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Nov 1, 2024 | 
nonpareilonline.com | Beth Hoffman
Poll worker training for this election happened a few days ago, and like one big democratic family, the group of mostly retirees and grandparents (many of whom have been poll workers for a decade or more) reviewed again how to properly serve the public in the voting process.
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Oct 30, 2024 | 
communitynewspapergroup.com | Beth Hoffman
Poll worker training for this election happened a few days ago, and like one big democratic family, the group of mostly retirees and grandparents (many of whom have been poll workers for a decade or more) reviewed again how to properly serve the public in the voting process.
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Oct 28, 2024 | 
iowacapitaldispatch.com | Beth Hoffman
Poll worker training for this election happened a few days ago, and like one big democratic family, the group of mostly retirees and grandparents (many of whom have been poll workers for a decade or more) reviewed again how to properly serve the public in the voting process.
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Oct 17, 2024 | 
iowacapitaldispatch.com | Beth Hoffman
by Beth Hoffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch October 17, 2024 I recently spent a few days at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s plantation from 1768 to 1826. Fortunately, a lot has changed since that time — most importantly, there is no longer sanctioned slavery in the U.S. But it is fascinating to me that, as they say, “the more things change, the more things stay the same.”In the early years of Monticello, Jefferson’s plantation grew tobacco.
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Jun 22, 2024 | 
arnoldgarson.substack.com | Arnold Garson |Nicole Baart |Daniel Finney |Beth Hoffman
The docks are under water and the boats are gone, back into storage. Boat hoists stand isolated and empty 30 feet or more from the shoreline. Okoboji is flooded. As of 1:45 p.m. Saturday, West Lake had risen almost 15 inches in 24 hours with most of the rain falling overnight. It was at 7.82 feet at the Lakeside Laboratory measuring point. That compares with a peak depth of 6.42 feet at the same point in the memorable flood of 1993, according to the U.S. Geological Service (USGS).
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Apr 26, 2024 | 
iowacapitaldispatch.com | Beth Hoffman
Let’s start with the price: $7,170. That’s the insurance quote I got this week from the only company that will insure us. The only company. Apparently “agritourism” — having tourists on your farm for classes or pizza night or to pet goat kids — is a no-no in Iowa now. And really, when you think about it, watching a cooking demo is pretty dangerous. The cost of the premium on our cattle and goats is also extremely high.
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Apr 20, 2024 | 
inthedirt.substack.com | Beth Hoffman |Nicole Baart |Laura Belin |Tory Brecht
Let’s start with the price: $7170. That’s the insurance quote I got this week from the only company that will insure us. The only company. Apparently “agritourism”—having tourists on your farm for classes or pizza night or to pet goat kids—is a no-no in Iowa now. And really, when you think about it, watching a cooking demo is pretty dangerous. The cost of the premium on our cattle and goats is also extremely high.
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Mar 8, 2024 | 
iowacapitaldispatch.com | Beth Hoffman
The Iowa Legislature passed a bill last week to block foreign ownership of land. We need to stop the Chinese from buying up the nation, our Iowa legislators complain. But as we race to protect Iowa farms, what are we really “protecting” and, by extension, who should be protecting it? First, let’s look at the current state of affairs. In 2022, white people controlled more than 80% of the nation’s wealth. And if you look at justland ownership in the United States, 96% of land owners are white.
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Jul 29, 2023 | 
inthedirt.substack.com | Beth Hoffman
Farm Meditations are series based on events that happen on Whippoorwill Creek Farm in South Central Iowa. We raise grass fed and finished beef, goats, foraged mushrooms and veggies. Visitour websiteto learn more about the farm, our journey and my book Bet the Farm: The Dollars and Sense of Raising Food in America. Or contact me at [email protected]. Here’s about the funnest (yes, I know that is not a real word) thing you can do in the garden—plant garlic.
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Jul 22, 2023 | 
inthedirt.substack.com | Beth Hoffman
From the beginning, when we got the goats—ten of them, does, Kikos—there were two that stood out. Almost all of the group looked identical, but these two were unusually friendly. They came up to be scratched, loved to be near us when we were out and didn’t show an ounce of fear of humans. The rest of the does were wary every time we approached, looking at us intensely and running off as soon as we came near.
