Newspapers are controlled by fewer companies. In Iowa no other industry has influenced the state's values more than farming. Iowa's rural roots have been proudly displayed on highway signs at the state borders. That had as much to do with raising families as it did with raising crops. In Manning and across Iowa, many farm families are finding ways to preserve their way of life.
Statistics show that others are unable to do the same.
The number of quilters who show up on Thursday afternoons at the Zion Lutheran Church dwindles - an illustration of what is happening to the traditions and values Iowa has held dear. Even with arthritis and bad backs, the women still manage three quilts a week, made of mismatched curtains, polyester pants and donated yarn. There is little doubt among the quilters what will become of their time-honored craft. When we're gone, I imagine it will die. An earthen quilt, tended by fewer and fewer farmers each year, rolls south of Manning toward the country lane of the Ahrendsen home.