News Center newsletter

Ardith J. Waters, 76, of Waukon died Monday, November 6, 2017 at her home in rural Waukon. Memorial services were held Friday, November 10 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. Mark Osterhaus officiating. Inurnment was at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Waukon.

Ardith Joan Waters was born October 13, 1941 in Monona, the daughter of Raymond E. and Laura (Hamann) Gress. In May of 1960, she graduated from Waukon High School. January 10, 1962, Ardith married Donald James Waters at St. Mary’s Hanover Catholic Church in rural Waukon.

For 39 years, Ardith worked at Northern Engraving in Waukon, where she was the lead inspector until the factory closed. Also, she ran the concession stand for Monroe Auction Service for a time. She was a member of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon and belonged to the Iowa Women’s Bowling Association.

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

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• November 10: Office closed in recognition of Veteran’s Day
• 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

County Committee Election
During the week of November 6 producers in Ludlow, Jefferson, Post, Franklin, Linton, and Fairview Townships will receive county committee voting ballots.  The last day to return completed ballots to the FSA office is December 4. If you’re an eligible producer in one of these townships, please be on the lookout for your ballot. Committee members are a critical component of FSA operations.

November Farm-Stored Facility Loan (FSFL) Rates
New November loan rates for FSFL’s were issued and are as follows:

Cattle producers and friends of the industry are invited to attend the Iowa Cattle Industry Leadership Summit and Annual Meeting on December 7 and 8. The event will be held at the CPMI Center in Ames. Interested attendees may register online at www.iacattlemen.org or call 515-296-2266.

Iowa Cattle Industry Leadership Summit
The leadership summit will bring together the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, Iowa Beef Industry Council and Iowa Cattlemen’s Foundation to celebrate the past year’s successes and work towards improving Iowa’s beef industry into the future.The event begins on Thursday morning with registration at 9:00 and the keynote at 10:00.

by Sara Berges, Allamakee SWCD
 
Soil is often thought of as an inert growing medium rather than a living ecosystem. Therefore, we tend to focus on chemical inputs to sustain our crop production. If we shift our focus to improving the health of our soils, it is likely that we can reduce our chemical inputs.  Maximizing soil health is essential for maximizing profitability. Healthy soils are also more resilient, which is especially important in wet or dry years.

Calmar, in northeast Iowa, will be the site of the last listening session to help guide the future of Iowa State University’s Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.

The listening session, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 5:30 p.m. November 15 in the Wilder Rooms 104-105 on the campus of Northeast Iowa Community College at 1625 Hwy 150 South in Calmar.

A visioning task force has hosted five listening sessions to hear from attendees on how the center may move forward. Locations have included Ames, Sioux Center, Lewis and Iowa City. The task force is co-chaired by Mark Rasmussen, the Leopold Center’s director and Doug Gronau, who is the immediate past chair of the center’s advisory board.

by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"

... that it is said that a person’s attitude toward something is often based on past experiences with that something. Which may explain why I do not understand nor appreciate the increasing attention being given Halloween. It seems to me that it has gone from a religious observance (All Hallows Eve) to a national holiday with all the accompanying celebrations, merchandising, and, worst of all “beggar’s night.”

I can only recall two experiences with trick or treating. The first was when we lived in west Waukon and my playmate Larry Joe and I went, about six or seven, accompanied by our mothers. It was cold with alternating rain and snow, and was cut short because we were all miserable. The second was after we moved to south Waukon, and “treats” included popcorn balls and wrinkled apples.

When did the bigger deal begin and why has it grown?

To the Editor:

Together, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program provide critical health coverage to Iowa children. Working hand-in-hand, they have helped our state achieve an historic share of covered kids: more than 97 percent. Medicaid and CHIP - called hawk-i in Iowa - cover 28% of children in Allamakee County.

These two programs are a lifeline for working families. They cover developmental, vision and hearing screenings and treatment for illness or injury. They cover newborns, foster youth and children with disabilities. Kids who have health coverage do better in school, are more likely to graduate, go onto college and earn higher wages.

To the Editor:

Iowa was on display tonight at Waukon High. The best fair in the nation was the backdrop for family drama, high competition, forbidden love, and adventure in Des Moines. “State Fair,” the musical came to life after an 18-year hiatus educating a new generation to the delights of mincemeat and midway mischief.

Nathan Smith and Katelyn Leiran were perfectly parently as Abel and Melissa Frakes. Carley Sweeney had a sweet sway as Margy and Micah Treptau strutted confidence as young Wayne.  Oonagh Ahouse had great presence as the sassy torch singer Emily and Denzel Decker was fun to watch as the conflicted correspondent.  Special mention must be made of Ryan VanderVelden mugging and careening through his various characters.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Radiology staff recently received a donation toward its new 3D Mammography machine by the Postville High School volleyball team, which hosted a “pink out” night October 5 at its home volleyball match. The money raised was presented by Lakken Cox, Captain of the Postville Pirates volleyball team. Pictured above during the check presentation, left to right, are Rachel Wagner, Ultrasonographer; Lakken Cox; Renee Stokman, X-ray Technician and Kelly Baxter, X-ray Technician. The new 3D mammography machine pictured with the group above is the first of its kind in northeast Iowa. Submitted photo.
 

By Teresa Myers RN/CDE
Veterans Memorial Hospital

We all feel stress at various times in our lives. The stress you experience may include worrying about paying bills and/or having money to buy essential items such as food, clothing and medications. It may be feeling anxious or emotional as a result of a new job, a new home or the birth of a child. Stress has many forms and comes from multiple contributing factors; it can be defined as sad stress or happy stress. Regardless of the source of the stress - stress is stress.

Learning you have diabetes can be hard, and living with diabetes is not simple. Emotions have a profound effect on managing blood sugar levels and following a diabetes treatment plan. Our bodies make and release “stress hormones” when we are “feeling stress”. The release of these hormones into our body system can make your blood sugars levels go up or even go down.