America’s Biggest Steel Mill Is Coming to Iowa. Is That a Good Thing?

This is probably one of the strangest things I’ve seen in Iowa in …. well … my lifetime? Some things are hard to swallow, but no surprise, like our sordid tale of water quality; but this? Didn’t see it coming. When you think of the rolling flatlands of this upper Midwest, what comes to mind is corn, beans, farms, hay fields, a land dotted with small towns that is quiet and out of the way. When someone says “steel mill” what do you think of? Probably something like the Rust Belt; maybe you think Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia… those ghosts of a bygone era that make for good movies and TV shows. One does not initially connect Iowa with steel.

To be fair, if you pay attention or care about these sorts of things,  Iowa has long had a bustling manufacturing core. According to this report, Iowa’s GDP is at least partly made up of one large chunk… manufacturing.

“Iowa’s manufacturing industry generated nearly $35 billion in real GDP in 2025, beating finance and insurance (~$31 billion in real GDP) as the top GDP contributor in the state.” – report

Who would have thought? But consider long-standing manufacturers like John Deere; I guess it isn’t that far-fetched. But, back to the steel.

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Farm to Faucet (farce?) Clean Water Iowa Plan

Spring has sprung in the Midwest, and we’ve been on the receiving end of our yearly scheduled deluge of rains that help turn a brown world, hanging on from a long, cold winter, into a land of greenery. It’s something close to the heart of any born-and-raised Midwesterner; we trade the ice and snow for wind and rain, and we are happy for some respite before the sweltering heat of summer drives us back inside.

Of course, all this water brings with it other treasures from up North, in the form of nitrates and other such things being washed cleanly off those squares of black gold that make up our landscape. Field tiles spew a never-ending stream of dirt into ditches and streams, eventually joining with thousands of others, making the long journey south along our major waterways.

This was the hot topic last year, but quickly forgotten amid a world full of wars and rumors of wars.

The water in the Great Des Moines area, today, is just as dirty and filled with our collective sins as it has ever been.

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Solo Des Moines River Hike + Cooking Steak

 

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We Hiked Into Iowa’s Past and Found This

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Monster Trout in the Iowa Driftless

Tired of all the politics and hubbub of Des Monies life? Need to be reminded that some of Iowa’s water is less polluted than others? If so, then you should head to NE Iowa in search of beautiful fall hiking down in the valleys where the cold clear streams run clean and the trout are just waiting to jump out of the water for you.

Even if you are no fisher, the hiking along is worth it. I caught the brood rainbow trout of a lifetime at Bear Creek in the Iowa Driftless. With stops at Sny McGill, Buck Creek, and Mink Creek, it was a weekend to remember.

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Bread and Honey over a Midwest Fire.

Fall is here and so is the camp fire. When a little cold bit hits the air in the morning, the leaves start to change, and the warm sun feels good on your face … you know it’s time to get that hiking stick and head into the woods. A little hot fire, a pan, some bread and honey, this is the simple life.

The Midwest at it’s best.

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Midwest Fall Rainstorm. Bushcraft Tarp Shelter.

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Ron Sand Shows His True Colors. NOT a Governor for all. Sneaky.

Well, you know, at least the truth has finally come out. Remember that Rob Sand, who is the “Governor of All?” According to the talking heads and their daydreaming wishes, the “moderate” Rob Sand would be able to lure some Trump supporters, and at the very least, moderates and independents over the line. 

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Des Moines Public School Debacle. Guns. ICE. Good Lord.

So, Iowa has made its winding way to the front page of every major news media. Who would have thought the quiet corn fields could have catapulted us to fame that quickly? There are a few things that will stir the hornet’s nest, like the combination of politics, education, and guns. Yikes.

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