Annual Food Drive Starts at Greene County Community Center
Everyone is encouraged to support the Action Resource Center (ARC) while using the Greene County Community Center.
Director Vicky Lautner says from now through January 3rd, anyone that brings in at least one non-perishable food item can use the community center for free that day. She adds that this is a great way for them to help out the local food pantry.
“They are just very appreciative of whatever we can do for them. And I’m sure the people in the community that need those things can benefit from what we’re doing at the recreation center.”
Last year, they were able to give two grocery carts full of food items to the ARC.
January 2nd and 3rd is the annual free admission weekend at the community center, where people don’t have to bring in an item for the food pantry. However, Lautner encourages people to donate a food item that weekend as well.
Farmland Values Continue to Decline in the Raccoon River Valley
Farmland values in the Raccoon River Valley have dropped for a second consecutive year.
According to the Iowa Land Value Survey, conducted by Iowa State University and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Dallas County saw the largest decrease of 5.36 percent to $8,150 per acre, Greene County dropped 4.49 percent to $8,257 per acre and Guthrie County had a 4.18 percent decrease to $7,340 per acre. Across the state, farmland prices have dropped 3.9 percent. The study averages the amount of value from high, medium and low-quality farmland.
After reaching historic highs in 2013, when values were averaging $8,716 per acre in the state, it dropped 8.9 percent to $7,943.
Some of the negative factors include lower commodity prices, high input prices, an uncertain agricultural future and cash-credit availability that led to the decline. The positive factors were low interest rates and high yields. Farmland prices don’t seem to be gaining any ground in the near future with stagnant commodity prices, a declining farm income forecast, a slowing Chinese economy and the potential for interest rate increases.
The survey was based on 514 usable responses that provided 708 county land value estimates.
2016 Greene County Community Foundation Grant Applications Now Available
Applications for the next grant cycle for Greene County Community Foundation are now available.
President Tim Heisterkamp says they will have at least $125,000 to give away to worthy projects. Grow Greene County Gaming Corporation (GGCGC) is the funding source for the Community Foundation. With the advent of a casino now in the county there are a couple of changes to how grants will be handled. GGCGC will handle any grant requests over $35,000 and the Community Foundation will consider any requests under $35,000. Heisterkamp points out another change to how much they will require in matching funds.
“Now in the past, those matching requirements have been 50 percent. We are going to decrease that this year where you only have to come up with 25 percent and the Community Foundation could fund up to 75 percent of your project.”
To apply for a grant, the request must come from a non-profit organization, which includes schools and municipalities. Applications are available at Home State Bank, which is the new administrator for the Community Foundation. Applications will also be on their new website, forgreenecounty.org, which is expected to be operational by the beginning of 2016. Application deadline is February 11th, with grants to be awarded in late March.
Call Heisterkamp at Home State Bank at 386-2131 for more information.
Community Players of Greene County Select New Show
The Community Players of Greene County have switched shows, due to circumstances beyond their control.
Member Clay Ross says they wanted to do “Annie” at the end of February, but a national tour of the musical will also be in Iowa that same month and the Players couldn’t obtain the rights to it. So instead, the Players will perform “Wizard of Oz.” It is the story of a farm girl from Kansas who gets swept off to another land by a twister
Open auditions will be held from January 3rd through the 5th at the Greene County High School auditorium from 6 to 8pm. Sheliah McGregor Pound will be the director. To give them more rehearsal time, the performance dates have been pushed back to March 18th through the 20th.
The Players plan to do “Annie” later this fall.
It’s Official: Merger Passes for West Central and Farmers Cooperative
Members of West Central Cooperative and Farmers Cooperative Company voted in favor for the two businesses to merge.
The merger was finalized as each membership met Iowa’s voting requirements of at least 50 percent of each membership voted and of those votes, at least 60 percent were in favor. The final tally was conducted by an independent auditing firm Gardiner Thomsen. West Central Board Chair Sue Tronchetti from Paton says this is a rare opportunity for two financially-stable cooperatives to be involved in a “merger of equals to maintain local ownership for generations to come.”
The unified cooperative will be named Landus Cooperative and will be led but current West Central Chief Executive Officer and President Milan Kucerak. Operation headquarters will be in Ames. Farmers Cooperative Chief Executive Officer Jim Chism was pleased with the results of the vote and adds that he’s confident the cooperatives will be in better position to “improve the economic well being of our member-owners.”
Landus Cooperative will be the seventh largest grain company in North America based on storage capacity and shuttle-loading access on all seven major Iowa rail lines.
The merger will take effect April 1, 2016.