Jared Strong

Farmers in northeast Iowa planted more corn and soybeans last week than in all of the three weeks prior, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Heavy rain in April led to long planting delays, but conditions were ripe this week for significant progress. Farmers have less than two weeks to plant or face yield declines.

A well that supplies drinking water to the east side of Waverly in northeast Iowa has elevated levels of two toxic chemicals that persist indefinitely and are newly regulated by the federal government.

Officers have two separate paths to test drivers for intoxication. One is better for the prosecutions of deadly crashes, but it means the driver can keep a valid license for many months until a criminal conviction.

Pattison Sand Company has asked to nearly quadruple the amount of water it pumps from wells and surface waters to expand its quarrying operation. Some worry it might lead to out-of-state water sales.

In this piece — part of a series from The Gazette and the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk — a look at a lawsuit that targets the 40-year-old “Swampbuster” law that aims to prevent farmers from destroying wetlands.

The fish kill in March in Dry Run Creek spanned for about 10 miles and was caused by runoff from Dale Humpal Dairy in Winneshiek County, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Cavan Hallman has left the small theater company to pursue a new career. It narrowly avoided folding last year.

A highly transmissible and deadly avian flu recently infected a backyard flock of about 250 birds in Hardin County -- the first known infected Iowa flock in nearly a month.

A rural Iowa county's effort to silence a frequent critic — by threatening a lawsuit against a retired school nurse — might have backfired.

Most of the private wells tested in Swisher — which lies about 2 miles south of The Eastern Iowa Airport — are contaminated by toxic PFAS. It might be years before the state determines how far the chemicals have spread from the airport.

The suit claimed the public school district’s policy that restricted bathroom use for transgender students and visitors was distressing and violated his rights. The dismissal follows the impending removal of ‘gender identity’ as a protected Iowa class.

A misunderstanding purportedly led a farmland owner to sue the U.S. Department of Agriculture to overturn protections for millions of acres of ag wetlands. A judge is considering requests to dismiss the case before it goes to trial.

The Gazette will host a series of free, virtual talks about the future of agriculture this week, including advances in drone technology and crop genetics, such as short-statured corn.

The bird flu in a flock in western Iowa is the second detection of the deadly virus in Iowa poultry in a week and affected the largest flock so far this year. Entire flocks are culled to help prevent the spread of the virus.