Mmmm, Delicious Garlic Slush!
Parents will have more trouble keeping their small children from eating snow in the Des Moines suburb of Ankeny. The city is using garlic salt to de-ice its road, thanks to a generous donation by Tone Brothers Inc., a spice producer headquartered in Ankeny. Read on for more details....
photo: jhoc via flickr
Because the US encouraged increased planting of corn by 19% in 2006 and 2007 the number of insect pests that plague the soybean crop increased as well, causing lost yield to farmers or forcing them to apply more insecticide to deal with the problem. The pest in question is the soybean aphid and the cause of its increase is declines in ladybug populations. Here’s how this is happening:
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photo: Steven Roemerman
OK, before anyone accuses me of a misleading headline: Coal-fired power plants in Iowa produce much more carbon emissions than do ethanol plants. Said. Done. Moving on: While it’s true that I believe that corn ethanol is probably one of the worst biofuels out there on many levels, I’m presenting this not to bash ethanol; instead I saw this in the context of “gee, whaddya know...”
7.6 Million Tonnes From Ethanol Plants
photo: Terry Cantrell
One piece of information that got lost in all the news of financial turmoil last week which the American Wind Energy Association was quick to point out: The US wind industry is still going strong. Citing four recent manufacturing announcements, the wind power trade organization was keen to point out that “even in this time of economic uncertainty, America’s wind industry continues to invest in our economy, building new factories and wind farms across the country, and creating jobs.”
I have never quite understood the purpose of neckties, and wear them only for visits to banks and funerals. However finally I find that there is one with a purpose: researchers at Iowa State University have developed a necktie made from solar fabrics. It even has a pocket in it to hold your camera or cellphone.
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This is cool: Inspired by the Zachary House by Stephen Atkinson, F.R. “Fritz” Nordengren built this sweet little dogtrot on a beautiful spot of land in southern Iowa using plans from The Little House Plans Kit. See the whole process on his blog and the forums at CountryPlans.com. Very nice.
Our prayers are with everyone in Iowa and elsewhere in the US Midwest, as we read in the NYT: Towns on Mississippi Shore Up Levees.
The human and economic costs of the flooding in Iowa alone have already been devastating. Five people have died, nearly 40,000 people have been evacuated or displaced, and more than $1 billion worth of crops have been destroyed.
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