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Great news from Tokyo

The important new U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement negotiated by the Trump administration is one key step closer to becoming a reality. Japan’s parliament has approved the pact. That means that it will go into effect once our Congress concurs. This trade arrangement is enormously significant for the Hawkeye State. That’s why Gov. Kim Reynolds welcomed the positive news from Tokyo enthusiastically. “When President Trump announced a negotiated trade agreement between the United States and Japan, I knew it meant a significant win for Iowa farmers,” the governor said in a statement ...

Spend time at the Ag Show

Make plans to spend some time at the 18th annual Farm News Ag Show. It kicks off Wednesday on the East Campus of Iowa Central Community College, 2031 Quail Ave. in Fort Dodge. On its first day, the show is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It resumes at 7:30 a.m. Thursday and runs until 3 p.m. The show will appeal to those with even a casual interest in agriculture, but for those who want more in-depth information, it will showcase a wide array of agricultural products and services. More than 75 exhibitors will be on hand in the 30,000 square feet of show space. Their diverse offerings will ...

Shop locally this holiday season

The Christmas season is officially here. Shoppers will be on the hunt for the perfect gift for everyone on their shopping list. Some will decide that it’s easier to forgo merchants in the community to click order gifts from online sources. They are mistaken. There are many good reasons to shop locally, especially on Small Business Saturday tomorrow. Small Business Saturday is an American shopping holiday held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving during one of the busiest shopping periods of the year. First and foremost is that those with the most success in finding those perfect ...

It’s American Education Week

Since the earliest days in our state’s history, Iowans have understood that schools are important to the proper development of youngsters to help ready them to assist in building a bright future for their communities and state. Not long after farmsteads began to fill Iowa’s landscape, they were accompanied by a vast network of one-room country schools. They are long gone, but that impressive commitment to making education a top priority has remained strong. It has kept the Hawkeye State near the top nationally in terms of test scores and high school graduation rates. This week is ...

Remember those in need this holiday season

Thanksgiving is upon us, and soon the Christmas season will be here. The time spent together with family over food and gift giving is something that we all associate with this time of year. But there are those for whom these holidays are just another day, but with an added sense of loneliness and hopelessness. Some are going through a hard time financially; others are far away from family. Some are isolated or homebound without anyone to check on them. We may not all have had that experience, but we can all help those who are suffering this Christmas season. Here are some ways you can ...

October is Co-op Month across US

There are various types of businesses that operate as cooperatives, but according to the National Cooperative Business Association they all are owned and democratically controlled by their members and are designed to serve those members. The members typically are the people who “use the co-op’s services or buy its goods.” The impact of cooperatives on the U.S. economy is enormous. The dimensions have been documented by research at the University of Wisconsin’s Center for Cooperatives. Here are some of the center’s findings from a study: • There are more than 29,000 ...