IowaWatch (https://www.iowawatch.org/tag/u-s-department-of-agriculture/)
Slow speeds, bad coverage and expensive service. These are just some of the concerns contained in nearly 300 public comments on Rural Broadband Pilot Program proposed by the USDA, a review by the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting found.
When nearly 300 Americans submitted comments this summer on the USDA’s pilot plan to bring high speed broadband internet to rural America, they mentioned the great opportunities reliable internet connectivity could bring. But they also voiced skepticism over the agency’s proposed plans for the project, which has been in the works for nearly a year.
“Own your own victory garden and four room house,” a Davenport realtor suggested to buyers in a local newspaper ad in spring 1942. All over the state businesses used the victory garden campaign to sell their products and services. Seed and gardening stores offered free seed packets and information pamphlets to customers to entice customers to plant victory gardens. Clothing stores advertised slacks for women to wear while tending their victory garden. A Charles City nursery advertised for “Victory Garden Salesmen” to help sell products to “make healthy American workers and fighters.”
Iowa History, a weekly column, appears at IowaWatch on Saturdays.
If Iowa’s farmers would just practice a few economizing steps they could save time and money when it came to fence posts, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics released in 1910. The USDA estimated that farmers in the state used $1.4 million worth of new fence posts each year and could save money by using more durable wood or wood treated with preservatives.
A renewed attempt will be made again this legislative session to strengthen Iowa’s ability to inspect and regulate large dog breeding facilities in the state, but with a scaled-down focus.