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Local farmers can support Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) and save on taxes by donating grain or other commodities directly to the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation.

When a self-employed farmer donates grain instead of selling it and giving cash, the value of that grain is not counted as income - meaning no income or self-employment tax is owed. The Foundation sells the grain, and the proceeds go toward local health care needs.

To qualify, the grain must be delivered and ownership transferred to the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation before it’s sold.  To better illustrate this, a farmer donating 1,000 bushels of corn valued at $4,000 could save more than $1,700 in taxes compared to selling the grain and donating the cash. The farmer can still deduct all production expenses. 

Carter and Jasmine Snitker of Farmersburg announce the birth of their daughter, Codie Jade Snitker, born October 22, 2025 at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. She weighed 9 lbs. 11 ozs. and measured 22 inches in length at the time of her birth. She joins siblings, Layne Snitker (3) and Kolson Snitker (1-1/2).

Grandparents are Quentin and Jenny Schutte of Luana, Kevin Stocker of Waukee, Michelle Kishman of Prairie du Chien, WI, Bob Snitker of Rossville and Kurt Kishman of Farmersburg. Great-grandparents are Cathy and Kermit White of Postville, Ken and Kathy Stocker of Morning Sun, Cindy and Luther Schutte of Luana, Sharon Costello of Lansing and Mel Kishman of Farmersburg.

Cover Crop Guidelines
The Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Risk Management Agency (RMA) worked together to develop consistent, simple and a flexible policy for cover crop practices.

Cover crops, such as grasses, legumes and forbs, can be planted: with no subsequent crop planted, before a subsequent crop, after prevented planting acreage, after a planted crop, or into a standing crop.

Termination:
The cover crop termination guidelines provide the timeline for terminating cover crops, are based on zones and apply to non-irrigated cropland. To view the zones and additional guidelines visit nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/landuse/crops/ and click “Cover Crop Termination Guidelines.”

Farmers who plant fall cover crops can save $5 per acre on next year’s crop insurance premiums as part of the Crop Insurance Discount Program

Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and Governor Kim Reynolds are encouraging Iowa farmers to plant cover crops this fall to improve water quality and save money on next year’s crop insurance premiums. The savings are offered through the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s (IDALS) Crop Insurance Discount Program.

The innovative annual program, part of the implementation of Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy, provides farmers who plant fall cover crops the opportunity to apply for a $5 per acre discount on their crop insurance premiums. There is no cap on the number of cover crop seeded acres that can receive the crop insurance discount. 

Having broken a five-year drought in appearances as a team at the Iowa High School State Cross Country Championships last season with a 12th-place finish at the Class 2A State Meet, the Waukon girls cross country team took another giant leap forward at this fall’s season grand finale, perhaps surpassing even their own expectations when they brought home this year’s State Runner-Up trophy. Being ranked seventh among this season’s Class 2A distance elite heading into the Friday, October 31 Class 2A State Meet held at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course near Fort Dodge, the Lady Indians continued their season trend of finishing no lower than third at any of their meets and took full advantage of an opportunity to showcase their entire team effort that has fueled that trend, even at the highest level of competition.

The end to one of the most consistent and successful individual careers in the recent history of Kee boys cross country came to a close this past weekend where every Iowa high school cross country athlete strives to be, as Hawk senior Justin Wagner brought Kee’s 2025 season and his high school cross country career to completion competing in his fourth consecutive Class 1A State Meet, held Saturday, November 1 at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course near Fort Dodge.

Competing for the fourth consecutive season among Class 1A’s distance-running elite, Wagner finished just beyond the top-20 individuals in that season grand finale, repeating his 21st-place finish that he had also achieved last season. This year’s near-miss of that top-20 in that Class 1A field of 152 runners came in a time of 17:00.2, the Hawk senior’s best time of this season and just a handful of seconds beyond his career-best time he achieved at last season’s State Meet.

The Waukon football team had its 2025 season brought to a close in the second round of the Class 2A State Play-Offs in a Halloween Night match-up at fifth-rated Alburnett Friday, October 31. The trick was trying to stop Class 2A’s leading rusher, Pirate junior Laken Caves, and that certainly ended up being no treat as the Pirate speedster racked up 267 yards and four touchdowns on the ground in leading his squad to a 34-16 win over the Indians for an end to their fall grid campaign.

Another trip to the Class 2A State Cross Country Meet resulted in another top-10 team finish for the Waukon boys cross country team, as the 2025 version of that program consistency made it a half-dozen consecutive high-end finishes for the distance Tribe with its sixth-place team finish among the Class 2A elite field of 15 scored teams competing in this season’s grand finale Friday, October 31 at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course near Fort Dodge. Coming into Friday’s State Meet ranked eighth, and having to replace three runners from last season’s seventh-place State Meet team finish, the Indians improved on both of those aspects with their sixth-place finish that was a dozen points away from a top-five team finish.

For more complete coverage, pick up this week's print edition or subscribe to our e-edition or print edition by clicking here.

Kenneth Edward Schaller of Reno, MN passed away peacefully October 29, 2025, at Emplify Health by Gundersen with family by his side. Family and friends are invited to a celebration of life in Kenny’s honor Friday, November 7 from 3-7 p.m., held at the New Albin Community Center in New Albin.

Fredrickson Funeral Homes and Crematory, Caledonia, MN is assisting the family with arrangements.

Ken was born August 12, 1954, in La Crosse, WI to Clarence and Esther (Hahn) Schaller. He often spoke fondly of his childhood in Reno, where he spent countless days riding bikes, fishing, and exploring the surrounding bluffs and backwaters with friends.

A 1972 graduate of La Crescent High School, Ken began his career at G. Heileman Brewing in La Crosse. He later went on to work for Interstate Power Company (later known as Alliant Energy) at the Lansing Power Plant - a career to which he dedicated nearly 40 years.

Don O. Bakke, 89, of Waukon died Friday, October 31, 2025, at Northgate Care Center in Waukon. Funeral services were held Tuesday, November 4 at Old West Paint Creek Lutheran Church in rural Waukon with Pastor Marshall Hahn officiating. Burial with military honors was in the church cemetery.

Donald Ordell Bakke was born July 12, 1936, in La Crosse, WI, the son of Theodore and Gladys (Fossum) Bakke. He was baptized and confirmed at West Paint Creek Lutheran Church in rural Waukon and graduated from Waukon High School in 1954. Don lived for farming and spent his whole life on the family dairy farm until moving into Waukon in the 1980s. After retiring, he’d still go out and find something to tinker with or fix. His last trip to the farm was a special one with granddaughter Breanna taking him out Labor Day, 2025. Don also worked at Northern Engraving after retiring from the farm.