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Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
March 16: 2019 ARCPLC Election
June 30: 2020 ARCPLC Election
September 30: PLC Yield Update

Plants and Their Relationship to the Soil
submitted by LuAnn Rolling, District Conservationist, Allamakee County

As we dive deeper into the topic of healthy soil we have to understand the relationship that plants create with the soil.  As a plant grows it excretes “food” called exudate into the area around the root.  Exudates are secretions of sugars along with a little protein and carbohydrates.  A plant can release as much as 50% of the sugars they make from photosynthesis to attract bacteria and grow fungi which eat the exudate.  One very important fungi is called mycorrhizal fungi.  This fungi actually grows with the roots and in return delivers nutrients and trace minerals back to the plant.

Topics will include managing stress, preparing for success and understanding the current grain market

“Setting the Table for Success” is the theme for the fourth annual Women in Agriculture Conference, to be held at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Washington, Iowa March 28.

The event is being hosted by the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Washington County office, along with the Washington County Women in Agriculture Advisory Board.

The goal of this year’s conference is to show women of all ages how they can set their table for success in agriculture by surrounding themselves with the right people and resources to make informed decisions.

The conference will feature four speakers: Scott Siepker, Iowa Nice Guy; Elaine Kub, grain market economist; Delaney Howell, host of Iowa Public Television’s “Market to Market,” and Kay Frances, a humorous and motivational speaker.

by Dr. Bob Hartzler, Professor of Agronomy, Meaghan Anderson, Field Agronomist in Central Iowa, Integrated Crop Management News, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach

A common question when incorporating cover crops into a production system is, will the cover crop interfere with the performance of residual herbicides included with the burndown treatment? This article will discuss the fate of residual herbicides applied to crop residue and living cover crops, and how this may influence herbicide effectiveness.

The 12th Annual Bald Eagle Watching Day is scheduled to be held Saturday, March 7 in Ferryville, WI at the Village Community Center located on State Highway 35 “The Great River Road”.  This program is sponsored by the Ferryville Tourism Council, co-sponsored by Friends of Pool 9, and is free to the public to attend.

Event activities are scheduled to take place from 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m., with doors opening at 9 a.m. Returning to the program is the Decorah Raptor Resource Project/Decorah Eagle Cam organization presenting at 12:30 p.m. on “Rehabbing the 2019 Eagles”.  John Howe and Amy Reis of the Raptor Resource Project and their team tell about these frisky eaglets and how they recovered from injury to fly the Mississippi River Valley once again.

Waukon native and Ulysses S. Grant portrayer Pete Grady (pictured here) will present a show entitled “Unconditional Surrender: A visit with Ulysses S. Grant” Saturday, March 14 at 11 a.m. at the New Albin Community Center. The presentation will feature Grant’s childhood in Ohio on through to the final years of his life, when he struggled to complete his autobiography while dying of throat cancer. The event is free and everyone is welcome to attend. Submitted photo.
 

Local business can win $2,000 prize in Open 4 Business contest

The Main Street Lansing Annual Meeting and Dinner is set for Saturday, March 21 at TJ Hunter’s Banquet Hall on Main Street in Lansing. New this year is a contest that will award $2,000 to a local business in an Open 4 Business: Fish Tank Edition contest.

Open 4 Business is a statewide contest sponsored by Main Street Iowa, with potential winnings of $28,000 in grant funds. Any business located within a designated Main Street District and in operation for at least one year is eligible. Funds can be used for things like inventory, equipment, marketing, computers and software.

Iowa Representative Anne Osmundson of Volga filed her nomination petitions with the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office Wednesday, February 26 to seek re-election to District 56 in the Iowa House of Representatives this fall. Rep. Osmundson is pictured above filing her petitions with staff from the Secretary of State’s Office. She was first elected to her current position in the Iowa House of Representatives in 2018. Submitted photo.

Andy Kelleher, a New Albin resident, has announced his candidacy for the Allamakee County Board of Supervisors. One seat on the Allamakee County Board of Supervisors will be up for election in November of this year.

“My primary motivation to run is mental health,” said Kelleher. “Since Dennis Koenig is not seeking re-election to the Board of Supervisors, his seat on the County Social Services Board will also be open. I would like to pick up that torch and continue to advocate for the people of Allamakee County who may be suffering mental health issues or disabilities. It would also be an honor to be involved with the secondary roads system. Our secondary roads are vital to every aspect of life in Allamakee County, from agriculture to manufacturing to emergency services. I would love to maintain the history of excellent oversight the supervisors have provided for the secondary roads.”

by Joe Moses

The Allamakee County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Monday, March 2 to address a short agenda of items including a plat request, Manure Management Plan updates and Department Head updates. There was no Public Comment.

Manure Management Plan updates for Gibbs Dairy, West Ridge Ag and EY 1 – Eric Weymiller were reviewed. Board Chairperson Larry Schellhammer indicated that no changes have been made with the plans being accepted and placed on file.

Allamakee County Zoning Administrator Tom Blake provided an overview of the Gerald J. and Judy Sommer plat request. Blake indicated that the Sommers are dividing a property along Silver Creek Road to allow the sale to a family member and that the Planning and Zoning Commission and Plat Review Board have both recommended approval of the request. The Supervisors approved the Gerald J. and Judy Sommer plat request.

Bill Moody of Harpers Ferry recently retired from the Allamakee County Conservation Board after serving on that board for more than 30 years, being the lone remaining member of the original board established in 1989. Pictured in the photo above at the February meeting of the Allamakee County Conservation Board, at which Moody was recognized for his retirement and for his 31 years of service to the board, are current and past members of the Allamakee County Conservation Board. Left to right- Front row: Past and original board member Tom Weighner, current board member Jesse Delaney, now retired and original board member Bill Moody, current board member Jeanie Carroll and Allamakee County Conservation Director Jim Janett; Back row: Newly appointed board member Steve Weymiller, past board member Dennis Blocker, past and original board member Randy Hesse and current board member Dennis Koenig. Not available for the photo is current board member Marilyn Clark.