We’re in a season of transition, here in our community, from summer activities that are now behind us. School has started, and even the Clay County Fair has come to an end for 2019. In the next few weeks moving into October and November harvest will be under way for our farmers. ...

U.S. agriculture is one of the most immigrant dependent industries in the U.S. for its labor force. Immigrants have historically been the labor engine for agriculture over the history of the nation regardless whether the servitude was involuntary or voluntary over that time. Only the ethnic groups and race of immigrants providing that labor force has changed. Today it is dominantly Hispanic with some Eastern European, African and Asian contribution. They tend not to be white...

DES MOINES — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Conditions report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. “An unexpected complex of thunderstorms moved through the state on Saturday producing heavy precipitation,” Naig said. ...

Oversight is often a vehicle for change in the federal government. In order to solve a problem, you need to know what it is, how bad it is and why it’s happening. Oversight is an important tool to find answers to those questions as well as ensure the appropriate steps are taken to solve the problems...

When scanning your copy of the paper, or any other, you may run into an unusual photo credit that reads “file photo,” or maybe a photo credited but that seems in an odd place. These are file photos, which are pretty self-explanatory. These are the photos that are in our filing system, and these have either run before or never ran and have been waiting for their chance to shine. ...

I need to start this column with an apology. I didn’t write my usual Tuesday missive last week. I can count on my fingers of one hand the weeks I’ve skipped this assignment in two decades at The Daily Reporter. I was presented with a far larger, and far more important writing task on Saturday, Sept. 7, when my beloved mother, Carol Johnson, passed away suddenly and without warning, at her home in Northwood, Iowa...

Well we can close the books on another Clay County Fair. With a nine-day stretch filled with everything from chilly wet weather to extremely warm and humid ― there was something for everyone. From the 9/11 Never Forget Mobile Exhibit to the Moto Maniacs; from classic country to a high flying ATV show; from tributes to Elvis, Elton, Billy and the Beatles to Spudnuts, cookies and a variety of stuff on a stick ― fairgoers could roam the grounds looking at farm equipment, animals and vendors or take a ride on the wild side at the Midway. ...

Recently, the Iowa Department of Revenue went live with an all-new website. The new site includes better navigation, improved search functions, and a simplified homepage. The department utilized customer feedback and data analytics in designing and building the site...

As I write this the Clay County Fair is in full swing. The fairgrounds is a busy hub of activity. Some people sauntering along, others stepping quickly and who seem to be late for something — perhaps a volunteer role, a musical act they don’t want to miss, or meeting a special someone. And some days this year everyone stepping over puddles until the “puddle vacuum” comes along...

What are you going to plant next year ... that is profitable? President Donald Trump's trade war has destroyed the soybean and cotton markets. Wheat is no better. Those that planted soybeans this year out of a desire to maintain crop rotations will be maintaining the burdensome carryover at considerable expense and if they continue to plant soybeans in 2020 the carryover will get worse. ...

DES MOINES — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Conditions report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. “Near seasonal temperatures along with the pattern of dry conditions continued across most of the state last week,” Naig said. “With four percent of the corn and 15% of the soybeans nearing maturity, farmers are starting to prepare equipment for harvest.”...

Fall is the best time to divide spring and summer blooming perennials that are overcrowded, dead in the center, failing to flower or flopping open. Wait until spring to dig and divide fall or summer blooming perennials that were not moved the previous fall...

Those who talk film with me know about my dislike for current-day Michael Bay’s impact on today’s cinematic art form. What might be surprising is that while I have an incredible dislike for Bay’s recent projects, I have a fondness for his early work, none more beloved by me than the 1995 film “Bad Boys.” The action-comedy police procedural with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence may come off a little bit dry today, but it still holds up as a pretty stylish film. ...

Cooking with ISU Extension and Outreach
 The weather is cooling off and thoughts are turning to heartier foods than the usual summer fare. The slow cooker is an easy and economical option for those meals. Tips for the slow cooker: —Cut up vegetables and meat the night before. Store them in the refrigerator overnight in storage containers or bags. Transfer to the slow cooker the next morning for quick assembly...

On Friday, the traveling 9/11 Never Forget Mobile Exhibit arrived in town around 5 p.m. escorted by the Spencer Police, Clay County Sheriff’s Office and Spencer Fire Department. The large moving museum will offer area residents an opportunity to learn more about one of the most horrific days in the history of this country as shared by those who experienced it first hand during its stay throughout the Clay County Fair. ...

The United States Department of Transportation announced this week that Iowa was awarded a $33.4 million federal Competitive Highway Bridge Program grant. State Departments of Transportation in 25 eligible states were invited to apply under the program; by law eligible states were limited to states with population densities of less than 100 people per square mile based on Census data...

When President Donald Trump thinks that he can order U.S. companies to leave their businesses in China, that is not free enterprise capitalism ... it is fascism. That is the kind of government interference and autocratic dictatorship of commercial activity that has only been practiced throughout history by fascist regimes. ...

Folks in northwest Iowa have been seeing a number of political candidates come through the area as of late. It's almost as if there's an election cycle coming up in the near future. I kid of course. We Iowans know what's coming. Soon there will be a bombardment of campaign ads and recorded telephone messages from those seeking office. Without fail, those campaigns will both give and take criticism from their opponents as well as the public...

An issue that surfaced late during the 2019 legislative session related to "blackout" license plates. There was a desire to create a new license plate that was entirely black. Dordt University offered a black license plate, but featured additional white lettering. There was so much interest in an entirely black plate, people purchased the Dordt plates and used specially designed blackout brackets to cover the Dordt-specific lettering thus making a pieced- together black plate...

Nothing beats the flavor of fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes and when they’re left on the plant five to eight days after the fruit are fully colored, the flavor only gets better. Check plants regularly and keep harvesting, so the plants continue to produce throughout the fall. This also reduces problems with insects and disease attacking overripe or rotting fruit. Store the mature red tomatoes in cool, 45- to 50-degree, conditions with high humidity and they’ll last about seven to 14 days...

I had a phenomenal idea Sunday night, to try and capture the northern lights as they barely made their way down to Iowa last weekend, and then share a photo of them. I was sure they would be really neat to look at, and people would love a photo of the northern lights above Spencer or Royal or somewhere in Clay County...

I'm making my list and checking it twice. No, it's not a Christmas wish list, it's my countdown of "must-see," "must-do" and "must eat" essentials for the 2019 edition of the Clay County Fair. I always forget how fast nine days goes by when you're having fun, and the gates close before I've made my way around the grounds to all the different places I want to ensure I get to each year...

What do Canadians think of Americans? They will not say that one of their traits is to be extremely polite. If they have nothing good to say, they remain quiet. They do note that they often hear of Americans saying that they would like to move to Canada. ...

I started working for Northwest Iowa Publishing back in the spring and summer of 2013. As an intern, I put together a Clay County Fair Preview that has gone down in the annals of Daily Reporter history as the best ever. (That’s according to me and only me. Side note: I’m biased.)...

Evenings have a chill that wasn’t there a month ago. The Clay County Fair is finishing up final touches for our nine days of fun. And teachers are back in the classroom in front of students. I hope you noticed that I said “teachers are back in the classroom,” and not “teachers are back at work.”...

Some exciting news to announce this week. In partnership with the Spencer Radio Group and the Clay County Fair, the Daily Reporter will be teaming up to host a political soapbox during the nine days of the fair, Sept. 7-15. With the upcoming primary elections at the state and federal levels, it is more important than ever for voting constituents to access information on as many candidates as possible...

Iowa is in need physicians, especially in rural areas. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, Iowa ranked 46th in 2016 for the total number of physicians active in patient care per 100,000 people. The legislature made an attempt to begin addressing this issue by bolstering two scholarship funds in the education budget this year. ...

Precision Ag and Animal Science Days Today I have guest writers, Beth Bunkers, youth program specialist, and Katie Stewart, O’Brien County K-12 program coordinator, both with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach talking about “Precision Agriculture and Animal Science Days to be held Sept. 3-5 near Sutherland.”...

Who is President Donald Trump going to blame a recession on? According to Fortune Magazine, the length of the current economic expansion has been record-breaking, lasting 121 months from June 2009 through July 2019 surpassing the second longest expansion of 120 months from March 1991 to March 2001. The reason was Trump's tax cut coming late in the business cycle which gave the economy another boost just as the recovery was tiring...

It’s back. The long, hard wait through the spring and summer has ended, and we’ve survived. Football is finally back. (And along with it the “SDR Triple Option” podcast which returns to season two starting today! Check it out at spencerdailyreporter.com/podcast. ...

It seems the only reachable consensus among Americans is that we’re divided. Just scroll through Twitter. Nearly everything is passed through a political lens prescribed by a set narrative. So when I stepped into Sen. Chuck Grassley’s Washington, D.C., office as an intern, I was expecting more of the same. ...

Naig: Farmers across the state welcomed precipitation DES MOINES — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Conditions report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. “Farmers across the state welcomed the precipitation that fell over the past few days,” Naig said. “Some areas reported an inch of rainfall, which will help improve the abnormally dry conditions and moisture stress that were reported in a few counties.”...

It looked like a tennis ball. That was my first instinct anyway. After initially catching a glimpse of something round breaking through the dry dirt at the base of my maple tree, I was reasonably sure I would soon be digging out a buried dog toy of some sort. What I found was more intriguing...

Working to keep learning and better myself, I’ve taken a deep dive into learning more about photography. That has led to buying a camera and of course a camera then leads to new peripherals. Sure, with a camera and one lens you can take pictures, but can you really take all kinds of pictures? While the sarcastic response to questions for help on photography forums is often “what you have with you,” I’ve had a lot of fun keeping my (now four) different lenses on hand for different situations...

2019 will go down in my personal history as a uniquely exciting year. Come October, I will become a mother-in-law. While I've felt like a second mother to my son's lovely bride-to-be for a long time, we will celebrate that status becoming official with the wedding ceremony. I'm a mom of a single child. This is my one shot at this...

One of the thing that breaks my heart in this broken world is the constant battle over race. It’s become a huge political weapon. Every time there is a tragedy or a shooting, the first thing that begins flying seems to fall back to race. And it exists without a doubt. There are idiots out there who base their feelings about people on the pigmentation of their skin. When you say it like that it sounds really stupid. That’s because it is...

Choose Iowa initiative On Aug. 7, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced that the Iowa Department of Land Stewardship relaunched the Choose Iowa initiative at the 2019 Iowa State Fair. The Choose Iowa program creates support for farmers, drives demand for the products they produce and generates excitement about agricultural innovation happening around the state...

CBSN interviewed a Nebraska farmer who gave them the quote ... "I'm not a climate change guy, but. ...” That quote could be finished more than one way: "But for the weather we have been having." "But for what I have seen in my lifetime." "But for the frequency of crop insurance claims increasing." "But for the bomb cyclone." "But for the fact I am a Republican." Or "But for the fact I would get razed at the coffee shop if I admitted to believing in climate change."...

Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report DES MOINES — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Conditions report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. "Overall, crops around the state are in good condition," Naig said. ...

Bite by the Barn Iowa State University Extension and Outreach has offered an Ag-Citing program for youth at the Clay County Fair for over 20 years. This program has been very successful and reached over 15,000 youth. The mission of this program is to promote the importance of agriculture among young people while developing their understanding, appreciation, and application of science through hands on activities. ...

Like the last spoonful of homemade ice cream, the last scene in a spellbinding movie, and the last page in an enthralling book, the last days of summer just cry out to be savored. There’s a bittersweet scent to the air as families begin the transition from lazy summer to the five-day structure of school time...

As politicians descend upon Des Moines for the Iowa State Fair, I’ve already noticed a number of high profile opinions knocking caucuses, fairs and Iowa in general as news coverage continues to traipse through the state fairgrounds. The headlines are depressing. ...

I remember back when the issue of transgender persons and restroom usage was a big issue. I wrote a column back then when it was being suggested that men who believe they are women and women who believe they are men should be allowed to use whichever restroom they “feel” they most correctly identify with...

Luke 12:16-21: Jesus told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought, ... 19 “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”...

You start with some assumptions and compare them to what you know. There have been three lawsuits in which California juries have awarded damages to plaintiffs whose lawyers have successfully argued that their clients contracted cancer from contact with Roundup/glyphosate herbicide. ...

Naig: Cooler-than-normal conditions continued across the state DES MOINES — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Conditions report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. “Cooler-than-normal conditions continued across the state with varying amounts of precipitation,” Naig said. “The southwest portion of the state was the only area reporting above-average rainfall, and other areas are trending drier-than-normal.”...

I got to feeling a bit like the little, red hen this week. I harvested the wheat, I ground the flour, I rolled the dough and I baked the bread, when I covered the Iowa Great Lakes Rotary's inaugural Boji Brewfest back in 2017. Come last week, I found not one but four different websites using one of my photos from that year to promote the Brewfest on their events calendars and the like. ...

Beginning Jan. 1, 2020, Illinois residents will be able to legally purchase marijuana for recreational purposes. This significant law change will not just impact Illinois residents, but those in surrounding states as well. Illinois residents will be able to purchase up to 1 ounce of raw cannabis and cannabis infused products with no more than 500 milligrams of THC. ...

Don’t let fall or potentially frosty temperatures stop you from enjoying garden-fresh produce. Extend the nutritional value and homegrown flavor into your fall and early winter meals with the help of short season crops and season extending strategies...

More thoughts and prayers. More flags at half-staff. More words with no action. In a span of less than 24 hours, America once again was visited by the horror of not one, but two mass shootings. At least 31 people died in attacks in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. ...