Jen Sorenson has come a long way since her roots on a contract grower farm in Lee County near Donnellson. Sorenson, communications director for Iowa Select Farms and vice president of the National Pork Producers Council, grew up on a livestock farm raising pigs and cattle where her parents ...

MANSON — Luke and Lori Thoma have found a new home for their ever expanding business — Thoma Construction and Flooring. The Manson couple, married for 20 years, moved to a space in downtown Manson, 630 Main Street, during the summer. “Everything was based out of our home,” Luke ...

By DARCY DOUGERTY MAULSBY yettergirl@yahoo.com DES MOINES — From the time he was three years old, Andrew Lauver was not only “farming the carpet” in his family’s home with his toy tractors; he was getting a glimpse of his future. “I only wanted to be one thing—a farmer just ...

SPENCER—Scouts on the Pro-Farmer Midwest Crop tour estimate an average to above-average corn crop for parts of western Iowa following their tour Aug. 19-23. “The next five weeks are going to be unbelievably critical for this crop,” said Chip Flory, editor emeritus and director of the ...

Erica Grell understands that some people might be surprised to see that she owns a roofing company. “It can be a little complicated sometimes,” Grell said from the office of Grell Roofing, 2125 Lainson Ave. “People see me in a male dominated field and judge and maybe assume I don’t ...

RODMAN — Many will never understand the relationship between a farmer and his land. The sweat, blood, and hard work a farmer and his family put into making a living off the land and passing a legacy on from generation to generation. Five generations have lived and worked on the farm. ...