Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig encourages eligible farm owners to apply for the 2022 Century and Heritage Farm Program now. The program was created by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation to recognize families who have owned their farms for 100 years and 150 years, respectively.
“The Century and Heritage Farm Program recognizes the strength and resiliency of Iowa’s multi-generation farm families,” said Secretary Naig. “I always look forward to celebrating with the families and hearing stories about their incredible farming legacies. I am grateful for the investments they make to protect our rich farmland and their continued commitment to our state’s agriculture community.”
To apply, download the application on the Department’s website at iowaagriculture.gov/century-and-heritage-farm-program.
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will host Boots in the Barn, a program for women dairy producers, in March in the New Vienna area. Boots in the Barn is a three-part series for women involved in the dairy industry.
The course will be held March 3, 10 and 17. The March 3 session will feature Gail Carpenter, Iowa State University assistant dairy teaching/research professor, who will provide information on transition cow care, maternity management and research around transition cows. Carpenter will demonstrate on-farm tools that can be used to monitor transition cow health. The session will be held at the McAllister Dairy Farm at 27334 North Bankston Road, New Vienna, 1-3 p.m.
In support of her native country ... Lesya Ryzhenkova of Waterville, co-owner of The Good Life Gallery and Frame Shop in Lansing with Mike Kolsrud, shows her support of her birth country following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week. A native of Ukraine who gained her U.S. citizenship in April 2021, Ryzhenkova has many family members still living in Ukraine and will be holding an event at her shop in Lansing this Sunday in an effort to share her culture and support her birth country. Submitted photo.
Lesya’s family ... Lesya Ryzhenkova of Waterville is pictured above with her family at a recent reunion where they were all able to get together. Pictured, left to right, are her sister, Tanya, who remains in the family’s home village of Tsentralne; Lesya, now a U.S. citizen living in Waterville; her mother, Olga, who has her green card visa and is currently on an extended visit with Lesya; her brother, Viktor, who remains in the family’s home village of Tsentralne; her sister, Natasha, who is married to Waukon area native Scott Ewing and currently lives in Oregon but has been with Scott in Ukraine on business and evacuated with him to Poland; and her sister, Zina, who was also living in Ukraine but evacuated with the Ewings to Poland. Submitted photo.
Proximity of home village to Ukraine capital ... The family of Lesya Ryzhenkova of Waterville hails from the Ukrainian village of Tsentralne, located about three miles from Myronivka, a larger city in the Kyyiv Oblast district, located approximately 66.5 miles south of the Ukraine capital of Kyiv (as indicated by Lesya with the black circle and downward arrow on the map above). Ukrainians call their capital “Kyiv” (kee-yiv), the spelling being a transliteration of the Ukrainian Київ. The Russian version is “Kiev” (kee-yev). Submitted image.
Ukrainian native to host open house this Sunday at The Good Life Gallery and Frame Shop in Lansing to thank local community and share Ukrainian culture
by Julie Berg-Raymond
Right now, people all over the world are watching, mostly helplessly, while what Reuters News Service has referred to as “the largest military assault by one European state on another since World War Two” is taking place before their eyes - the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They’re trying to understand what is happening and why; they’re contacting loved ones across oceans and continents, seeking information about their whereabouts and safety; and they’re praying - for friends and family; for a nation and its people, independently sovereign for more than 30 years; for peace.
Kerndt Brothers Bank has made a $25,000 donation to the Building New Traditions Campaign at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds in Waukon. The Building New Traditions Campaign is dedicated toward constructing a new, larger all-species youth livestock show barn centrally located at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds, a project that also involves relocation, elimination and transformation of some of the other livestock buildings at the Fairgrounds. Pictured above at the donation presentation at the site of the new show barn construction at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds are, left to right, Erik Helgerson of Kerndt Brothers Bank, Tyler Plein and Bobbi Baxter of the Allamakee County Fair Board, and Bobbi Jo Berg and Cathy Buhl of Kerndt Brothers Bank.
Alert Iowa system used recently for water boil advisory and December derecho
Following the fire in Waukon Sunday, February 13 and the ensuing need for a boil advisory to be put into place for Waukon residents, in addition to the derecho in December and other weather events, Allamakee County Emergency Management Coordinator Corey Snitker wants to remind everyone of Allamakee County’s Emergency Alert system called Alert Iowa. The Alert Iowa system was used to help the City of Waukon spread the word on the boil order requirement, and the system was also used and will continue to be used for its severe weather notification capability.
A pair of buildings on the initial block of Allamakee Street in downtown Waukon were destroyed in a Sunday, February 13 evening fire. The structures housing Tin, Rust & Harmony (right) and Paws Up Pet Supplies (left) were completely destroyed in the blaze that reportedly originated in the Tin, Rust & Harmony building at 9 Allamakee Street, with smoke and water damage affecting adjacent buildings. As pictured above, the scene of the blaze has been fenced off for public safety and to facilitate the ongoing investigation by the State of Iowa Fire Marshal’s Office. When asked for comment at the fire scene Friday, February 25, a pair of representatives from the State Fire Marshal’s Office who preferred to not be identified would only state that an investigation is ongoing and that the investigation process is currently “at the mercy of insurance right now”.
The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, February 28 to address a full agenda of matters including discussion of a proposed County Facade Program utilizing American Rescue Plan funding, the Public Hearing for the County FY23 Maximum Levy/Property Tax Dollars and the consideration of setting a date and time for the Public Hearing for the FY23 County Budget.
The three young Allamakee County 4-H members pictured above had the idea of hosting a bake sale to raise funds for the new Livestock Show Barn being planned for construction at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds in Waukon. The three got together for a fun day of baking, promoted their sale, and were able to raise $800 in free-will donations which they presented to the Allamakee County Fair Board Sunday night, February 20. They stated that their top-selling bake sale item was their puppy chow. Pictured above, left to right, are McKenzie Leiran, Hailey Cook and Lauren Plein. All three say they are excited to show their livestock projects in the new show barn once it is completed. Submitted photo.
Fourth grade students at East Elementary School in Waukon got to spend a class period with Allamakee County Farm Bureau Ag in the Classroom Coordinator Elizabeth Blake Thursday, February 17, as she offered a presentation on the many careers/jobs there are on a farm. The students learned about how a farmer performs several different jobs on any given day, and they were very engaged while playing a game called “Guess the Hat” where they got three clues and a short job description and had to guess what job/career it was. The kids were excited when they got all the answers correct and enjoyed being able to do an interactive lesson and work as a group to come up with the different answers.
Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) Business and Community Solutions is offering “Mini-STEAM Camp – K-5th Grade” Wednesday, March 16 from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. at the NICC Waukon Center, 1220 3rd Avenue NW.
Keep kids engaged on that scheduled off-school day by signing them up for a mini-STEAM camp. Kindergarteners through fifth graders will be doing Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM) activities. Snacks and supplies are provided. Students should bring a sack lunch.
The deadline for paid registration is March 9. To register online visit www.nicc.edu/waukon or call NICC Waukon center at 844-642-2338, ext. 6700.
