News Center newsletter

The Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital will be holding its monthly Euchre Marathon for all individuals of the community interested Thursday, January 16. Men and women are welcome to attend, even if they are not an Auxiliary member. The Euchre marathons are held the third Thursday of each month at the Senior Citizens Room at the Waukon Wellness Center.

The Auxiliary’s Euchre Marathons begin at 11:30 a.m. with dinner, if chosen. Call Northland Agency on Aging at 877-838-8077 if choosing to eat dinner. Card playing will follow at 12:30 p.m. until approximately 2:30 p.m. Anyone wishing to stay and play cards following the Senior Citizens meal is more than welcome to do so. All proceeds go towards the Auxiliary of Veterans Memorial Hospital. Prizes will be awarded.

Anyone interested in attending, but preferring to play bridge is also welcome to join in. It is asked that they come with their own table of four players, however.

Memorials were recently received by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in memory of Marge Reisner by Marv and Marge Strike, Jerry and Linda Siegrist, Chuck and Lois Votsmier, Shirley Schneeberger and Randy and Lori Hesse.

Memorials were also received in memory of Marty Melcher by Roger, Karen, and Lisa Melcher and families; in memory of John Conway by Jean Huffey and Randy and Lori Hesse; in memory of Kevin Haas by Gayle Larkin, Marlene Habhab and Fred and Geralyn Smith; and in memory of James Hanson (Clermont) by Chuck and Lois Votsmier.

A donation was also received in honor of Bob and Julia Rotach’s 50th wedding anniversary by Russ and Mary Jo Meyer.

Memorials are appreciated by the Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation. The Foundation is a 501C3 organization. All donations to the Foundation are tax deductible. Memorials and donations can be sent to Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation, 40 First Street SE, Waukon, IA  52172.
 

Veterans Memorial Hospital, in cooperation with the American Heart Association, is offering a course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for lay people (those not working in healthcare), which includes child care providers, Wednesday, January 15 from 5-8 p.m.

The CPR class, which will cover adult, child and infant CPR, will be held in the Large Conference Room located on the lower level of the hospital. The cost of the class, for certification or recertification, is the same. Upon successful completion of the class, the participant will receive an electronic card certifying them in Heartsaver CPR AED for a two-year time period. This class does not include a first aid certification.

CPR is administered when someone’s breathing, pulse, or both, stop. When both of them stop simultaneously, the victim has suffered sudden death, which can be caused by poisoning, drowning, choking, suffocation, electrocution, smoke inhalation, or the most common cause, heart attack.

The Veterans Memorial Hospital Diabetes Support Group will hold its next meeting Thursday, January 16 at 10 a.m. The meeting will be held at Veterans Memorial Hospital in the Large Conference Room, located on the lower level of the hospital.

This diabetes class is open to everyone who has diabetes or has a friend or loved one with diabetes. For more information on the Diabetes Support Group, call  Angie Mettille, RN at Veterans Memorial Hospital at 563-568-3411.
 

Judy Fink will be celebrating her 80th birthday Sunday, January 19 with an open house from 1-4 p.m. at the Allamakee Event Room, 108 Second Street NW, Suite 102 in Waukon. Everyone is welcome.
 

Gerald Piittmann of Waukon will be celebrating his 80th birthday Saturday, January 25 with an open house from 2-5 p.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall, located at 8 Fifth Street SW in Waukon. No gifts are requested.

For those not attending the celebration, cards and well wishes may be sent to: 609 Second Avenue NW, Waukon, IA 52172.
 

by Jeremy Leitz, Allamakee County Executive Director (563) 568-2148

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
January 20: Office Closed in observance of Martin Luther King Day
February 28: CRP General Signup
March 15: 2019 ARCPLC Election
June 30: 2020 ARCPLC Election
September 30: PLC Yield Update

USDA Safety Net Program Enrollment Opens for 2019 and 2020
Producers now can enroll in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs – two U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) safety net programs – for the 2019 and 2020 crop year.

ARC provides income support payments on historical base acres when actual crop revenue declines below a specified guaranteed level. PLC provides income support payments on historical base acres when the effective price for a covered commodity falls below its reference price. The 2018 Farm Bill reauthorized and updated both programs.

Learn what a ‘movement standstill’ is, and how one could impact your farm if issued

Dairy producers and the industry should prepare in advance for the possibility of a contagious disease outbreak, such as foot-and-mouth disease.

On Jan. 27 and Feb. 11, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, along with Iowa State University, will host two one-day workshops for dairy producers, processors, veterinarians, extension employees, emergency responders and others.

The free workshops will focus on how to prepare for a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak and steps that can be taken to protect dairies from foreign animal diseases and diseases already found in the United States.

Danelle Bickett-Weddle, associate director of the Center for Food Security and Public Health at Iowa State University, said the goal is to educate people about prevention, and what they need to know if one of these highly contagious diseases is found.

Iowa dairy producers will have the opportunity to learn about emerging dairy industry issues during the 2020 Dairy Days events hosted by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. The program is scheduled at five eastern Iowa locations between Jan. 20 and Feb. 6.

“Producers have seen low milk prices in the last few years, causing added farm stress. Our goal is to help producers make sound herd management decisions that are backed by current and relevant information,” said Jennifer Bentley, dairy specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach. “We host these workshops for farmers to network, share ideas, and take back management tips to help improve profit margins.” 

Topics will include ventilation options for freestall barns, dealing with farm stress, dairy market outlook, stress and metabolic responses on dairy cows, and group calf housing and its effects on calf behavior.

Margaret C. Blake, 93, of Dorchester passed Wednesday, January 8, 2020. Funeral services will be held Saturday, January 18 at 11 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Dorchester with Rev. Jerry Blake officiating. Visitation will be held before the service, from 9-11 a.m., at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Burial arrangements will be determined at a later date.  Fellowship and lunch will be at the Waukon Banquet Center following the service.

Margaret C. Hammell was born September 21, 1926. She was born on the family farm on the Sand Cove near New Albin, the daughter of Cornelius “Con” and Mary T. (Wall) Hammell. During WWII, at the age of 17, she was hired to be a teacher in a one-room school near Iowa River Road.