When there were livestock fences they were on the right away of the secondary roads (non state roads, can be both gravel or hard surfaced) In my area of SE Iowa when dirt roads were upgraded to graded, ditched and covered with ground rock, a 66 feet right away fence to fence became the rule, right away s changes sometimes as ground was needed to fill in low areas in the roadway. The land needed was always from the private property of the land owners, So for every 1 mile, 5,280'x33' (1/2 the right away from each section sharing a right away of 66') divided by 43,560 sq' in an Acre = 4 Acres for every 1 sq mile section. So for every section that had roads on each side there was 4 Acres from each section, If 2 sections did not have a road between them but on 3 sides of each then it would be a total of 24 Acres. The actual traveled portion with ground stone or hard surface was 33', so 2 vehicles could meet and pass. The rest is ditches for snow and rain water to run in. Needed roads take a lot of acres. This is why many dirt roads are not improved if no one lives on them. Of course property owners pay property taxes to help maintain the county roads. State highways take a lot more acres than this as have wider right away.
Rural county secondary roads have a high maintenance cost. Applied gravel grinds up from traffic of people driving from the country every day to town jobs, from livestock being transported whether into a farm or to market, livestock feed being delivered, grain moving out to market, county gravel trucks hauling gravel to other roads for maintenance, etc. Lots of Iowa has a big problem of freezing and thawing through some winters that is very hard on them. Figure Minnesota stay frozen, on into Missouri they don't freeze up. The traveled portion of the gravel road roads continue to flatten out wider due to traffic when wet. Then it is harder to maintain them with more gravel and keep crown in for water to run off.
I'm glad to see you're moving to Bluesky. I just set up an account for myself and cancelled X, not that I did much with it anyway. I never liked Twitter, and I used it infrequently because it was so toxic even before it became X. At this point, I want nothing to with anything that has a hint of Musk. It's a sad state when someone with as many internal problems as Musk (because, really, how do you become someone like Musk if you don't have them?) wields as much influence as he does. I cringe to think about what he's going to do at DOGE.
Chris, thank you. Substack and Bluesky integration for seamless post-sharing would help. A Bluesky goal and others should be avoiding ideological silos. My concern is that Trump/MAGA could brand Bluesky as "liberal" and discourage their base from engaging. To counter this, Bluesky must explicitly champion open dialogue and welcome dissenting views.
I’ve also noticed the escalating hostility on X, particularly in responses to thoughtful posts by voices like Laura Belin. These attacks highlight the challenge of fostering respectful discourse. It’s vital for platforms like Bluesky to amplify voices like yours and Laura’s, reaching diverse audiences.
Data Scientist's Shocking Call for Election Recount Raises Scary Questions! w/ Stephen Spoonamore - YouTube link in next comment.
I heard about this a few days after the election and was not surprised. EXCEPT, I couldn't imagine how they could sneak in additional ballots. In Loudoun county, where I am an Election Officer, our balloting scanners are not tied into the internet. It's impossible for someone to 'hack in', because there is no access into the counties system. I thought that was how all states/counties ran their elections.
Not so - in fact, where all these undervotes came from was a system that UPLOADED THEIR FINAL VOTES THRU STARLINK, Elon Musk's global internet system!!
I just created a Bluesky account also. I'll probably leave my X account up but posts get very little engagement and I rarely use it anymore. What I struggle with is a lot of the ag folks I follow are on X and I don't see them leaving.
Chris, I joined BlueSky as well. Don’t know that I’ll use it much, but I’ll read whatever you post. Say, what is the name of the new book about consolidation of ag industry? Have you read it?
One book just out this month is Dodge County, Inc., by Sonya Tram Eayers. University of Nebraska Press. SE MN is the location of the story. I have it, I wrote a blurb for it, it's quite good.
You might also be thinking of Barons by Austin Frerick which is also excellent and has gotten good reviews.
Im going to post my idea that the world’s governments should impose sanctions (including tariffs) on the US when we start drilling. If Trump is going to wreck the planet, they should wreck his economy. Let’s see who blinks first.
I agree: "Elon has the look of a guy that never turned a wrench" Just like those folks who send nasty comments on social media, but wouldn't have the nerve to confront someone in real life!
I am just an old geezer who sticks to Facebook and Substack, reading yourself and Matt Labash mostly, though there are a host of readable , intelligent folks on Substack I haven't got to yet. I don't "X" or dabble in the oxymoronic "Truth Social". So, I will just read your stuff wherever you put it, buy a book when you put another out, and use your data to take my farmer-neighbors and family to task about destroying Iowa's waters, and having taxpayers pay for the privilege. Oh, and their "no socialism" delusion as they travel down the 4 miles of gravel road with 3 farms on it, to get to the state highway, weighted by not the slightest irony.
We travelled from Cedar rapids to Mt. Pleasant recently, then heading east to visit an aging relative in Burlington. All along 380 we observed , and smelled, what must be an annual event in several counties south , that of "the spreading of the stink". Large tracked tractors with "honey wagons" behind incorporating liquid manure on just -harvested fields, I assume to get it done before a freeze. It was a chore sitting in a closed car going 70 to tolerate the stench. I don't know why people who live in such areas don't sue, or change county ordinances to stop this. I mean, I grew up on a hog/cow farm so am not new to manure smell, but this literally made your eyes water.
Keep up the good work , and just advise where you are publishing your stuff.
My parents grew up rural SW Iowa and when visiting Grandma two generations ago it was called “the smell on money” and we quickly acclimatized. Difference is: then all were in the same vocation and now we have urbans kibitzing with their innocent “sense”.
When there were livestock fences they were on the right away of the secondary roads (non state roads, can be both gravel or hard surfaced) In my area of SE Iowa when dirt roads were upgraded to graded, ditched and covered with ground rock, a 66 feet right away fence to fence became the rule, right away s changes sometimes as ground was needed to fill in low areas in the roadway. The land needed was always from the private property of the land owners, So for every 1 mile, 5,280'x33' (1/2 the right away from each section sharing a right away of 66') divided by 43,560 sq' in an Acre = 4 Acres for every 1 sq mile section. So for every section that had roads on each side there was 4 Acres from each section, If 2 sections did not have a road between them but on 3 sides of each then it would be a total of 24 Acres. The actual traveled portion with ground stone or hard surface was 33', so 2 vehicles could meet and pass. The rest is ditches for snow and rain water to run in. Needed roads take a lot of acres. This is why many dirt roads are not improved if no one lives on them. Of course property owners pay property taxes to help maintain the county roads. State highways take a lot more acres than this as have wider right away.
Rural county secondary roads have a high maintenance cost. Applied gravel grinds up from traffic of people driving from the country every day to town jobs, from livestock being transported whether into a farm or to market, livestock feed being delivered, grain moving out to market, county gravel trucks hauling gravel to other roads for maintenance, etc. Lots of Iowa has a big problem of freezing and thawing through some winters that is very hard on them. Figure Minnesota stay frozen, on into Missouri they don't freeze up. The traveled portion of the gravel road roads continue to flatten out wider due to traffic when wet. Then it is harder to maintain them with more gravel and keep crown in for water to run off.
I'm glad to see you're moving to Bluesky. I just set up an account for myself and cancelled X, not that I did much with it anyway. I never liked Twitter, and I used it infrequently because it was so toxic even before it became X. At this point, I want nothing to with anything that has a hint of Musk. It's a sad state when someone with as many internal problems as Musk (because, really, how do you become someone like Musk if you don't have them?) wields as much influence as he does. I cringe to think about what he's going to do at DOGE.
I also joined BlueSky; bluetrek50@bsky.social. I don’t post much. I am much more of a reader than a writer.
Be an adult. Admit you don’t like Elon because he left your team. Stuff happens - people wise up. Deal with it.
Chris, thank you. Substack and Bluesky integration for seamless post-sharing would help. A Bluesky goal and others should be avoiding ideological silos. My concern is that Trump/MAGA could brand Bluesky as "liberal" and discourage their base from engaging. To counter this, Bluesky must explicitly champion open dialogue and welcome dissenting views.
I’ve also noticed the escalating hostility on X, particularly in responses to thoughtful posts by voices like Laura Belin. These attacks highlight the challenge of fostering respectful discourse. It’s vital for platforms like Bluesky to amplify voices like yours and Laura’s, reaching diverse audiences.
Is Bluesky ready to bridge these divides?
— iowaralph.bsky.social
Chris, thanks for following up on the road miles in Iowa data. Good to confirm my respect for your not letting things slide.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJR5uQpweko
Data Scientist's Shocking Call for Election Recount Raises Scary Questions! w/ Stephen Spoonamore - YouTube link in next comment.
I heard about this a few days after the election and was not surprised. EXCEPT, I couldn't imagine how they could sneak in additional ballots. In Loudoun county, where I am an Election Officer, our balloting scanners are not tied into the internet. It's impossible for someone to 'hack in', because there is no access into the counties system. I thought that was how all states/counties ran their elections.
Not so - in fact, where all these undervotes came from was a system that UPLOADED THEIR FINAL VOTES THRU STARLINK, Elon Musk's global internet system!!
I just created a Bluesky account also. I'll probably leave my X account up but posts get very little engagement and I rarely use it anymore. What I struggle with is a lot of the ag folks I follow are on X and I don't see them leaving.
It's called Ex for a reason.
If 2 sections have 7 miles then by the same criteria 4 sections have 13 miles, not 12.
4 sections in a square: 2 miles each side, 2 miles across the middle n-s and e-w
2 sections side by side: 2 sides 2 miles
2 sides 1 mile
1 mile through the middle n-s
Right you are. I had four sections in a row!
Chris, I joined BlueSky as well. Don’t know that I’ll use it much, but I’ll read whatever you post. Say, what is the name of the new book about consolidation of ag industry? Have you read it?
One book just out this month is Dodge County, Inc., by Sonya Tram Eayers. University of Nebraska Press. SE MN is the location of the story. I have it, I wrote a blurb for it, it's quite good.
You might also be thinking of Barons by Austin Frerick which is also excellent and has gotten good reviews.
It was Barons. Thanks.
Im going to post my idea that the world’s governments should impose sanctions (including tariffs) on the US when we start drilling. If Trump is going to wreck the planet, they should wreck his economy. Let’s see who blinks first.
That’s it. Barons. Thanks.
I agree: "Elon has the look of a guy that never turned a wrench" Just like those folks who send nasty comments on social media, but wouldn't have the nerve to confront someone in real life!
I appreciate that Chris added: “The look of someone that never changed a dirty diaper. Or that ever washed a dish, fork or article of clothing.”
Thanks Kevin! Hope you keep reading.
I am just an old geezer who sticks to Facebook and Substack, reading yourself and Matt Labash mostly, though there are a host of readable , intelligent folks on Substack I haven't got to yet. I don't "X" or dabble in the oxymoronic "Truth Social". So, I will just read your stuff wherever you put it, buy a book when you put another out, and use your data to take my farmer-neighbors and family to task about destroying Iowa's waters, and having taxpayers pay for the privilege. Oh, and their "no socialism" delusion as they travel down the 4 miles of gravel road with 3 farms on it, to get to the state highway, weighted by not the slightest irony.
We travelled from Cedar rapids to Mt. Pleasant recently, then heading east to visit an aging relative in Burlington. All along 380 we observed , and smelled, what must be an annual event in several counties south , that of "the spreading of the stink". Large tracked tractors with "honey wagons" behind incorporating liquid manure on just -harvested fields, I assume to get it done before a freeze. It was a chore sitting in a closed car going 70 to tolerate the stench. I don't know why people who live in such areas don't sue, or change county ordinances to stop this. I mean, I grew up on a hog/cow farm so am not new to manure smell, but this literally made your eyes water.
Keep up the good work , and just advise where you are publishing your stuff.
My parents grew up rural SW Iowa and when visiting Grandma two generations ago it was called “the smell on money” and we quickly acclimatized. Difference is: then all were in the same vocation and now we have urbans kibitzing with their innocent “sense”.