News Center newsletter

Advanced Calving Clinic will provide in-depth information for dairy and beef producers.

Register today for the Midwest Dairy Day: Advanced Calving Clinic for Dairy and Beef to be held Thursday, December 6 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Iowa’s Dairy Center located at 1527 Highway 150 S, in Calmar, Iowa.

This event is a collaborative effort between Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, the Northeast Iowa Dairy Foundation and Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC). This year’s event will provide an array of sessions on advanced calving, including a unique opportunity for a hands-on experience with a life-sized cow model. Participants choose to attend one of two different blocks of sessions: one block focuses on dairy cows and the other block focuses on beef cows. Dairy and beef producers, students and industry members are encouraged to attend.

Sessions in both the Dairy and Beef block will include:

Improving the odds of a successful cash crop after cover crops is the aim of several new projects funded by the Iowa Nutrient Research Center at Iowa State University.

“Based on strong farmer interest and input from our center advisory committee, almost a third of this year’s $1.7 million in project funding will support research to understand how to best integrate cover crops into Iowa crop and livestock systems,” said Matt Helmers, director of the Iowa Nutrient Research Center and professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering at Iowa State. “Since the center was established in 2013, we’ve funded about a dozen research projects linked to cover crops.”

Voters are scheduled to trek to the polls Tuesday, November 6 to cast their selections for the 2018 General Election. A sample ballot of the respective races within each level of government in this year’s election was published on Page 6B in the October 24 issue of this newspaper.
A listing of polling sites for all 11 of Allamakee County’s voting precincts was also printed on Page 6B in that October 24 issue of The Standard. Election polls will be open from 7 a.m.-9 p.m. November 6.

by Joe Moses

Those passing by the 100 block of Allamakee Street in Waukon have likely noticed some change with the recent removal of the Army tank that had been located near the Vet’s Club since the early 1990s. During the evening of Thursday, October 25 this past week, Hennessy Towing of Waukon and various personnel from veterans organizations and City employees of Waukon and the south central Iowa community of Maxwell were involved in moving the tank in preparation for its transport to its new location in that small Story County community.

The M60 Army tank located at the Vet’s Club was last used in Vietnam before being decommissioned, but it was developed for a late World War II campaign. The tank came from Fort McCoy in Wisconsin before calling Waukon home in 1993 after a two-year planning process. Its new location will be Maxwell, a small town of just under 1,000 people located southeast of Ames.

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, October 29 to address a full agenda of items including the Tobacco Awareness Week Proclamation, setting a date for the 2019 Driftless Half-Marathon and an update from the Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission (UERPC). Chairperson Larry Schellhammer called the meeting to order.

During Public Comment, SPF-SIG Coordinator Maxine Grotegut with Allamakee Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) took a photo of the Supervisors holding the Social Host Ordinance to fulfill a requirement of a grant. Executive Director Val Reinke with Allamakee County Economic Development (ACED) discussed the November 19 Board of Supervisors meeting which will take place at the Robey Memorial Library in Waukon with a possible industry visit to follow at Aveka Nutra Processing. Supervisor Dennis Koenig also provided an update on the County Social Services (CSS) region.

The Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation’s Christmas Fantasy 2018 will be held Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, November 9, 10, 11 and 12, at the Allamakee County Fairgrounds Pavilion in Waukon. The theme this year will be “Never Stop Believing.”

In addition to the nearly 60 decorated Christmas trees on display, this years’ event will again offer many, many shopping opportunities on the silent auction. Reservations are now being taken for the popular Saturday evening Wine, Cheese and Dessert Event, and the Noon luncheons.

The luncheons are sponsored again this year by the Allamakee County Cattlemen’s Association and will be held Saturday, November 10, at Noon, and again Monday, November 12, at Noon. A full meal will be served plus entertainment will be provided at both events.

by Susan Cantine-Maxson

The Lansing Iowa FoodTrust (LIFT) has been in operation for almost a month now. The LIFT Board would like to invite the public to an Open House at the LIFT site at 220 South Third Street (the former Rethswich Lumber office in Lansing) November 3 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The open house will give the public an opportunity to see how the operation runs on a weekly basis. The well-lit room which holds the food items available to local families or individuals is an inviting atmosphere. The back room serves as a much-needed storage area for food items waiting to be placed on the shelves for restocking. Several volunteers assist clients as they choose the food they want.

A special program will celebrate the nearly 200 World War I servicemen and women with ties to Lansing and other areas of Allamakee County. The program will start at 1 p.m. Monday, November 12 at Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library, located at 515 Main Street in Lansing.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, November 11, 1918, the day WWI ended. To mark this historic milestone, the Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library has created a series of posters highlighting Lansing’s participation in the war and how residents welcomed home their soldiers, sailors and nurses.

Brief accounts of the lives of many of those who served have been compiled in a notebook for the exhibit. Visitors to the library can learn about men who started vital businesses that still operate in Lansing and the families who made their living fishing on the Mississippi River and clamming or cutting buttons on its shores.

The Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center in Lansing will host the Driftless Birding Fest Saturday, November 10. The Fest will include speakers, exhibits and self-guided field trips to area hotspots.

Speakers will include Dr. Paul Skrade of Upper Iowa University at 1 p.m. speaking on the Driftless Region’s unique population of warblers and his studies to learn more about them. Additional speakers and times will be announced closer to the November 10 date.

The Upper Mississippi Flyway is used by over 300 species of birds during the Spring and Fall migrations.  This festival will give novice and expert birders a chance to learn from professionals who have traveled the world on why and when these many species are utilizing the local area.

The Waukon High School music department has selected “The Addams Family” as this year’s musical production under the direction of Louise Wild and musical director Sarah Palmer. Three performances are being planned for this weekend, including Thursday and Saturday, November 1 and 3, both at 7:30 p.m., as well as a matinee performance at 1 p.m. Sunday, November 4. Anyone previously purchasing tickets for the originally planned Friday evening performance that has now been moved to the Sunday matinee, may use them for admission to any of the other performances. Each of the performances will be held at the Waukon High School auditorium and children who come in costume to any showing of the musical will receive a special treat with The Addams Family. For ticket information, call Shelly Lydon at 563-568-8670 or email  waukonmusical@live.com.