Learn how to use dairy reports to the fullest advantage
The Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach Dairy Team will continue its monthly webinar series with a look at executive analysis reports Wednesday, March 17 from noon to 1 p.m. Executive analysis reports are made available through the Dairy Herd Improvement Association (DHIA), including the transition cow management reports and the udder health monitor report.
Greg Palas, manager of support services at Dairy Records Management Systems at Iowa State University in Ames, will present the program. Palas, a 1978 graduate of Waukon High School, will provide a hands-on webinar that will review report generation and points on using the reports to tweak herd management.
Farmers, other agricultural professionals and interested parties who work with corn following a previous corn crop can attend a corn rootworm management webinar on March 26 at 10 a.m., hosted by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, the University of Illinois Extension, and the University of Wisconsin Extension.
“The strong winds of last summer’s storms caused damage to many corn fields. Inspections of those fields revealed that many continuous corn fields had roots severely damaged by corn rootworms,” said Virgil Schmitt, field agronomist with ISU Extension and Outreach. “Those damaged roots have caused many growers, input suppliers and independent crop consultants to re-evaluate the corn rootworm management strategies in those fields.”
Webinar topics include a background and a research update on corn rootworms by Erin Hodgson, professor and extension specialist in entomology at Iowa State.
The annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in Waukon has been scheduled for this Sunday, March 14 and will begin at 1 p.m. with many of the same festivities taking place as in years past throughout the community. Those attending are reminded to practice social distancing and wear face masks per current guidelines or per their own and others’ comfort levels where not required. EARL Public Transit will not be offering its Leprechaun Loop Shuttle system this year, as it has in years past, but another shuttle bus system will reportedly be in place to help those celebrating reach entertainment destinations.
Main Street Lansing (MSL) presented the 2021 Leadership Award to Maryann Baldwin for her outstanding efforts during 2020. The Leadership Award is an annual honor bestowed by Main Street Lansing upon a volunteer who has shown unmatched dedication to the Lansing community. Main Street Lansing officials say that since joining Main Street Lansing, Baldwin has been a driving force behind many of the organization’s activities, breathing new life into regular events and providing the spark for new projects. During 2020, she worked diligently to adapt Main Street Lansing offerings to work within COVID-19 protocols, and she constantly advocated the importance of supporting the community. Main Street Lansing officials say Baldwin strives to make Lansing a better place every single day, and it is a privilege to recognize her efforts by naming her the winner of the 2021 Main Street Lansing Leadership Award. Submitted photo.
Display to be transitioned to military museum ... Part of the display to be featured in the new military museum being planned within the Vets Club building in Waukon will include this display of military items currently housed in the Allamakee County Courthouse Museum. This current display will be further enhanced by additional contributions from Allamakee County military veterans, including a collection from Waukon resident and Vietnam veteran Carl Johnson. Submitted photo.
Civil War drum of Lansing resident ... The drum pictured above will be part of the display in the new military museum being planned for the Vets Club building in Waukon by the Allamakee County Historical Society. The drum was used during the Civil War by a Lansing resident named John Adam Decker, a native of Germany who was a drummer for Company B of the 12th Iowa Infantry, enlisting in 1861 and re-enlisting in 1864 before being mustered out of service in early 1866 in Memphis, TN. Submitted photo.
by David M. Johnson
Most of Waukon and the immediate surrounding area is familiar with the Vets Club in Waukon. Over the years, the facility located on Allamakee Street has more recently housed a dining establishment with a number of different entrepreneurs providing that atmosphere, and prior to that it had been the site of a vast array of events from wedding receptions, to dances and other entertainment performances, to meetings and events hosted by local veterans groups.
Faced with some financial challenges and dwindling participation within those area veteran groups, an agreement was recently reached for continued use of the Vets Club in a way it has not been used in the past but that will still carry on the foundational premise of the original Vets Club - providing honor to those who have served in the military.
Virus variant found in pair of area youth; County has second highest overall positivity rate in the state
The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has notified Allamakee County Public Health (ACPH) of two confirmed cases of the COVID-19 variant SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7. in Allamakee County. The virus variant is often referred to as the “UK variant” because it was first detected in the United Kingdom.
Based on epidemiologic and modeling data, researchers believe that the B.1.1.7 strain can be spread more easily than the original strain of SARS-CoV-2. Current COVID-19 vaccines are considered to be effective against the variant strain.
The Waukon City Council met in a delayed regular session Tuesday, March 2 following the postponement of its usual Monday, March 1 meeting due to a lack of a quorum of council members for the meeting.
The meeting began with Mayor Pat Stone discussing changes to the agenda including the removal of an item relating to a services contract and maintenance agreement with Wright Way Computer Services, which he indicated was not ready for approval. Stone added that Water and Sewer Superintendent Jim Cooper would be providing his Department Report later in the meeting instead of during the typical early-meeting timeframe for such reports.
Allamakee County Treasurer Lori Hesse would like to remind property owners the second installment of property taxes is due by Wednesday, March 31, 2021. Those payments may be made at the Allamakee County Treasurer’s office at 110 Allamakee Street in Waukon between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Taxpayers are reminded to bring their tax stubs with their payment to insure proper credit. To avoid penalty on the second installment, payment must be received in the Treasurer’s Office before Thursday, April 1, 2021. Due to social distancing requirements, only two customers will be allowed in the office at one time.
E-check and credit card payments are also accepted online at www.iowatreasurers.org. Anyone paying by E-check will need their receipt number. That receipt number can be found on their tax statement.
Progress on the clinic remodeling project for Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) continues to move along. VMH Administrator Michael Coyle noted that the project is “on time and on budget.”
The anticipated completion date is April 16 of this year and Coyle noted that they are hoping to start seeing patients in the clinic around the first part of May. Susan McMillan, NP and Halie Ruff, NP will be the practitioners at the clinic.
Coyle is also anticipating that they can begin booking appointments sometime in April. He noted that the hospital will be getting more information to the public sometime in the beginning of April.
The Waukon High School Speech and Drama Department had one Large Group Speech performance achieve an All-State nomination following its State Contest held in Postville February 6. The Choral Reading group that performed a Hallmark Parody was chosen for the honor. Students performing that All-State selection are pictured at right and include, left to right in inset photos, sophomore Alaina Gebel and freshman Isaac Ericson, and, left to right standing in photo, freshman Olivia Marti, senior Violet Holthaus, and juniors Abby Wiemerslage and Mady Helgerson.
