Page Text: Part Two
Listen to Darcy's "Insight on Business" interview about preserving historic photos as she visits with host Michael Libbie in Des Moines.
"Market to Market" segment on Iowa Public TV features Darcy, Expedition Yetter, agri-tourism, Des Moines Water Works' lawsuit (June 2016)
Darcy was recently featured on "Market to Market" on Iowa Public Television in the segment "Agri-Tourism in the Shadow of a Lawsuit." Click here to watch the clip , which was filmed at her family's Dougherty Century Farm in Calhoun County and along the route of Expedition Yetter, which was designed to connect small-town and urban residents with the Iowa farms and agribusinesses where their food comes from.
Here's a teaser from the show's transcript:
Last year Iowa’s largest drinking water provider sued farm drainage districts in 3 counties upstream. As trial awaits in 2017, Des Moines Water Works has alleged excess nitrate runoff from farm fertilizers plagues efforts to comply with federal guidelines for safe drinking water. The utility claims cleaning the surface waters of the Raccoon River for half a million ratepayers in the capitol city vicinity has become an increasingly difficult and expensive task.
Bill Stowe/CEO and General Manager – Des Moines Water Works: “We’re very confident that these are clear point-source groundwater polluters that are coming from agricultural use.”
Ultimately, the case could redefine and broaden government jurisdiction over Waters of the United States – a prospect feared by many in farm country.
Darcy Maulsby/Expedition Yetter: “I’m not sure a lot of people in Iowa even knew where Calhoun County was before this lawsuit.”
Various producers, commodity groups, and politicians at the local and national level have called for widespread adoption of voluntary conservation methods to ward off new legislation.
But farmer and author Darcy Maulsby, who traces her lineage to a Century Farm near the small town of Yetter in one of the counties named in the lawsuit, hopes a dose of rural hospitality could mend fences.
Darcy Maulsby/Expedition Yetter: “I’ve noticed this growing trend towards this rift between rural Iowa and urban Iowa – and that really troubled me.”
Maulsby envisioned a journey bringing farm and city stakeholders together to help elevate the level of discourse. And after partnering with local non-profit Iowa Food & Family Project, the Iowa Soybean Association and several other food industry groups, tourists of diverse backgrounds loaded up in Des Moines early one summer morning for the maiden voyage of ‘Expedition Yetter.’
Maulsby Receives Friend of the Iowa Soybean Farmer Award (January 2016)
The Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) has honored Darcy Maulsby of Lake City with the prestigious “Friend of the Iowa Soybean Farmer” Award in recognition of her support of Iowa soybean farmers through her actions and efforts. Maulsby received the award in Des Moines on Jan. 26 during the ISA’s 2016 awards banquet.
Known affectionately as “Yetter Girl,” Maulsby is a Calhoun County native whose agricultural roots inspired a passion for sharing information about where food comes from and the value of family and dedication that consumers and farm families share.
Maulsby graduated from Iowa State University with degrees in journalism/mass communications and history, followed by a master’s of business administration degree. She went on to become a frequent and respected contributor to many local, state, national and international ag publications and has worked closely with a variety of agricultural organizations, including the Iowa Farm Bureau, Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers and the National Pork Board through her marketing and communications company, Darcy Maulsby & Co.
Maulsby continually reports on agricultural issues while advocating for Iowa’s farmers and rural communities. Recently, Maulsby added “author” to her list of accolades, as she completed and published “Calhoun County,” a historical look at small-Iowa and rural Iowa through the eyes of those who lived it. A second book, “A Culinary History of Iowa,” will provide a taste of uniquely Iowa foods and traditions and will debut in the summer of 2016.
Maulsby’s motivation for sharing stories of rural Iowa life is much more than a job, it’s a passion. This was especially apparent as she hosted the Iowa Food & Family Project’s “Expedition Yetter,” a day-long excursion in August 2015 of farm tours, capped with a dinner on her family’s Century Farm.
Maulsby is a true friend to Iowa’s soybean farmers and Iowa agriculture. You can connect with her at www.darcymaulsby.com .
News Releases
Local Author to Write “Culinary History of Iowa” Book. Pull up a chair to the kitchen table and prepare to enjoy a fun, delicious adventure through Iowa’s food history, thanks to a new book to be published in 2016 by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby of Lake City. The 128-page book, which will be released by the South Carolina-based History Press in the summer of 2016, will include a mix of vintage photos, 32 color photos, unique stories and historic and modern recipes that offer a taste of Iowa from border to border. Click here to read more
Unlock the Secret History of Rural Iowa. Think rural Iowa is just quiet little towns and farms? Think again. Calhoun County’s rich history includes entrepreneurs, entertainers, gangsters, bootleggers, sports stars and world-famous authors and more. Darcy Dougherty Maulsby, a Calhoun County native and Lake City author, brings this history to life in her new book “Calhoun County,” published by Arcadia Publishing. Click here to read more.
May 2017
Wednesday, May 10, Marcus, Iowa, Public Library , Enjoy "Adventures in Iowa's Culinary History" during this free program and book signing, which starts at 6:30 p.m.
Monday, May 22, West Des Moines, Iowa. A rtisan Gallery 218 in Historic Valley Junction , Enjoy "Adventures in Iowa's Culinary History" during this fun program and book signing, which starts at 6:30 p.m.