Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
Linn County farmer and educator Laura Krouse will receive a special honor Friday for her work in promoting environmentally friendly farming practices.
Krouse owns and operates a 72-acre farm northwest of Mt. Vernon and also teaches biology classes at nearby Cornell College.
She purchased the small farm in 1988, and since then she has transformed the property into a model of sustainable agriculture. Her farm produces a unique type of seed corn and a wide variety of garden vegetables and fruits, as well as soybeans and hay.
Krouse purchased the farm from a family that had been raising open-pollinated seed corn since 1903, and she bought the seed business along with the farm.
The same variety of seed corn has been grown on the farm for all of these 104 years. "It turns out that it's a real high-protein corn," said Krouse in a telephone interview with Iowa Independent. "In the hundred years that it was selected by hand, it was selected for high protein and good feed quality." She said the corn is typically chopped for silage and sold to dairy operations that need high-protein feed.
She spends much of her time in the summer and fall managing an 11-acre garden, raising fruits and vegetables to serve her Community Supported Agriculture program.
About 120 families in Mt. Vernon and Lisbon contract with her, starting in early June and going until Halloween, Krouse explained. "They come every week out to the farm to get one share of what the garden produces that week. It's a pretty big thing to manage, because there's a lot of variety. The families come out to the farm, and they really enjoy that."
The Community Supported Agriculture idea works well, and it's a bit of a family venture. "My dad and my brother help me every weekend. They help quite a lot." She also employs as many as four students on the farm in the summer.
Water management is a key aspect to the sustainability of Krouse's farm. A large pond on the property serves as the main source for irrigation for the 11-acre garden, and a wetland and prairie area help reduce erosion and runoff.
The wetland was constructed with the help of federal conservation program funding, she said. "About 85 percent of the rain that falls on the property has to pass through this one waterway to get off the farm. So we put the wetland right there. We cut the tile lines, and we made it so we catch all the surface drainage."
Around the wetland is a restored prairie, seeded with a diverse mix of native plants. The prairie and the wetland work in tandem to act as a filtering system — an all-natural waste-water treatment center. To make sure the system is working as planned, a monitoring well is located deep below the wetland so that the ground water can be regularly tested. Krouse said that the tests have proven that the system works: There has been no detectable nitrogen and no detectable phosphorus in the ground water.
"I really wanted to be able to demonstrate an upland water treatment system that's not too obstructive," she said. "It only took three acres, and it's processing and filtering a huge amount of water." And added bonus is that the wetland and prairies are located right by the road, so people can see how it works.
Krouse's efforts have also resulted in a perfect habitat for wildlife. She's surrounded by songbirds, upland game birds and other critters too numerous to mention. She recently spotted a least weasel, a rare specimen indeed. There's a downside to having this attractive haven for wildlife, however. "Lots of birds, but some I hate," she laughed. "Like Canada geese. They're very messy. And a lot of deer, which is unfortunate."
In addition to her work on her own farm, Krouse has conducted important agricultural research. In 2002, she partnered with an Iowa State University horticulture and agronomy professor to conduct pest management trials for squash and heirloom vegetables destined for the organic baby food market. She's also active in the Practical Farmers of Iowa organization, has hosted field days and has participated in on-farm research and demonstration programs.
She serves as an officer for the Linn County Soil and Water Conservation District and often speaks to organizations about conservation and local foods. She has appeared on Iowa Public Television and the "Now with Bill Moyers" program to promote sustainable agriculture.
Krouse will receive the Spencer Award on Friday, Jan. 11, at the Practical Farmers of Iowa annual meeting in Des Moines.
(Photo courtesy of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture)
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