on Webster County last year, according to a recently released study. The Iowa Hospital Association study calculated the Fort Dodge hospital’s economic impact at $132,365,279. The ...

The Fort Dodge Police Department experienced some major leadership changes in 2023. In March, then-Capt. Dennis Quinn was named by the Fort Dodge City Council as the chief of police upon former Chief Roger Porter’s retirement in early April. During the City Council meeting during which ...

After two young men were killed in separate acts of gun violence last May, a group of community members came together in search of tangible solutions to help break the cycle of violence and empower the youth of Fort Dodge. NextGen Fort Dodge is a grassroots organization led by several ...

What used to be just an empty field next to the Des Moines River just off of downtown Fort Dodge is now home to the River’s Edge Discovery Center set to open later this year. The River’s Edge Discovery Center on First Street north of Central Avenue is a $6.7 million project of Webster ...

Almost Home Humane Society of North Central Iowa is celebrating 40 years of providing shelter to rescued dogs and cats in Fort Dodge this year. “So 40 years of rescue in this community, by working together with you all, we’ve made the world a better place,” Executive Director Paul ...

GOWRIE — The kind of science skills used to help solve mysteries won’t be quite as mysterious to some students at Southeast Valley High School. Forensic science is one of a handful of new classes being offered that are rooted in the interests of teachers and students alike, according to ...

ROCKWELL CITY — Dogs have a way of finding the people who need them. Consider Willah, one of the newest staff members in the South Central Calhoun school district. “Willah is such a sweet, gentle soul,” said Nicole McChesney, South Central Calhoun elementary principal. “She adds to a ...

LAKE VIEW — Nate Hemiller, East Sac Community School District superintendent, began with the district July 1, 2023, with a simple focus on teaching and learning. “At the elementary, we’ve worked to reduce the behaviors that get in the way of learning by using Positive Behavioral ...

Early literacy is the focus at the Fort Dodge Community School District right now. The district welcomed three new administrators this year and, collectively, they aim to increase literacy scores and graduation rates, while reducing the number of drop-outs in the district. “It’s no secret ...

UnityPoint Health — Fort Dodge has about 1,000 employees at Trinity Regional Medical Center and all of its various clinics. They are the key to providing great health care to the community they serve, according to Leah Glasgo, the market president for UnityPoint Health — Fort Dodge. She ...

POCAHONTAS — Going to a doctor’s office at the clinic attached to Pocahontas Community Hospital has a different look and feel to it. The clinic, built in 1995, was the site of a $2 million renovation job that is wrapping up. “It’s really nice,” said James Roetman, chief executive ...

SAC CITY — For nearly three years, Loring Hospital has been preparing for renovations to support the needs of both patient care and employee’s ability to support that care. Early discussions of the project began in 2021, when the hospital embarked on what it referred to as its “master ...

HUMBOLDT — In recent years, Humboldt County Memorial Hospital has prioritized mental health and wellness services and to meet the needs of its community, the hospital built a new 3,000-square-foot addition to serve as the new home for these services. Construction on the $1.7 million HCMH ...

ROCKWELL CITY — When the unthinkable happens — whether that’s a car crash, a farm accident, or a heart attack — minutes count. But what if an ambulance crew can’t get there fast enough? “If there’s an emergency, there’s an expectation that help is coming quickly,” said Lt. ...

MANSON — A commercial building in Manson has a new purpose as a place to bring people together for all kinds of celebrations. “I’m hoping it becomes something so that our small town has a better sense of community — that it just pulls people together,” said Cindy Amspoker, owner of ...

MANSON — As Doug and Nancy Seavert raised their family in their home on Seventh Avenue in a southern neighborhood in Manson, they noticed that there really weren’t many sidewalks or pathways to other areas of town. There weren’t any spaces where kids could just ride their bikes without ...

ROCKWELL CITY — Solar energy has been billed as a cost-effective, eco-friendly way to produce renewable energy on the farm while promoting sustainable agriculture. A number of rural electric cooperatives in Iowa, including the Calhoun County Electric Cooperative Association (ECA), have ...