Welsh’s Farm & Home selected as 2022 Cloy Kuhse Positive Impact Award winner...

Allamakee County Economic Development & Tourism (ACED) has announced Welsh’s Farm & Home in Lansing as the 2022 Cloy Kuhse Positive Impact Award winner. The announcement was made at the ACED Annual Meeting held at Village Creek Bible Camp in rural Lansing Thursday, October 20. ACED Board President Christina Drahos shared the following nomination information with those in attendance:

“Welsh’s Farm & Home has been a Main Street business since 1965, making it one of the longest operating businesses on Main Street in Lansing. The third generation of Welshes is now serving Lansing and the surrounding area with the same and cheerful ‘can do’ spirit that began with Lloyd Welsh 57 years ago. Welsh’s Farm & Home lives up to its name, stocking just about anything a homeowner or farmer (or hunter or fisher) could want or need. To truly understand Welsh’s Farm & Home, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH5hVzSfV9E&t=2s.

This may sound like any other store that services the needs of a rural area small town, and to a degree it is. What makes this business unique is the family that puts the Welsh at the head of the title. Lloyd Welsh set the tone with his generosity and outgoing nature, and his son, Rick, and daughter, Deb, are true to that tone, as are Rick’s sons, Holden and his great sales skills and Nolan always changing tires. In fact, the entire staff, family or not, continues to display the helpfulness that is the hallmark of Welsh’s Farm & Home. In addition to being a flourishing business, the Welsh family is known for service - to Lansing and to everyone who comes in contact with them. Rick and his wife, Julie, and their daughter, Casey, are members of the volunteer Emergency Medical Services. Deb is a member of the Lions Club and part of the committee that makes the annual Lansing Fish Days a popular celebration every summer - in fact, Welsh’s is where you sign up to volunteer and one of the places where you can buy t-shirts. Welsh’s is also where you drop off donations for LIFT (Lansing Iowa Food Trust - the local food bank). As a family they are involved with their church and school - Deb is very involved in the Kee High School Post Prom. They, the business and the family, have been supporters of the Main Street Lansing program from its beginning in 2010 (Rick served on the Board). And if there is something happening on Main Street that will support the town, Welsh’s Farm & Home and the Welsh family are there to help make it happen.”

Pictured above in the photo taken by Jared Kiley at the award presentation are: Left to right - Front row: ACED Board members Larry Schellhammer and Christina Drahos, Deb, Betty and Casey Welsh of Welsh’s Farm & Home, and ACED Board members Cathy Buhl, Michelle Wood and Brenda Hackman; Back row: ACED Executive Director Val Reinke, Holden, Nolan, Julie and Rick Welsh of Welsh’s Farm & Home, and ACED Board member Andy Kelleher. The Cloy Kuhse Positive Impact Award is an annual award created to highlight and recognize a business that is making a positive impact in Allamakee County, as well as to honor the memory of former ACED board member Cloy Kuhse and his vision. Welsh’s Farm & Home now joins the list of past recipients of the award that includes Veterans Memorial Hospital & Clinic in Waukon, Shep’s Riverside Bar & Grill of Lansing, WW Homestead Dairy of Waukon, Growing Bear Daycare & PreSchool of Waukon, New Albin Savings Bank, Waukon Dental, Mike Ferring Construction of Waukon, TASC of Waukon, Wuennecke’s Meat Market of New Albin and Norplex-Micarta of Postville.