Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) Business and Community Solutions is offering Fall/Halloween Cookie Decorating classes Tuesday, October 24. The youth (Halloween Cookie Decorating) class will run from 3:45-4:45 p.m., and the adult (Fall Cookie Decorating) class will run from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the NICC Waukon Center, located at 1220 3rd Avenue NW.
Those who want to decorate some fun Fall/Halloween cookies will receive some direction, a few tips and a bit of practice with a pastry bag. The class will be taught by Katie Ruff.
The deadline for paid registration is October 17. To register online visit www.nicc.edu/waukon or call NICC Waukon center at 844-642-2338, ext. 6700.
Junior Dairy Skillathon top finishers ... Among the top finishers in the Iowa State University Extension Junior Dairy Skillathon at the Iowa State Fair were a pair of Allamakee County teams. Pictured above among the top five teams in that competition is the first-place team of Sophia Palmer and Norah Palmer, as well as the second-place team of Landon Guese and Kiele Eberling. Also competing in the Senior Dairy Skillathon but not pictured is Ethan Palmer, who teamed up with Natalie Hamlett of Fayette County to finish third in that competition. Submitted photo.
Swine Skillathon top finishers ... Among the top finishers in the Iowa State University Extension Swine Skillathon at the Iowa State Fair were a pair of Allamakee County teams. Pictured above among the top 10 teams in that competition is the third-place team of Wyatt Baxter and Trudy Baxter, who teamed up with Nolan Gaul of Clayton County, as well as the 10th-place team of Marcus Gebel and Alaina Gebel, who teamed up with Brady Lensing of Chickasaw County. Submitted photo.
This year, 247 youth from 49 Iowa counties participated in Iowa State University Extension and Outreach skillathons for dairy, meat goat, sheep and swine at the Iowa State Fair, which was held in mid-August in Des Moines. The dairy skillathon was August 9, swine and sheep skillathons took place August 13 and a goat skillathon was August 16.
Each skillathon team was comprised of no more than three individuals and the competition included five stations where youth worked together to solve problems and identify dairy, goat, swine or sheep production components. Participants identified feed samples, breeds and meat cuts while answering questions about genetics, nutrients, quality assurance, handling and welfare.
Popping up a pass ... Kee volleyball senior Riley Troendle bumps up a pass in the Hawks’ three-set home sweep of Postville in Upper Iowa Conference play Tuesday, September 12. Troendle popped up 10 digs, served up one ace and pounded out three kills in the match. Photo by Danielle Potter. View and find out how to purchase this photo and many more by clicking on the Photo Galleries link on this webpage.
The Kee volleyball team recorded its first two match wins of this season, with both of those victories coming against a Postville squad still in search of its first victory this fall. The first of those triumphs came in Upper Iowa Conference (UIC) dual match play Tuesday, September 12 in sweeping fashion of three sets at home. A repeat of that feat came Saturday, September 16 at the Waukon Tournament, where another Hawk victory over Postville was their lone win in four matches that also included match losses in two sets to eventual tournament pool champion Crestwood, MFL/MarMac and North Crawford, WI.
Kee’s net squad is next scheduled to host Turkey Valley Tuesday, September 19 before traveling to Calmar to take on South Winneshiek Thursday, September 21. The Hawks will then pull another week of double duty, traveling to North Fayette Valley Tuesday, September 26 before hosting Central Elkader Thursday, September 28.
Hammering out a highlight ... Waukon volleyball senior Kloe Hemmersbach smacks an attack past a Riceville block attempt in the Indians’ three-set win over the Wildcats at the Waukon Invitational Saturday, September 16. Hemmersbach swatted out three kills and dug up a pair of saves in the match. View and find out how to purchase this photo and many more by clicking on the Photo Galleries link on this webpage.
In its only competition of the week, the Waukon volleyball team played host to its annual Waukon Invitational Tournament Saturday, September 16. The tournament of nine total teams has typically been played in an early session of three pools of three teams in round-robin fashion, with the teams then being placed in a late session bracketed tournament according to their pool play results to play out to final placewinnings.
This season’s tournament, however, would only feature two pools of round-robin play, as limited availability of officials did not allow for the regular tournament format to be played out. Those two pools were split up between one four-team pool that played in an early-morning session of round-robin matches, with the tournament’s five other teams playing in their own round-robin pool later that morning into the afternoon.
The early-season success the Kee football team has been creating ran into a bit of a stumbling block that has been there for many teams over the years, as the Hawks traveled to Gilbertville Friday, September 15 to face a Don Bosco team rich in football and other athletic success. Taking its 3-0 season record into the home of a Don squad whose only loss this season has come to top-rated Gladbrook-Reinbeck to open this season, the Hawks used a strong second quarter flurry to fight back from a 20-0 first quarter deficit but couldn’t quite keep up that same comeback pace with their hosts in the second half, falling by a 68-34 final result.
The beginning of Class 2A District 3 play for the Waukon football team found the grid Tribe in a place where it has not been in the past five years, the short end of the scoreboard in a district football game. Traveling to West Union to open up their district schedule for the 2023 campaign against North Fayette Valley Friday, September 15, the football Indians saw an otherwise close battle, 14-7, at the halftime break get away to a 34-7 defeat for the Tribe’s first loss in a district football game since its second district contest of the 2017 season.
Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
November 1: Organic Certification Cost-Share and Transition/Education Certification Program
January 31: Livestock Forage Program (LFP)
2024 Program Dates submitted by Ben Cottrell, District Conservationist
The end of September brings the end of the Fiscal Year 2023 for us and all the Farm Bill Programs. With that, we are transitioning to a new set of funding for Fiscal Year 2024. It was recently announced that an established application date for the first round of funding considerations on all programs will be November 3, 2023. Applications will still be accepted on a continual basis after the date and considered for future funding rounds. Two of the bigger programs we assist producers within the county are the Conservation Stewardship Program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.
Monday, September 11, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed a proclamation relating to the weight limits and transportation of grain, fertilizer and manure in the state of Iowa.
The proclamation is effective immediately and continues through October 11, 2023. The proclamation allows vehicles transporting corn, soybeans, hay, straw, silage, stover, fertilizer (dry, liquid and gas), and manure (dry and liquid) to be overweight (not exceeding 90,000 pounds gross weight) without a permit for the duration of this proclamation.
As the annual fall harvest season gets underway, Alliant Energy reminds farmers of the vital importance of staying safe when operating farm equipment near power lines.
According to Alliant Energy, contact incidents with electric power lines significantly increase this time of year. The fall harvest season is riskier for several reasons: More equipment is deployed in the field; the equipment tends to be larger, such as combines, wagons and tractors; and farmers often work long hours into the dark when it’s difficult to see poles and wires.
In addition to the risk of an injury or fatality, contact with power lines can interrupt electric service. That can halt work and slow electricity-dependent farm activities such as grain drying and other crucial farm functions.
The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) and Elliott Jewelers of Waukon are excited to announce they will soon be hosting their 18th Annual Women’s Health Day wellness event Tuesday, September 26 at the Waukon Banquet Center. All ages are invited to attend any part of this educational event, beginning at 11 a.m. with a wellness fair offering a variety of free health tests and information, and a luncheon and program held from Noon to 1 p.m. This year the menu will consist of a full salad buffet, sandwiches, beverages and dessert.
The theme for this year’s event is “Embracing Life at all Stages.” Featured speakers for the Women’s Health Day program will include Alex Berns, Family Nurse Practitioner at the Waukon Clinic, who will speak on his experience as a Hospice Care Nurse. His presentation, entitled “Clearing the Air About Hospice Care,” will help explain how Hospice Care works, how to qualify and the different levels of Hospice care available.
