Vermeer: the Pella company that started with a wagon hoist
Gary Vermeer, a farmer near Pella, built a mechanical wagon hoist in 1948 to unload grain more easily. Neighbors wanted one, and Vermeer Corporation was born.
Business
Wright County employers, Main Street shops, ag businesses and the people who run them, plus business news Iowans follow.
Why small-town Iowa businesses struggle to find workers
Iowa’s unemployment rate has been among the lowest in the country for years, and in small towns that means businesses struggle to hire.
John Deere’s Iowa roots run deep
John Deere is based across the river in Moline, Illinois, but much of its work happens in Iowa. It builds tractors in Waterloo, cotton pickers and…
What Iowa State’s land value survey tells farm families
Every December, Iowa State University releases its Iowa Land Value Survey, the most-watched number in Iowa agriculture.
Wind leases add steady income for Wright County landowners
Iowa gets more of its electricity from wind than any other state, roughly 60 percent in recent years.
Hy-Vee, the employee-owned grocer that shaped Iowa shopping
Hy-Vee started in 1930 when Charles Hyde and David Vredenburg opened a general store in Beaconsfield, in southern Iowa. The name is a combination of their…
Casey’s: the Iowa gas station that sells pizza in every small town
Don Lamberti opened the first Casey’s General Store in Boone in 1968, in a converted gas station. The chain is still based in Ankeny and has grown to more…
Ethanol plants remain a key market for Wright County corn
Iowa leads the country in ethanol, with more than 40 plants that together make roughly a quarter of the nation’s supply. The plants use more than half of…
What China’s soybean buying means for Iowa farm income
China is the biggest buyer of U.S. soybeans, and Iowa grows more than any state except Illinois. When the two countries fight over trade, Wright County…
How Hagie Manufacturing grew from a Clarion farm idea
Hagie Manufacturing traces back to Ray Hagie, who built a self-propelled high-clearance sprayer in 1947 because he needed one for his own seed corn work….