By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

A jailbird waves to the crowd. Photo by Rich Wicks

The Yale Fourth of July celebration was held on Friday and Saturday. Betty Cooper, who led the planning for the event, provided her thoughts following the weekend.

“Overall, I think the weekend went well. We pulled in good crowds, people hung out in town for quite a bit, and we received great feedback about having the round gym open for the day,” Cooper said. “We heard positive feedback about crowd sizes being bigger than other years into the late afternoon but would have liked to have seen more people in the evening. We will continue to try to add events that are appealing to make this happen.

Cooper also pointed out specific parts of the celebration that were new or otherwise noteworthy.

Fair Queen Brooklyn Haines. Photo by Rich Wicks

“We had several great events that pulled in good crowds. We saw some more families join us on Friday with the added Chalk the Block event and ice cream truck. The 5K had 26 participants. Several people showed up to play pickleball, and bingo and the kid zone were big hits. But the biggest hit of all was the three-on-three basketball tournament in the round gym,” she said. “People showed up to watch the teams play basketball, but we also had crowds show up just to see the inside of the gym for the first time or to reminisce about old memories of the gym.

Cooper offered her thanks to all who helped make the weekend in Yale a success.

“It seems impossible to be able to thank everyone who helped make this event happen. We had several businesses make monetary donations and raffle donations. The kids and coaches from the Panorama Schools really showed up. The Panorama cross country coaches and team hosted the 5K, the Panorama boys basketball coach and team hosted the three-on-three basketball tournament, and the Panorama Junior Class helped with set-up, ran some stations, hosted the softball tournament and the popcorn and ice cream fundraiser in the evening.”

Lilah and Sadie Simpson pose on the oversize chair. Photo by Rich Wicks

Cooper also gave kudos to several other individuals and organizations.

“I could not have done this without Dale Louk, Buffy Louk, Joel Cooper, Emma Guzinski, Eli Cooper, Heather Beaudet, the Sloss family, Nathan and Courtney Hodges, Arilyan Steenblock, Micky Durbin Gymer, the Bagley Fire Department, Clint and Heather Deardorff, the Yale City Council, Jonetta Long, Duane Chaloupka, Kile and Susan Jackson, Miles Boatman, Grace Tripple, Ashley Hummel, the Lopez family, Jenny VanGundy and Jadyn Lawrence. I am so sorry if I am missing anyone. I am also sure that there are other people who did things that I am not even aware of. It truly takes a village to pull off something like this and I am thankful to be a part of the best community around. I felt so supported,” she said.

The following photos were taken by Eli Cooper.

Click images to enlarge.

Special to the Times Vedette

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig encouraged Iowa farmers and landowners who are planning to seed cover crops this fall to enroll in the state’s annual Cover Crop Cost-Share Program. This program is open to first-time and returning cover crop users in all 99 counties and offers cost-share assistance on up to 160 acres per participant.

“More Iowa farmers are choosing to plant cover crops because they’ve seen the benefits in their own fields, while also delivering cleaner water for Iowans downstream. Cover crops prevent runoff, hold nutrients in place, improve soil health, reduce weed pressure and can provide forage for livestock, making them one of the most effective tools we have to protect Iowa’s water quality,” Secretary Naig said. “Cover Crop Cost-Share has become one of our most popular conservation programs and has helped drive record adoption of cover crops in recent years. I encourage farmers and landowners to visit their local USDA Service Center or cleanwateriowa.org to explore the conservation programs available and sign up early because demand continues to build each year.”

Cover Crop Cost-Share

Farmers planting cover crops for the first time are eligible for $30 per acre. Farmers who have previously planted cover crops are eligible for $20 per acre. Cost-share funding through the statewide program is limited to 160 acres per participant.

Additional cost-share assistance for first-time users

Farmers transitioning acres to no-till or strip-till are eligible for $10 per acre. Farmers can receive $3 per acre for utilizing a nitrogen inhibitor when applying fall fertilizer. Cost-share funding through these programs is limited to 160 acres per participant. The statewide program complements the Department’s recent conservation announcements including expanded incentives for cover crops and streamside buffers in the Greater Des Moines Watershed.

Additional opportunity for farmers and landowners in the Greater Des Moines Watershed

Farmers and landowners located within the 22-county Greater Des Moines Watershed may be eligible for additional cost-share incentives. The Greater Des Moines watershed cover crop program provides $25 per acre on up to 500 acres to accelerate adoption of cover crops. Together, those programs offer eligible farmers the opportunity to receive state cost-share assistance on up to 660 acres of cover crops, subject to the requirements of each program.

Applications are now being accepted through county Soil and Water Conservation District offices located within each county USDA Service Center and costshare.iowaagriculture.gov. Funding is limited and demand for the program remains strong each year. Farmers and landowners are encouraged to enroll in the statewide cost-share program as soon as possible.

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By Shane Goodman | Times Vedette

It wouldn’t be the Fourth of July at Lake Panorama without the painting of the American flag on the lawn of Lyle and Paula Hansen on the west side of the lake at 6312 Panorama Drive. This tradition is a family affair, led by Lyle and Paula’s son, Chip Hansen, who, along with his friend Graydon Schmidt, create this patriotic scenery. Chip shares the flag-waving at his home, which was built in the past year directly behind his parents across Panorama Drive.

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

The Guthrie County Board of Supervisors held a brief meeting on July 7. County Auditor Dani Fink discussed several annual fund transfer resolutions for the supervisors to consider.

Fink described Resolution 27-03 (Resolution Authorizing Periodic Fund Transfer from General Supplemental Fund to Emergency Management).

“That’s the amount in the EMA budget that is Guthrie County’s contribution,” Fink said.

The supervisors approved Resolution 27-03 as proposed.

Regarding Resolution 27-04 (Resolution Authorizing Periodic Fund Transfer from Rural Service Fund to Secondary Roads Fund), Fink explained.

“That’s the same thing. We do the transfer from Rural to Secondary Roads, by resolution,” Fink said.

The resolution was approved.

Fink suggested tabling Resolutions 27-01, 27-02 and 27-05 so that additional data can be added. The supervisors voted to table those three resolutions.

The supervisors also chose to table discussion of the Comprehensive Plan.

No citizens submitted written or spoken comments on any issues during the Public Comments portion of the meeting.

The supervisors meet regularly on Tuesdays at 9 a.m. The public is welcome to attend in person at the courthouse or via remote technology. To join remotely, call 323-792-6123, then use meeting code 547029216#.

Although the first generations of the Schultz/Miller Family are deceased, 18 family members carry on the Legacy of Mil-R-Mor Farms. Front/2nd Gen: Crystal Sheehan, Kathryn Miller, Madeline Schultz, Beverly Miller Middle/3rd Gen: Amy Schultz, Emily Sheehan, Kelly Foerder, Jennifer Schultz, Katelyn Schultz, Kaylen Miller, Lorilee Schultz. Not pictured: Kegan Schultz. Back row/4th Gen (L to R): Adeline Foerder, Braelynn Schultz, Cora Schultz, Elsie Foerder, Lucy Fahr. Not pictured: Ashlynn Schultz.

Special to the Times Vedette

The Illinois Agri-Women Organization has introduced a new award, The Three Legacy Farm Family Award, for the Generations of Women in Agriculture Across America (GoAg³) initiative. 

The first place family was the Schultz/Miller Farm Family from northwest Illinois, southern Wisconsin and central Iowa.

Four generations of women working in production agriculture are represented by fourteen women from the three living generations. They continue to make their mark in the dairy industry with the Holstein and Brown Swiss Associations and have expanded their love of livestock to horses, sheep, beef cattle and pigs.

The family engages in their communities through their Illinois and Iowa churches and schools, 4-H and FFA, Annie’s Project, Farmers Union and Farm Bureaus. The Schultz/Miller women also make their mark on the agricultural industry through off-farm careers including University Extension, animal nutrition, genetics services, agricultural banking, k-12 teaching, photography, agritourism, livestock transportation and custom forage harvesting.

“It is truly amazing to see the array of leadership accomplishments and the involvement in agricultural activities by the Schultz/Miller women,” said David Fischer, University of Illinois, retired Extension Dairy Educator, in his letter of recommendation for the Schultz/Miller Family.

The Generations of Women in Agriculture Across America (GoAg³) initiative began in the fall of 2025 to recognize the women who have provided support and encouraged the women of their families to pursue non-traditional roles in agriculture. 

The Illinois Agri-Women have invited the ladies of the three Legacy Farm Families to attend the GoAg³ Celebration on Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, in Bloomington/Normal, Illinois.

The Illinois Agri-Women is a statewide nonprofit with membership across the state with women involved in agriculture production, industry and stewardship. More information and registration for the Celebration of the Legacy Families are available on the Illinois Agri-Women website, https://illinoisagriwomen.org/goag3/.