Fall into Iowa

The autumn season in central Iowa has a way of making us want to get out of the house. Maybe it’s the cooler temperatures, the changing leaves or simply the realization that winter is waiting around the corner. Whatever the reason, autumn is a terrific time to see, hear and experience what’s happening in our communities. That’s where CITYVIEW magazine comes in.

Each fall, we help readers discover the many ways to enjoy the season across central Iowa. And there’s far more to do than watch football and rake leaves — although both have their place.

So, as the leaves begin to turn, don’t just watch the season change. Get out and experience it. Plan your calendar from the hundreds of activities and events we listed in our Fall Arts and Entertainment Guide in this issue.  

Iowa’s valuable soil

Iowa is known for its cornfields, rolling hills and wide-open countryside, but beneath all of that is something even more valuable: our soil.

It’s easy to take soil for granted. We walk on it, plant in it and occasionally complain when it sticks to our shoes. But Iowa’s soil is one of the state’s greatest natural resources. Our soil does more than grow corn and soybeans. Healthy soil stores carbon, filters water, supports countless organisms and helps reduce erosion. It also plays an important role in Iowa’s economy, supporting farmers, livestock producers, businesses and communities across the state.

Unfortunately, good soil isn’t guaranteed forever. Erosion, runoff and poor management can carry away valuable topsoil that took centuries to form. Iowa’s soil may be under our feet, but as Jim Duncan explains in his feature story, sometimes the most important thing is what we are standing on.

The meat market

There is something comforting about walking into an Iowa butcher shop. The smell. The glass case filled with steaks, chops, brats and bacon. It’s the feeling that you’re buying dinner from someone who actually knows where the meat came from. Iowa’s butcher shops are small-town institutions, gathering places and links to a time when shopping for food was a more personal experience. Gracie Kayko reminds us in this month’s business feature that you don’t just buy meat at an Iowa butcher shop. You buy a little bit of Iowa tradition — one package at a time. ♦

Shane Goodman 
Editor and Publisher
CITYVIEW
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.dmcityview.com