News Center newsletter

Lyle Powell of Rathdrum, ID passed away June 19, 2018 in a hospital in Coeur d’ Alene, ID. He had a heart attack followed by a by-pass surgery and died several days later from complications following pneumonia.

Lyle was born September 8, 1938 to Louis and Ethel (Enyart) Powell, who lived on a farm near Waukon. He attended elementary schools in Allamakee County.

He married Betty Ruroden. They had a daughter and later divorced. Later, Lyle married Delores Kumpu, and they became parents of two sons and a daughter.

Lyle spent most of his life truck driving from coast to coast. He had been hoping to drive one more year so he could reach four million driving miles. He asked to be cremated and have his ashes scattered on Interstate Highway 80.

Duane M. Brandt, 66, of Postville died Wednesday, July 25, 2018 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. Memorial services are pending with Martin Funeral Home in Waukon assisting the family with the arrangements.
 

Ursula B. Quanrude, 96, of Waukon died Friday, July 27, 2018 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. Funeral services were held Tuesday, July 31 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon, with Fr. Mark Osterhaus officiating. Burial was at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Waukon.

Ursula Bertha Quanrude was born December 9, 1921 in rural Lansing, the daughter of John and Mary (Hammel) Becker. She attended country schools in rural Lansing.

May 20, 1942 she married Harold Quanrude at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church Rectory in Lansing. They farmed together in Hanover Township before moving into Waukon in the early 1960s. Ursula worked at the Waukon Bakery for several years before she went to work for Quandahl’s Bakery. She volunteered at the Allamakee County Museum for several years.

Rita A. Votsmier, 90, of Waukon died Tuesday, July 24, 2018 at Good Samaritan Center in Waukon. Funeral services were held Saturday, July 28 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. Mark Osterhaus officiating. Burial was at St. Mary’s Cemetery in New Berlin, IL.

Rita Ann Votsmier was born February 4, 1928 on the family farm in New Berlin, IL, the oldest of five children, to Earl and Rose (Fuchs) Meier. She was baptized and confirmed at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in New Berlin, IL. In 1946, Rita graduated from New Berlin High School. She worked as a bookkeeper for most of her life for various banks and in retail.

Jeanne L. Wheeler, 92, of Decorah died Tuesday, July 24, 2018 at Good Samaritan Center in Waukon. Funeral services were held Saturday, July 28 at Salem United Church of Christ in rural Waukon with Pastor Sue Klimstra officiating. Burial was in the church cemetery.

Jeanne Lorraine Wheeler was born February 17, 1926 in rural Waukon, the daughter of John and Millie (Nylund) Dotseth. She was baptized and confirmed at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waukon, graduated from Waukon High School in 1944, and received her LPN through Swedish Hospital in Minneapolis, MN. Jeanne worked as a LPN for the Shriners Hospital in Minneapolis, MN.

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... that the reception, or really rejection, that President Trump experiences in appearances in foreign countries pretty much matches what his casual appearances here in cities in the United States evoke.

Apparently it is just as easy in large foreign cities as in America to call to arms protesters of various stripes to turn out to heckle the president.

Governments, and the people who elect people to run governments, from international to national to state and local, have a lot in common.

As someone who was news editor for Waukon newspapers for 36 years, 1962 to 1998, I can think of several instances locally when boards hired administrators or other professionals to do pretty much what President Trump was elected to do, that is, shake things up, and hang the personal consequences.

To the Editor:

This is in response to several previous letters.

Yes, Donald Trump won the general election electoral vote; no, he didn’t win the popular vote. Whether Donald Trump or someone on his campaign “colluded” with a foreign government is the reason for the Mueller investigation.

As of July 13, 2018 there are 25 known indictments by a Grand Jury involving Russian meddling in our election and that should make every American upset, no matter what your party is. Our election process is the very foundation of our country and we need to find out if that process has been compromised.

Until Trump’s trip to NATO and England, I thought he was just in over his head. But, after the NATO conference, he proved he is in over his head and has an ego problem that has set back the trust our allies have that the United States can be relied on in the time of crisis; especially under Article 5 of the NATO Treaty.

by Jeremy Leitz, Allamakee County Executive Director (563) 568-2148

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• May 15 - August 2: Primary Nesting Season. No MCM Activities on CRP Acres
• August 1: Last day to request a farm/tract reconstitution for 2018 crop year
• August 17: CRP Signup 51

Late-Filed Crop Reports
Thank you to everyone who stopped in by the July 15 deadline (July 16 this year as the 15th fell on a Sunday) and certified their crops.  Allamakee County certifies approximately 1700 farms every year, and the staff works hard to get these completed timely and accurately.

Producers planning to use cover crops this fall need to be aware of what herbicides they applied this spring and what the restrictions are for seeding following application. 

According to Bob Hartzler, Iowa State University Extension Weed Specialist, the use of preemergence herbicides has increased in recent years due to the spread of herbicide resistant weeds. “Many of these products are persistent in the environment, and phytotoxic concentrations may remain in the soil at the time of cover crop establishment in the fall,” he said. “While herbicide labels provide information on restrictions regarding rotational crops, these recommendations generally are not written with cover crops in mind.”

Hartzler says restrictions on the label that prohibit planting cover crops may be due to:

Assistance available through Iowa Water Quality Initiative

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today reminded Iowa farmers that funds are available to help install practices focused on protecting water quality.  Practices eligible for this funding are cover crops, no-till or strip till, or using a nitrification inhibitor when applying fertilizer.
The cost share rate for first-time users of cover crops is $25 per acre, no-till or strip till are eligible for $10 per acre and farmers using a nitrapyrin nitrification inhibitor when applying fall fertilizer can receive $3 per acre. Farmers are eligible for cost share on up to 160 acres.

First-time users that apply by July 27 will be the first applications funded.  First-time users that apply after July 27 will still receive priority consideration, but funds will also be made available to farmers that have used cover crops in the past for cost share assistance at $15 per acre.