by Jeremy Leitz, Allamakee County Executive Director (563) 568-2148
Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• December 15: Report acreages intended to be used for forage and pasture in 2018
• December 15: Sign up for, or opt out of, the 2018 Margin Protection Program
• December 25: Office closed for Christmas
Fall Forage Certification
Make sure you stop in and certify all forage and fall seeded crops by December 15! This includes all hay and pasture acres you are planning on cropping for the 2018 crop year. Also any cover crops that were seeded this fall will need to be reported. If reported after the December 15 deadline a $46 late-filed fee per farm can be assessed.
The upcoming Driftless Region Beef Conference will showcase utilization of cover crops for feed by Midwest beef producers, according to Denise Schwab, beef specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. The conference will be held January 25-26, 2018, at the Grand River Conference Center in Dubuque.
“Cover crops have great potential to reduce erosion, improve soil health and protect water quality,” Schwab said.
“They also have the potential to produce high quality cattle feed if managed correctly. Our conference will feature several speakers presenting information on the value of cover crops in our diverse Midwestern farms.”
Jim Johnson from the Noble Research Institute will discuss how cover crops and cattle can improve soil health, and Morgan Hayes from the University of Kentucky will talk about how cover crops can be a compatible with manure application.
Iowa Ag Secretary also highlighted support for long-term water quality funding in meeting with Gov. Reynolds
Monday, November 27, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey requested an additional $150,000 for the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Animal Industry Bureau to provide additional support for preparations for and potentially responding to a foreign animal disease outbreak. Northey also requested continued funding to support the Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program and the Agriculture Drainage Well Closure Program.
... that the news media have a tendency to draw out a story ad infinitum.
Recent charges by women of sexual improprieties against a couple of prominent men have resulted in formation of an organization called, I think, “Me Too!” It’s for women who have similar charges against men, and the result has been a steady growth in the number of accusers and accused.
The fact that those things have happened comes, I am sure, as no surprise to anyone familiar with the world of the important in relationship to the less important.
I am against the closing of the Waterville Elementary School. The reasons for closing Waterville Elementary have been eloquently expressed in print by the Allamakee Community School Board.
However, some of the facts and figures presented by the school board do not seem to add up. For instance, even if the Waterville students do take 30-40 field trips per year, some of the trips are paid for by entities other than the school district. Therefore, I question the amount the board quoted in print.
When discussions were held regarding moving the Waterville sixth graders to Waukon, a school board member is on record as stating the move was not going to result in the closure of Waterville Elementary. Really?
Mental Illnesses have long had a place among the most controversial topics in society, from causations to treatments to public policy and perceptions. Half of all adults have experienced a mental illness at some point during their lives, and the most common form of mental illness—”depression”—is even the leading cause of disability in the United States. From popular culture to face-eating cannibalism to mass shootings, mental illness permeates mass media like no other time in history.
From 5000 B.C., the time of the first known treatment of mental illness, people have been searching for reasons to explain why mental illness exists. In early societies, it was speculated that demonic possession was the explanation for mental illnesses, and many cultures still believe that mental illness reflects a wrong doing on the part of the family or individual.
The Veterans Memorial Hospital Monona Clinic opened its doors in mid September with Dr. Andrea Venteicher as the sole medical provider. The Monona Clinic has now announced that Krista Begalske, ARNP, Nurse Practitioner, has joined the practice and has begun seeing patients at the clinic as well.
Krista is originally from the St. Olaf area and attended Central Community High School in Elkader. She went on to study nursing at Allen College in Waterloo. She continued on and achieved her nurse practitioner degree and license and has been working at Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo for the last few years. Krista, her husband, Eric, and their young son recently moved back to northeast Iowa so Krista could begin practicing family medicine at the Monona Clinic.
The holidays, usually a time of celebration with family and friends, can be an especially difficult time after the loss of a loved one. “If you’ve lost someone close to you, recognize that the holidays can intensify your feelings of grief and loss,” says Erica Krause-Wagner, FNP, nurse practitioner at the Gundersen Lansing Clinic. “Grief is a natural process, but don’t let it isolate you, especially during the holidays. Instead of avoiding celebrations, surround yourself with family and friends, and continue holiday traditions or begin new traditions.”
Grief is different for everyone and for every situation. According to Krause-Wagner, “There is no set timeline for grief or set stages. It is more like a roller coaster of emotions including shock, disbelief, denial, anger, sadness and guilt.”
Veterans Memorial Hospital will begin the next Prepared Childbirth Education classes (formerly called Lamaze) Monday, January 8, continuing for two more consecutive Monday evenings beginning at 6 p.m. in the Large Conference Room.
The Prepared Childbirth Education classes at Veterans Memorial Hospital are offered in three sessions that allow the expectant parents to choose which topics they wish to learn more on. They may choose to attend one, two or all three sessions. Session 1 covers labor, delivery and the postpartum period following delivery; Session 2 includes relaxation, breathing and pain management; and Session 3 covers infant care. Tours of the OB Department are available with each session as well.
Veterans Memorial Hospital, in cooperation with Northeast Iowa Community College Business and Community Solutions, will be offering an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) course in Waukon through video conferencing being broadcast from Calmar. This 138-hour course will begin Thursday, January 4 at the NICC Waukon Center, located at 1220 Third Avenue NW.
Areas of study include an introduction to emergency medical services systems, roles and responsibilities of EMTs, anatomy and physiology, medical emergencies, trauma, special considerations for working in the pre-hospital setting, and providing patient transportation.
