The Greene County supervisors on Monday approved a letter to state elected officials lauding the county’s hog growers and their practices, and asking the legislature to consider changes to the master matrix, the tool used to evaluate applications for the construction permit needed for new confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs).

The final version of the letter is very similar to a draft reviewed a week ago. The letter was written by supervisor Peter Bardole, a partner in a hog CAFO recently permitted by the Iowa DNR. Continue reading County supes ask for review of master matrix →

Customers of the Scranton location of Landus Cooperative learned last week the facility will be closing within a year. The announcement was made late last week with letters mailed to customers in the area.

The determining factor is the safety of the facility. It has been discovered the concrete silos are deteriorating, causing a safety hazard for the workers as well as grain that is stored inside. Continue reading Landus Cooperative to close Scranton location →

Widening and resurfacing County Road P-46 between 340th and 320th St in Washington Township is slated for FY2020. That project is next in line in the five-year secondary roads construction program. County engineer Wade Weiss reviewed the plan with the county supervisors Monday; the supervisors then approved the plan.

The estimated cost of the Washington Township project is $1 million. Continue reading County engineer tells 5-year road construction plan →

Farmers market vendors, potential vendors, food/dinner providers and supporters of the Greene County farmers market are invited to welcome spring and meet other local “foodies” at a “Spring into Spring” informational meeting Thursday, April 18, at 6 pm at the Thomas Jefferson Gardens Welcome Center in Jefferson. More

More information will be available and potential vendors and dinner providers are invited to bring samples to share. Continue reading Info meeting slated for farmers market 2019 season →

Greene County assessor Adam Smith advises property owners the assessments for agricultural property will not be provided in April.

“The recent government shutdown caused the State of Iowa not to receive all numbers needed to calculate the ag value for 2019 before the date required by law to change those values,” explained Smith. “Due to crop prices and input cost, I believe the ag value will be going down for 2019. Until I have the actual numbers, I am unable to recalculate ag values.” Continue reading Ag assessments delayed until October →

Cool temperatures and rain throughout Iowa kept fields from drying out enough for fieldwork during the week ending April 7, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Statewide there was just 0.8 day suitable for fieldwork. Fieldwork activities were limited with some farmers spreading manure and applying dry fertilizer on fields able to support the equipment. Continue reading A sure sign of spring – the first NASS crop report →

Owns and operates a thriving retail business to have time to write

~by Victoria Riley for GreeneCountyNewsOnline

Joanna Goodman, author of The Home for Unwanted Girls, this year’s Greene County Reads selection, owns and operates an upscale bed linens store in Toronto to have enough time to write. She’s also the mother of two children, ages 9 and 14. How she balances those roles may be one of the things she talks about as she joins the Greene County Reads discussions this Thursday via Skype. Continue reading Author tells story of a dark time in Quebec’s history →

Work is scheduled to begin this week  on the roof at the Jefferson public library.

Grell Roofing of Fort Dodge is scheduled to begin work the week of April 8 to replace the rubber membrane and insulation on the 1967 addition and connecting entryway with a Duro-Last membrane system. Continue reading New roof for Jeff library →

Will also celebrate Thomas Jefferson’s birthday

Senator Jerry Behn and Representative Phil Thompson will be the guests of the Thomas Jefferson Gardens board at the April legislative forum Saturday, April 13, at 11 am at the Welcome Center. Continue reading Legislative forum slated for April 13 →

~by Chuck Offenburger for the Greene County Historical Society

Due to a death and funeral in a family that has long been active in the Greene County Historical Society, the organization’s lunch and program that had been scheduled for this Friday, April 5, in Cooper has been re-scheduled one week later – on Friday, April 12. Continue reading Historical Society postpones Cooper program to April 12 →

~by Janice Harbaugh for GreeneCountyNewsOnline

The Greene County supervisors’ agenda was hog-heavy Monday, as the supervisors reviewed the scoring of a master matrix for one new concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO), held public hearings on two other CAFOs, and discussed a pair of draft letters to the legislature asking for a review of the master matrix. Continue reading Hogs dominate county supervisors meeting →

Greene County is providing an opportunity for private well owners and tenants in the county to have well water tested for certain forms of bacteria, nitrite/nitrate and arsenic.

Through the Iowa Private Well Program, the county sanitarian will collect water samples at private homes at no charge.  During the months of April and May, he may also ask for permission to collect an additional sample to test for other specified contaminants in your water. Continue reading Free private well testing in April, May →