Cash Award Recognizes Young Farmer Entrepreneurs 

By Yorke Prough · Friday, June 23rd, 2023 at 4:25 pm CDT

 

APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR IOWA FARM BUREAU’S ‘GROW YOUR FUTURE’ AWARD 

 Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF), the state’s largest grassroots farm organization, encourages young farmer entrepreneurs between 18-35 years old with an ag-related business to enter the Grow Your Future Award for a chance to win $7,500. This competition is focused on Farm Bureau members with enterprises that tap into niche production, agritourism and specialty services.

            “The Grow Your Future Award was created by the IFBF young farmer committee who understand the need to diversify and can appreciate the challenges that come with efforts to bring additional income to the farm,” says Amanda Van Steenwyk, Iowa Farm Bureau’s farm business development manager.  

            Interested entrepreneurs should apply at www.iowafarmbureau.com/growyourfuture by Sept. 1. Up to ten applicants will be selected and narrowed down by public vote. The top finalists will compete in a live pitch-off during the 2024 Iowa Farm Bureau Young Farmer Conference on Feb. 2, 2024. Winners will be announced Feb. 3.

First, second and third place finalists will receive $7,500, $5000 and $2,500, respectively. Last year’s Grow Your Future Award winner was a mushroom grower who used his winnings to purchase a delivery van and walk-in cooler.

“In addition to the Grow Your Future Award, Iowa Farm Bureau has a rich history of supporting rural entrepreneurs.  One example is through the Renew Rural Iowa program, mentoring nearly 4,000 rural entrepreneurs and business owners while creating more than $150 million in economic impact for rural Iowa communities,” says Iowa Farm Bureau President Brent Johnson.  “The Grow Your Future Award is just one more way to highlight innovation and support rural entrepreneurs. The crop of applicants we get are equally diverse and impressive, ranging from cricket farmers to cover crop seed dealers, but the common thread is a vision and willingness to explore unconventional avenues in farming that make Iowa agriculture and our rural communities even stronger.”

High School Softball Postseason Brackets: Early Look at our Local Matchups

By Slaten Swords · Friday, June 23rd, 2023 at 2:53 pm CDT

Postseason Softball- The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released the postseason brackets for all the classifications and here’s the matchups for our local teams.

In Class 1A Region 8, New London will travel to face off against Holy Trinity Catholic and Wapello will host Winfield-Mt. Union with both games taking place on June 30th at 7 pm.

The Crusaders have won both matchups this year against the Tigers by a combined score of 25-0. The winner will face off against Sigourney on July 5th.

Wapello is 2-0 against Winfield-Mt. Union this year with the Arrows pitching two shutouts against the Wolves. The winner will take on either Highland or Lone Tree on July 5th.

In Class 2A Region 7, Van Buren County earned a first-round bye. The Warriors will take on the winner between Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont and Pella Christian on July 5th at 7 pm at home.

In Class 2A Region 8, Danville will travel to take on Durant at 7 pm on June 30th. Mediapolis will face off against Louisa-Muscatine on the road on July 5th at 7 pm.

Central Lee and Washington will square off on July 6th at Washington and West Burlington will host Fairfield on July 6th with both games taking place at 7 pm for Class 3A Region 8.

Washington handled the Hawks earlier in the season 14-4. Colbie Greiner led the Demons with 3 RBIs. Jaci Hawk, Shanna Buford, Abby Simmons, and Everlee Harvey each picked up an RBI for the Hawks.

In Class 4A Region 6, Mt. Pleasant and Keokuk will compete in a conference matchup at Joyce Park on July 6th at 7 pm. Knoxville will host Fort Madison with the winner taking on Burlington at Burlington.

Mt. Pleasant won the first conference matchup against the Chiefs on June 5th, 12-6, but dropped the next two, 13-10 and 13-3.

Fort Madison has not taken on Knoxville this year but was swept by Burlington: 5-4, 14-6, and 5-0.

For a full look at the brackets click on this link: Postseason Brackets

Residents from Henry, Lee, and Jefferson, Appointed to Iowa Board

By Yorke Prough · Friday, June 23rd, 2023 at 2:31 pm CDT

Governor Kim Reynolds has announced new appointments to Iowa’s boards and commission.

Bitrus Gwamna, from Henry County, has been appointed as member of the “Statewide Independent Living Council” where Martin Graber, Lee County, is on the “Mississippi River Parkway Planning Commission”, and Timothy Bower from Jefferson County is part of the “State Board of Educational Examiners.” These appointments are not subject to Senate confirmation.

“Board and commission members advise the Governor and Lt. Governor, legislature and state agencies on opportunities and issues important to Iowans.”

“Iowa has more than 180 boards and commissions that represent a broad scope of programs and people, from arts and culture to business, health care, education, and more.”

https://governor.iowa.gov/join-board-or-commission

Prep Softball: Postseason Quickly Approaching and Competition is Ramping Up

By Slaten Swords · Friday, June 23rd, 2023 at 1:32 pm CDT

Prep Softball- The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union released their 5th rankings for the season, and it was not a good week to start as the #2 while Class 1A has a new #1 team.

Martensdale-St. Marys jumped over North Linn to take the top spot with a 20-4 record in Class 1A. The Lynx have gone 7-1 in their last 8 games with that lone loss coming against Benton, 7-3. Fort Dodge St. Edmond tumbled three spots down the order from 6th to 9th after going 3-9 in their last 12 games. Newman Catholic dropped two spots from 11th to 13th after falling to Hudson on June 17th, 6-3. Earlham and Twin Cedars each moved up the rankings three spots to be ranked 11th and 12th.

In Class 2A, Regina Catholic keeps the top spot with Van Meter taking the #2 spot. Central Springs 6-4 loss to Clarksville lowered the Panthers one spot to #3. Interstate 35 catapulted three spots up the rankings from 8th to 5th after going 8-1 in their last 9 games including a dismantling of Van Meter 12-2. West Moana and Cascade each moved three spots in the rankings; however, the Spartans fall down the list to 6th with the Cougars rising to the 7th spot. Columbus Catholic dropped out of the top 15 with Wapsie Valley entering the top 15 at the #13 spot.

Williamsburg and Davenport Assumption held on to the top two spots, respectively, but the rest of Class 3A was not as stable as last week. Davis County and Estherville Lincoln Central each fell one spot to 4th and 5th, respectively. Benton had the largest climb as the Bobcats defeated Estherville Lincoln Central, #9 Solon, and North Linn in the span of a week. Benton went from unranked to 11th after the stretch. Sumner-Fredericksburg and Center Point-Urbana were dropped from the rankings with West Liberty entering the rankings to round it out.

In Class 4A, Carlisle kept the #1 spot with a 21-2 record. Dallas Center-Grimes lost to Carlisle 14-4 and #5 Norwalk 9-8 this past week causing them to slide down the list from 2nd to 4th. North Polk made the jump up to #2. Xavier’s wins over #12 Burlington in a doubleheader and the 4-3 win over #8 Western Dubuque catapulted them up the list from 10th to 7th. Clear Creek-Amana and Storm Lake were voted out of the top 15 with ADM and Maquoketa entering the list. The Tigers picked up wins against Benton and Solon, which bolstered their reputation. The Cardinals key win came against #10 North Scott.

Ankeny Centennial keeps the top spot with a 22-4 record for Class 5A. Ankeny’s loss to #3 Fort Dodge in Class 4A resulted in the Hawks flip-flopping with Waukee Northwest for #2 and #3. Linn-Mar faced a gauntlet this past week; consequently, the Lions dropped three spots to #8 after losses to #2 Waukee Northwest, #7 Bettendorf, and #5 Southeast Polk. Waukee reenters the top 15 despite touting a losing record of 14-17. The Warriors have gone 8-2 in their last ten games resulting in a #12 ranking. Cedar Rapids Jefferson replaced Dubuque Senior at the #15 slot and Ottumwa was also dropped from the rankings.

Charles R. Wesely

By Yorke Prough · Friday, June 23rd, 2023 at 9:50 am CDT

Charles R. “Charlie” Wesely, 90, of Mt. Pleasant, formerly of Salem, died Saturday, April 29, 2023 at Savannah Heights in Mt. Pleasant.

A Celebration of Life for Charlie will be held from 4-8 PM on Friday, June 30, 2023 at the Loyal Order of the Moose Lodge #1003, 108 N. Saunders Ave., Mt. Pleasant.

Online condolences may be directed to www.kimzeyfh.com.

 

Henry and Lee to Receive Funding for Bridges

By Yorke Prough · Friday, June 23rd, 2023 at 6:51 am CDT
On June 22, 2023, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that Clay, Lucas, Crawford, Lee, Pottawattamie, Wright, Page, Henry, and Mitchell Counties will receive $24,760,000 to replace nine bridges in poor condition. This award is in addition to the bridge repair or replacement projects that are funded through the new bridge investment program through IIJA state formula funds.

The bipartisan infrastructure bill reauthorized the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grants to support surface transportation projects of local and/or regional significance.

“Unfortunately, Iowa leads the nation in the overall number of structurally deficient bridges, and that’s one of the many reasons I supported the bipartisan infrastructure law. I’m glad to see that nine rural bridges will be replaced and improve travel and safety for the Iowans who use them. I’ll continue doing my part to ensure more of Iowans’ hard-earned tax dollars come back to our state and to improve our all of our communities.” Chuck Grassley

Horse Show at the Jefferson County Fair

By Yorke Prough · Friday, June 23rd, 2023 at 6:27 am CDT

The Greater Jefferson County Fair horse show has finished, and we now know the names of the horses and their owners. The “horse of the year” has been given to “Jessie” and their owner, Wayne Wiley, who also picked up the awards of Junior Horse Showmanship, Horsemanship, and Champion Pony. The champion horse went to Peyton Freeman and her horse “Maddie.” The full list of awards is below.

Elizabeth Tedrow – Reserve Champion Pony – Arrow

Sterling Spees Reserve Champion Horse – Rey Lenas Darlin

Gabby Diers – Reserve Champion Other Breeds – Reba

Peyton Freeman – Champion Other Breeds – Biscuit

Peyton Freeman – Champion Horse – Maddie

Sterling Spees – Senior Horse Showmanship

Francis Miller Intermediate Horse Showmanship

Wayne Wiley Junior Horse Showmanship

Nicole Robb Senior Cowgirl Queen

Francis Miller Junior Cowgirl Queen

Nicole Robb Senior Horse Horsemanship

Emerson Porter Intermediate Horse Horsemanship

Wayne Wiley Junior Horse Horsemanship

Wayne Wiley Horse of the Year “Jessie”

Gabby Diers – Most Improved Horseman

Francis Miller High Point Intermediate

Nicole Robb High Point Senior

Peyton Freeman Speed Champion Intermediate

Kate Miller Speed Champion Juniorx

Elizabeth Tedrow Speed Champion Senior

Wayne Wiley- Champion Pony – Jesse

Jefferson County Fair Queen and Little Miss

By Yorke Prough · Friday, June 23rd, 2023 at 6:16 am CDT

The 2023 Queen is Briana Steele is the 17-year-old daughter of Carrie and Jason Steele. In school, Briana belongs to the National Honor Society as the vice president and FFA in which she services as the president. She is also a student council member, elementary mentor, and participated in basketball and volleyball. Briana belongs to her church youth group and enjoys volunteering for carry on
bags, McElhinny House garage sale, PTO activities, day camps as well as package meals for the heartland, is a Salvation Army bell ringer, volunteered for the Delaware County 4-H food stand and camera corps. She has earned academic achievement awards, FFA Star Greenhand and Star Chapter Farmer Award, outstanding 4-H member and community service award. She has been an usher at the Iowa State Fair. Briana plans to attend Iowa State University to major in elementary education and minor in agronomy. She enjoys hunting, fishing, farming, cooking and helping anyone who needs it.

The 2023 Little Miss is Anna Carlson. Anna is the daughter of John and Melanie Carlson. She is 7 years old. In addition to being crowned the 2023 Little Miss, she was awarded the FarmHer Award for her passion and extensive knowledge about each of her animals and all of the plants grown in her garden. Anna is a member of the Lockridge Clover Kids. Anna is very creative and loves art!