Support Golden Hills with a pint of Worthy Cause Amber Ale through December

Thank you to everyone who joined our Hops & Harvest event at Full Fledged Brewing earlier this month! We enjoyed visiting with everyone about the great work Golden Hills does to improve western Iowa.

Missed the event? Don't worry! Visit Full Fledged before December 31, order a pint of “Worthy Cause Amber Ale,” and a portion of the proceeds will benefit Golden Hills!

Registration deadline is TODAY for the Southwest Iowa Local Foods Summit

Join us next Friday, November 6 for the 4th annual Southwest Iowa Local Foods Summit from 8 AM–4 PM at the Mills County Historical Museum in Glenwood! 🥕🌱

The event is FREE! Enjoy breakfast from Milk & Honey and lunch from Long Walk Farm while connecting with others who care about local food in southwest Iowa.

Register here.

Cottage Food Law Workshop to be held in Shenandoah November 10th

Are you interested in starting a small food business from your home? Join ISU Extension and Outreach Food Business Specialist, Penny Brown Huber, for a program designed to help food entrepreneurs launch and grow their business.

Where: The Mill Downtown Shenandoah IA 

When: Tuesday, November 10th, 6pm-8pm

Cost: Free

Personalized 30-minute consultations can be scheduled between 2pm & 5pm for $10. Register for the evening workshop through Page County Extension at 712-542-5171 or xpage@iastate.edu.

Apply by tomorrow for the LoHi AIR

Applications are due tomorrow for the inaugural Loess Hills Artist in Residence (LoHi AIR), a unique program launching next spring throughout western Iowa's Loess Hills!

A select group of artists and writers will span the seven counties of Iowa’s Loess Hills for an immersive, simultaneous, 14-day artist residency. Each artist will have access to a team of educators, including botanists, naturalists, writers, archeologists, historians, wildland fire practitioners, prairie protectors, and habitat managers. Artists will be influenced by the landscape, interpret their surroundings, and give back to the community via scheduled, free programming. Lodging, studio space and a stipend will be provided. We expect applicants from many states, and will give extra consideration to those who are indigenous or live locally. There is no charge to apply.

Application is available at goldenhillsrcd.org/lohiair. Apply by 11:59pm on Saturday, October 31.

Our goals:

• Cast a stabilizing net of community over a fractured, precious, and erodible landscape.
• Create pathways of expression of love toward this landform and its inhabitants.
• Encourage and support a web of artists, local citizens, conservationists, and scientists.
• Allow new ways of seeing and interacting with the Loess Hills. 

Timeframe: Artists will be in residence May 20-June 3, 2027, and will finish the residency by attending the 51st Loess Hills Prairie Seminar, June 4-6th, 2027. 

Learn more & apply.

Prairie seed harvest comes to a close

Thank you to our many volunteers who helped us harvest native seed from several remnant prairies throughout the Loess Hills this year!

Much of the seed will be used for ecological restoration projects across the region by our conservation partners. Golden Hills will also use some seed for our native plants sale next spring. We will be hosting a seed cleaning event later this fall, so stay tuned here!

Donate a portion of your harvest to Golden Hills!

Farmers can support Golden Hills' work in the Nishnabotna watershed by donating the value of any amount of grain at their local New Cooperative, Scoular, or Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy elevator. Don't see your elevator listed? Contact us and we will try to add them!

Farmers can receive tax benefits for donating to a 501c3 nonprofit.

Learn more at goldenhillsrcd.org/giftsofgrain