Iowa is not so famous for its landscape beauty as some other states in the US are but I tell everybody who is asking me about this area that, if you go around with open eyes you may find some lovely spots. If the weather ingredients are right you can even get some interesting views out in the open farmland.
I took off from home in the late afternoon when some mixed clouds crossed the area and even the sun came out occasionally. I like to watch out for farm settings that don't look completely industrial yet. This is not easy anymore. Farmers need to have modern production facilities, no matter what kind of farming they do, in order to stay in business successfully. As a result the old farm buildings disappear more and more.
I found this farm house on the hill, surrounded by old trees, that probably have been planted by the Great-grandfather of the current owner. The remaining patches of snow tell the story about the still ongoing winter and the dark top soil in the foreground lets you know how fertile the land is here and why farming plays such a big role in this part of the country. It's my kind of photography when the photo tells a story and if you just add some clouds and subtle late-afternoon-light you may have a good landscape image, even in Iowa... ;-)