Newton
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Daily News
Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014
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Newton, Iowa
Thousands of Jasper County voters skipping the polls By Ty Rushing Daily News Senior Staff Writer
Ty Rushing/Daily News Baxter farmer Brock Hansen said he began harvesting on Sept. 15, and as of Thursday, his family had harvested 30 percent of their soybean crop and 10 percent of the corn crop.
Local farmers hitting the fields More than 10 percent, soybeans harvested By Ty Rushing Daily News Senior Staff Writer BAXTER — As of Monday, 12 percent of the nation’s corn crop has been harvested and 10 percent of the soybean crop, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture. Many ag pundits have projected this year to set record yields for both crops, and USDA’s report also indicated that 74 percent of the corn crop was in good/excellent condition and 72 percent of the soybean crop. Iowa is expected to once again lead the nation in production for both crops. Bill Northey, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, made comments on this year’s harvest Tuesday. “Crops continue to advance towards maturity and farmers are just starting to harvest both
corn and beans as conditions allow,” Northey said. “As more farmers start harvest it is important everyone working on the farm and driving through rural Iowa keep safety in mind to help make sure we have safe and successful harvest season.” Locally, Baxter farmer Brock Hansen and his family have been harvesting since Sept. 15. Hansen and his family farm various plots of land in both Jasper and Marshall counties and have experienced some challenges along the way. “With last year’s cold hard winter, there was a lot of frost in the ground, which seemed to hesitate planting at first. Once planters got rolling, the planting season went rather smooth,” Hansen said. Hansen added that the biggest challenge his farm faced during planting season came
when it was time for the post application of herbicides and side dressing of nitrogen. “The crops and weeds were growing so fast, and with the every other days of rain, getting started on spraying was very difficult,” Hansen said. Although harvesting has began, and crop conditions have been favorable, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship indicated that crop maturity is still lagging behind normal rates for this time of year. Corn is behind by eight days and beans are behind by three. “At the harvest, the cooler temps and rains have delayed the crop maturing and this may pose as our biggest challenge yet — getting the crops to HARVEST See Page 3A
Although the General Election is more than a month away, a number of locals have cast their vote early with a staggering 3,200 absentee ballots already Parrott c o m pleted in Jasper County. Those absentee figures include mailed ballots as well as people who chose to vote in person at the auditor’s office, Room 201 in the Jasper County Court-
house. Absentee voting opened up last Thursday and Dennis Parrott, county auditor, said his office is expecting this pace to continue. Jasper County has 26,000 registered voters. The 3,200 ballots have already surpassed the total from the 2006 Gubernatorial Election total of 3,167 and is on pace to eclipse the 2010 Gubernatorial Election total of 4,948, Parrott said. “The turnout in 2006 Gubernatorial Election was 50.5 percent, and the turn out in the 2010 Gubernatorial Election was 56.4 percent. Looking at how things VOTERS See Page 3A
Noble All American adding new facility By Jamee A. Pierson Daily News Staff Writer Noble All American is building a new facility for its Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep franchise in a south lot adjacent to the current buildings at 2020 W. 20th St. S. Work began on the project a couple weeks ago, starting with moving dirt and building a retaining wall to the east. “We have the franchise now but we don’t have a facility to house
it,” Greg Williams, general manager said. Williams is looking for the building to be complete in early spring, weather pending. “If they can get it roofed and sided in they can do a lot of finish work this winter,” Williams said. Point Builders, based in eastern Iowa, is the general contractor on the job with Van Maanen Electrical of Newton and Dickerson Mechanical NOBLE See Page 3A
Jasper County family lives farm life of yesteryear By Mike Mendenhall Daily News Staff Writer
Mike Mendenhall/Daily News Becky Ziesman of Baxter separates a hen from its eggs before collecting what was laid Friday. Becky and her husband Brad Ziesman sell the eggs from their home, which came from free-range chickens. They also use the eggs in their family of twelve’s daily meals.
BAXTER — Staked on the shoulder of Highway F17 near Baxter is a white, wooden sign which reads “Eggs 1/2 mile” in hand-painted black lettering with an arrow pointing passersby down a gravel road. It leads to the farmstead of Brad and Becky Ziesman. Their kitchen table is long, standing in front of an old church pew lining the wall. The seating is for their family of 10 kids ranging from age 9 to 24 years old. It’s 8:30 a.m., and Brad and
Becky are drinking coffee — regrouping after a 24 hours shift at the Des Moines Fire Department where they both have worked for decades. They’re preparing for their morning ritual in the corrals and fields. The kitchen counter is filled with the fruits of their daily labor. Sealed glass mason jars contain tomatoes, salsas, pears and apples all coming from their personal garden and orchards. In a growing season, the Ziesman family will can or freeze 30 quarts of stewed tomatoes, 60 jars of jams, countless quarts of green beans, brussel
sprouts, potatoes and more. Their produce aisle is the garden, and their meat department is the pasture. “It’s about quality,” Becky Ziesman said. “I know what I’m feeding the kids. Whether it’s the garden, the eggs or the meat, I know where it came from, what it was fed and how it was processed.” The size of their family both allows and mandates that they sustain themselves from the resources on their farm. In a day in age where FARM LIFE See Page 7A
Iowans encourage Healthiest State Walk
Newton battles Ballard in District match up
Iowans across the state have shown their support for the Healthiest State Initiative by the thousands. | 2A
Going into Friday night’s Class 3A District 6 showdown, things are pretty simple for Newton High’s Cardinals.| 1B
INDEX Local News • 2A 7
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Calendar • 5A Obituaries • 5A
Today
High 69 Low 49 State News • 7A Opinion • 4A
Comics & Puzzles • 6A Dear Abby • 6A
Classifieds • 4B Astrograph • 5B
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Volume No. 113 No. 96 2 sections, 16 pages