The Devil Has Many Faces

The air is crisp and light in the farm town of Malcom, Iowa
which is just about sixteen minutes outside of the university
village of Grinnell, but a world away from any of its action.
Part of Poweshiek County, Malcom farmers specifically, are
salt-of-the-earth kind of people. They don’t mince words.
There isn’t time. City slickers are welcome as long as they
don’t complicate things and farming, next to family, is the
central focus for most residents. Farming around these parts
is sacred. A short jaunt around this area with a population
of about 400 will reveal the wide open land and acreage. On a
Sunday drive you might pass the Christian day school. Further
down you’ll find the county courthouse which looks like a
tourist postcard with its white steeple and brick exterior.
And if you drive far enough, you may pass Mitchell Family
Farms, a staple in this county for over two hundred years.
The people are kind here, but weary of interlopers at first
and for good reason. Certain industrial processing plants
have come in of late, promising jobs and big production.