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By: Co-Reporter, Izzie Birker On Wednesday, October 2nd the State-Qualifying Soils Team competed in the FFA State Soils Evaluation CDE at Ames, Iowa. The Vinton-Shellsburg FFA Chapter was lucky enough to take a team of four consisting of Ben Buhr, Megan Schlitter, Andrew Pingenot, and Will McKenna. After many hours of preparation, the team finished with a Silver rating overall, improving their placing over the previous year by five spots.

Editor’s Note: to view sample ballots click here. PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given to the qualified electors of the County of Benton, State of Iowa, that the General Election will be held on Tuesday, the 5th day of November 2024. The polls for said election shall be open from 7:00 A.M. until 8:00 P.M.For said election Benton County will be divided into nineteen precincts.

The Vinton Fire Department once again brought excitement and education to the community for Fire Prevention Week. The department engaged elementary students and families with fun and interactive activities designed to teach fire safety and prevention. This weeklong event kicked off with a series of activities aimed at raising awareness about the importance of fire safety while giving local children hands-on experiences they’ll never forget.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship recognized several Benton County family farms at the Iowa State Fair. A total of 439 Century and Heritage Farm Families were honored at the event. The 2024 Century Farms and Heritage Farms honored families that held possession of their land for a minimum of 100 and 150 years respectively were recognized at the Iowa State Fair.

This year as part of the FFA Living to Serve Plan. the group is creating blessing bags to deliver to the homeless in Indianapolis, Indiana near our FFA National Convention. "Last year we had gone to a restaurant to order food for the night and we decided to pass it out to the homeless people. We loved the idea of helping these people so much that this year we want to create blessing bags before we go hand out in Indianapolis.

The Iowa Pork Producers Association agreed to NIL (name, image, likeness) deals with all 19 Iowa State University student-athletes that participated in the ‘Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon’ video tryouts. Each of them is getting paid by Iowa Pork for helping encourage consumers to purchase more ham and bacon, and other pork products.Participants included more than a dozen members of the Iowa State Cyclone football team, which is currently 6-0 and ranked ninth in the country, and four members of the Iowa State women’s basketball team, which is projected to finish second in the Big 12 Conference this year.

As local farmers kicked off their harvest, Vinton-Shellsburg FFA members hosted their annual Harvest Meal on Saturday, October 5th. This year, the event took place at Schminke Equipment and Tama-Benton Co-op, where high school and middle school students teamed up to cook, package, and deliver meals to farmers in the area.The Harvest Meal celebrates the hard work of our local agricultural community and helps build teamwork among FFA members.

Benton Development Group has been busy solving two big challenges for Benton County communities - housing availability and deteriorating commercial buildings. Using expertise in Catalyst Grants and disaster recovery funding, BDG recently secured funds for creating apartments in Belle Plaine’s King Theater. “Our role is to be aware of funding opportunities and to pull everyone together so worthwhile projects meeting the needs of Benton County get off the ground,” explains Kate Robertson, Executive Director of Benton Development Group.

Greater access to homegrown biofuels saves drivers moneyIowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced today that the Iowa Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program (RFIP) Board recently approved 126 project applications from Iowa gas stations for new and expanded E15, E85, and biodiesel infrastructure projects. Totaling nearly $6.35 million dollars, the projects are located across 61 Iowa counties and will allow drivers to save more money by providing more access to lower cost and cleaner burning homegrown biofuels.

David and Karen Petersen of Bloomsbury Farm in Benton County was one of the 44 Iowa farm families recognized by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg, Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, and Department of Natural Resources Director Kayla Lyon with an Iowa Farm Environmental Leader Awards at the 2024 Iowa State Fair. The award acknowledges farmers who take voluntary actions to improve and protect our state’s natural resources, including our soil and water, serving as leaders within their communities.