Iowa Wine Industry

Did you enjoy your Iowa wine this holiday?

We did at our house and are trying to more and more. We’re not alone. More and more Iowans are sampling Iowa wine if the numbers are correct about Iowa’s wine industry.

According to Barb Rasko at Make Mine Wine magazine, Iowa now has 74 wineries and 392 vineyards. That’s a lot of wine and wine capability. She says the hope is to see 100 wineries by 2011. Just 13 years ago that number was around 6 wineries. That’s a lot of growth.

That fact got us going on this story for The Iowa Journal. Right now our production and air date is December 17th at 8p. I am still working on a guest list for our discussion.

We want to talk about how Iowa’s wine industry is growing. We also are looking to find out why and how the state is doing it. How much help is the state of Iowa in getting the industry to grow its reputation?
What is holding up Iowa’s wine industry from growing into a much bigger deal?
How do Iowa wines compare nationally and internationally?

The majority of this story was shot this summer on location in a eastern Iowa. I visited Brush Creek Winery near Bellevue. They are a small operation. But not new to wine making.

A look from the back porch of Tabor Home.

We also will feature Tabor Home Vineyards and Winery near Baldwin, Iowa. Baldwin is between Dubuque and Davenport in beautiful Jackson County. Paul Tabor is an Iowa legend when it comes to wine. He’s been around since the early 90s growing and producing Iowa wine. Tabor is a strong believer in Iowa-grown wine. Just prior to my visit to his winery, he told me about a new designation called the Upper MIssissippi River Valley viticulture area. This may not roll off the tongue like Napa, but its the same thing, a specific region with certain characteristics about the soil and the grapes grown there. Geographically, this is the largest viticulture region in the country.

The front entrance to Fireside Winery

We also visited Fireside Winery near Marengo and Williamsburg. On this trip, I had Dan Kaercher and Rick Fuller with me. We will use part of this interview for the new program called Simple Pleasures that will air on Iowa Public Television. Fireside will also make our Iowa Journal story.

We’ll also include some video from Tassel Ridge near Oskaloosa and Pella. The story there, they use a harvester to bring in some of their grapes.

What do you like about Iowa’s wine industry?
Who do you consider experts in Iowa wine?
What else do we need to talk about on our program?

Home for the holidays

I used to not get home much for the holidays. Or if I did, it wasn’t for very long.

I remember working a few holidays as I mentioned in the last post.

There was one year I closed down KWAY in Waverly at midnight. I rushed out on Christmas Eve, by this time, Christmas morning, for the farm. We then started opening presents at 1245a. Yikes.

Now Its a little earlier with children involved.

But we also altered our holidays because mom worked nights at MHI in Independence. So we had to be done by 1040 pm so she could go to work.

This year at Thanksgiving we were at Amy’s parents then headed to the farm on Friday. It’s always good to be back in the land of big sky and stars. Don’t forget the wonderful sunsets like the picture above.

Aunt Eve made it. She’s now 95 plus. Pretty strong woman. She was still cutting hair about 15 months ago.

Her grandson David brought her down from Fairbank. I hadn’t seen David since I was Noah’s age. He most recently was living on a boat in France. Now he’s back in the states. He’s working on getting his level one ski instructor certification. This way he can teach in California. His brother Neal had helped mom get Eve to the assisted living facility. No small task.

David did have a new iPhone 3GS so he wanted to know what apps I had. He even shot some video as he hadn’t done that yet with his new toy.

Don’t forget second or third cousin Henk on mom’s side. Thy may be worth a post some time. He was doing a little Internet research back in Holland on the last name Wassenaar and found mom’s brother Gordon. Henk is super smart and now living in Austin, TX. This comes after time in Michigan and Chicago.

There was no fireplace going last night but I can guarantee it will be on Christmas when we head up again.

How was your Thanksgiving?

Working Thanksgiving

Working in media will give you plenty of opportunities to work the holidays. In fact, for years, I didn’t know what a holiday was, I thought it was just a day that stories got harder and you wore jeans more often.

My first Thanksgiving was working in Mason City at KIMT-TV. I was the fill-in sports guy, so I got the duty that year. The rule was, at least one local story a day. So, I found a USHL hockey team member of the North Iowa team and how he was celebrating Thanksgiving with his host family.

After shooting that, I headed to Amy’s parents in Britt for a Thanksgiving meal there. We were dating at the time, so she was home and we could connect that day.

After my move to Davenport, I always had Thursday’s off, so I always had Thanksgiving off. That was Doug Retherford’s rule. Thanks, Doug. But this meant I missed one of KWQC’s greatest traditions, Theresa Bryant’s Thanksgiving meal.

Each year Tee would make a meal that rivaled any meal in the country. She did it all in the kitchen of KWQC. It was always appreciated. It was one of the reasons working on Brady Street Hill was such a good deal.

Lastly, my only Thanksgiving at WHO-TV was in 2006. That year, I was on the assignment desk. I was in early and left early to get to Amy’s parents in Ankeny. They had moved to Ankeny in 2005.

Jon Cahill was working as a reporter that day in 06 and was determined to have some turkey meal. Since the station wasn’t ponying up for anything, he decided to go to Dahl’s and purchase turkey lunch meat and some bread so we could at least have some sandwiches. Thanks, Jon. Always a good time.

You have turkey trots, plumbers and pre-shopping readiness stories every year. But, it what you come to expect working in news, the stand by’s. You could also go to the fire station to see how they were cooking up a big meal. Or anyone else who was working the holiday.

Enjoy your day. Happy Thanksgiving.

Best of the Week Nov 23, 2009

Here’s a look at the some of the stories that I’ve found this week that I thought many of you may enjoy or should read if you get a chance. Some of them are videos, so that’s the fun part.

One of Iowa’s largest employers in Dubuque, Waterloo, Davenport, Ankeny and Ottumwa reports a 4Q loss, but a gain for the year. Deere and Company (which pays my mortgage, full disclosure) posted the results Wednesday. Here’s the QC Times story.

An assistant principal in the middle of a strip search incident involving an Atlantic student has resigned. IBNA board member Ric Hanson has the story on Radio Iowa from his KJAN post in Atlantic.

He may be gone from the Des Moines School Board, but Jonathan Narcisse is now hitting the road to debate Republican Candidate for Governor Chris Rants. Here’s a story from the Iowa Republican. Jon has not said if he will challenge Chet Culver for the Democratic nomination, but is leaving it up to the media to decide. If you’re not from DM, you can see the debates in Bettendorf, Cedar Rapids, Dubuque and Waterloo and Ankeny and Council Bluffs.

Kay Henderson of Radio Iowa also has a report on the Lincoln/Douglas type debates.

And some of the Iowa Film program is rolling again. Mostly paying what’s already been done and lifting the suspension. The state moved a tiny step forward in re-instating the movie tax credit.

This almost seemed like a no-duh type story, but was confirmed by data this week that Iowa’s community college enrollment is up. Traditionally enrollment at community colleges goes up in a down economy. NIACC is Mason City is seeing the same thing as others as reported by KIMT-TV

An environmental group says Iowa’s power plants are some of the oldest and most polluting in the country. Radio Iowa reports.

This one may end up on the comedy circuit from the DMR.  Man with bloodshot eyes charged with stealing Visine.

I have a couple of videos to watch this week, music videos. The first is about the Decorah Middle School as reported by the CR Gazette. The students are trying to win a technology grant and used Coldplay’s Viva La Vida to help tell their story. The school actually used students to help play the instruments.

Another music video involves the Muppets. If you know Queen, you know the melody, but this Bohemian Rhapsody is a little different. The video appeared only Tuesday and now is well over 1 million views. I’m sure that’s something people will be talking about this holiday around the table.

And this music video, maybe also another conversation piece, involves some late night fun at the J-lab at Wartburg College in the Communication Arts department. Good stuff. Enjoy waiting for Miley, even if the song will be stuck in your head.

 

Chronic Care

Last week’s Chronic Care program is now posted. You can view the program here.

We had a good discussion on what our country is dealing with in spending on the treatment of chronic care issues.

From our website: Treating chronic conditions consumes 75 percent of the nation’s $2 trillion in health-care spending. These conditions include diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, cancer and asthma.
This episode features a visit to a class offered to seniors on how to deal with the fatigue, pain and stress that often accompanies living with chronic conditions. It also includes a story about a special camp for children with diabetes where they learn the skills they need to manage their disease.

In the IPTV studio to discuss efforts to assess health risks and promote preventative health practices are Bill Applegate, executive director of the Iowa Chronic Care Consortium, Kathy Leggett, director of the Center for Advocacy and Outreach at Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, and Helen Eddy, assistant vice president of Health and Wellness for Hy-Vee, Inc.

Take a look and let us know what you think.

Waiting for Miley

The kids at Wartburg College are doing it again.

I should be more specific, the Communication Arts students. Its been a few years since I was in their shoes, sweatshirts and hats, but once a Commie, always a Commie.

I’ve written about a couple of guys trying to get a student as Jimmy Fallon’s intern. You can read about Nate and Spencer’s adventures here.

This time, its all about Miley. Miley Cyrus, that is.

A few of of the Comm Arts students have made a music video. They didn’t write or perform the music, just used it to add their own take with the help of their Mac computers and some creative downtime. It took a little bit of planning and from what I learned today. Including some casting involved.

Here’s Waiting for Miley:

They are trying to be an internet sensation and are doing there best to be everywhere and tell everyone they know about their video. So far, its working on a Wartburg scale. The video posted late in the week. As of Friday, the views on YouTube were only about 300. Now they are approaching 3,000. Help them get there and tell your friends to make this everywhere. They’ve been peppering the Today Show and others about the video hoping for a little viral outbreak.

My Twitter Friend Leslie Berg knew she’d seen a video like it before, and here’s a look at the same concept with a Backstreet Boys or Nsync or some other boy band’s song.

The Wartburg version is students working primarily on the Trumpet, the student newspaper. The other version appears from a work site or office situation.

Traditional students spend late nights at the library, in lounges, maybe the bar. But Comm Arts students at Wartburg spend time at the J Lab or locked in a studio working on their craft. Its a fun environment where you can be a little loopy in a late night hour or even cranky.

I’ve gotten some great posts about Wartburg Comm Arts legends. That one is in production now and will posted soon. Thanks to all for the great comments so far.

From what Mac and Nate have said, more videos from this group could be coming soon. So, keep your eyes peeled.

Also, I’ve been told there’s older versions of video from my time at Wartburg, so this could be a bad idea opening up this can of worms.

–Update–
I think the part that got me hooked was 1:16 in when everyone raises their hands up at once and I knew this was no low-budget item.

Best of the week Nov 11-20, 2009

I’m going to try and keep a tab of stories through the week that are interesting or stories I think you should know that are happening in the state. These are stories that likely would have been in the news analysis portion of The Iowa Journal, but since we don’t do that anymore, I’ll compile them here.

Even though Thomson is in Illinois, it does have an impact on Iowa. The Obama administration is pushing for a plan to convert the Correctional Facility to become the new Gitmo.

This was a big deal during most of my time in the Quad Cities. I know the Watermelon Cafe was on TV and in print several times, all hoping for economic benefit of a new prison coming to the region that badly needed the jobs.

Here’s a story out of the Clinton Herald. Lots of media stories have been done about this proposal.

A lot of the hub-bub is over jobs and fear. This area of Illinois has seen some rough economic times, even before this latest downturn.
John Carlson of the DM Register takes a visit to Thomson.

School districts are looking at a few options for saving money. One that’s gaining some attention is sharing superintendents. Mason City and Clear Lake are larger schools, but the two are looking at the idea. Clear Lake has an interim super this year and he’s warm to the idea.

Here’s KIMT-TV’s story.

Did Webster City ignore warning signs about a company’s role in their economy? Electrolux was the major employer in town and recently announced they are closing and moving operations to Mexico. A few are wondering if the community economic officials should have removed some of the eggs out of the town’s basket and diversified the community’s economy. They city says they didn’t want to upset their employer by bringing in competition for workers.

The Des Moines Register raised this thought earlier this week.

Ever get asked to write a recommendation for someone you may not know that well? Maybe a LinkedIn note or on another site. Here’s a story from the NY Times about their advice.

Between OK Henderson and Dave Price, they’ve brought up an idea floated by Ed Failor, Jr about merging the 3 public universities into one. Failor cites the Wisconsin or somewhat how Missouri runs things.

Here’s Kay’s blog post on the subject.

Here’s Dave’s discussion on his show, Purple Matters, on Des MoinesLocalLive.com.

The city of Cedar Rapids is still rebuilding and now they are thinking about going green in the process as well, looking to expand into some LEED construction standards. That’s being good citizens and leaders.

The issue came up in this Cedar Rapids Gazette story.

Adam Belz of the Cedar Rapids Gazette looks at how combing some of Iowa’s counties may save money and make sense. Here’s the story that may leave your home county merged with another.

And finally, a shout out to the Iowa Journal for looking at all tax credits, not just the movie tax credit. Now the Governor is wanting to examine all the credits. Here’s the DM Register’s story. Here’s ours. Enjoy.

What did I miss that the state should care about?

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Tax Credits to get a review

We know we have at least one viewer of the Iowa Journal – Gov. Chet Culver.

Late Thursday afternoon the Governor’s press office sent out a release about an examination of all tax credits the state offers.

That sounds a lot like a recent Iowa Journal program. We looked at all tax credits in the state and discussed what is good and bad about offering them. That was back on November 5th, 2009. Producer Sara Frasher did a great job of breaking down what tax credits are and then we featured Newton’s efforts with credits.

You can view the program right here.

Here’s the blog post about the program here with a great West Wing clip just for Michael Graham.

Also, the Des Moines Register is writing about the story as well. Here’s their story.

Here’s the Governor’s full release.

GOVERNOR CULVER ORDERS REVIEW OF STATE TAX CREDITS
State agency directors to submit report, provide recommendations on credits

DES MOINES – Governor Chet Culver today ordered a comprehensive review of each of the state’s 30 tax credit programs. He asked the Directors of the six state agencies that oversee the tax credit programs to submit a review of their respective department’s tax credit programs. Those Directors will then serve on a panel to review the programs and submit a report to the Governor addressing oversight, accountability, transparency, public reporting, cost-benefit, and which programs should be continued, curtailed, and or eliminated.

The Governor named Iowa Department of Management Director (IDOM) Dick Oshlo to chair the panel. The review will be due to IDOM at the close of business on Dec. 4, 2009. The panel will hold two public meetings to discuss the review in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids the week of Dec. 7, 2009. Dates and locations of the public meetings are yet to be determined.

The following letter was sent to agency directors today:

Dick Oshlo
Iowa Department of Management
State Capitol
Room G13
Des Moines, IA 50319

Fred Hubbell
Iowa Department of Economic Development
200 East Grand Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50309

Jeff Ward
Iowa Agricultural Development Authority
505 Fifth Avenue, Suite 327
Des Moines, IA 50309-2322

Bret Mills
Iowa Finance Authority
2015 Grand Ave.
Des Moines, Iowa 50312

Cyndi Pederson
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
600 East Locust Street
Des Moines, IA 50319

Mark Schuling
Iowa Department of Revenue
Hoover State Office Building
1305 East Walnut
Des Moines, IA 50319

Rob Berntsen
Iowa Utilities Board
350 Maple Street,
Des Moines, Iowa 50319

Dear Agency Directors:

During recent months the Culver-Judge Administration has worked to address the budget challenges facing the State of Iowa. In preparation for submitting my budget to the general assembly in January, we are reviewing all areas of state spending, including annual state investments in the form of tax credits. It is essential that we evaluate the expense and effectiveness of each tax credit program to ensure that Iowans are receiving an appropriate return on our investment.

Today I am announcing the creation of a tax credit review panel to be headed by Department of Management Director Dick Oshlo. As Directors of tax credit administering agencies, you will also serve on the panel. The panel is to prepare a report to the Governor with recommendations for each tax credit program, including oversight, accountability, transparency, public reporting, cost-benefit, and which programs should be continued, curtailed, and or eliminated.

There are many stakeholders in the state tax credit programs and we need to hear from each of them. The panel will meet once in Des Moines and once in Cedar Rapids during the week of December 7th to allow the tax credit program participants as well as the general public to voice their opinions and concerns.

To assist the panel with their work, I am asking you to submit information on your respective departments’ tax credits to the Iowa Department of Management by close of business December 4, 2009. Submissions should include the following information for each tax credit program administered by your agency:

· General description of the purpose of the tax credit
· Minimum, maximum and average value of tax credits issued
· Contingency liability for each tax credit
· Number of tax credits issued each year
· Number of individuals and/or businesses served by the tax credit
· Whether the tax credit is transferable and, if so, how many times
· Whether the tax credit is refundable
· Processes for oversight and regulation of the tax credit
· The Return on Investment for the tax credit
· Data on the fiscal impact of the tax credit for the past ten years, if available
· A description of what information is currently made available to the public for the tax credit(s) administered by each agency.

If you have any questions, please contact Dick Oshlo at 515-281-5201.Thank you for assistance in this important matter.

Sincerely,

Chester J. Culver
Governor of Iowa

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Looking for Iowa Visionaries

Who are Visionaries in Iowa?
Who can see where the state is going and what needs to be done to get there?

We are looking for some people who you may consider having good vision for the state.

We hope to bring a few minds together to talk about the future of the state for an upcoming Iowa Journal.

Any ideas?

We are looking for someone who is not just an entrepreneur, but more with vision of ‘we’ve got these problems, here’s how we solve it,’ type of thing.

For example, someone who can say “we’ve got these water quality issues, its going to be painful, here’s how we fix it.”

In the past we’ve turned to think-tank types or college professors who can study these issues and offer solutions who are not tied to an electorate to keep their jobs.

If you’ve got an idea on someone, send it to iowajournal@iptv.org

Thanks for your time.

Looking for Iowa Visionaries

Looking for Iowa Visionaries
Who are Visionaries in Iowa?
Who can see where the state is going and what needs to be done to get there?

We are looking for some people who you may consider having good vision for the state.

We hope to bring a few minds together to talk about the future of the state for an upcoming Iowa Journal.

Any ideas?

We are looking for someone who is not just an entrepreneur, but more with vision of ‘we’ve got these problems, here’s how we solve it,’ type of thing.

For example, someone who can say “we’ve got these water quality issues, its going to be painful, here’s how we fix it.”

In the past we’ve turned to think-tank types or college professors who can study these issues and offer solutions who are not tied to an electorate to keep their jobs.

If you’ve got an idea on someone, send it to iowajournal@iptv.org

Thanks for your time.