While prohibitive costs and low commodity prices are due in part to the consolidation of the input providers and grain processors, the agricultural system is not the only consolidated industry negatively affecting citizens. Unfortunately, soaring prices throughout the economy are a symptom of ...

Farmers today face many challenges from high overhead costs and low commodity prices to the threat of climate change that may limit yields in the coming decades. However, a new revenue source may be on the way. Vertical, two-sided solar panels are being tested in farm fields at several sites. ...

Well I took a week off. It is time to let Tama County citizen's know some facts. Three years ago, Tama County Against Turbines (TCAT) came to the Board of Supervisors and said they were petitioning us to stop the Winding Stairs Wind Project. The group told us that Salt Creek Wind was already ...

February was a very busy month for us Tama County Supervisors. We didn’t just get our feet wet but jumped right in! We started the month by finding out that we could not make payroll because the General Basic Fund was getting extremely low and that the Budget approved last year by the prior ...

These Trump tariffs are something. People say this is how we fix the economy. Others say everything’s price will go up. If they happen, it will be somewhere in between. When one wants to encourage domestic production, tariffs make sense. One also must have the right policies in place to ...

After the February 24 Tama County Board of Supervisors meeting, it is clear that Supervisor Curt Hilmer does not want to be bothered with calls on his COUNTY cell phone even if you are an employee of the county. He will only answer calls from his district and does not care about any other area. ...

What I love about rural America is how it is a microcosm of society. Everything is done on a smaller scale, and it shows how society works. When these small towns dot the landscape, they are each unique and self-reliant communities. While they lack chain stores, restaurants, and other ...

I am fortunate to have a great team of deputies, jailers, and office staff, but I want to take a moment to emphasize just how vital Chief Deputy Joe Quandt has been during these initial weeks of my time as Sheriff. There’s so much that happens behind the scenes at the Sheriff’s Office that ...

I feel it is important to let Tama County citizens know some of the things going on with the new Board of Supervisors. As part of a Feb. 14 Sun Courier newspaper article titled “Tama County HR manager fired; supervisors confront ‘budget crisis’” summarizing the Feb. 3, 2025 board ...

Senate Study Bill 1051 has entered the state legislature. Proponents for this bill say it prevents litigators from bringing frivolous lawsuits which have racked up millions of dollars to cancer patient lawsuits. Opponents say the bill makes it harder to bring these lawsuits, thus helping shield ...