News Center newsletter

Sherri A. Onsager, 54, of Waterville died Saturday, April 23, 2022 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. Memorial services were held Thursday, April 28 at 1 p.m. at Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon with Pastor Ken Kimball officiating. Burial of ashes will be held at a later date.

Sherri Ann Onsager was born May 2, 1967 in Elkader, the daughter of Ronald and Sanda (Berg) Torson. She graduated from Kee High School in Lansing in 1985 and attended NICC in Calmar, receiving her certification as a certified medical aide. October 26, 1985, she married Arnie Onsager at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waukon.

Sherri enjoyed spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren. She also enjoyed raising horses and horseback riding, reading, working in the garden, canning, playing cards and board games, and camping.

Jane C. Miene, 75, of Waukon died Saturday, April 23, 2022 at her home. Memorial services will be held Wednesday, April 27 at 11 a.m. at First Baptist Church in Waukon with Pastor Duane Smith officiating. Burial of ashes will be in Zalmona Presbyterian Church Cemetery in rural Waukon.

Friends may greet the family from 10 a.m. until the time of services Wednesday at the church. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon is handling arrangements.

Jane Carol Miene was born September 17, 1946 in Postville, the daughter of Elmer and Eunice (Kruger) Shafer. She was a lifelong member of Zalmona Presbyterian Church in rural Waukon, where she was baptized, confirmed and married; she also attended First Baptist Church more recently.

Janet J. Bray, 89, of Waukon, formerly of Brownsville, MN, died Tuesday, April 19, 2022 at Northgate Care Center in Waukon. Funeral services will be held Friday, April 29 at 1 p.m. at Center Baptist Church in rural Lansing with Pastor Matthew Majewski officiating and with burial in the church cemetery. Friends may greet the family from 12 p.m. until the time of services Friday at the church. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon is handling arrangements.

Janet Joan Bray was born March 25, 1933 on her parents’ farm in rural Waterville, the daughter of Charles John and Evelyn Harriet (Johnson) Anderson. After graduating from Waukon High School (where she was the Homecoming queen), she worked as a telephone operator. In 1952, Janet married her high school sweetheart, Myron Bray, at Center Baptist Church in rural Lansing.

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
May 15 – August 1: Primary Nesting Season
July 15: Spring Crop Reporting

Human Health is Related to Soil Health
by LuAnn Rolling, District Conservationist
New research from Penn State shows that tillage on farms may significantly reduce the availability of ergothioneine (ERGO) in crops.  ERGO is an amino acid produced by certain types of soil-borne fungi and bacteria that is known as a “longevity vitamin” due to its potent antioxidant properties. This research, conducted by an interdisciplinary team at Penn State, is among the first to demonstrate that soil disturbance can directly impact a key dietary factor associated with long-term human health.

Pasture walks scheduled in Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota

The Kickapoo Grazing Initiative (KGI), now in its tenth year, is a public/private conservation partnership focusing on the promotion of economic and environmental incentives for landowners and farmers to adopt the managed grazing of grass-fed beef, dairy and multi-species. “Because of the benefits of increased soil organic matter, reduced runoff, and value-added healthy food production, the KGI believes that managed rotational grazing can help protect water quality while sustaining our small farmers in the area,” remarked Cynthia Olmstead, KGI Project Director.

Know the 4-inch soil temperature before putting seed in the ground

Soil temperature is one of the most important factors crop farmers use to guide their planting decisions. The rule of thumb is to wait until the upper 4 inches reach at least 50° degrees Fahrenheit, with a warming trend in the forecast.

One way farmers can keep track of soil temperature in their county and across the state is by using the soil temperatures map available at https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/agclimate/soilt.php, compiled by the Iowa Environmental Mesonet at Iowa State University. Updated daily in the spring, this map provides current and historical soil temperatures for each county in Iowa.

by Tami Gebel, Occupational Therapist, Veterans Memorial Hospital

April is National Occupational Therapy Month.  During this month of celebration, the occupational therapists at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon want to remind community members of ways to stay safe and independent in their own homes and most importantly, how to prevent falls.

Occupational therapists who work in hospitals often are referred to assist people who have fallen at home. A fall at home could result in fractured arms or legs, not to mention multiple bruises and tarnished pride. Often, many of these falls could have been prevented, had precautionary steps been taken to make their homes safe and clutter free.

Nurse practitioner, Andrea Krogman, RN, DNP, has joined the staff at Gundersen Waukon Clinic and offers medical services for patients of all ages. As a Family Medicine nurse practitioner, Krogman offers a variety of services including well-child exams, annual well-visits, women’s health, employment physicals, disease management and screenings to promote health and physical and mental health wellness.

Thanks once again to the efforts of the Christensen family, the second annual Julie Christensen Memorial Blood Drive will be held Friday, April 29 at the Waukon Wellness Center from 1-5:30 p.m. in the Senior Center in cooperation with Life Serve Blood Center.

Julie Christensen was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia November 27, 2019 and was in the hospital until February 14, 2020. She was then able to come home for a short while before she was admitted back into the hospital March 7, 2020 for more chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant from an anonymous donor in Germany. It was a perfect match. Julie’s stem cells grafted well and she became Leukemia free. During this time, Julie received 45 units of blood and 38 units of platelets.

Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) and Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon have teamed up to provide a day for area you in sixth through eighth grades to explore the many health care careers that are available to them.  The event will be held Wednesday, April 27, which is a teacher in-service day with no school in the local school district. The event will run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Hospital.

All attending will be visiting numerous health care departments around the hospital and hearing from staff in those roles. They will share their education, job duties and what the typical day in their work life is, all in an effort to introduce more youth to the vast career opportunities in health care.