By Alice Martin Friends of a Feather In the next couple of weeks, you may see a bird on a power line or post, especially in open farmland, that looks like a mourning dove or an American robin, but take a second look.  It might be an American Kestrel, the smallest of the falcons.  The male Kestrel is… Read More

The Prairie Spy Alan “Lindy” Linda In 1965, I used my two-year Electronics degree to get a job with the Oliver Tractor Company in Charles City, Iowa, a short distance from the farm I grew up on. I was assigned to work with an engineer, whose name’s initials spelled “IOWA.” Ivan O. W. Anderson. Our focus was mainly… Read More

Ask a Trooper Sgt. Jesse Grabow Question: I am looking to purchase a used vehicle. I have been online and checking things out and some of these listings appears too good to be true. Do you have any advice on what a person can or should do so they don’t become a victim?   Answer: If it’s too… Read More

The Prairie SpyAlan “Lindy” Linda Virgil M. bought the farm next to ours in Iowa, when I was 13. He didn’t come to farm, and rented the land to dad. He had just sold his large electrical wiring business in another town, trying to slow down a bit as he approached his sixties. He wasn’t… Read More

Jessica Carlson  OTC Master Gardener If you have ever tried starting seeds indoors in winter and wondered why they look tall, pale, or a little floppy, you are not alone. The good news is that this is not a gardening failure. It is simply a light problem, and it is one of the easiest things to… Read More

Ask A Trooper Sgt. Jesse Grabow Question: Can you write about the laws on headlights on when they are to be used? It would probably be a good idea to mention the rules of dimming one’s bright lights. Thanks.   Answer: When you are within 1,000 feet of an oncoming vehicle or following another vehicle at a distance… Read More

By Jessica Carlson OTC Master Gardener Starting seeds indoors is one of the most practical ways Minnesota gardeners can make the most of a short growing season. In USDA Zone 4a, we typically have about 110 to 120 frost-free days, often stretching from mid-May to mid-September. That limited window makes planning ahead essential, especially for warm season… Read More

The Prairie Spy Alan “Lindy” Linda I learned to speak Appliance way back, right after the U.S. Army sent me back from Vietnam on an early release to attend college. I had three days to get from Quang Tri, Vietnam, to Iowa State University and get enrolled. I luckily found a place to live. It was a… Read More

Ask A Trooper Sgt. Jesse Grabow Question: Hi Sgt Grabow, I took my driver’s training course many years ago.   One thing I remember from my training is the steps that goes into making a right-hand turn, including: 1. Looking to my right to make sure no one/nothing is there. 2. Putting on my right turn signal. 3. Looking again for… Read More

The Prairie Spy Alan “Lindy” Linda “Death cleaning.” A recent article that was so labelled was about what we old farts leave behind us for our children to take care of. Clean up. Oh, sure: We get old and talk a good fight about getting rid of the stuff that has accumulated around us–Okay, let me change… Read More