Food Trends

Not just a wash: Groomer gives dogs the royal treatment (10/01/08)
She knows what kind of shampoo works well for your dog. She knows how to make doggie toothpaste from scratch. And she's even trained in pet CPR. Meet Monica Nilles. The Le Mars woman is the new dog groomer on Central Avenue, part of the Bow Wow Pet Shop and Bakery's new addition: Bow Wow Grooming and Day Spa...

Le Mars Area Dialysis focus is on fundraising, renovation (10/01/08)
Le Mars Area Dialysis Services is stepping up its fundraising efforts. Currently the not-for-profit group has two main focuses -- one is to continue raising money, and the other is to plan renovation of its newly acquired building in downtown Le Mars...

Wells' Dairy pays back $1.2 million to state (09/29/08)
Wells' Dairy has been asked to pay back $1.25 million of a nearly $3 million state award after they missed a job creation and retention goal by about 150 jobs. The debt to the state has already been paid, according to a statement from the Le Mars ice cream and frozen novelty producer's CEO Mike Wells...

Steam locomotive to stop in Le Mars (09/25/08)
Union Pacific's "Challenger" No. 3985 will steam into Le Mars next Wednesday for a brief visit The visit comes during the 1940s locomotive's round trip tour from Cheyenne, Wyo. to St. Paul, Minn., and back. People can take a look at the restored train engine during its half-hour stop Oct. 1 along Lincoln Street near the south Wells Dairy ice cream plant at Eighth Street Southwest...

Students use five senses on area farm tour (09/23/08)
They came by the busload. Students from area schools experienced fun on the farm last week during the annual Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce Agricultural Tour. Children from Le Mars Community, Gehlen Catholic, Remsen-Union and Remsen St. Mary's had a chance to visit four farms to learn about agriculture in Plymouth County. The students were from the third or fourth grades, depending on which school they attend. They were divided into four groups that traveled from one farm to the next...

Vintage harvest: Dittmers' vineyard produces juicy crop (09/22/08)
With a juicy plop, a bunch of grapes falls into a heaping pail of the purple fruit. All around, people are talking, laughing, and clipping away at loaded branches of grape vines. It's Sunday and it's harvest time at Barry and Brenda Dittmers' vineyard in Hinton...

Negotiations begin on new Wells' Dairy labor contract (09/22/08)
Negotiations are underway on a contract that impacts about 1,400 hourly manufacturing employees at Wells' Dairy in Le Mars. "A corporate team is sitting down and meeting with an employee team," said Dave Smetter, spokesman for the ice cream and novelty company...

Farm Bureau honors Conley with Service to Ag award (09/03/08)
A longtime Le Mars area veterinarian was honored with the Plymouth County Farm Bureau's "Service to Agriculture" award Tuesday evening at the organization's 90th annual meeting. Dr. John Conley and his wife, Barbara, of rural Merrill, were called to the stage by President Mark Loutsch, who explained the award is given to those in Plymouth County who have contributed much of their lives toward the helping and development of agriculture...

Harker's closes after 100 years in Le Mars (08/27/08)
A century-old Le Mars establishment is folding. Harker's, a food service company that began with a meat market started by George Harker in 1906, will have its last day Friday, according to Harker's president Jim Harker. Cardboard boxes fill the front lawn of the Le Mars corporate headquarters building at 801 Sixth St. S.W...

Get ready to 'Scoop da Loop' (08/18/08)
For those who like classic cars, trucks and cycles, downtown Le Mars is the place to be Wednesday evening for the annual Scoop da Loop fun. People may gather at Olson Cultural Event Center at the corner of First Avenue and First Street Northeast for some good food starting at 6 p.m...

Sign-up deadline nears for new disaster program (08/07/08)
Sign-up for the SURE, the new USDA disaster program, is underway, and the deadline to participate in this year's program is Sept. 15. SURE is a permanent disaster program that will be specific to each farmer. Unlike previous USDA disaster programs, this one does not require an Act of Congress for it take place...

Senator Harkin plans Le Mars visit (08/04/08)
Senator Tom Harkin will be hosting a Le Mars meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 6 during a cross-Iowa tour. The Democrat plans to visit with local residents about his work in Washington to help Iowa's working families. The public is invited to attend the cafe stop, which will be held at 10 a.m. at Lally's Eastside Restaurant...

Branching out: Hinton couple goes vintage with planned winery (07/31/08)
Tuscany. Napa Valley. Hinton? If Barry and Brenda Dittmer have their way, yes -- their sloping vineyard on a Plymouth County hillside will be not only an agricultural plot but a destination winery. An Iowa winery isn't as surprising as people think, Barry pointed out...

Samantha Tentinger takes top dairy prize (07/25/08)
The name was a familiar one as the championship awards went out Thursday at the Plymouth County Fair's 4-H dairy show. Samantha Tentinger, Remsen, a Union Livewires 4-H member, not only exhibited the grand champion dairy heifer but also walked out of the ring as the champion junior dairy showman. Her grand champion heifer also took the purple ribbon in the Jersey division. Samantha, also had the reserve champion heifer in the show, winner of the heifer competition in the Ayshire judging...

Smoking outside gets mixed reviews (07/25/08)
Smoking inside Iowa bars and restaurants is just a memory. The Iowa Smokefree Air Act that became effective July 1 means customers who want to smoke in those places must now go outside. "It's definitely affected business," said the Red Hanke Saloon manager, who did not wish to be identified. "They (customers) don't stick around as long."...

Local Pork Producers will donate to flooded hog farmers (07/23/08)
A group of northwest Iowa pork producers are coming to the aid of southeast Iowa pork producers who were hit hard by the June floods. The Plymouth County Pork Producers Association will once again operate its Grandstand Pork food stand during the Plymouth County Fair. The producers have decided to donate the entire day's proceeds from the stand on Friday, July 25, to help their flooded brethren in southeast Iowa...

Ahlers anticipate upcoming Plymouth County Fair (07/22/08)
As the prize hopeful pumpkin bread bakes in the oven and the sheep are led around the farm one last time, John and Debra Ahlers' four children Jill, Rebecca, Kristen, and Daniel, are busy putting the finishing touches on livestock entries and 4-H exhibits for the upcoming Plymouth County Fair...

Plymouth Oil may receive $1.2 million in tax benefits (07/22/08)
The State of Iowa pledged about $1.2 million in tax incentives to a plant near Merrill that will make corn oil for food and cooking. The $30 million Plymouth Oil plant is planned next to the 50-million-gallon Plymouth Energy LLC ethanol plant near Merrill. The projected completion date is July 31, 2013, according to an Iowa Department of Economic Development (IDED) spokesperson...

From field to shelf: Local stores sell local foods (07/21/08)
Right now, Le Mars' grocery stores boast a few shelves of ripe red tomatoes grown only a couple dozen miles away. Later in the summer, shoppers might be able to fill their carts with sweet corn, green beans and other produce that were grown locally...

Mid-Sioux emergency food pantry in need of supplies (07/18/08)
The Mid-Sioux Opportunity, Inc. Outreach Office in Le Mars is in need of non-perishable food and paper supplies. The food pantry relies on local donations to keep the shelves stocked. "Most people think of donating to food banks during the holidays," said Melissa Juhl development director for Mid-Sioux. "In fact, summer is a very busy time at the food bank. Families consume more food during the summer months with school aged children at home all day."...

Galles recovering from Alton fire explosion (07/18/08)
The Remsen farmer that was burned when a blast started the Alton grain elevator on fire is on the mend. Matt Galles, who was rushed to a medical center in Lincoln, Neb. to be treated for burns July 9 said his skin is healing well. "In a week's time it can change a lot," he said...

Remsen man injured in grain explosion in Alton (07/10/08)
ALTON, Iowa (AP) -- One person has been injured in a fiery explosion at a grain elevator in Alton in northwest Iowa. Officials say Matthew Galles, 31, of Remsen, was unloading grain at the Midwest Farmers Cooperative on Wednesday when the explosion occurred about 3:15 p.m...

Grassley gives his take on fuel crunch at Le Mars meeting (07/01/08)
U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley praised ethanol and drilling for more oil in the United States during his stop at a Le Mars town hall meeting where concern about energy and food prices was the prevailing mood. Speaking to a crowd of about 50 people at the American Bank Monday, Grassley responded to questions about fuel prices by presenting his idea for an energy program...

Smoking in most public places will be extinguished Tuesday (06/30/08)
No Smoking signs started going up last week in preparation for the Iowa Smokefree Air Act which goes into effect Tuesday. Lally's East Side Restaurant, in Le Mars, sported homemade signs Friday telling customers the establishment, which previously allowed smoking, will be smoke free July 1...

Awareness keeps recycling trend on the rise (06/17/08)
Education. That's the reason about 10,000 more pounds have been recycled this year compared to last year, city and county officials said. In Le Mars, as of the end of May,132,060 pounds were recycled compared with 85,000 in May 2007. When the recycling program began in 2005 during this same time period 61,680 pounds were recycled...

Hold the tomatoes (06/11/08)
Salmonella scare makes tomatoes scarce in Le Mars

Feller's hard work yields promising future (06/05/08)
This is the third story in a series looking at what plans and dreams local members of the graduating class of 2008 hope to pursue. At 6:30 in the morning, most high school graduates are only concerned with one thing -- sleep. While they study the inside of their eyelids, Brandon Feller is hitting his alarm clock and getting dressed for a full day of work on the farm. ...

Reining training: Manthe develops new techniques (06/02/08)
Brette Manthe shows reining horses, something she's done since fourth grade. To hone her skills Manthe, 18, of Merrill, participated in a Reining Working Cow Horse Clinic Saturday and Sunday sponsored by Pam and Greg Wells, owners of Windy Hill Ranch, Le Mars...

Feenstra says focus on results would drive his work as senator (05/29/08)
Randy Feenstra traces his path to politics back to selling candy. Feenstra, of Hull, is running unopposed in the June 3 primary for the Republican nomination to the Iowa Senate seat vacated by Dave Mulder. The Dordt College graduate, now the Sioux County Treasurer, worked seven years as the head of sales at the Foreign Candy Company...

Angel Food Ministries hopes to soften blow of rising food costs (05/20/08)
Westfield Congregational United Church of Christ volunteers distributed 87 boxes of food Saturday as a part of Angel Food Ministries. The Westfield church has joined the national non-profit, non-denominational organization to sell food products for half their retail cost to help supplement budgets as food prices continue to rise...

Meals packed in Le Mars will meet immediate need (05/12/08)
Three weeks ago, a national food crisis was declared in Honduras. On Friday, students, volunteers and staff at Gehlen Catholic Schools worked for 12 hours straight on a project that will put nutritious meals in the hands of Hondurans. At the third-annual Kids Against Hunger (KAH) food packing event, they bagged and sealed about 200,000 dry rice and protein meals that will arrive in Honduras within weeks...

Group looks at making Le Mars healthier (05/05/08)
A garden where people from the community can come grow their own vegetables and fruit. More bike racks around town. A website that lists recreation options and local food venders around the area. These were just three of the ideas a community group is throwing around as possible additions to Le Mars through a program called Iowa Fit for Life...

Volunteers needed for food-packing event (04/25/08)
Two hours of your life can translate into hundreds of meals for malnourished people around the world. Gehlen Catholic School is seeking volunteers and sponsors for this year's Kids Against Hunger food-packaging project, planned for Friday, May 9. Volunteers will work alongside students and staff to pack, weigh and seal bags of dried rice and protein meals which will be shipped overseas, mainly to Honduras...

Corn oil producer planned near Merrill ethanol plant (04/21/08)
Better together. That's what Dave Hoffman of Merrill says about the $30 million corn oil plant he and others are planning to build next to the Plymouth Energy ethanol plant near Merrill. The corn oil plant will produce up to 60 tons every day of the oil used for human food and cooking. Employing 25 people, the plant is slated to be in operation by the spring of 2009...

Music Boosters auction features new look with student involvement (03/26/08)
The 11th annual Le Mars Community Schools Music Boosters Auction and Supper will have a new look this year, with new items and new auctioneers. The auction, set for 6:15 p.m. this Friday, March 28, in the LCS high school cafeteria, will begin during the Spaghetti Supper, which is served from 5 to 7 p.m. in the cafeteria...

Cold weather doesn't stop Easter Egg Hunt (03/24/08)
Despite the cold and cloudy Saturday morning, the Community Easter Egg Hunt was a success with children quickly gathering up the 25,000 colorful eggs on the Le Mars Community High School practice football field and baseball field. The hunt, sponsored by Hy-Vee Food Store, Hy-Vee Rx, KLEM and the Le Mars Daily Sentinel, was split into two age groups, with children first through fifth grade on the practice football field while the younger children gathered eggs inside the confines of the baseball field.. ...