Business

Dairy goat industry can learn more about animal health, milk quality and antimicrobial stewardshipAMES, Iowa – A collaborative website between Iowa State University and the University of California-Davis has been created to educate dairy goat producers and veterinarians about the science behind producing high-quality goat milk.The Dairy Goat Extension and Education website provides modules and templates for health and reproductive records, with the goal of providing resources that will launch the American dairy goat industry forward in the areas of animal and udder health, milk quality and antimicrobial stewardship.

Free, searchable online listing connects Iowa sellers with in-state and out-of-state buyers Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig is encouraging Iowans to take advantage of the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s free, searchable online directory for hay and straw. This resource aims to facilitate connections between Iowa farmers looking to sell hay or straw and potential buyers interested in purchasing these products.

Urbana Clinic will be open until 3pm on Friday, July 5thAtkins, Van Horne and Vinton Family Medical Clinics will have normal hours on July 5th.Wishing everyone a safe and joyful Independence Day!

Do you know someone who deserves to be considered for the Iowa Master Farmer Award? Nominate them. Nominations for the 2025 Award are due September 13, 2024.Maybe it’s your parents, a sibling, your neighbors, a friend or a colleague. Perhaps its someone you’ve served with on a board, or someone you’ve long looked up to. Candidates may also nominate themselves.

 Fareway Stores, Inc. is partnering with Variety - the Children’s Charity to conduct the eighth annual Round Up at the register from July 1-20 at all 139 store locations. Customers will have the opportunity to round up to the next dollar or provide an additional donation on their grocery bill to help fund Variety’s mission. Dollars raised through the Round Up will provide mobility equipment to children living with special needs, as well as fund and deliver effective programs and grants to care for children who are underprivileged, at-risk, critically ill, or living with special needs.

“Strengthening Our Roots” is the theme of the annual Iowa Women in Agriculture Conference at the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny on August 1.The conference will explore the challenges of agriculture’s evolving financial and environmental climate, including:* Commodity market scenarios and advice* Soil and water quality initiatives* Lender's outlook for 2024-25* Prospects for a new Farm Bill* Latest on land values, transition planning, and conservation* Role of women in this dynamic and growing ag industryThe Conference kicks off at 8:15 a.

Due to declining health, I will be closing Vinton Monuments on July 18, 2024.  I will continue to serve my customers who have ordered, and the monument is not yet set. Phillip and Haley Close have taken over the cleaning part of the business and I hope you can extend to him the same courtesies given me.  Phil uses industry standards for methods and solutions for cleaning monuments.

The Iowa Healthiest State Initiative’s Double Up Food Bucks program has expanded its partnership with Fareway by adding eleven stores in communities across Iowa as participating locations. The eleven new sites include two locations in Cedar Rapids, as well as Clinton, Council Bluffs, Fort Madison, Hampton, Muscatine, Newton, Red Oak, Toledo, and Vinton.

With the first hay crop harvested, summertime for forage growers is in full swing. In addition to being the primary feed source for ruminants, forages bring many values to farms and surrounding communities.To celebrate the many benefits of the forage industry, the American Forage and Grassland Council will host the 10th annual National Forage Week June 16-22.