News

Would you sleep with cows? Yes?  No? Maybe, if you had a comfy bed and a private bathroom?  Sounds like New Day Dairy Bed & Breakfast located north-west of Waverly, Iowa, near Clarksville, scheduled to open this summer Iowa's First Authentic “Farm Stay” Bed & Breakfast To Open on Central Iowa Dairy Farm

Weeds compete with small fruit plants for the elements needed to grow and produce fruit, which means gardeners need to be diligent about weed control. Horticulturists with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach provide weed control options for gardeners with strawberries, raspberries and vineyards.

In prior newsletter issues, we highlighted the first two steps a business must do to provide excellent service to its customers. Those steps are “Make it Your Own” and “Make it Personal”.  Step 3 is “Make it EFFICIENT”.

ISU Extension and Outreach experts will discuss best practice topics such as food, farm and consumer safety, understanding legal risks in agritourism, public play area safety, pesticide safety for agritourism destinations, protecting animals and humans from biosecurity risks, and farm emergency preparedness and planning.

Our tree leaves are coming down, but don’t throw them away - put them to work for you. We’ve talked about creating a traditional compost pile in the past, but if you only have a small amount of yard waste consider bag composting.

What is Blogging? Blogging is a personal web log that was initially used to share feelings, thoughts and ultimately opinions. Today, it has grown into a unique platform that many businesses and corporations utilize as a marketing tactic to increase visibility and growth.

Most gardeners anxiously await planting season and often get over zealous. Either the garden ends up larger than planned or more tomatoes, potatoes, and zucchini are planted than are actually needed. It is similar to going to the grocery store when you are hungry – you end up with more than you intended.

How can you add value to your business so customers will select you over others? What differentiates you from your competitors? The first step for any business is to make it YOUR OWN. Begin by defining your business’s unique customer service culture. Many businesses skip this step – but it is the most important!

In our last newsletter, we introduced a series of articles about our customer service workshops, and the five steps a business must do to provide excellent service to its customers. In the May, 2018 newsletter, we highlighted the first step of excellent customer service as “Make it Your Own”.

Google is primarily the first place people look to find information about a business or company. One of the first links to appear is the Facebook page. Facebook is the primary social media platform that is used to promote a business, so it is important to keep your information up-to-date. Here are five tips to help you maintain the performance of your Facebook page.