Eastern Iowa Farmer Spring 2021
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
The <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong><br />
<strong>Farmer</strong><br />
®<br />
A Publication of Sycamore Media<br />
Mother<br />
Nature<br />
is having her say<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> farmers have<br />
always battled the elements, but<br />
last summer’s derecho was<br />
a weather event for the books.<br />
Hard work, lifelong<br />
lessons: From feeding<br />
livestock to helping with harvest<br />
and upkeep, chores are a way of<br />
life for kids growing up on farms<br />
Operating safely: Grain<br />
bin accidents are a risk in agriculture,<br />
but training and rescue efforts can<br />
mitigate the impact<br />
Man behind the meat: Grand<br />
Mound resident helping feed America<br />
‘from gate to plate’<br />
Moving the right<br />
direction: Local land prices increase<br />
in value above state average<br />
PLUS:<br />
Photo pages of<br />
your friends<br />
and neighbors!
Product placement,<br />
not promotion.<br />
Channel Seedsmen take every field acre by acre so that each product is placed to<br />
perform in its unique conditions. Learn more about Channel products placed to<br />
perform in your area at Channel.com/local.<br />
JEREMY MINER<br />
Agronomist<br />
319-480-1465<br />
GEOFF APER<br />
Field Sales Representative<br />
309-945-5222<br />
Trait and Stewardship Responsibilities Notice to <strong>Farmer</strong>s<br />
Monsanto Company is a member of Excellence Through Stewardship® (ETS). Monsanto products are commercialized in accordance with ETS Product Launch Stewardship Guidance, and in<br />
compliance with Monsanto’s Policy for Commercialization of Biotechnology-Derived Plant Products in Commodity Crops. Commercialized products have been approved for import into key export<br />
markets with functioning regulatory systems. Any crop or material produced from this product can only be exported to, or used, processed or sold in countries where all necessary regulatory<br />
approvals have been granted. It is a violation of national and international law to move material containing biotech traits across boundaries into nations where import is not permitted. Growers should<br />
talk to their grain handler or product purchaser to confirm their buying position for this product. Excellence Through Stewardship® is a registered trademark of Excellence Through Stewardship.<br />
B.t. products may not yet be registered in all states. Check with your seed brand representative for the registration status in your state.<br />
IMPORTANT IRM INFORMATION: RIB Complete® corn blend products do not require the planting of a structured refuge except in the Cotton-Growing Area where corn earworm is a significant pest.<br />
See the IRM/Grower Guide for additional information. Always read and follow IRM requirements.
TODD HUSMANN<br />
Channel Seedsman<br />
Center Junction, IA<br />
319-480-6331<br />
DEALER<br />
BOB NEYEN<br />
Channel Seedsman<br />
Worthington, IA<br />
563-543-3855<br />
DEALER<br />
MAX MCNEIL<br />
Channel Seedsman<br />
Preston<br />
563-357-2381<br />
DEALER<br />
BOB GANNON<br />
Channel Seedsman<br />
DeWitt<br />
563-357-9876<br />
DEALER<br />
SPENCER HICKS<br />
Channel Seedsman<br />
New Liberty<br />
563-513-8005<br />
JANELL SLATTERY<br />
Channel Seedsman<br />
Maquoketa<br />
563-357-4057<br />
DEALER<br />
DEALER<br />
ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW IRM, WHERE APPLICABLE, GRAIN MARKETING AND ALL OTHER STEWARDSHIP PRACTICES AND PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. Roundup Ready® 2 Technology contains genes<br />
that confer tolerance to glyphosate. Glyphosate will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate. Herculex® is a registered trademark of Dow AgroSciences LLC. LibertyLink® and the Water Droplet<br />
Design® is a trademark of BASF Corporation. Respect the Refuge and Corn Design® and Respect the Refuge® are registered trademarks of National Corn Growers Association. Climate FieldView<br />
services provide estimates or recommendations based on models. These do not guarantee results. Consult your agronomist, commodities broker and other service professionals before making<br />
financial, risk management, and farming decisions. More information at http://www.climate.com/disclaimers. FieldView is a trademark of The Climate Corporation. DroughtGard®, RIB Complete®,<br />
Roundup Ready 2 Technology and Design, Roundup Ready®, SmartStax® and VT Double PRO® are trademarks of Bayer Group. ©2020 Bayer Group. All rights reserved.
Planes...tracto<br />
it doesn’t mat<br />
Whatever it is you do, Tri-State Building<br />
can put a roof over it with a custom-designed<br />
building perfectly suited to your needs<br />
“Working with Frank and the<br />
crew at Tri-State to develop and<br />
build our multi-purpose building<br />
got us exactly what we needed.”<br />
— Luke Niemann and Matthew Niemann<br />
Tri-STaTe<br />
Building Corp.
s...<br />
ter!<br />
› CommerCial Warehousing<br />
› retail sales/ shoW rooms<br />
› mini-Warehouses<br />
› muniCipal garages/shops<br />
› offiCes<br />
› airplane hangars<br />
› fairground Buildings<br />
› apt./garages<br />
› dairy Barns<br />
› Calf housing<br />
› Cattle sheds<br />
› ChurChes<br />
› manufaCturing faCilities<br />
› maChine storage<br />
› insulated shops<br />
› horse Barns/riding arenas<br />
› utility Buildings<br />
› garages<br />
Pictured, building owners<br />
Luke Niemann (left) and Matthew<br />
Niemann (right) of Niemann<br />
Family Farms in DeWitt, IA with<br />
Tri-State Building Corp. owner<br />
Frank Reisen (center).<br />
1954<br />
Frank Reisen, owner<br />
25584 Bellevue-Cascade Rd,<br />
Bellevue, IA 52031<br />
563-542-1681<br />
Tri.statebldgs@gmail.com<br />
wickbuildings.com
A Foundation<br />
for Giving<br />
Sharing and caring:<br />
You can<br />
make a<br />
difference<br />
in so<br />
many<br />
ways<br />
Roger Kurt<br />
Attorney, Dubuque and rural counties<br />
In my work, I meet with people as they plan their<br />
legacies so when they are gone, their assets can<br />
support those they care about.<br />
Many want to leave their community a better place.<br />
The Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque is<br />
a great option for giving, because it addresses a broad<br />
range of needs in a strategic way. That gift will grow<br />
forever and pay out each year to help nonprofits address<br />
community needs.<br />
A large estate isn’t necessary to make a big impact.<br />
People of modest means have many options for giving.<br />
It all starts with a call to the Community Foundation. The<br />
staff is knowledgeable and passionate, and they can help<br />
anyone leave a legacy of generosity.<br />
What will your legacy to the community be? To start<br />
planning, contact Faye Finnegan, director of donor<br />
relations for the Community Foundation, at 563-588-2700<br />
or faye@dbqfoundation.org.<br />
The Community Foundation of Greater<br />
and inspires giving along with affiliate
Today, Tomorrow,<br />
Forever<br />
Joining the<br />
Team<br />
Thomas McConohy’s journey in life took him from<br />
his family farm near DeWitt, across <strong>Eastern</strong><br />
<strong>Iowa</strong> for education and work, and now back<br />
to the farm where he grew up. Today, with<br />
support from a scholarship overseen by the<br />
LincolnWay Community Foundation, he’s one of many<br />
community members building a strong DeWitt area.<br />
The Community Foundation supports efforts to make<br />
the region a place where people want to live. These<br />
efforts, whether scholarships like the one Thomas<br />
received or grants to local nonprofits, are made<br />
possible by local generosity, a dedicated board with a<br />
committed staff member, and the Forever LincolnWay<br />
Endowment Fund. This fund helps ensure the Foundation<br />
can continue improving quality of life for DeWitt area<br />
residents like Thomas – today, tomorrow and forever.<br />
Learn more at dbqfoundation.org/lwcf.<br />
Lori Loch is focused on the future of our<br />
communities as she steps into the role of<br />
executive director of the Community Foundation<br />
of Jackson County.<br />
Lori lives near Bellevue and farms with her<br />
husband and two sons. The Loch family works together<br />
to cut wood, bale hay and care for their cattle, horses,<br />
chickens and pigs, and they enjoy gardening as a family.<br />
“I love the discipline, responsibility and entrepreneurship<br />
the farm teaches our kids,” she says. “They take pride in<br />
their work and know we are a team.”<br />
In her new role, Lori will work to fulfill the Foundation’s<br />
mission through endowment-building, grant-making and<br />
community engagement. Her background in investment<br />
services and retirement planning will help donors<br />
and nonprofit leaders accomplish their goals. Gifts<br />
of grain, livestock and land can support your community<br />
and benefit your farm. To learn more, email<br />
lori@dbqfoundation.org or call 563-588-2700.<br />
An Affiliate of the<br />
Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque<br />
Dubuque strengthens communities<br />
partners in surrounding counties.<br />
dbqfoundation.org
The <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong><br />
<strong>Farmer</strong>®<br />
Directory of advertisers<br />
Abstract & Title Guaranty Company....86<br />
AgWest Commodities..........................32<br />
American Family Insurance.................92<br />
American Mutual..................................84<br />
Anamosa Silo Repair, LLC..................81<br />
Appliance Solutions.............................40<br />
Arensdorf Rock Quarry &<br />
Ag Lime Application........................95<br />
Beck’s..................................................88<br />
Bellevue/Preston Veterinary Clinic......81<br />
Bellevue Sand & Gravel......................99<br />
Brandenburg Drainage......................107<br />
Breeden’s Vermeer..............................57<br />
Bullocks, Inc........................................54<br />
Burger Chiropractic..............................35<br />
Burger Shoe Repair.............................35<br />
Cascade Lumber Co............................47<br />
Channel.................................................2<br />
Citizens First Bank...............................63<br />
Citizens State Bank.............................34<br />
Clinton County Farm Bureau...............25<br />
Clinton National Bank........................ 111<br />
Clover Ridge Place..............................89<br />
Community Foundation<br />
of Greater Dubuque..........................6<br />
Community Foundation<br />
of Jackson County............................6<br />
Countryside Feed & Supply.................20<br />
Custom Dozing and<br />
Crane Service, Inc..........................67<br />
Davisson Tiling LLC.............................22<br />
Dave River Construction......................70<br />
Deep Creek Applicators.....................106<br />
Delaney Ag Service.............................38<br />
Delaney Ag Service.............................39<br />
Delaney Auto & Ag.............................110<br />
Delmar Grain Service, Inc...................14<br />
DeWitt Bank & Trust..........................124<br />
DeWitt Community<br />
Hospital Foundation........................18<br />
East Central Consulting.......................37<br />
East <strong>Iowa</strong> Real Estate.........................64<br />
Eberhart Farm Center........................108<br />
Farm Bureau Financial Services.........45<br />
Farm Credit Services...........................87<br />
Fidelity Bank & Trust............................24<br />
First Central State Bank....................103<br />
Franzen Family Tractors......................50<br />
Funk’s Frontiersman............................62<br />
Gateway Door Company.....................98<br />
GreenTech Spray Foam Insulation......16<br />
Heritage Mutual Insurance..................55<br />
Holdgrafer Grain Systems, LLC...........99<br />
Hostetler Precision Ag Solutions.........61<br />
Highway 64 Auctions...........................50<br />
Irv’s Repair Inc.....................................48<br />
Irv’s Repair Inc.....................................49<br />
J&S Auto Specialists............................74<br />
Jackson County Farm Bureau.............25<br />
Jackson County Regional<br />
Health Center..................................31<br />
Jeremiah Wiese Farms........................17<br />
JJ Scheckel.........................................72<br />
Keeney Welding..................................20<br />
Ken Kruger..........................................58<br />
Kunau Implement................................65<br />
LaMotte/Andrew Telephone Co...........42<br />
Legacy Insurance Group.....................68<br />
Liberty Ag & Excavating.......................36<br />
LincolnWay Community Foundation......6<br />
Low Moor Ag Services, Inc..................37<br />
Maquoketa Financial Group................56<br />
Maquoketa State Bank........................59<br />
Martens Angus Farms.........................26<br />
Meant To Be With Flowers...................77<br />
Melissa Burken Mommsen..................30<br />
Mill Valley Care Center........................30<br />
Miner, Gilroy & Meade.........................44<br />
Moore Family Farms and Creamery....104<br />
New York Life - Tricia Holdgrafer.........76<br />
Nissen-Caven Insurance.....................78<br />
Ohnward Farm Mangement...............101<br />
Ohnward Insurance Group..................81<br />
Ohnward Tax, Accounting<br />
and Business Services...................19<br />
Ohnward Wealth & Retirement............43<br />
Osterhaus Pharmacy...........................93<br />
Peoples Company.............................122<br />
Pioneer................................................11<br />
Regency Retirement<br />
Residence of Clinton.......................91<br />
River Valley Cooperative.....................97<br />
Roeder Brothers..................................21<br />
Rolling Hills Veterinary Service..........100<br />
RPJ Repair & Warehouse...................90<br />
Scherrman’s Implement.......................15<br />
Schlecht Farm & Hatchery.................109<br />
Schoenthaler, Bartelt, Kahler & Reicks....46<br />
Schueller and Sons Reconstruction....71<br />
Schuster & Co PC...............................27<br />
Sheets General Construction..............60<br />
Spain Ag Service.................................69<br />
State Farm ..........................................94<br />
Stickley Electric...................................66<br />
The Engel Agency...............................28<br />
The Friedman Group, Inc..................103<br />
Theisen’s.............................................58<br />
Titan Pro..............................................80<br />
Tri-State Building Corp..........................4<br />
Veach Diesel & Automotive Repair......82<br />
Welter Seed & Honey Co....................85<br />
Wheatland Manor Care Facility...........79<br />
Whispering Meadows Resort...............94<br />
White Front..........................................73<br />
Wyffels Hybrids....................................75<br />
Zirkelbach Home Appliances...............83<br />
view the entire magazine online<br />
eifarmer.com<br />
8 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
Story Index<br />
52<br />
Mother Nature is having her say<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> farmers have found themselves battling the elements<br />
more than ever the past few years, and it is changing the way they work.<br />
Chores: The building<br />
The man behind<br />
12 33 41<br />
blocks of character<br />
For generations,<br />
children of all ages<br />
have been pitching<br />
in on the farm<br />
the meat<br />
Grand Mound<br />
resident helping<br />
feed America<br />
‘from gate to plate’<br />
A woolly endeavor<br />
Bernard farmer started<br />
raising sheep as a high<br />
school student in FFA;<br />
20 years later he’s<br />
expanded the flock<br />
23 46 98<br />
29<br />
‘It just happened so fast’<br />
Area farmer’s experience<br />
shows how safety precautions,<br />
rescue techniques are crucial<br />
for farmers<br />
The smallest action could<br />
make a big difference<br />
96<br />
Bulletins offered good,<br />
free advice from Uncle Sam’s<br />
Department of Ag<br />
Ag in the Classroom<br />
A farming future is worth<br />
the sacrifice<br />
102<br />
105<br />
Moving in the right direction<br />
Land values in <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong><br />
ticked up last year<br />
From the FSA<br />
ARCPLC sign-up underway<br />
Ag Bytes
<strong>Farmer</strong><br />
The <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong><br />
A Publication of Sycamore Media<br />
Hard work, lifelong<br />
lessons: From feeding<br />
livestock to helping with harvest<br />
and upkeep, chores are a way of<br />
life for kids growing up on farms<br />
Operating safely: Grain<br />
bin accidents are a risk in agriculture,<br />
but training and rescue efforts can<br />
mitigate the impact<br />
Man behind the meat: Grand<br />
Mound resident helping feed America<br />
‘from gate to plate’<br />
Moving the right<br />
direction: Local land prices increase<br />
in value above state average<br />
Mother<br />
Nature<br />
is haviNg her say<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> farmers have found<br />
themselves battling the elements more<br />
than ever the past few years, and it<br />
is changing the way they work.<br />
PLUS:<br />
Photo pages of<br />
your friends<br />
and neighbors!<br />
The <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong><br />
<strong>Farmer</strong><br />
®<br />
Sycamore Media President:<br />
Trevis Mayfield<br />
Advertising: Trevis Mayfield, Brooke<br />
Taylor, Dean Upmann, and Bob Wendt<br />
Creative Director: Brooke Taylor<br />
Editorial Content: Lowell Carlson,<br />
Kelly Gerlach, Kellie Gregorich, Ashley<br />
Johnson, Nick Joos, Kris Koth, Beth<br />
Lamp, Nancy Mayfield, Trevis Mayfield,<br />
Sara Millhouse, Carter Mommsen,<br />
Jane Schmidt, Kevin E. Schmidt, Jenna<br />
Stevens<br />
Photography Content:<br />
Kelly Gerlach, Kellie Gregorich, Ashley<br />
Johnson, Nick Joos, Trevis Mayfield,<br />
Kevin E. Schmidt, Brooke Taylor<br />
Editors: Kelly Gerlach, Nancy Mayfield,<br />
Trevis Mayfield<br />
Published by: Sycamore Media<br />
108 W. Quarry St., Maquoketa, IA<br />
563-652-2441<br />
Cover: Trevis Mayfield, Brooke Taylor<br />
The <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> is a specialty<br />
publication of Sycamore Media Corp., 108<br />
W. Quarry Street, Maquoketa, <strong>Iowa</strong> 52060,<br />
563-652-2441 or 800-747-7377. No portion of<br />
this publication may be reproduced without the<br />
written consent of the publisher. Ad content is<br />
not the responsibility of Sycamore Media Corp.<br />
The information in this magazine is believed to<br />
be accurate; however, Sycamore Media Corp.<br />
cannot and does not guarantee its accuracy.<br />
Sycamore Media Corp. cannot and will not<br />
be held liable for the quality or performance<br />
of goods and services provided by advertisers<br />
listed in any portion of this magazine.<br />
view the entire<br />
magazine online<br />
eifarmer.com<br />
®<br />
Message from the Publisher<br />
Losses have a way of reminding<br />
us of what’s important<br />
Our farming community<br />
has now lived with the<br />
COVID-19 pandemic for<br />
more than a year, and it has<br />
left its mark on us.<br />
Early last year, when it hit meat<br />
packing plants hard, it roiled the livestock<br />
industry, leaving producers stranded<br />
with market-ready animals and nowhere<br />
for them to go. It has changed the way<br />
many farmers socialize with their friends<br />
and neighbors, and, because of our effort to<br />
lower our risk of spreading the disease, it has<br />
changed the way we have gone about producing<br />
this magazine.<br />
But nothing, however, has made it feel more<br />
real to me and our staff than the loss of Bob<br />
Larkey and David “Red” Phillips, both of whom<br />
died from complications of the virus. Both men<br />
made big contributions to <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong>’s agriculture<br />
community, and both had been featured<br />
in past issues of this magazine.<br />
Larkey, 76, the owner of Maquoketa Livestock<br />
Sales, had been creating markets for locally<br />
grown livestock for<br />
more than 40 years.<br />
During that time,<br />
his contributions to<br />
the community were<br />
many, including<br />
strong support of<br />
agriculture-oriented<br />
youth programs like<br />
4-H and FFA. He<br />
was also a family<br />
Trevis Mayfield<br />
President,<br />
Sycamore Media Corp.<br />
man who was loved<br />
by his children and<br />
grandchildren.<br />
For me, he has<br />
the distinction of<br />
being one of the very first advertising customers<br />
of this magazine. I remember explaining the<br />
concept of the magazine to him before it existed,<br />
and graciously, through the window of his<br />
SUV, he said he’d give it a try. I’m sure many<br />
will miss his big personality and his distinct,<br />
booming voice.<br />
Phillips, 72, also had an early connection<br />
to this magazine and a holds a specific distinction<br />
in my mind. The lifelong Zwingle farmer<br />
and his wife, Karen, were featured in an ad for<br />
the Jackson County Regional Health Center in<br />
2018, and despite having now taken hundreds<br />
of photos for this magazine, I remember that<br />
moment clearly, and it was Karen who made it<br />
memorable.<br />
She gave us a statement for the ad about how<br />
much she appreciated the hospital’s successful<br />
efforts years before to save her husband’s life<br />
after a heart attack. While she was talking with<br />
us, she told us how much she loved her husband,<br />
(Top) David “Red” Phillps<br />
and his wife Karen pose for a photo for the<br />
Jackson County Regional Health Center’s ad<br />
in a past issue of this magazine.<br />
Photo by Trevis Mayfield<br />
(Above) Bob Larkey, owner of Maquoketa<br />
Livestock Sales, was honored at the 2020<br />
Jackson County 4-H Recognition Banquet for<br />
being inducted into the <strong>Iowa</strong> 4-H Hall of Fame.<br />
Submitted by Amber Matthiesen<br />
grabbed him with the enthusiasm of a teenager<br />
and gave him a tight hug, which was captured in<br />
the photograph that this magazine published.<br />
Both of these men will be remembered and<br />
missed, and thinking of them reminds us here at<br />
the <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> how much we appreciate<br />
the relationships we have with all of you.<br />
In closing and as usual, I want to thank all<br />
of our sources, contributors, and especially our<br />
advertisers who make this community-oriented<br />
magazine possible.<br />
Thanks again, and we’ll see you in the fall.<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Trevis Mayfield,<br />
Sycamore Media president<br />
10 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
McCaulley Ag Service<br />
Tyler Shannon<br />
Swanton Ag Service<br />
Mike Delaney<br />
Spain Ag Service<br />
563-599-0901<br />
563-212-0683<br />
563-249-5645<br />
563-599-3170<br />
563-212-3345<br />
TM ® SM Trademarks and service marks of Dow AgroSciences, DuPont or Pioneer, and their affiliated companies or their respective owners. © 2020 Corteva. 20D-1495
(Above) Gibson Miller, 6, visits with one<br />
of the chickens that he takes care of daily<br />
as part of the chores on his family farm.<br />
(Right) Jackie Miller, a junior at<br />
Maquoketa High School, said the<br />
responsibilities she has on the farm<br />
have made a difference in school. She’s<br />
been doing chores since she was a small<br />
child and has enjoyed the connection<br />
working on the farm with her dad.<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> photos /<br />
Kevin e. schmidt<br />
12 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong>
Chores:<br />
The building blocks<br />
of character<br />
For generations, children of all ages have<br />
been pitching in on the farm, helping care for<br />
animals, assisting with planting or harvest,<br />
and learning valuable lessons along the way<br />
BY kevin e. schmidt<br />
eastern iowa farmer<br />
On a crisp sunny October afternoon<br />
three children scramble<br />
across the yard of the family<br />
farm northwest of Maquoketa<br />
toward an outbuilding where a<br />
menagerie of animals wait to be fed. Chickens<br />
scatter as 6-year-old Gibson rushes in,<br />
scoops up a handful of feed and tosses it as<br />
he scans the room.<br />
“Hey there’s an egg,” he yells, pointing to<br />
the pen holding his 4-year-old sister Jana’s<br />
prized lop-eared rabbit named Steve.<br />
Eight-year-old Wylie gets feed and continues<br />
through to another section of the barn<br />
to tend to his two Yorkshire hogs and the<br />
horses.<br />
Jana quietly sits in the pen cuddling Steve.<br />
Similar scenes play out daily across<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> as kids ranging from young<br />
children to teenagers pitch in on their family<br />
farms.<br />
The Miller kids, whose parents are Alicia<br />
and Kegan Miller, are among multiple<br />
generations of <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> children who<br />
grew up doing chores. While years ago all<br />
able-bodied household members had to pitch<br />
in because of economic necessity, today<br />
many parents involve their kids in farming<br />
because they know the work instills responsibility<br />
and a sense of accomplishment and<br />
gives their children a chance to learn and be<br />
physically active.<br />
Alicia Miller, who grew up in suburban<br />
Chicago said, “As a kid, I wanted to be a<br />
veterinarian. Any animal I could get my<br />
hands on I wanted to take care of. But, I<br />
grew up where I grew up. That just wasn’t<br />
on my horizon. I figured I’d always live in<br />
the suburbs or city of Chicago, and then I<br />
met my husband, Kegan, an <strong>Iowa</strong> farm boy,<br />
and got married... I knew we weren’t moving<br />
back to the city.”<br />
She looked around at her children.<br />
“I didn’t realize how blessed we’d be living<br />
on a farm and having what we have. I go<br />
back to visit friends and feel sorry for them<br />
when they say things like, there’s nothing<br />
to do with my kids anymore, the parks are<br />
closed,” she said.<br />
“I think, oh-my-gosh, it never ends with<br />
us. There’s always something to do on the<br />
farm,” Miller said laughing. And she believes
Country chores<br />
I didn’t realize how<br />
blessed we’d be living on<br />
a farm and having what<br />
we have. I go back to visit<br />
friends and feel sorry for<br />
them when they say things<br />
like, there’s nothing to do<br />
with my kids anymore, the<br />
parks are closed.”<br />
— alicia miller<br />
the approach she and her husband take is<br />
instilling a true love for caring for animals<br />
and the farm in their children.<br />
“I didn’t ever want it to be like a chore.<br />
I mean there are days where I don’t even<br />
want to go out and do this stuff, but I<br />
wanted to make it something we could do<br />
together,” she said.<br />
Farm life has taught her children about<br />
how life and death works, how babies are<br />
made and, of course, hard work.<br />
“They understand that we raise things<br />
and that some are raised to be eaten. There<br />
is a reason for it,” she said.<br />
With chores completed Gibson appeared<br />
in a doorway grinning ear-to-ear holding<br />
one of his Ameraucana chickens as Wylie<br />
could be seen in the horse corral gathering<br />
up several buckets that had blown across<br />
from another part of the farm.<br />
Work on the farm has an effect off the<br />
farm Miller believes.<br />
“I’ve noticed things with my kids and<br />
their school work. We never have a hard<br />
time getting them to do it. They just know<br />
that it has to been done. We get it out and<br />
do it.”<br />
We always have<br />
time to talk...<br />
ABOUT<br />
YOUR<br />
SUCCESS!<br />
Come in, pull up<br />
a chair and let’s<br />
get to work.<br />
Delmar<br />
Grain<br />
Service, Inc.<br />
502 1/2 Main Street,<br />
Delmar, <strong>Iowa</strong><br />
563-674-4261<br />
Pictured:<br />
Rich Thola and Allen Kloft<br />
Your friend in the field. ®<br />
Welter Seed<br />
& Honey Co.<br />
319-837-6111 • 800-848-7333<br />
West Point, IA<br />
www.merschmanseeds.com<br />
14 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
Country chores<br />
(Left) Among the animals Wylie Miller tends to<br />
are two Yorkshire hogs and horses. (Above)<br />
Jana Miller, 4, cares for a lop-eared rabbit<br />
named Steve and helps to look after other<br />
animals around the farm.<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> photos /<br />
Kevin e. schmidt<br />
‘Priceless’ experience<br />
Bruce River refuels his truck next to<br />
the machine shed on his property near<br />
Maquoketa. The soft-spoken 62-year-old<br />
man looks off into the distance when<br />
asked about doing chores growing up on<br />
the farm.<br />
“We were kind of diversified, some<br />
pigs and cattle, but when I was young<br />
mostly our folks ran a hatchery,” he<br />
said. “The waterers were automatic,<br />
but, whether it was feeding or pitching<br />
chicken manure – a lot of high-nitrogen<br />
chicken manure – it was a lot of manual<br />
labor.”<br />
River had four siblings, and everybody<br />
did something starting when they were 3-<br />
or 4-years-old. That work ethic, he said,<br />
was one of the biggest benefits he got<br />
growing up on a farm.<br />
“I think no matter what I would have<br />
done in life, it instilled good values and<br />
a very strong work ethic in me, and, just<br />
as the commercial says, the experiences<br />
were priceless.”<br />
SErvicE<br />
PArtS<br />
SALES<br />
customers fIrst.<br />
AlwAys.<br />
With us, you’re always the top priority. Our sales, service, and parts teams<br />
are ready to help you get the job done. Call or stop by today.<br />
I M P L E M E N T<br />
scherrmans.com<br />
Monticello, iA<br />
319-465-3519<br />
Dyersville, IA<br />
563-875-2426<br />
Check<br />
out our<br />
vintage<br />
labor rate<br />
Planter & Combine<br />
inspection deals!<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 15
Country chores<br />
Bruce and Peyton River, father and son,<br />
believe a good work ethic is one of the<br />
biggest benefits of growing up on a farm.<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> photo /<br />
kevin e. schmidt<br />
That was the standard for<br />
his life and would become so<br />
for the next generation.<br />
“We’ve got two sons,”<br />
River said, “Peyton wanted<br />
to come back and farm after<br />
college, and Carter kind of<br />
had an itch for the big city,<br />
and he’s doing that, but he’s<br />
got the same work ethic and<br />
grew up with the same values.<br />
He was in the farrowing barn<br />
when he was 3 or 4 years old<br />
catching little baby pigs for us<br />
and doing a lot of those same<br />
things. I think he’s proud of<br />
what he went through and the<br />
hard work he did.”<br />
River believes that there’s<br />
no better place to raise a family<br />
than in a farm setting.<br />
“Kids have so many challenges<br />
today and to be able<br />
to work alongside your kids,<br />
not just talk at them, but show<br />
them, you know, those things<br />
are invaluable,” he said.<br />
SAVE<br />
40%<br />
OR MORE<br />
ON YOUR<br />
ENERGY BILLS<br />
CALL GREENTECH AND LEARN ABOUT THE<br />
MANY BENEFITS OF SPRAY FOAM INSULATION<br />
and schedule your FREE estimate<br />
GreenTech is a locally owned energy solution company<br />
that provides safe and efficient insulation services to<br />
farmers, businesses and homeowners who are seeking<br />
a competitively-priced and environmentally safe product.<br />
330 S. Sixth Ave., DeWitt, IA • 563-659-6323<br />
www.irwingreentech.com<br />
GreenTech<br />
Spray Foam Insulation<br />
Smart Choice, Safe Result<br />
16 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
Country chores<br />
“We’ve always hoped that<br />
our kids would have a passion<br />
for something. It didn’t<br />
have to be farming necessarily,”<br />
he said, adding that<br />
he wanted them to take their<br />
good work ethic and dive into<br />
whatever path they chose.<br />
“If they come back to farm,<br />
great, but that’s not the sole<br />
concern,” he said.<br />
After graduating from college<br />
in 2016, Peyton returned<br />
to Maquoketa helping his<br />
father run the feeder to finish<br />
cattle operation.<br />
On a chilly Saturday last<br />
fall the 26-year-old walked<br />
along the pens holding Angus<br />
cattle ready to be trucked out<br />
that morning.<br />
“I think I was 4 or 5-years<br />
old,” he recalled of his start<br />
in the family business. “Dad<br />
needed the help, my interest<br />
level was high enough, and I<br />
wanted to help.<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> photos / kevin e. schmidt<br />
Bruce River and his four siblings started doing chores when they<br />
were 3- or 4-years-old. When he was a boy his parents ran a<br />
hatchery, and he helped with feeding and pitching manure.<br />
“We helped with the pigs,<br />
and I remember picking rocks<br />
out of the fields so they didn’t<br />
get stuck in the heads of the<br />
combine while harvesting<br />
beans, keeping the tool boxes<br />
clean, yeah, keeping the tool<br />
boxes clean,” he paused for a<br />
moment, “and keeping an eye<br />
on mama cows getting ready<br />
to calve.”<br />
Peyton learned work on the<br />
“It forces you to<br />
prioritize things and<br />
yeah, that was very<br />
crucial for me and my<br />
brother to learn. That<br />
was also a way Dad<br />
was telling us to stay<br />
out of trouble.”<br />
— peyton river<br />
Stronger Starts & Higher Yields<br />
with L-CBF 7-21-3 MKP Starter<br />
Premium Orthophosphate- MKP (monopotassium<br />
phosphate) delivers plant available phosphorus &<br />
promotes plant health<br />
Uniform Emergence- gentle approach to pop-up<br />
fertilizer ensures higher yield potential<br />
Nutrient Accumulation- significantly enhances early<br />
season plant vigor & nutrient uptake<br />
Larger Roots- access more nutrients by feeding biology<br />
in the rhizosphere<br />
Contact Jeremiah Wiese Farms for more information<br />
about QLF Agronomy fertilizer products and our<br />
Equipment Rebate Program.<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 17
Country chores<br />
farm never waited, even for school.<br />
“Once a week we would take loads of<br />
pigs down to Elwood. That had to be done<br />
before school. So, at 5:30 a.m. we were<br />
helping Dad load pigs, then we went to<br />
school,” he said.<br />
“It forces you to prioritize things and<br />
yeah, that was very crucial for me and<br />
my brother to learn,” he said. He laughed<br />
and added, “That was also a way Dad was<br />
telling us to stay out of trouble.”<br />
Growing into responsibilities<br />
At 16, Jackie Miller talks like a seasoned<br />
farmer as she walks into a small,<br />
now quiet milking barn.<br />
“As kids my sister Cassie and I were<br />
usually the ones that helped on the dairy<br />
farm, milking cows, feeding calves or<br />
whatever was needed,” she said.<br />
“I was probably about 6 when I started<br />
helping in the dairy barn, filling corn<br />
buckets and other little jobs that I could<br />
do. As I got older I would dip the cow’s<br />
teats, and bottle feed calves. Then about<br />
three years ago, I was the one putting the<br />
milkers on, doing everything my dad used<br />
to do... and he was just there to assist me.”<br />
Jackie kicked dried manure from the<br />
cement floor and said, “I can tell as I’m<br />
getting older, the responsibilities I have on<br />
the farm have made a difference in school.<br />
I can see the difference between the farm<br />
kids and the non-farm kids. I just think<br />
that we’re more driven, motivated; we see<br />
what needs to be done, and we just do it.”<br />
The family’s dairy operation ended last<br />
January, and Jackie talks about the experience<br />
as she walks across her grandfather’s<br />
farm.<br />
“We still have some of the Holsteins.<br />
It’s not like we loaded all the cows in a<br />
trailer and took them away, which was<br />
honestly nice because I think that would<br />
have been so emotionally hard on everyone.<br />
Our family’s dairy farm has been<br />
operating for three or four generations.<br />
I’m glad that we kind of eased into it. It<br />
happened during the winter months, which<br />
is my family’s down time,” she said.<br />
The twice-a-day, everyday routine of the<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> photo / kevin e. schmidt<br />
Peyton River harvests corn on land north<br />
of Maquoketa next to the Maquoketa River.<br />
River grew up, like many <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> farm<br />
kids, doing chores.<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 19
Supporting local is<br />
who we are<br />
When you buy from your<br />
local feed store, you:<br />
• Keep money in your local community<br />
• Support local working families<br />
• Support local community causes<br />
• Receive loyalty discounts<br />
• Can get your product delivered<br />
We care about your success!<br />
dairy barn may have ended but<br />
Jackie’s work ethic has not.<br />
“I’m really just trying to<br />
focus on my academics and<br />
leading in my extracurricular<br />
activities,” she said.<br />
A junior at Maquoketa High<br />
School, she also is enrolled as<br />
a full-time college student at<br />
Clinton Community College.<br />
Top that off with playing high<br />
school volleyball and basketball<br />
and participating in FFA<br />
and 4-H, she’s still going day<br />
and night. Not surprisingly<br />
she will graduate in <strong>2021</strong> with<br />
a high school diploma and an<br />
associate degree.<br />
Looking back Jackie said, “I<br />
really do miss the dairy barn<br />
because that was one way that<br />
I felt connected to the farm.<br />
I got close to my dad; we always<br />
had good conversations<br />
in the barn.”<br />
She stopped, then continued,<br />
“There’s always work to<br />
Country chores<br />
“We always<br />
had good<br />
conversations<br />
in the barn.”<br />
— Jackie Miller<br />
be done on the farm, fences<br />
need fixed, beef cattle need<br />
vaccinated and castrated in the<br />
summer, and we are harvesting<br />
now. I help move things<br />
around in the fields and bring<br />
lunch to the guys, you know,<br />
just small things like that...<br />
there’s always something that<br />
needs to be done in the daily<br />
life of a farm.” n<br />
Pictured: Garrett Moeller (manager),<br />
with Paisley (dog) and Caylee Ploessl.<br />
Countryside<br />
Feed & Supply<br />
Keeney<br />
Welding<br />
SINCE 1953<br />
Steel Fabrication<br />
Portable Service<br />
Steel Sales<br />
563.872.4270<br />
908 Riverview St.,<br />
Bellevue, IA<br />
MIlES, Ia 563-682-7699<br />
20 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
MEET IOWA’S NEWEST<br />
FENDT DEALER!<br />
Outperform the competition with a Fendt® tractor, IDEAL combine or Momentum planter.<br />
We’re excited to be carrying tractors ranging from 124 to 673 horsepower in addition to the<br />
IDEAL combine and the Momentum planter to better meet the demands of your operation.<br />
Step up to the big leagues with Fendt.<br />
BEEN CURIOUS ABOUT FENDT? NOW’S THE TIME TO GIVE IT A TRY!<br />
Stop into your nearest Roeder Brothers location or give our team a call to schedule a demo.<br />
© <strong>2021</strong> AGCO Corporation. Fendt is a worldwide brand of AGCO Corporation. AGCO and Fendt are trademarks of AGCO.. All rights reserved.
We offer<br />
tile repair<br />
and systems<br />
of all sizes<br />
563-593-4170<br />
davissontiling@gmail.com<br />
39 Years in Business!<br />
Davisson Tiling L.L.C. delivers drainage tile solutions<br />
that help farmers increase yields by<br />
removing excess water from the soil subsurface.<br />
we aLso offer sepTiC serviCes
grain bin safety<br />
‘It just happened<br />
so fast’<br />
Lost Nation<br />
firefighters pose<br />
with equipment<br />
and with the<br />
truck that they<br />
use for grain bin<br />
rescues. From<br />
left are Robert<br />
Dickman, Nick<br />
Dexter, Bill<br />
Brauer, Jeremy<br />
Lafrenz, Steven<br />
Bass, Paul<br />
McGonegle, Jim<br />
Schroeder and<br />
Jason Sullivan.<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong><br />
<strong>Farmer</strong> photo /<br />
Trevis Mayfield<br />
Bob Petersen said his experience of being trapped in a grain bin last summer shows<br />
how safety precautions, rescue techniques are crucial for farmers<br />
BY sara millhouse<br />
eastern iowa farmer<br />
Margie Petersen looked out<br />
the window of her family’s<br />
Clinton County home and<br />
saw rescue equipment and<br />
fire trucks by the grain bin.<br />
“I thought, oh God, it’s either rescue or<br />
recovery,” she said. “That’s where my mind<br />
goes.”<br />
Thankfully for the Petersens, it was rescue.<br />
Margie’s husband Bob had sunk in the corn<br />
while trying to clear a jam, and he couldn’t<br />
move.<br />
“It just happened so fast,” Bob said of the<br />
late August event. “I can see how people get<br />
buried.<br />
“Mine had not that much grain,” he said of<br />
the bin. “It was toward the end, and it plugged<br />
up and I went in and poked the thing out, and<br />
I got swept off my feet.”<br />
A truck driver on scene called the Petersens’<br />
son Chad. They shoveled until Bob<br />
didn’t have difficulty breathing, but they still<br />
couldn’t get him out of the corn.<br />
Bob was lucky: he said he was standing on<br />
the floor of the bin and wasn’t going to sink<br />
further in.<br />
For those who haven’t experienced it, it’s<br />
“I couldn’t move. The<br />
pressure wasn’t that<br />
great, but I couldn’t<br />
move. Even when they<br />
cleared past my knees, I<br />
couldn’t get my feet out.”<br />
— Bob petersen<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 23
grain bin safety<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> photo / contributed<br />
Bob Petersen manages a smile after spending an hour<br />
and a half waist deep in corn in August after trying to<br />
clear something that got stuck in the auger screen of a<br />
grain bin. He went to the hospital to be checked out but<br />
was “just fine,” his wife, Margie Petersen, said.<br />
hard to imagine the weight of the<br />
grain.<br />
“I couldn’t move,” Bob said.<br />
“The pressure wasn’t that great, but<br />
I couldn’t move. Even when they<br />
cleared past my knees, I couldn’t get<br />
my feet out.”<br />
As time ticked on, the dangers of<br />
medical complications increased,<br />
specifically of blood clots or compartment<br />
syndrome (when pressure<br />
builds up in muscle groups), from<br />
the grain packed around Bob’s legs.<br />
“We have to get you out of there<br />
in a timely manner,” Chad said.<br />
As a fire chief trained in grain bin<br />
rescues, he knew it was time to call<br />
for help.<br />
“I’ve been a volunteer since<br />
1990,” Chad said. “I’ve seen a lot,<br />
so I’m not as emotional as some.”<br />
Even in trouble, it can be hard to<br />
ask for help.<br />
“I don’t care what you think,”<br />
Chad recalled saying on the day of<br />
his dad’s rescue. “You’re not going<br />
to get out of here without proper<br />
equipment.”<br />
Once firefighters arrived, they<br />
clamped together and pounded down<br />
a barrier around Bob. With less grain<br />
around his body, the corn was easily<br />
removed, with no ill effects to Bob.<br />
“We’re lucky it didn’t damage his<br />
legs with the pressure,” Margie said.<br />
Rescue equipment<br />
Helping his dad wasn’t Chad’s<br />
first grain bin rescue as he is a longtime<br />
firefighter and chief of the New<br />
Liberty fire department.<br />
More than 15 years ago, he was<br />
called to a rescue near Sunbury,<br />
<strong>Iowa</strong>.<br />
“All I could see was the guy’s<br />
hat,” he said.<br />
Without the benefit of today’s<br />
equipment, responders had to cut a<br />
hole in the side of the bin to quickly<br />
drain the grain.<br />
“Yeah, the guy lived to be pissed<br />
at me for cutting a hole in the side<br />
of his grain bin,” Chad said with a<br />
laugh.<br />
BIG ENOUGH<br />
TO DELIVER.<br />
SMALL ENOUGH<br />
TO CARE.<br />
A big bank can deliver the products you need and the<br />
convenience you expect. A small bank can make you<br />
feel like family.<br />
At Fidelity Bank & Trust, we don’t think you should<br />
have to choose.<br />
Recognized as # 1 Ag Lender*<br />
Brian Schwager<br />
Senior Vice President<br />
We’re proud to be<br />
YOUR HOMETOWN BANK!<br />
Mike Kilburg<br />
Vice President<br />
www.bankfidelity.bank | 563.872.5515<br />
563.652.6660<br />
* Source: Independent Community Bankers of America’s 2020 Top Lenders with bank asset size over $1 billion,<br />
as recognized by the magazine, Independent Banker, July 2020.<br />
24 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
grain bin safety<br />
Chad saw rescue tubes, or coffer dams,<br />
become standard issue for rural fire departments.<br />
He worked as a regional manager<br />
for River Valley Coop when the coop<br />
was donating grain bin rescue equipment<br />
to small fire departments in the area.<br />
“Now, we can actually get people out,<br />
instead of hoping to get them out,” Chad<br />
said.<br />
Petersen’s rescue wasn’t the first grain<br />
bin extraction for Lost Nation firefighters,<br />
either. Several years ago, they cleared a<br />
man from an entrapment near the side of<br />
the bin, a challenging situation that didn’t<br />
go quite as easily as planned, said former<br />
Lost Nation fire chief Bill Brauer.<br />
Training in <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong><br />
The National Education Center for Agricultural<br />
Safety at Northeast <strong>Iowa</strong> Community<br />
College in Peosta has held grain<br />
bin safety trainings in 28 states, donating<br />
57 grain bin rescue tubes this year alone.<br />
They train these departments free of cost,<br />
said NECAS director Dan Neenan.<br />
Twenty-three of the departments that<br />
have received NECAS tubes have gone<br />
on to successfully<br />
rescue farmers<br />
from grain bins,<br />
Neenan said.<br />
NECAS now<br />
has two training<br />
trailers, where<br />
responders can<br />
learn in a real-life<br />
scenario in which<br />
a volunteer is partially<br />
submerged in<br />
Dan Neenan, corn. Amazingly,<br />
National Education Neenan said, they<br />
Center for Agriculture always have volunteers<br />
ready to jump<br />
Safety Director<br />
in to the grain.<br />
Rescue procedures continue to evolve.<br />
For example, rescuers used to use a shopvac<br />
to remove grain, but that can cause<br />
dangerous sparks. A cordless, brushless<br />
drill is safer.<br />
Neenan also suggested that farmers<br />
should watch for low-oxygen conditions<br />
and carbon monoxide. If getting in a bin,<br />
wear a properly-fitting harness, such as<br />
those available at farm stores.<br />
The big picture<br />
Ten years ago, two teens died and<br />
another was injured in a grain bin accident<br />
in nearby Carroll County, Illinois,<br />
just across the Mississippi River. The<br />
boys’ employer, Haasbach, was found to<br />
have violated child labor laws and more<br />
than two dozen Occupational Safety and<br />
Health Administration (OSHA) rules in<br />
the lead-up to the teens’ deaths.<br />
According to Purdue University’s Agricultural<br />
Safety and Health Program, 37<br />
grain bin entrapments occurred nationwide<br />
in 2019, of which 23 were fatal. In<br />
2018, Purdue’s program reported 30 grain<br />
bin entrapments.<br />
Regarding his late summer accident,<br />
Bob said he should have known to be<br />
more careful. After all, he lost a relative<br />
in a grain bin accident about a decade<br />
ago.<br />
As the grain draws off the middle, it’s<br />
“like a sand hill,” Bob said.<br />
Margie pointed out that their neighbors<br />
and friends are more likely to die<br />
Farm Bureau<br />
Ag in the Classroom<br />
Providing Ag Education to Students in Clinton<br />
and Jackson Counties<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 25
Martens Angus Farms<br />
grain bin safety<br />
BALANCED<br />
TRAIT GENETICS<br />
It’s been our program’s philosophy for over<br />
20 years and the proof is in the numbers...<br />
Angus Breed Average for Non-Parent Bulls<br />
CED BW WW YW Milk CW Marb RE $ M $B $C<br />
6 1.2 57 100 25 42 0.56 0.57 $ 58 $ 130 $ 225<br />
Martens Angus Farms Sale Bulls Average<br />
CED BW WW YW Milk CW Marb RE $ M $B $C<br />
9 0.4 68 121 26 51 0.77 0.74 $ 64 $ 157 $ 268<br />
30% 30% 20% 20% 40% 30% 25% 25% 35% 15% 15%<br />
... and in quality physical traits!<br />
Quiet Disposition<br />
Sound Structure<br />
Muscle Expression<br />
Bulls Available Private Treaty — Contact Jody<br />
Martens Angus Farms<br />
37939 346 Avenue • Bellevue <strong>Iowa</strong> 52031<br />
(563) 552-8890<br />
martensangus@gmail.com<br />
www.martensangus.com | Find us on Facebook<br />
“Trust the process.” – Matt Campbell<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> photo / contributed<br />
Rescue squads from Lost Nation and Oxford Junction freed Petersen<br />
from the grain bin. Firefighters train for such rescues, using specialized<br />
equipment. Grain bins on the farm can be dangerous, with the grain<br />
acting like quicksand.<br />
from tractor and equipment<br />
accidents, naming three such<br />
fatalities in their circle. Nationwide,<br />
that’s true as well.<br />
Still, grain bins on the farm<br />
are a significant danger, and<br />
the particulars of entrapment<br />
in grain are exceptionally<br />
scary, with the grain acting<br />
like quicksand and swiftly<br />
suffocating the farmer.<br />
OSHA reports that agricultural<br />
workers can be trapped<br />
in four to five seconds. Within<br />
22 seconds, they can be completely<br />
engulfed in corn.<br />
Jamming up<br />
<strong>Farmer</strong>s typically get in<br />
trouble when the grain “bridges,”<br />
forming a hard crust while<br />
emptying underneath. When<br />
the bridge collapses, anyone<br />
working in the grain can be<br />
buried.<br />
Many proud farmers are<br />
less likely to bring in a spotter,<br />
or even call for help, because<br />
bridging is more likely when<br />
grain is spoiled.<br />
Extraordinarily wet weather<br />
in the years leading up to 2020<br />
led to more spoiled grain and<br />
more jams in bins.<br />
“Keep your grain clean,<br />
that’s the solution,” Brauer<br />
said. “That’s not always doable.<br />
Last year (2019), with<br />
the fall we had, we had so<br />
much spoiled grain that was<br />
sticking to walls.”<br />
Equipment also can help<br />
unplug grain bin sumps so that<br />
farmers don’t get in the bin.<br />
The systems involve hydraulic<br />
motors and lines above the<br />
sump that clear blockages,<br />
Neenan explained.<br />
Be smart, not proud<br />
“The biggest thing is, never<br />
get in a bin like that, not with<br />
the auger running,” Chad said.<br />
“You just don’t know what’s<br />
underneath there.”<br />
One of the reasons Bob’s<br />
rescue was successful was<br />
because of the quick response<br />
of a second person.<br />
“Having a second person<br />
26 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
grain bin safety<br />
there is critical,” Neenan said.<br />
“If you go in and you get<br />
trapped, when are they going<br />
to notice that you’re gone?”<br />
If a farmer’s absence isn’t<br />
noticed until dinner time, after<br />
getting in a bin after breakfast,<br />
it could be 10 hours before<br />
anyone knows what’s wrong.<br />
Neenan suggests calling a<br />
spouse, a family member or<br />
a neighbor, and that second<br />
person should call 911 in case<br />
of emergency, not jump in to<br />
try to save the first person.<br />
“Sixty percent of people<br />
who died in confined spaces<br />
(like grain bins) were would-be<br />
rescuers,” he said. “They got in<br />
and got the original victim out<br />
but didn’t make it out themselves.”<br />
Chad said he “came from the<br />
coop world, where we always<br />
had a spotter.” OSHA requires<br />
a spotter, harnesses and a lockout-tagout<br />
system for power to<br />
the auger, but those rules don’t<br />
apply to small family farms<br />
with 10 or fewer employees.<br />
“That doesn’t mean that<br />
OSHA rules aren’t best practices<br />
to make sure that you get in<br />
and out safely,” Neenan said.<br />
“<strong>Farmer</strong>s have to have the<br />
same mentality,” Chad agreed.<br />
“I farm as well, and I use the<br />
same practices on my farm.”<br />
Chad is careful on his farm<br />
to label all his breakers so that<br />
first responders can kill the<br />
power quickly and easily.<br />
“Don’t be stupid,” he said.<br />
“It’s common sense to me because<br />
I’ve been on the rescue<br />
side of it.”<br />
One of the challenges in<br />
promoting grain bin safety is<br />
that many farmers have gotten<br />
in bins, sometimes many times<br />
in their lives, without getting in<br />
trouble. It’s easy to assume that<br />
things will never go wrong,<br />
that you don’t need a harness<br />
or other safety precautions.<br />
“My answer to that, and it’s<br />
not snarky by any means, but<br />
it only takes once,” Neenan<br />
said. “If everything lines up<br />
once that you’re going to get<br />
trapped, it could be deadly.”<br />
When you’re busy, it’s even<br />
more tempting to skip precautions,<br />
sometimes with disastrous<br />
effects.<br />
Neenan said that investing<br />
in safety is about your family,<br />
not yourself.<br />
“When you start talking<br />
about lockout-tagout or a harness,<br />
that might cost a couple<br />
hundred dollars,” he said. “It’s<br />
not terrible, but there is a cost<br />
to it.<br />
“But to be safe for your<br />
family?” he continued. “I’m of<br />
an age where being there for<br />
my grandkids is going to make<br />
me invest in something that<br />
would keep me safe.” n<br />
“I’m of an age<br />
where being there<br />
for my grandkids<br />
is going to make<br />
me invest in<br />
something<br />
that would keep<br />
me safe.”<br />
— Dan Neenan<br />
You earned it.<br />
We’ll<br />
help you<br />
keep it.<br />
Left-to-right: Cathy Meinsma, CPA,<br />
Ashleigh Determann,<br />
Susan Hunter, CPA, Carol Schuster, CPA<br />
& President, and Connie Beer<br />
Let the professionals at<br />
Schuster & Co PC help you with all<br />
your tax and accounting needs<br />
1015 6th Ave. • DeWitt, IA 52742<br />
schustercpas.com<br />
563.659.9127<br />
Farm and Business Consulting<br />
Tax Planning and Return Preparation Services<br />
Accounting and Payroll Services<br />
New Business Start-Up Services<br />
QuickBooks Consulting<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 27
Maquoketa<br />
Agency<br />
Offce: 563-652-5684 or 800-684-0693<br />
| 210 W Platt St, Maquoketa, IA 52060<br />
It is Your Livelihood.<br />
Make Sure You’re Protected.<br />
The Engel Agency has been serving the<br />
Maquoketa community and surrounding<br />
areas for 44 years and is proud to serve as<br />
your trusted insurance partner. Our team<br />
understands the value of insuring your<br />
greatest asset and is dedicated to providing<br />
the agricultural coverage and services you<br />
need to keep your farm or ranch protected.<br />
Call us today and experience the quality<br />
service and attention to detail that this<br />
local agency team guarantees.<br />
Team (left to right):<br />
Susan Cox<br />
Lisa Bormann<br />
Jennifer Machande<br />
Fred Droste<br />
Chris Schaefer<br />
www.engelinsurance.com<br />
› Farm Owners Insurance<br />
› Livestock Insurance<br />
› Equine Insurance<br />
› Farm Blanket Insurance<br />
› Dwelling Insurance<br />
› Structures Insurance<br />
› Auto Insurance<br />
› Umbrella Insurance<br />
› Liability Insurance<br />
› Crop Insurance<br />
Let’s get the conversation started. Give us a call so we can answer your insurance questions.
The smallest action<br />
could make<br />
a big difference<br />
By Carter mommsen<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER<br />
is the<br />
most healthful, most<br />
useful and most noble<br />
employment of man.”<br />
“Agriculture<br />
These words were first<br />
spoken by our founding father, George<br />
Washington, and they still hold true<br />
today. Agriculture is the very backbone<br />
of modern society, and yet more people<br />
than ever are removed from such employment.<br />
This has created a disconnect<br />
between rural and urban and allowed for<br />
a breakdown in communication.<br />
While there are many problems facing<br />
the agriculture industry today, in my<br />
mind one of the most prominent issues<br />
is the spread of misinformation, most<br />
of which takes place on various social<br />
media platforms like Facebook, Twitter,<br />
and Instagram.<br />
As farmers we can use these platforms<br />
to our advantage and help spread awareness<br />
about the positive things the agriculture<br />
industry has accomplished. We<br />
can also use the reach of social media<br />
to strengthen the producer-to-consumer<br />
relationship by helping consumers have<br />
a more in-depth understanding of how<br />
the food on their table is produced.<br />
Those of us who farm can show<br />
consumers how much work it takes to<br />
transform a seed into a corn plant, or<br />
a young calf into a market-ready steer.<br />
We also can show them how well our<br />
livestock is taken care of, and the strong<br />
bonds we share with our animals.<br />
We can help the entire industry thrive<br />
by simply sharing an everyday experience<br />
such as feeding our cattle. By doing<br />
this, we can help the consumer maybe<br />
feel more comfortable when picking out<br />
that carton of eggs at the grocery store<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> photo / contributed<br />
Carter Mommsen catches the morning sunrise while feeding his Angus show heifer before<br />
school. Like most farm kids who exhibit livestock, Mommsen cares for his animals every day and<br />
treats them with compassion and respect. This is the side of the story that he would like to see<br />
more of on social media and the side that he thinks producers must continue to promote across<br />
their own platforms.<br />
or the package of bacon at the locker.<br />
This, in turn, can create a higher demand<br />
for these products, which helps farmers.<br />
Social media can also benefit farmers<br />
by allowing us to correct the inaccuracies<br />
that exist in our industry. A couple<br />
of months ago, I was scrolling through<br />
my social media and came across a post<br />
talking about how farmers are brutal and<br />
ruthless towards their livestock, when<br />
actually it was a group of kids showing<br />
cattle and using a show stick to calm<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 29
ASSISTED LIVING • SKILLED REHABILITATION • LONG-TERM NURSING CARE<br />
Get back to enjoying life<br />
Our team of rehabilitation specialists allows our residents to receive<br />
quality physical, occupational and speech therapy while in the comfort<br />
of private or semi-private rooms. Together we will create a personalized<br />
care plan to help you or your loved one reach their health goals.<br />
Contact our team of professionals to see how we<br />
can be of service to you and your family.<br />
Kelly O’Donnell<br />
Occupational<br />
Therapist<br />
1201 Park Street | Bellevue IA 52031<br />
Phone: 563-872-5521<br />
Missy Wilson<br />
Physical<br />
Therapist<br />
Allison Limke<br />
Speech<br />
Therapist<br />
their steers.<br />
The content of this post<br />
surprised me because I show<br />
cattle, and I knew that the<br />
steers were not being harmed<br />
by the use of the show stick;<br />
but what baffled me the most<br />
was how many people had<br />
a genuine hatred towards<br />
livestock farmers, and really<br />
farmers in general.<br />
So many were cursing out<br />
farmers in the comments<br />
and truly believed that they<br />
were harming the animals,<br />
but in reality, it was the exact<br />
opposite. Therefore, we, as<br />
farmers, need to use these<br />
platforms to our advantage to<br />
help stop the spread of this<br />
negativity about the agricultural<br />
industry, to help stop the<br />
one-sided story, and to show<br />
consumers the truth.<br />
The simplest way we<br />
can impact how people see<br />
agriculture is by sharing our<br />
positive experiences with the<br />
public through Facebook,<br />
Twitter, and Instagram. More<br />
than half of the people around<br />
the world use social media in<br />
one way or another.<br />
By sharing our experiences,<br />
we have the potential to<br />
influence so many minds with<br />
a click of our finger. But in<br />
order to do this, we all need<br />
to work together. By sharing<br />
just one picture of an ordinary<br />
moment in your daily<br />
routine, you could spark an<br />
interest in someone who has<br />
never had the pleasure of<br />
experiencing the farm. So,<br />
when you head out to chores<br />
tonight take a moment to<br />
look around, snap a shot of<br />
something that brings you<br />
joy, and share it with those<br />
who follow you. The smallest<br />
action could make the biggest<br />
difference. n<br />
— Carter Mommsen, an 8th<br />
grader at Northeast Middle<br />
School, is a member of the<br />
CAC Media Group<br />
It’s never too early to plan<br />
for your family’s future.<br />
Melissa Burken Mommsen, attorney<br />
and farm owner, knows what it means<br />
to keep your farm in the family.<br />
Let her help your family prepare for the future.<br />
• Estate Planning<br />
• Sales Transactions<br />
• General Agriculture Law<br />
Melissa Burken Mommsen<br />
Attorney At Law P.C. • Preston, IA • 563-689-3456<br />
30 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> photos / nick joos<br />
Darin Doerscher, of rural Grand Mound, oversees the purchasing, safety, and nutritional specifications of meat products that are distributed across<br />
the country to many initiatives, including schools.<br />
The man<br />
behind The meat<br />
Even the “COVID chicken” at Doerscher’s<br />
farm wears a mask.<br />
Grand Mound resident helping feed<br />
America ‘from gate to plate’<br />
BY nick joos<br />
eastern iowa farmer<br />
Darin Doerscher enjoys the<br />
view from his home office<br />
window.<br />
He and his wife, Skye,<br />
and their 8-year-old son,<br />
Benjamin, own a small farm in rural<br />
Grand Mound.<br />
However, it’s inside that office where<br />
one can see how the sausage is made.<br />
Literally.<br />
Doerscher serves as chief of the U. S.<br />
Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety<br />
and Technology branch that operates under<br />
the department’s Agricultural Marketing<br />
Service umbrella.<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 33
gate to plate<br />
“We’d take bones<br />
and make stocks<br />
and make flavors.<br />
We’d use collagens<br />
and use blood<br />
plasmas to make<br />
functional proteins<br />
for different food<br />
products.”<br />
— Darin doerscher<br />
“I always like to refer to us as the technical<br />
folks, the geeks in the basement,” he said.<br />
Doerscher — and the five employees who<br />
work for him — oversee a bevy of food-related<br />
charges. They work on purchasing food products<br />
for different nutrition assistance programs<br />
and — perhaps most notably — the national<br />
school lunch program.<br />
In other words, Doerscher and his team are<br />
responsible for about 20% of the meat served<br />
in U.S. schools and ensure it meets nutritional<br />
guidelines while also being delicious.<br />
“One of our charges is to focus on the red<br />
meat and aquatic commodity specifications,”<br />
he said. “So, ground beef, hams, pork loins,<br />
pollock, catfish, walleye, canned chili. Stuff<br />
like that.<br />
“We cover the whole gamut, from gate to<br />
plate.”<br />
Doerscher also oversees animal welfare rules<br />
to make sure the livestock is handled humanely<br />
and follows that food through processing to<br />
labeling and shipping.<br />
“There’s a lot of stuff that goes into it,” he<br />
said. “We’ve done a lot of good work over<br />
the years, and it’s cool to be one of the branch<br />
leads in doing something for our society, and<br />
specifically the kids.”<br />
Learning the science of food<br />
Doerscher grew up on his family’s farm in<br />
rural Davenport and attended North Scott High<br />
School.<br />
He went off to <strong>Iowa</strong> State to study what he<br />
thought was agriculture engineering. However,<br />
on his second day of classes, a friend suggested<br />
he check out an ag sciences class.<br />
“Biological sciences always made sense to<br />
me,” Doerscher said.<br />
That whim paid off, as he turned it into a<br />
bachelor’s degree in animal science and a master’s<br />
degree in meat science muscle biology.<br />
While obtaining his degree, Doerscher<br />
worked for a meat producer called Proliant Biologicals<br />
in Ames where he developed a variety<br />
of foods with meat products.<br />
“We’d take bones and make stocks and make<br />
flavors,” he said. “We’d use collagens and use<br />
blood plasmas to make functional proteins for<br />
different food products.”<br />
He began traveling and teaching other meat<br />
processors how to use the products that were<br />
intended to be both tasty and save companies<br />
money.<br />
Hello<br />
It’s nice to finally meet you,<br />
Maquoketa. We are excited<br />
to introduce our new, local staff<br />
who are ready to put their years<br />
of banking experience to work<br />
helping you.<br />
We look forward to meeting<br />
you and helping you reach<br />
your financial goals.<br />
From Left to right: Jim Thines, Bank<br />
President/CEO; Bree Kilburg, AVP/Branch<br />
Manager/Loan Officer; Brandi Holst, Customer<br />
Service; Brittni Larkey, Customer Service;<br />
Tony Portz – VP Agri-Business Banking<br />
Maquoketa Location<br />
102 E Carlisle St., Maquoketa<br />
Phone: 563-652-2211<br />
Fax: 563-652-7038<br />
Locations: Wyoming, oLin,<br />
oxford Junction and maquoketa<br />
FoLLow Us on<br />
Facebook<br />
FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION<br />
Lobby Hours:<br />
Mon-Thurs 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.<br />
Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.<br />
Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.<br />
Drive Up Hours:<br />
Mon-Thurs 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.<br />
Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.<br />
Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.<br />
34 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
gate to plate<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> photo / contributed<br />
This photo, taken by Skye Doerscher, is one of Darin’s<br />
favorites. It displays one of his motivations for his job<br />
— teaching his son, Benjamin, where food comes from.<br />
“I’d go to a large food processor<br />
and show them how to use beef broth<br />
in formulas,” Doerscher said.<br />
His travels took him all around the<br />
U.S. He said he’s been in 38 different<br />
states, as well as many countries<br />
abroad, primarily in Asia. He’s also<br />
been to Puerto Rico, and Belgrade,<br />
Serbia.<br />
“Being in (different) countries for a<br />
couple weeks straight, you can learn<br />
the cultures. It’s fun,” he said. “It<br />
gives you a different perspective on<br />
things.”<br />
Chef with a lab coat<br />
After a while, Doerscher took a<br />
different position with JBS Swift in<br />
Greeley, Colorado, a food production<br />
company that makes a bevy of meat<br />
products.<br />
There, Doerscher was a food scientist.<br />
He worked in the research &<br />
development department developing<br />
new foods for both retail sales and<br />
restaurants.<br />
“My primary charge was developing<br />
new breakfast meats,” he said.<br />
“Sausage, pre-cooked bacon. I was a<br />
scientific chef. I went to work every<br />
day and put on a chef’s coat and<br />
would work in kitchens, processing<br />
facilities, or laboratories making meat<br />
items.”<br />
Doerscher worked in a modular<br />
test kitchen that could be redesigned<br />
to meet the specifications of any<br />
customer. National fast food chains<br />
or food service providers would come<br />
in, and Doerscher would try to sell<br />
them on a new product by mirroring<br />
the customer’s setup. He said that tactic<br />
made modeling food preparation<br />
more effective.<br />
“You could take a clam-shell oven,<br />
or the rotisserie, or the flat top and<br />
move it around and reconfigure it so<br />
it looked just like their kitchens,” he<br />
said. “It’s like (a kitchen) you’d see<br />
on the Food Network.”<br />
The work at Swift was a mixture<br />
of biological and physical chemistry,<br />
Head<br />
From<br />
To Toe,<br />
Dr. randy Burger has you covered.<br />
Burger Chiropractic<br />
If you have aches and pains from climbing on tractors or<br />
a back out of whack from hauling seed bags, I can help you.<br />
I also do sports physicals.<br />
Burger Shoe Repair<br />
While you’re here, leave that favorite pair of worn out<br />
work boots for me to resole and bring back to life. I am<br />
continuing a 35-year family legacy with my shoe, boot,<br />
and leather repair business. I also do medical inserts.<br />
Call 563-582-1188<br />
Both businesses are located at 1340 Delhi Street, Dubuque — just down the<br />
road from Finely Hospital and across from The American Legion.<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 35
gate to plate<br />
“There’s<br />
some political<br />
navigating to<br />
do, but you<br />
also need to<br />
be cognizant<br />
that the quality<br />
is never<br />
sacrificed.”<br />
— Darin doerscher<br />
Doerscher said, that applied to<br />
food.<br />
“It’s cool because when<br />
people think about going to<br />
the lab and working with basic<br />
scientific concepts, they think<br />
about beakers and acids and<br />
things like that. And making<br />
concoctions.<br />
“Sometimes I think people<br />
say ‘well, it’s just a hot dog,’”<br />
Doerscher continued. “But<br />
there’s so much more to it than<br />
that.”<br />
Time with USDA<br />
Doerscher landed a job at the<br />
USDA 14 years ago.<br />
His responsibilities have<br />
morphed over the last decade<br />
and a half, but Doerscher said<br />
it’s an employer with whom he<br />
can envision retiring.<br />
He telecommutes to the job,<br />
which enables him to stay home.<br />
“I’ve been social distancing<br />
for the past 14 years,” he joked.<br />
The USDA, which is based<br />
in Washington, D.C., is responsible<br />
for developing and<br />
executing federal laws related to<br />
farming, forestry, rural economic<br />
development, and food. It<br />
works with farmers, promotes<br />
trade, assures food safety, and<br />
features initiatives to end world<br />
hunger.<br />
And Doerscher is doing his<br />
part. His team deals with the<br />
specifications and grade standards<br />
for animal commodities<br />
including red meat, poultry,<br />
aquatic animals, and shell eggs.<br />
They are in charge of managing<br />
food safety issues, microbiological<br />
testing, and maintaining<br />
related data, among other things.<br />
More than 90% of the food<br />
they control is served through<br />
the National School Lunch Program<br />
and is distributed to more<br />
than 100,000 public and private<br />
schools.<br />
In September, Doerscher<br />
earned a promotion to branch<br />
chief, and with that came more<br />
responsibilities.<br />
“This is a significant promotion<br />
and a very proud moment<br />
of his 14-year tenure with<br />
USDA,” said wife Skye, a veterinarian<br />
based in Eldridge.<br />
Darin and all five of his team<br />
members work from home.<br />
Working with a view<br />
Working from home has its<br />
benefits. Doerscher hopes to<br />
parlay his work into developing<br />
a man cave or office in his<br />
outbuilding.<br />
For now, though, his office is<br />
Bedroom No. 5.<br />
“I can look out the window<br />
and see the property,” he said.<br />
Working from home, though,<br />
does come with its distractions.<br />
Doerscher keeps a rigid schedule<br />
of 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a<br />
half-hour lunch break.<br />
“It’s hard sometimes, there<br />
Another job<br />
complete<br />
Liberty ag & exCavaging<br />
provide the foLLowing serviCes:<br />
• Tiling<br />
• Precision Planting<br />
• Custom Farming<br />
• Anhydrous Application<br />
• Excavating<br />
• Site Prep<br />
• Dozing<br />
• Waterway<br />
• Pond building<br />
and repair<br />
• NRCS projects<br />
• Much more<br />
ContaCt: Matt Kelting | 563-370-2158<br />
29159 10th Ave, New Liberty, <strong>Iowa</strong> 52765<br />
36 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
can be other things you’d<br />
rather be doing,” he said. “You<br />
need to use time as a reward<br />
instead of a distraction.”<br />
The job is always different,<br />
a value Doerscher holds dear.<br />
The coronavirus pandemic<br />
has put a wrench in some of<br />
the duties he and his team<br />
complete, too.<br />
“You might be trying to<br />
get a specific commodity to<br />
a remote location, and there<br />
are issues with the pandemic,<br />
and maybe territories aren’t<br />
allowing commercial flights<br />
to deliver the food,” he said.<br />
“There’s some political navigating<br />
to do, but you also need<br />
to be cognizant that the quality<br />
is never sacrificed.”<br />
‘Clean, honest work’<br />
The Doerscher family has<br />
a small farm that includes a<br />
handful of cows and broiler<br />
meat chickens.<br />
gate to plate<br />
The driving force behind<br />
most of it, Doerscher said,<br />
is son Benjamin, who helps<br />
around the property.<br />
The agricultural lifestyle<br />
isn’t one to take for granted,<br />
he says.<br />
He spoke at a TED talk in<br />
Goose Lake in 2017 called<br />
“Building a Better Burger”<br />
and shared his insights. That<br />
video is on YouTube.<br />
Doerscher promotes the<br />
work being done by civil service<br />
workers like himself.<br />
“It’s hard work, but it’s<br />
good, clean, honest work,” he<br />
said. “I support ag through my<br />
job, and my wife supports it<br />
through her job, and we also<br />
do it through the limited farming<br />
activities (at home). I want<br />
to make sure my kid knows<br />
food comes from somewhere<br />
beyond Walmart,” Doerscher<br />
said. n<br />
Profitability is a key component in maximizing stability<br />
in all forms of agri-business.<br />
SERVICES PROVIDED: FORMULATIONS,<br />
COW/CALF AND FEEDLOT MONITORING SERVICES.<br />
CUSTOM FEED BUSINESS<br />
All feed plans formulated by<br />
Steve Tebbe,<br />
Beef Production &<br />
Cow/Calf Specialist<br />
563-357-3784<br />
Web: eastcentralconsulting.com<br />
Email: eastcentralconsulting@gmail.com<br />
Building a<br />
PartnershiP<br />
that works<br />
we take great pride<br />
in taking care of our customers.<br />
Your success in the field is our priority. For over 25 years we have<br />
operated as an independent ag retailer with a commitment to<br />
excellence and providing our farmer friends with quality products.<br />
Together let’s build a successful partnership.<br />
Owners Ted and Sharon Witt wish you a successful planting season!<br />
Pictured: owner<br />
ted witt with grandson, Cole.<br />
Low Moor<br />
AG SERVICE, INC.<br />
563-522-2063<br />
Fertilizer and ag ChemiCals • roCk hauling and ag-lime • anhydrous ammonia<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 37
Have you<br />
cHecked your<br />
soil Fertility<br />
recently?<br />
Do you have enough<br />
in the tank to cross<br />
the finish line this fall?<br />
We offer<br />
Full Service ($7/acre) and<br />
Do it YourSelF ($4/acre)<br />
Soil<br />
Sampling<br />
AnAlysis Complete in 2 DAys!<br />
You Own the Data and the Rx<br />
Online access to soil data<br />
and Rx Creation<br />
Delaney<br />
Ag Service<br />
michael.delaney@plantpioneer.com<br />
Michael Delaney<br />
23477 Bellevue-Cascade Rd<br />
LaMotte, IA 52054<br />
Mobile:<br />
(563) 543-1376
aerial Fungicide application<br />
As-Applied Drone Satellite Image Harvest Yield Map Yield Analysis<br />
+18 bu<br />
advantage!!!<br />
***Same Day GpS as-applied Maps***<br />
****Check block Creation and analysis****<br />
**** Crop Scouting with Digital reports****<br />
Delaney<br />
Ag Service<br />
michael.delaney@plantpioneer.com<br />
Michael Delaney<br />
23477 Bellevue-Cascade Rd<br />
LaMotte, IA 52054<br />
Mobile:<br />
(563) 543-1376<br />
Call by april 1 to loCk in your pre-SeaSon priCe
117 S. 2nd St.<br />
Maquoketa<br />
563-652-6577<br />
319-465-1936<br />
ApplianceSolutionsUSA.com • appliancesolutions101@gmail.com<br />
Ryan & Ashley’s Canned<br />
Salsa Recipe!<br />
IngredIents:<br />
6 onions, chopped<br />
12 pounds (about 40) fresh<br />
tomatoes, peeled and chopped<br />
4 green bell peppers, chopped<br />
4-6 Jalapeños chopped<br />
1 bag of the small sweet peppers<br />
from grocery store, chopped<br />
1 bunch of cilantro chopped<br />
4 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste<br />
1 cup white vinegar<br />
¼ cup garlic powder<br />
3 tablespoons salt<br />
1½ tablespoon cayenne pepper<br />
2 tablespoons ground cumin<br />
¼ cup brown sugar<br />
½ cup white sugar<br />
16 pint canning jars w/lids, rings<br />
Let’s get cooking!<br />
When it’s time to transform the garden to the jar, we can help.<br />
We offer sales and service on the<br />
name brand appliances you love.<br />
InstructIons: Hand chop or use food processor to cut ingredients.<br />
Combine all ingredients in large pot, simmer until thick — about 3 hours.<br />
Pour salsa into hot, sterilized jars filling to within 1/4 inch of jar top.<br />
Run knife or thin spatula around inside of jar after filled to remove air bubbles.<br />
Wipe jar rim with wet paper towel, top with sterilized lids and screw on rings.<br />
Place rack in bottom of large stockpot, filling halfway with water. Bring to boil,<br />
then carefully lower jars into pot using a holder. Leave 2-inch space between<br />
jars. Pour more boiling water if necessary, until the water level is at least 1<br />
inch above top of jars. Bring water to a full boil, cover pot, and process for 10<br />
to 15 minutes.<br />
Remove jars from stockpot, place onto covered<br />
surface several inches apart, overnight. Once<br />
cool, check top of each lid to make sure it<br />
sealed. refrigerate after opening.<br />
Enjoy!<br />
ryan and Ashley<br />
Prull, owners
woolly endeavor<br />
woolly<br />
A<br />
endeavor<br />
Bernard farmer started raising sheep as a high school<br />
student in FFA; 20 years later he’s expanded the flock<br />
BY kellie gregorich<br />
eastern iowa farmer<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> photo / Trevis Mayfield<br />
Rob Goedken raises 70 ewes at his rural Bernard farm. While his interest began when he showed<br />
sheep for FFA in high school some 25 years ago, he is among producers who use sheep to<br />
diversify their operations.<br />
Rob Goedken became interested<br />
in showing sheep<br />
when he joined FFA as a<br />
freshman at Cascade High<br />
School in 1996.<br />
His family’s Bernard-area farm had<br />
some extra barn space and grass, so<br />
he bought 12 ewes. After he was done<br />
showing the animals, the Goedkens<br />
decided to keep the sheep because they<br />
were so helpful in grazing around the<br />
white barns situated along a gravel<br />
road in southern Dubuque County. Two<br />
decades later, the flock has increased<br />
almost six-fold.<br />
“I enjoy it. It’s something I’m proud<br />
of,” said Goedken, 38, who now raises<br />
70 ewes, which is a large number for<br />
the state of <strong>Iowa</strong>.<br />
“<strong>Iowa</strong> is mostly comprised of smaller<br />
farm flocks, around 35 head,” said<br />
Ben Drescher, animal science farms<br />
director at <strong>Iowa</strong> State University.<br />
Most <strong>Iowa</strong> producers use sheep as a<br />
lower-investment enterprise that allows<br />
them to diversify their farm operations,<br />
Drescher said. Sheep flocks make a<br />
great business for young farmers with<br />
ample labor and limited facilities and<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 41
woolly endeavor<br />
“Every year I come<br />
across a situation<br />
that I’ve never<br />
seen or dealt with<br />
before.”<br />
— Rob Goedken<br />
capital.<br />
Goedken raises Hampshire-Suffolk cross,<br />
a sheep that is white with some black areas,<br />
mostly around their legs and face.<br />
“We want the structure from the Hampshire,<br />
which are more heavy-boned and wooly. But,<br />
we want more muscle and better docility, which<br />
is what we get from the Suffolk,” Goedken<br />
said.<br />
Goedken raises sheep for stock showing and<br />
not the traditional end use of meat or wool.<br />
He noted that wool has very little value, often<br />
not covering the fee for the shearer. His family<br />
also raises cattle, which he said are less labor<br />
intensive than sheep.<br />
As the snow and a cold snap descended upon<br />
<strong>Iowa</strong> in January and February, Goedken was in<br />
the midst of lambing. Sheep breed best August<br />
through September, meaning some cold winter<br />
delivery days after a 145-day gestation.<br />
Adding to the excitement is the fact that most<br />
ewes will have twins, and there are always a<br />
few that have triplets or just one baby.<br />
Before lambing starts, Goedken follows a<br />
schedule to make sure his ewes are prepared<br />
and that he’s ready for the upcoming births.<br />
One month out from the expected deliveries,<br />
Neighbors Serving Neighbors!<br />
LaMotte and Andrew Telephone Companies have been servicing our local exchange communities<br />
since 1953, We strive to provide the best in telecommunications services to our customers<br />
Front Row: JoAnne Gregorich, Sandy Pitts, Marilee Aschenbrenner & Rod Engler. Back Row: Larry Bartels, Dennis Dunne, Carla Ehlers & Mike Olsen.<br />
LaMotte/Andrew Telephone Co.<br />
TELEPHONE • HIGH-SPEED INTERNET • DIGITAL TV<br />
lamotte-telco.com 1-866-943-4375<br />
42 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
woolly endeavor<br />
he starts feeding the ewes grain and<br />
high-quality hay, similar to what dairy<br />
farmers feed their cows.<br />
“If you don’t feed them (ewes) the<br />
high-quality hay, they’ll just waste it.<br />
They’re very finicky when it comes to<br />
their food,” Goedken said.<br />
Two weeks before, Goedken gives<br />
them a CD-T vaccine, which protects<br />
against clostridium perfringens, otherwise<br />
known as over-eating disease.<br />
Things get a little more intense a<br />
week before lambing begins. Since<br />
lambs can’t be born outside in the<br />
cold and farmers have to be ready for<br />
some lambs to arrive early, Goedken<br />
starts putting ewes in a heated barn<br />
that is bedded in wheat straw, a forage<br />
that sheep won’t eat. The ones that<br />
are closer to lambing are placed in<br />
individual pens, and the ones that will<br />
lamb later are left in a group pen.<br />
Goedken may have some ewes<br />
lamb at this time or they may wait<br />
until their actual due date. Either way,<br />
he’s prepared. There are cameras<br />
located in his barn so he can regularly<br />
check on the ewes every three to four<br />
hours, including overnight.<br />
Consistent monitoring is important<br />
because Goedken helps the ewe in<br />
50% of the deliveries. There aren’t<br />
special devices, like chains and pulleys<br />
for cattle, to deliver the lambs.<br />
He uses his hands and years of experience<br />
to bring the lambs into the world<br />
alive and healthy.<br />
Sometimes the lambs can get intertwined<br />
in the womb or both are trying<br />
to come out at once.<br />
“Every year I come across a situation<br />
that I’ve never seen or dealt with<br />
before,” he said.<br />
Once the lambs have made their<br />
entrance into the world he makes<br />
sure their mothers accept them and<br />
that they are able to nurse. If he has<br />
to help deliver the lambs he has to be<br />
careful to not handle them too much<br />
because creating too many different<br />
smells on a lamb will cause the ewe<br />
to not claim it. If the lambs haven’t<br />
Saving for retirement, building<br />
tax efficient options in<br />
retirement, or simply building<br />
emergency funds are habits<br />
needing encouragement.<br />
As our clients grow, their needs<br />
change. It is our goal to grow<br />
with our clients and ensure their<br />
objectives will be addressed<br />
now and in the future.<br />
Our greatest honor<br />
is learning your story.<br />
Amber Knickrehm, Kerry Schepers-ChFC, and Shirley Driscoll<br />
Kerry Schepers is a<br />
of the Dave Ramsey programs<br />
Come see us at our new location,<br />
107 E. Quarry Street, Maquoketa<br />
563-652-2491<br />
Kerry Schepers and Amber Knickrehm are Registered Representatives. Shirley Driscoll is an office team member and not a registered representative. Registered Representative, Securities offered through Cambridge<br />
Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA / SIPC. Investment Advisor Representative Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., A registered Investment Advisor. Cambridge and Ohnward Wealth<br />
and Retirement are not Affiliated. Products sold are Not FDIC insured, No bank guarantee, are not a deposit, are not insured by any federal government agency and may lose value.<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 43
nursed, Goedken puts the ewe in a headgate<br />
and will assist the lamb in getting<br />
started on its mother’s udder and becoming<br />
more confident in how to nurse.<br />
When lambs are born they weigh an<br />
average of seven pounds, similar to the<br />
size of a human baby.<br />
As he continues to lamb, he has to<br />
keep track of the ones born five to seven<br />
days prior. When the lambs are about a<br />
week old, Goedken gives them a series<br />
of shots, including Penicillin, BO-SE and<br />
CD-T. They also are castrated and have<br />
their tails banded, the latter step being an<br />
important part of hygiene for lambs. If<br />
their tails aren’t banded it brings a large<br />
risk of the animals getting certain diseases<br />
and infections.<br />
After 60 days, the lambs are weaned.<br />
They are given another CD-T shot and<br />
are sheared for the first time. The lambs<br />
that Goedken decides not to keep for<br />
showing are sold as feeders.<br />
The next big job aside from daily care<br />
is in October, when all the ewes and<br />
bucks are sheared.<br />
“We shear the ewes and bucks in<br />
woolly endeavor<br />
October, after it cools off, to get bugs<br />
and other dirty things off the animals.<br />
This also makes it easier, when the ewes<br />
are lambing in January, for the lambs<br />
to nurse. Plus, since they’re in a heated<br />
barn, they don’t need the extra cover to<br />
stay as warm,” Goedken said. n<br />
Sheep Facts<br />
<strong>Iowa</strong> is known for having more<br />
sheep producers than any other state,<br />
second to Texas, according to <strong>Iowa</strong><br />
State University’s sheep extension.<br />
It also has the highest lamb-to-ewe<br />
ratio, 1.67 lambs per ewe compared<br />
to the national average of 1.11.<br />
The latest U.S. Department of<br />
Agriculture Census released last year<br />
lumps sheep, goats, wool, mohair and<br />
milk together, showing that category<br />
generates more than $61.7 million in<br />
sales in <strong>Iowa</strong>, the 4th highest in the<br />
country. Cedar and Dubuque counties<br />
rank 21 and 38 in sales among <strong>Iowa</strong>’s<br />
99 counties, with Clinton at 60, Jackson<br />
at 64 and Jones at 74.<br />
The top 10 counties for sheep in<br />
<strong>Iowa</strong> are mostly in the northwest part<br />
of the state, with some in the east/<br />
southeast area due to the proximity of<br />
the regional terminal auction barn in<br />
Kalona.<br />
<strong>Iowa</strong> has around 151,000 head of<br />
sheep in the state and ranks 9th in<br />
sheep production in the United States.<br />
The Area’s Finest Bean Counters<br />
Your budget is our priority. Let’s grow together.<br />
Picture left to right: David Meade, CPA; Cassie Corrigeux, Staff Accountant; Jenessa Garman, Senior Auditor;<br />
Mary Stephany, Office Administrator; Susan Green, Clerical; Michele Meade, CPA; Deb Behn, Senior Accountant;<br />
Cheri Piper, Senior Accountant; Gloria Miner, CPA; Mark Garman, CPA; and John Gilroy, CPA.<br />
MAQUOKETA • SAVANNA • CLINTON • GALENA<br />
563-652-5143<br />
www.mgmaccountants.com<br />
44 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
Behind every farm<br />
or ranch is a family.<br />
For over 80 years, we’ve worked shoulder to shoulder with<br />
farmers and ranchers, serving the unique needs of the ag<br />
industry. As a member of your community, we get to know you<br />
and your operation, providing comprehensive coverage for<br />
your farm, ranch, machinery, livestock — and so much more.<br />
Call us today and find out why we’re the #1 ag insurer.<br />
Barbara Collins<br />
514 8th street, De Witt<br />
(563) 659-5135<br />
300 n riverview st, Bellevue<br />
(563) 872-4884<br />
Douglas Collins<br />
102 s olive, maquoketa<br />
(563) 652-2457<br />
Joslyn Zimmerman, Lyndsey Eberhart, Bridget Miller, Barbara Collins, Doug Collins, Kate Perrin, Missy Ernst, and Megan Graves.<br />
Auto | Home | Life | Annuities | Business | fArm & rAncH | crop<br />
No. 1 ag insurer across our 8-state territory; 2019 SNL P&C Group - Farm Bureau Property & Casualty Insurance Company and Western Agricultural Insurance Company direct written premium. Securities & services offered through FBL Marketing Services, LLC,+<br />
5400 University Ave., West Des Moines, IA 50266, 877/860-2904, Member SIPC. Advisory services offered through FBL Wealth Management, LLC.+ Farm Bureau Property & Casualty Insurance Company,+* Western Agricultural Insurance Company,+*<br />
Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company+*/West Des Moines, IA. Individual must be a registered representative of FBL Marketing Services, LLC or an investment adviser representative with FBL Wealth Management, LLC to discuss securities products.<br />
Individual must be released by FBL Wealth Management, LLC to offer advisory services. Individual must be licensed with issuing company to offer insurance products. +Affiliates. *Company providers of Farm Bureau Financial Services. SR082 (2-21)
Bulletins offered good,<br />
free advice from Uncle<br />
Sam’s Department of Ag<br />
By lowell carlson<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER<br />
Ihave a heavy cardboard box filled<br />
to the top with virtually every bit<br />
of information needed to run a<br />
family farm in the last century.<br />
Some of these pamphlets date back<br />
to the post World War I era and following<br />
the Great Depression of the 1930s.<br />
They were free for the asking when<br />
I started sending off for them through<br />
the mail as a grade school student in<br />
the fifties. For the cost of a post card or<br />
first-class stamp your congressman or the<br />
Secretary of Agriculture was happy to<br />
mail up to 10 copies of titles on everything<br />
from raising turkeys to branding<br />
cattle to nut-tree propagation.<br />
I even scored on some perennial grass<br />
seed samples to try on a neighbor’s sandy<br />
ground that didn’t even grow decent<br />
weeds. It was a qualified success.<br />
These U.S. Department of Agriculture<br />
<strong>Farmer</strong>s’ Bulletins distilled information<br />
on how best to lay out a field<br />
for moldboard plowing, how to repair<br />
horse-drawn mowers, even instructions<br />
on how to set the cutter and raker teeth<br />
on a two-man crosscut saw. There was<br />
practical advice on how to establish an<br />
apple orchard and instructions on making<br />
cheese at home.<br />
No subject was too obscure, too<br />
seemingly insignificant for this voluminous<br />
series. In all, perhaps 2,000 titles<br />
were published in almost a century of the<br />
series.<br />
<strong>Farmer</strong>s’ Bulletins became the general<br />
public’s main information transmission<br />
resource for research coming out of the<br />
USDA’s experiment stations and research<br />
Schoenthaler, bartelt, kahler & reickS<br />
attorneyS at l aw<br />
Steven J.<br />
Kahler<br />
Joshua J.<br />
Reicks<br />
Partnering in your progress for over 90 years<br />
The firm’s experienced attorneys have a strong reputation for quality, integrity and service.<br />
123 N. Main, Maquoketa | srbk.com | 563.652.4963<br />
46 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
ulletins<br />
facilities around the country.<br />
The fact that agriculture is<br />
at the intersection of science<br />
and hard work also focused<br />
interest on the USDA’s efforts<br />
to improve yields, animal<br />
performance and standard of<br />
living for rural citizens.<br />
I found these slim, 6x9-<br />
inch, rather drab publications<br />
to be a window that sparked<br />
yet more interest, kindling<br />
an appreciation for agriculture<br />
that prompted me to<br />
take courses at <strong>Iowa</strong> State<br />
University in farm operation<br />
and, later, six correspondence<br />
courses in ag subjects from<br />
Pennsylvania State University.<br />
Their format was almost set<br />
in stone. The cover image was<br />
to the point with the number<br />
of the bulletin a fixture on<br />
each new title issued. The au-<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> photo / Lowell carlson<br />
For a century the USDA’s <strong>Farmer</strong>s’ Bulletins transferred best-practice information on agriculture and rural living<br />
to producers on the land, producing more than 2,000 titles on subjects large and small. They were free from<br />
members of Congress or the Secretary of Agriculture. A penny postcard was sufficient for handwritten requests.<br />
Build with Confidence.<br />
From chores to planting crops and everything in between — you’ve got<br />
plenty of jobs to take care of around the farm. That’s why it’s our job<br />
to make sure your buildings are built to withstand all the seasons<br />
in eastern <strong>Iowa</strong>. Trust us to take the worry out when it comes to<br />
building something that will last.<br />
Build with Cascade.<br />
563-852-3232<br />
800-943-4685<br />
Hwy. 151 E. • Cascade, Ia<br />
caslbr@netins.net<br />
www.caslbr.com<br />
Melvin Staner<br />
Ag Sales/ Estimating<br />
Brad Gehl<br />
Sales/ Estimating<br />
Barney<br />
Dirks<br />
Counter<br />
Sales<br />
Cascade<br />
Lumber Co.<br />
build your future with us<br />
563-852-3232 800-943-4685<br />
Hwy. 151 E. • Cascade, Ia<br />
caslbr@netins.net<br />
www.caslbr.com<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 47
ulletins<br />
thor, and his or her qualifications, along with a<br />
list of content topics and page numbers preceded<br />
the actual bulletin on page one.<br />
These bulletins, and a myriad of other<br />
specialized publications published by the U.S.<br />
Government Printing Office, one of the nation’s<br />
largest publishers, were a periodic target of candidates<br />
bemoaning the annual expenditure and<br />
ridiculing the obscure subjects covered.<br />
<strong>Farmer</strong>s’ Bulletin pamphlets were a snapshot<br />
in time. The best recommendations based on the<br />
available information or latest research at experiment<br />
stations around the country. They were a<br />
product of best practices and technical research<br />
translated into laymen’s language.<br />
Some of these titles became historic milestones<br />
in the service of educating rural residents,<br />
immigrants who struggled with their new<br />
language, constituents who wanted to better<br />
their condition.<br />
In 1900 the USDA issued a pamphlet on the<br />
<strong>Farmer</strong>s Reading Courses initiative. They were<br />
courses of study in scientific farming methods<br />
made accessible through textbook curriculum.<br />
In 1915, the federal department published a<br />
bulletin on how farmers could improve their<br />
personal credit by banding together<br />
in support of a cooperative<br />
credit association,<br />
By the time I discovered them in<br />
the 1950s <strong>Farmer</strong>s’ Bulletins were<br />
already an institution. The USDA<br />
issued the first publication in June,<br />
1889. <strong>Farmer</strong>s’ Bulletins gave your<br />
congressman something of value to<br />
hand to constituents, and the publications<br />
were a way to remember him<br />
when elections came around every<br />
24 months.<br />
The bulletins were all business,<br />
no-nonsense recommendations on<br />
agronomy, plant diseases, rural living,<br />
soil conservation and even sustainable<br />
agriculture.<br />
The recommendations and projects<br />
family farm operators were counseled<br />
to use reflected a distinct do-it-yourself<br />
approach to problem solving with<br />
efficiency always the ultimate goal.<br />
An example, one of the bulletins<br />
came with blueprints for building a<br />
homemade loose hay stacking device<br />
IRVʼS<br />
REPAIR INC<br />
TRACTOR, TRUCK AND LAWN MOWER SALES, SERVICE AND PARTS<br />
2004 Camanche Ave. • Clinton, IA • 563-243-6400<br />
4160 170th St. • Clinton, IA • 563-593-0643<br />
701 Calvert Ave. • Chadwick, IL • 815-684-5131<br />
Irvsrepairinc@yahoo.com<br />
48 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
ulletins<br />
The USDA issued the first<br />
<strong>Farmer</strong>s’ Bulletin in June 1889.<br />
The pamphlets were the general<br />
public’s main information<br />
transmission resource for research<br />
coming out of the agency’s<br />
experiment stations and research<br />
facilities around the country.<br />
commonly called the “Mormon” stacker<br />
because it became so common in Utah<br />
and Idaho.<br />
In recent years I made several scale<br />
models of the stackers based on those<br />
detailed blueprints.<br />
These USDA publications would go on<br />
to become something of a bestseller series,<br />
and they remained free for the asking.<br />
Those early <strong>Farmer</strong>s Bulletin numbers,<br />
there were ultimately more than 2,000<br />
titles, are considered valuable collector<br />
items these days.<br />
The more I ordered the more I ordered<br />
until I was receiving plump brown envelops<br />
from state and provincial extension service<br />
addresses as well in Illinois, North Dakota,<br />
Wyoming, Maine, North Carolina, New<br />
York, Wisconsin, Saskatchewan, Ontario,<br />
you name it.<br />
After chores I sat in my room and learned<br />
to use the Pearson Square method of livestock<br />
ration balancing and tried to understand<br />
what heat units were and why they<br />
were so critical to agriculture in northern<br />
Alberta.<br />
There was eye opening information about<br />
how efficient domestic animals were when it<br />
comes to feed conversion. We’d all be smart<br />
to raise and eat more catfish. They can gain<br />
a pound in weight from the least feed. Cattle<br />
are at the extreme opposite of fish in that<br />
regard.<br />
Today, we access information on agricultural<br />
research in ways unimaginable just a<br />
few years ago, all without holding an actual<br />
publication in our hands.<br />
The <strong>Farmer</strong>s’ Bulletin library is still<br />
accessible to farmers and anyone else with<br />
a computer. You can browse the endless list<br />
of titles and content at a website maintained<br />
by the University of North Texas, Denton, at<br />
digital.library.unt.edu. The format is logical,<br />
and you’ll be rewarded with unique titles and<br />
bygone methods in farming.<br />
The world’s largest agricultural library, one<br />
of a number of national archives maintained<br />
by the federal government, the National<br />
Agricultural Library is yours to browse<br />
with your computer. Go to www.nal.usda.<br />
gov. You can experience the world we once<br />
lived in here in farm country. n<br />
IRVʼS REPAIR INC<br />
TRACTOR, TRUCK AND LAWN MOWER SALES, SERVICE AND PARTS<br />
Irvsrepairinc@yahoo.com<br />
2004 CAMANCHE AVE. • CLINTON, IA • 563-243-6400<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 49
little bit<br />
...where<br />
FRANZEN FAMILY<br />
TRACTORS & PARTS, LLC<br />
563-673-6631<br />
Come and see<br />
why Fair priCes<br />
and honesty<br />
have been our<br />
trademark<br />
sinCe 1976
we've got a<br />
of everything<br />
FRANZEN FAMILY TRACTORS<br />
ANd PARTS SPECIALIZES IN:<br />
New Mahindra Tractors<br />
New Mahindra Roxors<br />
New Mahindra Retriever<br />
XTV’s<br />
Scag Lawn Mowers<br />
Tractor Parts<br />
Combine Parts<br />
TYM Tractors<br />
Used Tractors<br />
Used Combines<br />
Grasshopper Mowers<br />
“<strong>Iowa</strong>’s Fastest<br />
Growing<br />
Equipment<br />
Auction Facility.”<br />
Auction Yard Location:<br />
5498 Highway 64, Baldwin, <strong>Iowa</strong><br />
CONTACT US<br />
Highway 64 Phone: 563-673-6400<br />
Mike Franzen: 563-673-6631<br />
Scott Franzen: 319-480-3604<br />
Sheri dosland: 563-212-0453<br />
hwy64auctions.com
Clinton County farmer Chad<br />
Petersen was one of many in<br />
part of <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> whose<br />
crops were damaged by the<br />
derecho. Petersen, who invested<br />
in a crop sweeper to help with<br />
harvest, noted that farmers west<br />
along U.S. Route 30 saw quite<br />
a bit more damage than he did.<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> photo /<br />
Trevis Mayfield
Mother<br />
Nature<br />
is having her say<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> farmers have found themselves<br />
battling the elements more than ever the past<br />
few years, and it is changing the way they work.<br />
Prices even out<br />
turbulent<br />
growing season<br />
Grain export numbers helping raise<br />
spirits after derecho leaves its mark<br />
BY nick joos<br />
eastern iowa farmer<br />
It’s as if Mother Nature took a big Sharpie and<br />
drew a line along the Jackson/Clinton County<br />
border and split the region in two.<br />
On the northern side of that line, Jackson<br />
County producers experienced, in some cases,<br />
corn yields well over 200 bushel per acre, said<br />
Joseph Bullock, who owns Bullocks, Inc. in Maquoketa<br />
with Linda and Joe Bullock. In Clinton County,<br />
though, that sentiment wasn’t quite so true.<br />
The Aug. 10 derecho that registered gusts more<br />
than 100 mph along the U.S. 30 corridor took a corn<br />
crop that had matured quickly and flattened it.<br />
David Frett, location manager of River Valley in<br />
DeWitt and Donahue, said the storm knocked the life<br />
out of corn that on Aug. 9 looked promising.<br />
The squall put into motion a harvest flurry as producers<br />
looked to remove the crop from fields as soon<br />
as they could to salvage it. However, there was only
It started with<br />
one truck...<br />
That was in 1938. Today, Bullocks Inc. is Maquoketa’s<br />
most trusted grain buyer. Our first bin went up in<br />
1965 and since then we have grown to the<br />
capacity of almost 1 million bushels on site.<br />
We look forward to serving the <strong>Eastern</strong><br />
<strong>Iowa</strong> ag community just as we have for<br />
the past three generations.<br />
OUR SERVICES:<br />
• Grain Buying and Storage<br />
• Instant Board of Trade<br />
Grain Quotes<br />
• Wet and Dry Gluten and<br />
Distillers Feed<br />
• Kruger Seed<br />
• Purina Livestock, Pet Food,<br />
and Show Feeds<br />
• Guardrail, Composite Ties,<br />
and H-Beams<br />
• Farmstar Feeders<br />
• Applegate Gates<br />
• Ritchie Waterers and Parts<br />
Team members pictured in front left to right: Owners Linda Bullock,<br />
Joseph Bullock and Joe Bullock. In back, left to right: Zak Schmidt, Scott Bullock,<br />
Jerimiah Christiansen, James Hamann, Roger Kenniker, Brandon Pachtinger,<br />
Adam Phillips, and Raymond Dascher. Not pictured: Duane Clark.<br />
Bullocks, Inc.<br />
113 E Monroe St, Maquoketa, IA 52060<br />
(563) 652-3819
mother nature<br />
so much they could do.<br />
“There’s some fields they couldn’t get<br />
all the corn that was on the ground,” Frett<br />
said.<br />
Clinton County farmer Chad Petersen<br />
estimated that about 20% of his 400 acres<br />
of corn was flattened by the derecho.<br />
“We’re going to do as much as we can<br />
to get the crop in the bin,” he said during<br />
a break from a challenging harvesting last<br />
fall. He invested in a crop sweeper after<br />
he scouted his fields post derecho and<br />
saw that his corn was only flat in places,<br />
and the insurance adjuster told him to do<br />
the best he could.<br />
“There are times in the past I thought it<br />
might have been nice to have a sweeper,<br />
but it wasn’t necessarily an every year<br />
thing,” said Petersen, 46, who farms<br />
about 750 acres in the Goose Lake area.<br />
Had he not had it for last fall’s harvest,<br />
he would have had to pick corn going in<br />
just one direction because of the damage,<br />
wasting time and fuel not to mention<br />
leaving grain on the ground.<br />
David<br />
Frett<br />
DeWitt, Donahue<br />
David Frett, location manager<br />
of River Valley in DeWitt<br />
and Donahue, said the<br />
storm knocked the life out of<br />
corn that on Aug. 9 looked<br />
promising. While the producers<br />
who were heavily impacted<br />
tried to salvage as much as<br />
possible, it was a challenge<br />
when the plants were lying flat.<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> photo /<br />
Trevis Mayfield<br />
When tragedy strikes, rely on a local <strong>Iowa</strong> insurance company.<br />
Proudly protecting <strong>Iowa</strong> farms since 1874.<br />
Visit www.heritagemutual.net to find an agent near you.<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 55
mother nature<br />
“None of this equipment<br />
is cheap, but what would it<br />
cost to leave all this corn out<br />
there?” he said. “I hope I can<br />
take it off next year, but at<br />
least I’ll have it on hand.”<br />
Ups and downs<br />
The 2020 growing season<br />
was fraught with variables.<br />
<strong>Farmer</strong>s began the season<br />
with pie-in-the-sky ideas of<br />
record yields. Seeds were in<br />
the ground — in some cases,<br />
by the first week of May.<br />
Virgil Schmitt, who operates<br />
a farm in Muscatine<br />
County where he lives and<br />
works for the <strong>Iowa</strong> State<br />
Extension as an agronomist in<br />
Muscatine County, said 2020<br />
and 2019 were polar opposites,<br />
schedule wise.<br />
“Last year I had my corn<br />
planted June 7, and this year it<br />
was April 25,” he said. He said<br />
producers across the eastern<br />
side of the state were in the<br />
same boat.<br />
However, the early planting<br />
did not lead to the yields farmers<br />
were hoping for, Schmitt<br />
said.<br />
“This year should have been<br />
much higher than last year,<br />
but it didn’t come through in<br />
yields. That is a scenario I’ve<br />
heard a lot of people say. It<br />
was respectable, but it wasn’t<br />
as good as people anticipated<br />
given how the crop looked<br />
Aug. 9.<br />
“Corn was looking about<br />
as good as I’ve ever seen corn<br />
look,” Schmitt said. “People<br />
were very optimistic at that<br />
point.”<br />
Then, the derecho, a weather<br />
phenomenon that brings<br />
sustained winds of hurricane<br />
force to an area 400 miles or<br />
larger, hit.<br />
Petersen remembers exactly<br />
Maquoketa<br />
Financial Group<br />
Where are you now?<br />
Where would you like<br />
to be when you retire?<br />
These are both great questions to discuss with Paul.<br />
Your financial goals and objectives are some<br />
of the tools Maquoketa Financial Group use to<br />
complete a financial future plan for you.<br />
Paul C. Miller<br />
CLU, ChFC,<br />
Investment Advisor<br />
Representative<br />
www.maqfinancialgroup.com • 563.652.3513<br />
714 W. Platt St. • Suite 5 Maquoketa, IA<br />
Paul Miller is an Investment Advisor Representative offering Securities and Investment Advisory Services Through Royal Alliance member FINRA/SIPC and a Registered Investment Advisor. Non Securities Products and Services<br />
are not Offered Through Royal Alliance. Maquoketa Financial Group is not affiliated with Royal Alliance. 199-20170905-396847<br />
56 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
mother nature<br />
Joseph<br />
Bullock<br />
Maquoketa<br />
Jackson County producers<br />
fared better than some of their<br />
counterparts elsewhere in<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> after the Aug.<br />
10 storm swept through with<br />
hurricane-force winds, said<br />
Joseph Bullock, who is one of<br />
the owners Bullocks, Inc., a<br />
grain dealer with its own fleet<br />
of trucks located in Maquoketa.<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> photo /<br />
Trevis Mayfield<br />
where he was.<br />
“I was in the shop working<br />
and doing repairs, and it was<br />
getting kinda loud,” he said.<br />
So, he went to look out a window,<br />
an experience he doesn’t<br />
enjoy reliving.<br />
“I watched the corn go<br />
down,” he said.<br />
“All I could think about is<br />
how much fun we were going<br />
to have harvesting it,” Petersen<br />
said.<br />
“We were looking at a<br />
record crop in my mind had<br />
this not happened. We will<br />
still have a decent crop. I have<br />
friends out west of here who<br />
had to plow their corn under.<br />
Thankful we didn’t have that<br />
here,” Petersen said.<br />
Considering the damage the<br />
storm left in its wake, Schmitt<br />
said grain quality could have<br />
been worse.<br />
“It was worse (the) further<br />
west you went,” Schmitt said.<br />
“In Benton County and the<br />
Cedar Rapids area you could<br />
stand out in a corn field and<br />
people could see your ankles.<br />
It was absolutely flat.”<br />
In Clinton and Jackson<br />
counties, while the corn crop<br />
was laid down in places, it<br />
didn’t cannibalize itself. That<br />
happens when the plant’s roots<br />
are not established enough to<br />
draw nutrients; instead, the<br />
plant begins stealing nutrients<br />
from its stalks to sustain the<br />
grain.<br />
“There were a lot of roots<br />
that got broken off. In the<br />
fields, (the corn) looked like<br />
an old oak tree that got leaned<br />
over.”<br />
<strong>Farmer</strong>s began harvesting<br />
early, and finished about<br />
three weeks ahead of the<br />
average schedule, according<br />
to the <strong>Iowa</strong> Department of<br />
In 1979 Bob Breeden<br />
was Vermeer’s top<br />
seller in the nation<br />
earning him the title of<br />
Salesman of the Year.<br />
This ain’t our<br />
first time<br />
around the<br />
hayfield.<br />
When you need experience<br />
to guide your baling needs,<br />
contact us — we’ve been<br />
at it for a while now.<br />
Pictured below is Bob Breeden<br />
with the next two generations —<br />
Calvin and Josh Breeden.<br />
breedensales.com<br />
c4balers@netins.net<br />
Breeden’s<br />
Vermeer<br />
563-686-4242<br />
17047 167th Ave. Maquoketa, <strong>Iowa</strong><br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 57
More<br />
FOR YOUR<br />
FARM<br />
Animal Health<br />
• Feed • De-wormers<br />
• Medicines • Fly Control<br />
Agriculture and Land Stewardship.<br />
That early start<br />
allowed for a careful, methodical<br />
harvest, because in some<br />
cases, corn crop could only be<br />
harvested in one direction.<br />
“I was pleased that people<br />
seemed to be patient and take<br />
the time and all in all be safe,”<br />
Schmitt said. “I had not heard<br />
of any deaths or injuries because<br />
of people trying to take<br />
shortcuts with harvest.”<br />
Mother Nature is a<br />
real…<br />
While the derecho left area<br />
producers wondering what the<br />
harvest would bring, there was<br />
a saving grace, Schmitt said<br />
Rain.<br />
It came when it was needed,<br />
and stayed away when it<br />
wasn’t.<br />
A dry growing season —<br />
especially after the Fourth of<br />
July — took a bit of luster<br />
mother nature<br />
off the favorable start. In<br />
August, the region entered<br />
into D-0 drought status. The<br />
U.S. Drought Monitor — run<br />
by the National Center for<br />
Environmental Information —<br />
rates droughts on a scale from<br />
0-5, with five being the worst.<br />
Central and western <strong>Iowa</strong><br />
crept into D3 status.<br />
Even though eastern <strong>Iowa</strong>’s<br />
conditions weren’t dire, a<br />
drought’s a drought, Schmitt<br />
said. Getting laid down by the<br />
wind storm didn’t do corn any<br />
favors with nutrient gathering.<br />
When it came to water access,<br />
both beans and corn experienced<br />
some negative effects,<br />
especially along river bottoms<br />
where the soil is sandy.<br />
“There was some deterioration,”<br />
Schmitt said.<br />
That dry weather, though,<br />
might have been some producers’<br />
saving grace — especially<br />
For your farm appraisal needs,<br />
call Ken Kruger!<br />
Fencing/Field Prep<br />
• Tile • Sweeps • Wood Posts & T-Posts<br />
• Electric Fencing • Panels & Gates<br />
Independent Licensed<br />
Certified General Appraiser<br />
SHOP • EARN• REWARDS<br />
1 % BACK<br />
ON EVERY<br />
PURCHASE!<br />
BONUS<br />
100 POINTS<br />
Just for<br />
signing up!<br />
SCAN HERE<br />
to sign up now!<br />
MeMber of<br />
18195 Hwy 64 West, Maquoketa<br />
(563) 652-4387<br />
Mon. - Sat. 8am - 8pm;<br />
Sun. 9am - 6pm<br />
www.theisens.com<br />
—— Appraising farms in <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> since 2004 ——<br />
563-349-3150 • DeWitt, <strong>Iowa</strong><br />
58 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
Every farm has a story,
mother nature<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> photo / contributed<br />
Despite having corn planted early, Virgil Schmitt<br />
was among farmers who did not get the yields<br />
hoped for before the derecho. Schmitt operates<br />
a farm in Muscatine County where he lives<br />
and works for the <strong>Iowa</strong> State Extension as an<br />
agronomist in Muscatine County.<br />
those whose crop was laid down by wind.<br />
“That was a real concern; when you<br />
have that corn leaned over and … the<br />
ears are close to the ground, you have a<br />
scenario where ear moles can become<br />
problematic,” Schmitt said. “That’s one of<br />
the advantages when it turned dry. Moles<br />
like wet conditions and (August’s) weather<br />
was not conducive to that.”<br />
But then, after the derecho was in the<br />
rear view mirror and dryness had set in,<br />
rain came at the perfect time, Schmitt said.<br />
A soaking rainfall in the middle of September<br />
tied a bow on the growing window.<br />
“And then it pretty much shut off,<br />
which took a lot of the pressure off the<br />
harvest,” Schmitt said.<br />
What could have been<br />
After producers got off Mother Nature’s<br />
roller coaster and pulled their crop from<br />
the field, they began examining grain<br />
quality, and a bittersweet reality set in.<br />
Considering the favorable start to the<br />
season, producers were left to wonder<br />
what could have been.<br />
In general, both beans and corn posted<br />
better-than-expected yields across eastern<br />
<strong>Iowa</strong>, Schmitt said.<br />
Corn yields still weren’t at the levels<br />
seen before 2019, Schmitt said. But considering<br />
the growing season’s optimal first<br />
handful of months, they could have been<br />
better — or worse, depending on perspective<br />
and geographical location. Schmitt<br />
said his fields were under 200 bushel per<br />
acre for the second time in a row — and<br />
the second time ever.<br />
In Clinton County, Frett estimated the<br />
dry weather contributed to a loss of 20-30<br />
bushel per acre.<br />
“We lost that much,” he said. “And then<br />
the derecho came and knocked the corn<br />
down.”<br />
Jackson County’s yield estimates were<br />
more favorable, Bullock said.<br />
“It’s all over the board, but for the most<br />
part (corn yields are) over 200 (bushel per<br />
acre),” he said.<br />
“I would say it’s down slightly (in<br />
Jackson County) from the last couple<br />
years, but not down significantly,” Bullock<br />
said of yields last fall.<br />
<strong>Iowa</strong>’s 2020 corn yield was estimated at<br />
let’s get<br />
to work!<br />
No matter if your next home<br />
improvement job is big or small,<br />
our team of professionals<br />
is ready to help you turn<br />
your dreams into reality!<br />
Start to fiNiSh:<br />
CommerCial • reSideNtial<br />
agriCulture<br />
(563) 652-8399<br />
sheetsdesignbuild.com<br />
60 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
mother nature<br />
178 bushels per acre, according<br />
to the U.S. Department of<br />
Agriculture’s year-end report.<br />
That’s down significantly from<br />
the 198 bushels per acre harvested<br />
in 2019. Corn for grain<br />
production in <strong>Iowa</strong> for 2020<br />
was 2.30 billion bushels, down<br />
11% from the previous year.<br />
For Petersen, who’s been<br />
working on a farm ever since<br />
he was a kid, last year’s<br />
weather was a bit unusual,<br />
but part of the ups and downs<br />
of farming. He remembers a<br />
drought when he was in junior<br />
high, for example, and a lot of<br />
things in between.<br />
Part of the lifestyle is adapting<br />
to challenges, he noted.<br />
For him, farming is a family<br />
affair, with his wife, two<br />
sons and his dad (technically<br />
retired) helping out. He also<br />
operates Petersen’s Ag Repair.<br />
“I know you go through<br />
cycles,” he said. “You just get<br />
through the hard times and<br />
keep going.”<br />
Early birds didn’t<br />
get the worm<br />
Despite a minor drought,<br />
120 mph winds, early harvest,<br />
and yields, there was one more<br />
variable to add: Markets.<br />
And vary did they ever.<br />
Grain prices have skyrocketed<br />
since August.<br />
“No one would have<br />
guessed in July and August<br />
that markets would have gone<br />
up as much as they have,” said<br />
Ryan Drollette, farm management<br />
specialist with the <strong>Iowa</strong><br />
State Extension Office.<br />
Drollette keeps a close eye<br />
on commodity markets, both<br />
domestic and global, and said<br />
a lot of puzzle pieces fell into<br />
place at the right time.<br />
The United States’ crop<br />
overproduction in previous<br />
years, Drollette said, cooled<br />
demand domestically. However,<br />
the derecho knocked out<br />
enough crop that new-crop<br />
supply diminished, and the<br />
market evened out.<br />
International markets,<br />
though, experienced an uptick<br />
in demand fed by, among other<br />
things, unfavorable growing<br />
weather in Brazil and a movement<br />
in China to significantly<br />
bolster its hog population.<br />
“China had stepped away<br />
for a while, but now they<br />
need us more than ever and<br />
are coming back to the table,”<br />
Bullock said. “It’s looking<br />
pretty good.”<br />
Drollette said this year,<br />
China already has 400 million<br />
bushel of corn slotted for export.<br />
Globally, Drollette said<br />
the USDA expects 2.5 billion<br />
bushel of corn to be export<br />
this year, which is up significantly<br />
from the 1.7 billion<br />
bushels from last year.<br />
The same can be said for<br />
soybeans. Chinese imports of<br />
<strong>Iowa</strong> soybeans have increased<br />
196% in the last several<br />
months, Drollette said. He also<br />
pointed out that the U.S. is<br />
sending millions of bushels of<br />
beans to Mexico, the European<br />
Union, Egypt, Taiwan and<br />
Indonesia, and that U.S. exports<br />
of soybeans are expected<br />
to increase from 3.9 billion<br />
bushels to 4.5 billion bushels<br />
this year.<br />
“For export sales, right now<br />
we are at 2.1 billion bushel<br />
of beans that are slotted to be<br />
exported, compared to last<br />
year at 1 billion. The level of<br />
bushels committed to going<br />
out of the country is tremendous.”<br />
The bottom line is, well, a<br />
positive bottom line — at least<br />
for some.<br />
Producers who waited to<br />
price their corn until late in<br />
the season are reaping the<br />
benefits of that late boon.<br />
Drollette said that dynamic is<br />
not normal.<br />
Bean futures say prices<br />
could eclipse $12 per bushel,<br />
Drollette said. Back in August<br />
they hovered between $8.70<br />
and $9.<br />
“That’s just outstanding,”<br />
he said. n<br />
— Nancy Mayfield contributed<br />
to this report.<br />
Planter Health Checks<br />
Be Ready<br />
When Nature Calls!<br />
We are here for your<br />
planter maintenance,<br />
plant nutrition, and<br />
technology needs.<br />
Soil<br />
Health<br />
Nutrition<br />
Program<br />
Planter<br />
Precision<br />
Hostetler Precision Ag Solutions<br />
Kent Hostetler | (815) 499-7014<br />
24340 150th Street • Maquoketa, IA 52060<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 61
mother nature<br />
Rebuild and Restart<br />
Lee<br />
Crock<br />
Mechanicsville<br />
Lee and Lori Crock<br />
take a quick break<br />
while filling wagons<br />
waiting for semis to<br />
arrive to take the corn.<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong><br />
photo / Ashley<br />
Johnson<br />
After the August derecho decimated<br />
their Mechanicsville farming<br />
operation, the Crock family, along<br />
with some help from friends and<br />
relatives, hunkered down and worked<br />
hard to come back from great losses<br />
BY ashley johnson<br />
eastern iowa farmer<br />
Monday, Aug. 10, began just like<br />
any other Monday – a typical<br />
work day for Lee Crock and<br />
his family as they tended to<br />
livestock on their nearly 2,000-<br />
acre diversified farm operation in Mechanicsville,<br />
nestled in the southwest corner of Jones<br />
County.<br />
Chores completed, they dispersed to take care<br />
of other business.<br />
Your<br />
CORN<br />
Guy<br />
Jeremiah Wiese<br />
Funk’s Frontiersmen<br />
Sales Representative<br />
(563) 593-1904<br />
1-800-267-6489<br />
jrmhwiesefarms@gmail.com<br />
Our Roots Are In Corn.<br />
For over 80 years, the Funk family has been in the seed<br />
business, and their commitment to providing personal<br />
service remains unchanged. Funk’s Frontiersmen provides<br />
seed at a great price for any size operation. The hinge pin of<br />
our success is YOUR success.<br />
Contact Jeremiah to view our vast seed catalog today.<br />
‘‘<br />
Being from Wheatland,<br />
I know what grows in<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong>. Funk’s<br />
Frontiersmen hybrids<br />
will bring you results.<br />
Call me today!”<br />
62 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
Providing Innovative<br />
Financial Services<br />
You need access to capital to grow and thrive.<br />
Financing for major expenses, production and facilities –<br />
Citizens First Bank can serve you.<br />
Banking as it should be.<br />
Pictured: Keith Hook,<br />
Stephen Clements,<br />
Evan Trenkamp,<br />
and Kara Durward.<br />
www.GoCFB.bank<br />
1442 Lincoln Way, Clinton, IA 52732 | 1329 N 2nd St. Clinton, IA 52732 | 403 S Washington Blvd, Camanche, IA 52730
mother nature<br />
In that phone call<br />
Leah’s words<br />
echoed catastrophe,<br />
disaster, and<br />
heartbreak as she<br />
frantically told her<br />
dad, “You won’t<br />
recognize the<br />
place!”<br />
— Leah Crock<br />
Lee headed to town to attend<br />
a few meetings, including<br />
a stop at the local FS office<br />
and the bank, while his wife,<br />
Lori, and oldest son, Luke,<br />
headed to Mt. Vernon. Their<br />
three other children – Lindsay,<br />
Leah, and Logan – stayed<br />
home.<br />
Lee was excited about his<br />
corn crop and felt strongly<br />
about the potential yields he<br />
was going to harvest in the<br />
fall. But, as he sat in his truck<br />
waiting to go into the bank<br />
and tell them his good news,<br />
he noticed the wind picking<br />
up and a tree going down on a<br />
truck nearby.<br />
Within 20 minutes he<br />
received a phone call from his<br />
daughter that will be forever<br />
etched in his mind; one that<br />
will forever change his life,<br />
the landscape of their operation,<br />
and the future of Crock<br />
Farms.<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> photo / ashley Johnson<br />
Lori Crock adds lumber to the pile of junk collected as they combined<br />
the field last fall.<br />
In that phone call Leah’s<br />
words echoed catastrophe,<br />
disaster, and heartbreak as she<br />
frantically told her dad, “You<br />
won’t recognize the place!”<br />
After arriving home, a trek<br />
made challenging by downed<br />
trees and power lines, Lee<br />
recalled he immediately<br />
thought it looked like a “hurricane<br />
went through.”<br />
Turns out he wasn’t wrong.<br />
FOR ALL YOUR REAL ESTATE NEEDS<br />
Live and Online Auctions • Farmland Purchases and Sales • Estimates of Value<br />
➤ Farms<br />
➤ rEsIDENTIaL<br />
➤ aCrEaGEs<br />
➤ COmmErCIaL<br />
Chuck Schwager,<br />
Broker<br />
563-599-4277<br />
125 S. 2nd St.<br />
Maquoketa, Ia<br />
(563) 652-0000<br />
Linda<br />
Bailey<br />
Joe<br />
Veach<br />
eastiowaland.com<br />
Our experienced agents can guide you through the selling<br />
or buying process keeping it as stress free as possible.<br />
“We are people just like you!”<br />
64 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
1945 <strong>2021</strong><br />
Let us heLp<br />
you grow.<br />
For 85 years, Kunau Implement has provided our customers<br />
with the ag and outdoor power equipment you need, when<br />
you need it. Offering brands such as Case, IH, New Holland,<br />
Kubota, Cub Cadet, and more.<br />
We have an award-winning service department to keep your<br />
equipment running right and our experienced staff knows<br />
how to help you find the right machine or part for the job.<br />
From a small store in Miles, <strong>Iowa</strong>, to two state-of-the-art<br />
facilities in Preston and DeWitt, Kunau Implement is<br />
committed to providing our customers with exceptional<br />
products and customer service.<br />
(Above) Original store<br />
in Miles, IA<br />
(Left - both images)<br />
Opening day in<br />
Preston in 1945.<br />
Preston 563.689.3311 | DeWitt 563.659.2866<br />
kunauimplement.com
mother nature<br />
In fact, it was an inland<br />
hurricane called a derecho,<br />
something nobody in <strong>Iowa</strong> or<br />
Jones County had heard of or<br />
even thought of prior to the<br />
storm raging through <strong>Iowa</strong> and<br />
leaving millions of dollars in<br />
damage behind.<br />
In the 45 minutes it took<br />
the storm to pass, the Crock<br />
family suffered well over 1<br />
million dollars in losses as<br />
the storm ravaged nine grain<br />
bins, their machine shed, the<br />
roof to their 1,800-head hog<br />
confinement, parts of their<br />
home, eight other buildings<br />
and one cow, as well as their<br />
entire corn crop that was now<br />
flat and littered with trees, tin,<br />
siding and lumber.<br />
By this point there was no<br />
electricity, and their first concern<br />
was the welfare of their<br />
pigs. Thankfully, they owned a<br />
generator and were able to get<br />
feed and water to the animals<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> photo / ashley Johnson<br />
Shown is a view of the Crock’s corn as it was being combined. In<br />
a typical year corn stands tall in perfect rows. But last year it was a<br />
tangled, flat mess.<br />
that evening.<br />
Their second concern<br />
was the downed trees. They<br />
worked until 10:30 p.m.<br />
cutting, piling and burning,<br />
trying to make light of what<br />
they were really facing. Their<br />
home suffered minor damages,<br />
and they were able to get<br />
a second generator to run it.<br />
By Wednesday power was<br />
restored and lifted a major<br />
burden for Lee as gas was in<br />
short supply.<br />
He recalled federal officials<br />
showing up Tuesday for a<br />
Federal Emergency Management<br />
Agency assessment.<br />
They asked what he needed,<br />
and while it sounded a little<br />
wild at the time, he responded,<br />
“Power and probably a million<br />
dollars to fix everything.”<br />
As he calculated his loses<br />
over the days to come, he<br />
realized one million wasn’t far<br />
off. He lives on his family’s<br />
farm, passed down over generations,<br />
and recalled living<br />
in the home he does now as a<br />
child with his parents.<br />
Both Lee’s and Lori’s had<br />
parents die young, and Lee<br />
relied on his grandparents<br />
for advice and guidance as a<br />
young married farmer. They<br />
lived just down the road. Lee<br />
acquired his grandparents’<br />
farm when his grandpa retired<br />
Pictured: Owner Duane Stickley<br />
The<br />
righT<br />
fiT<br />
for all your<br />
elecTrical<br />
farm needs<br />
563-652-2439<br />
Fax: (563) 652-2430 • 113 Western Ave., Maquoketa, IA<br />
66 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
mother nature<br />
and moved to town, but Lee recalled he<br />
was still helping farm on his 90th birthday.<br />
The Crock family has spent countless<br />
hours working to salvage and restore their<br />
farming operation. Covid-19 has created<br />
a few challenges, but it also presented<br />
opportunity as the boys were quarantined<br />
from high school for the month of<br />
September and helped around the farm<br />
tending to their 150 head Angus herd,<br />
hogs and the crops. The girls helped when<br />
they could; one is a nurse and the other a<br />
full-time college student.<br />
The challenges continued as the<br />
Crocks harvested their corn crop. Their<br />
bins hadn’t been replaced – there was a<br />
severe lack of labor available to install<br />
them – forcing them to contract corn and<br />
sell a majority of their crop to neighbors<br />
because they don’t have storage available<br />
like years past.<br />
All 1,800 acres of their corn and<br />
soybean crop and 700 acres of custom<br />
farmed corn and soybeans were affected,<br />
forcing them to combine with a reel to<br />
help salvage as much corn as possible<br />
from the downed plants.<br />
Lee also was forced to combine east to<br />
west, a very time-consuming job, that was<br />
frequently interrupted for scrap removal.<br />
The harvest crew this year consisted<br />
of Lee in the combine, Lori in the grain<br />
cart, their hired man, Jacob Kirkpatrick,<br />
and a neighbor in the skid loader pulling<br />
out scraps of bin, hog confinement roof<br />
and lumber trying to keep the combine<br />
moving.<br />
With a few days left, Lee noted it was<br />
an exceptionally difficult harvest on the<br />
combine as he replaced eight snoots,<br />
two roller cones, one feeder house chain,<br />
and 12 gathering chains and dislodged<br />
the cross auger, all due to unseen debris<br />
in the field and simply having to run the<br />
corn head so low trying to get as much<br />
of the downed corn as possible. While<br />
the soybeans averaged 50 bushel an acre<br />
yield, the corn suffered significantly. On<br />
average in a typical year corn will be<br />
around 200 bushels to the acre. This year,<br />
Crock averaged 93 bushels to the acre<br />
creating yet another financial downfall.<br />
Another challenge that loomed for the<br />
Crocks was what to do with their cows.<br />
In a normal year, he would combine corn,<br />
bales and cornstalks for bedding, and then<br />
turn cows out in the cornfield to forage<br />
what’s left behind.<br />
Last fall, he decided not to bale in<br />
fields where cows would graze as a means<br />
to prevent bloat, overeating, foundering<br />
and, most importantly, dystocia during<br />
calving next spring as cows will be in better<br />
shape putting more weight on calves<br />
at birth.<br />
After no right or wrong answer or<br />
solution presented itself, he decided to<br />
bring the cows home and feed them corn<br />
silage, get them good and full for a week<br />
or two and then turn them out in hopes of<br />
preventing overeating and bloat, which<br />
could potentially end in the loss of cows.<br />
“I’m concerned about it, but I’m going<br />
to risk it,” Lee said as dry lotting them<br />
simply isn’t an option.<br />
In the days and weeks after the storm<br />
Lee focused on the positive, especially<br />
those family members and friends who<br />
CUSTOM DOZING AND CRANE SERVICE, INC.<br />
When it comes to getting the job done quickly, efficiently and safely — you can count on us!<br />
Not only do we provide bulldozing and excavating services, we have a 30-ton crane for all of your lifting needs.<br />
Call us to see how we can help with your next project on the farm.<br />
Bulldozing,<br />
Excavating<br />
and Crane<br />
Services<br />
Specializing in all types of ag construction including:<br />
• Waterways<br />
• Terraces<br />
• Ponds<br />
• Tree Removal<br />
• Building Demolition<br />
• Stream Bank Stabilization<br />
• Site Prep for Livestock<br />
Facilities<br />
• Rock and Material<br />
Hauling<br />
• Site Prep for<br />
Residential and<br />
Commercial,<br />
New Construction<br />
or Renovation<br />
Family<br />
owned and<br />
operated for<br />
over 25 years<br />
563-488-3323 / 319-721-5183<br />
customdozingandcrane.com<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 67
903 DeWitt St.,Grand Mound<br />
www.legacyinsuranceinc.com<br />
Protecting Your Tomorrow<br />
By Putting People First and<br />
Building Better Relationships<br />
AUTO HOME BUSINESS FARM CROP RENTERS BOAT MOTORCYCLE RV’S<br />
CALL US FOR A QUOTE TODAY: 563-847-2000<br />
Pictured, left to right: Grace Adams, Chris Reed, Mark Schmidt, Kathi Fausnaught, Bryan Herington and Carolyn Heathman.
mother nature<br />
came from near and far, including Ohio,<br />
Oregon, Michigan, Missouri, Illinois and<br />
across the state of <strong>Iowa</strong> and lent a helping<br />
hand.<br />
He had 13 of his relatives show up and<br />
work for three days piling and cleaning up.<br />
A few weeks later more family arrived and<br />
worked, and then 15 more showed up and<br />
made lists and crossed things off, and slowly<br />
home began to look like home again.<br />
“My parents and grandparents shared<br />
this farm with all of our family through<br />
family gatherings and it wasn’t just us that<br />
lost our farm, all our family lost something<br />
in this,” he said.<br />
While the landscape of what was will<br />
probably never be again, it will be home<br />
thanks to the help of so many. Lee somberly<br />
implied how overwhelming and heartbreaking<br />
this storm truly was.<br />
“I don’t really cry, but it was heartbreaking<br />
no doubt and many of us did shed some<br />
tears,” he said. “When you think of what<br />
your dad and grandpa did and built and<br />
it’s all gone in 45 minutes. And then you<br />
are left to think about how to rebuild and<br />
where to start.” n<br />
‘Locking in’<br />
Bellevue Dam collects data for National Weather<br />
Service, tracking air and water temps, rainfall<br />
BY sara millhouse<br />
eastern iowa farmer<br />
It’s 41 degrees Fahrenheit with a<br />
brisk 16 mile-per-hour wind out<br />
of the north on the morning of<br />
Oct. 29 at Bellevue’s Lock and<br />
Dam No. 12.<br />
The steely-grey water is about 41<br />
degrees, too, as the Bernard G pulls in,<br />
headed south.<br />
At the lock, a National Weather<br />
Service unit keeps constant track of<br />
conditions such as air and water temperatures<br />
and rainfall.<br />
“This unit has a satellite transmitter<br />
and receiver, which is how they make<br />
observations in real time,” explained<br />
lockmaster John Mueller.<br />
On the same unit, an anemometer<br />
– a glorified weather vane – measures<br />
wind speed, direction and gusts. A<br />
weight-balanced float measures water<br />
elevation. Called the “river stage,”<br />
this number varies at different stations<br />
along the river, based on sea level.<br />
For Mueller and his coworkers at the<br />
lock, river stage is the measurement<br />
they watch most closely, because it has<br />
a direct impact on their job. If the water’s<br />
high enough, it has a direct impact<br />
on farmers, too.<br />
Each additional percentage of meter accuracy adds 1-2 more bushels per acre!<br />
End of an Era<br />
but the Legacy Continues<br />
Congratulations on<br />
retirement, Alfred!<br />
21 years, 6,500+ meters, a combined<br />
50,000+ bushels added to grower’s yields.<br />
For 21 years, Alfred Casad has calibrated over 6,500<br />
meters giving corn growers the peace of mind that<br />
their meters will deliver an individual corn seed<br />
to the ground every 6 inches. Even though he’s<br />
retiring, his expertise has been passed down to<br />
continue precise work of calibrating seed meters.<br />
Bring your meters in to Spain Ag to ensure your<br />
meters are operating at their peak accuracy, giving<br />
you confidence in your planter’s ability to produce a<br />
picket fence stand.<br />
Pictured with MeterMax<br />
Ultra seed meter test stand are<br />
Bill Forret, Mitchell Schneden,<br />
Alfred Casad and Jason Spain.<br />
This machine calibrates seed<br />
corn meters to your specific<br />
seed corn that you purchased.<br />
We provide nutrient application technologies that<br />
Welton, <strong>Iowa</strong> | 563.212.3345 | jason.spain@plantpioneer.com<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 69
mother nature<br />
John<br />
Mueller<br />
John Mueller,<br />
lockmaster at<br />
Bellevue’s Lock and<br />
Dam No. 12, points<br />
to equipment he and<br />
other employees<br />
there use to keep<br />
track of conditions<br />
for the National<br />
Weather Service.<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong><br />
<strong>Farmer</strong> photo /<br />
Brooke Taylor<br />
Bellevue<br />
If the water’s “over the pan,” the<br />
lock won’t operate, effectively shutting<br />
down barge traffic, including shipments<br />
of grain. Sixty percent of U.S. soybean<br />
exports, and just a hair less of corn<br />
exports, go down the Mississippi River<br />
by barge.<br />
Equally crucial to grain growers,<br />
spring flooding can stall time-sensitive<br />
fertilizer shipments, threatening the<br />
year’s yields. In 2019, flooding and bad<br />
weather slashed profits for ag giants<br />
like Archer Daniels Midland Co. and<br />
DowDuPont, as well as smaller fertilizer<br />
companies and some producers.<br />
The lock at Bellevue was shut down<br />
three times in 2019, following shutdowns<br />
in both 2017 and 2018. Following<br />
the wettest 60 months on record,<br />
2020 looked like more of the same.<br />
“This spring, we had a 95 percent<br />
chance of a record flood,” Mueller said.<br />
“February came, and it was the perfect<br />
conditions for the snow to melt slowly,<br />
and we didn’t have a closure.”<br />
here to work for you!<br />
We specialize in Building Concept & Design and Construction Management<br />
Wick<br />
Buildings®<br />
• Machine Shed<br />
• Crop & Storage<br />
• Workshop<br />
• Livestock<br />
• Dairy<br />
• Solar Barn<br />
Pictured: Ashley River<br />
and Dave River<br />
DavE RIvER<br />
ConstRuCtIon, InC.<br />
Maquoketa, Ia<br />
563.559.0152<br />
Email :<br />
riverracing@hotmail.com<br />
70 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
WE DO IT ALL!<br />
Whether it’s a new addition, a remodel, or renovation, Schueller and Sons<br />
Reconstruction handles every aspect of the project from start to finish.<br />
Leave your worries at the door — we’ve got you covered.<br />
Over 40 years of experience<br />
serving eastern <strong>Iowa</strong> families.<br />
Trust us to build the home or<br />
addition you’ve always wanted.<br />
563-652-2926<br />
schuellerandsonsllc.com<br />
407 E. Platt, Maquoketa, <strong>Iowa</strong><br />
Renovation • Remodeling • new Homes • geneRal ContRaCtoR<br />
Pictured: Paul Geerts, Mike Beyer, Josh Holtz (Homeowner), Pete Schueller,<br />
James Malone, Robert Genaw, and Dylan Hintz.
mother nature<br />
Water levels at Lock and Dam No. 12 and other sites<br />
along the Mississippi River are important to farmers.<br />
If they are too high, the lock won’t operate, effectively shutting<br />
down barge traffic, including shipments of grain.<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> photo / Brooke Taylor<br />
Hillary<br />
Burken<br />
Clinton<br />
As of late 2020, “the river<br />
is finally closer to historic<br />
normal levels,” Mueller said.<br />
It’s unclear if <strong>2021</strong> will bring<br />
more “historic normal” levels,<br />
or if flooding will continue to<br />
become the “new normal.”<br />
Lock and Dam 12 also<br />
maintains the official local<br />
rain gauge for the National<br />
Weather Service. If there’s<br />
a local record rainfall, the<br />
reading is made there. Just to<br />
be on the safe side, workers<br />
double-check precipitation<br />
measurements with a manual<br />
gauge.<br />
“We make sure they<br />
match,” Mueller said.<br />
Lock assistants take manual<br />
readings at 6 a.m. every morning<br />
for yet another database,<br />
using the equipment of the<br />
Army Corps of Engineers,<br />
which operates the lock and<br />
dam. n<br />
Hillary Burken and her<br />
family helped care for<br />
dairy cows from a Cedar<br />
Rapids farm that were<br />
displaced by the derecho.<br />
The Burken’s Blue Hyll<br />
Dairy just outside of<br />
Clinton welcomed about<br />
50 head just hours after<br />
the storm.<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong><br />
<strong>Farmer</strong> photo /<br />
Trevis Mayfield<br />
ANNUAL PRIVATE TREATY BULL SALE<br />
CATALOGS MAILED & SALE STARTS EVERY APRIL 1ST<br />
Power in the Blood!<br />
ADD VALUE TO YOUR NEXT CALF CROP!<br />
Whether you sell your calves at weaning, or finished on the rail,<br />
J.J. Scheckel bulls will add value to your calf crop, through<br />
added pounds and carcass quality. DNA Verified EPD’s.<br />
SAV Emblynette 3005 SAV Resource 1441<br />
Raising cows like this<br />
Raising bulls like this<br />
IDLAND BULL TEST<br />
World’s largest bull test, held in Colombus, Montana<br />
1 ST PLACE - Weight Per Day of Age, Sire Group of 3<br />
2 ND PLACE - Average Daily Gain on Test, Sire Group of 3<br />
3 RD PLACE - Midland Bull Test Index, Sire Group of 3<br />
21582 Hwy 62, Bellevue, <strong>Iowa</strong> | call: 563-872-4112 | email: josh@jjscheckel.com | www. AngusCattleGenetics.com | follow us: JJScheckelAngus<br />
72 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
mother nature<br />
‘We are always<br />
here to help<br />
one another’<br />
When the derecho displaced cows at<br />
a Cedar Rapids-area dairy, the Burken<br />
family welcomed 50 of them, helping<br />
a farmer navigate the impact of a storm<br />
BY jenna stevens<br />
eastern iowa farmer<br />
On the night of<br />
the derecho,<br />
the Burken family<br />
received a call<br />
from a fellow<br />
dairyman in the Cedar Rapids<br />
area.<br />
Ron Franck had lost both<br />
his milking parlor and his<br />
heifer barn, and he was looking<br />
for somewhere to go with<br />
250 head of Holstein cows.<br />
901 Johnson St. SW<br />
Cascade, IA<br />
(563) 852-7559<br />
info@whitefrontfeed.com<br />
Find us on<br />
Facebook<br />
Feedthe<br />
Fields<br />
and they’ll Feed you<br />
Chemicals • Dry & Liquid Fertilizer • Seed • Custom Dry Fertilizer Application • Dry Fertilizer Spreader Rental • Baling Material<br />
Feeding<br />
fields for over<br />
40 years!<br />
Pictured from left to right: Matt Link, Jake Lammers, Jason Kurt, Josh Smith, Bruce Lammers, and Teresa Coons.<br />
on Chemicals, Fertilizer, and<br />
PrePay Discounts Seed for the <strong>2021</strong> Crop Season<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 73
mother nature<br />
“I talked about how<br />
we are a family, and<br />
we do hold each<br />
other up. We are<br />
all together as one<br />
dairy farm.”<br />
— Hillary burken<br />
He knew the Burkens operated Blue Hyll<br />
Dairy, just outside the city limits of Clinton.<br />
Taking on 250 head of cows is no small<br />
matter. Blue Hyll owner Marty Burken told<br />
Franck his dairy simply did not have the space<br />
to house all the cows, but they could probably<br />
accommodate 50 head. The conversation<br />
wrapped up with Franck telling Burken he<br />
appreciated it and would see what he needed<br />
moving forward.<br />
At 2 a.m. the phone rang again. This time it<br />
was a pair of semi drivers wondering where<br />
they could drop off the cows.<br />
“We were confused,” said Hillary Burken,<br />
Marty’s daughter who is a junior at Clinton<br />
High School and also is the Clinton County<br />
Dairy Princess. “We didn’t realize they had<br />
planned to bring the cows to the farm that<br />
night.”<br />
Burken, who has been involved in the<br />
dairy’s operation her whole life, said while<br />
this was not the first time the farm has fostered<br />
cows, it is the largest number of fosters she<br />
remembers.<br />
The Burkens were among many farmers in<br />
<strong>Iowa</strong> who answered the call to house animals<br />
displaced by the Aug. 10 storm that damaged<br />
or destroyed more than 8,300 buildings in<br />
<strong>Iowa</strong>, including livestock barns, and sent calf<br />
huts and other structures hurling through the<br />
air.<br />
The first thing the Burkens did was get the<br />
newly arrived cows into the parlor to get them<br />
milked. After taking care of their immediate<br />
needs, Burken and her father worked until daylight<br />
moving their own cows around to create<br />
pens to house the new animals.<br />
These new cows could not be mixed in with<br />
Burken’s own herd at first because it posed a<br />
biosecurity risk, so they were separated out<br />
and underwent a veterinary check the very<br />
next day. The next morning also brought a<br />
call to the farm’s nutritionist at Agri-King in<br />
Fulton.<br />
“We couldn’t just start feeding the cows our<br />
feed ration,” Burken said. “When you switch<br />
feed on an animal it can cause them to get<br />
sick.”<br />
In the case of dairy cows, the added stress of<br />
new feed on top of a new environment could<br />
also cause a drop in milk production.<br />
“Eventually the farmer from Cedar Rapids<br />
We added a new member to our crew.<br />
What can our Grandpa fix for you?<br />
oil Change, lube & Filter •<br />
tire Sales, Repair •<br />
Wheel alignment •<br />
Engines, transmission Repair •<br />
tune up for Cars and trucks •<br />
auto Sales •<br />
J&S Auto<br />
Specialists<br />
Jeff & Sherry Baker, OwnerS<br />
563-652-6100<br />
401 E. Platt • MaquokEta, Ia<br />
Pictured: J&S Auto owners’<br />
grandkids left to right,<br />
william kirk, addilynn kirk,<br />
Milo Baker and Jackson Baker.<br />
74 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
Contact your local<br />
Wyffels Hybrids<br />
dealer to hear more about<br />
our line of products.<br />
OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE<br />
PHILOSOPHY IS SIMPLE:<br />
GIVE A CARE.<br />
Loren<br />
Truelsen, DSM<br />
563-221-3421<br />
Mark<br />
Miller<br />
563-590-6845<br />
Chris<br />
Matthiesen<br />
563-357-8303<br />
Dave<br />
Boeding<br />
563-343-1460<br />
Shannon<br />
Frazier<br />
563-275-0672<br />
Jim<br />
Holtz<br />
563-593-1150<br />
Not pictured:<br />
Roger Fredricks<br />
563-349-1971<br />
“I<br />
am at Wyffels for one reason—to help corn<br />
growers get the most out of their seed investment.<br />
I'll work to exceed your expectations of trust and<br />
professionalism, and work for the success of your<br />
farm. Part of that promise means helping ensure you find the<br />
highest performing genetics and most advanced trait platform<br />
best suited for your specifc land. Contact me today and we'll set<br />
up a time to find the hybrids best suited for you and your farm.”<br />
— Loren Truelsen, 563-221-3421<br />
Landon<br />
Goettsch<br />
563-370-6360<br />
TO OUR CUSTOMERS, SERVICE MEANS<br />
Small, localized districts with more seed reps in the field for more customer contact.<br />
More visits to your farm every year, not just at the point of sale. Making “customer-first”<br />
decisions and treating our customers the way we would want to be treated.
mother nature<br />
called and explained his ration, and we<br />
were able to get our nutritionist to make a<br />
blend that would slowly transition the cows<br />
over,” she said.<br />
Another hurdle Blue Hyll had to overcome<br />
was testing the lactating cows to<br />
make sure they did not have mastitis.<br />
Mastitis is an infection in the cow’s udder<br />
that, if left untreated, can render the milk<br />
undrinkable. To test for this, Burken took<br />
milk samples from each cow and mixed<br />
them with a regent, a developer that creates<br />
a chemical reaction.<br />
“A couple of the cows did have mastitis,”<br />
she said. “And they had to spend time in<br />
the hospital pen to get treated before they<br />
could go back into the general population.”<br />
After a few weeks, all the issues were<br />
resolved, and the cows adjusted to their<br />
new surroundings.<br />
As of the end of January, Blue Hyll was<br />
still fostering Franck’s cows. His other 200<br />
animals were spread out among different<br />
dairy farms in the area, Burken said.<br />
The plan was for all 250 of Franck’s<br />
cows to be moved to a newly built barn<br />
outside of Ames. Construction is underway,<br />
and Burken expects Blue Hyll will host the<br />
visiting cows until the spring.<br />
In the meantime, Franck’s cows “have<br />
acclimated pretty well with our herd”<br />
Burken said, adding that the cows are<br />
mixed together now.<br />
She said over the years she has connected<br />
with other people in the dairy industry<br />
through conferences and other events, and<br />
the ties run deep. She recalled attending<br />
a dairy conference in Colorado when she<br />
was a freshman in high school. One of the<br />
speakers noted that while dairy farmers are<br />
in competition with each other, they also<br />
are on the same team.<br />
That point struck her enough that she<br />
talked about it as a member of a later panel<br />
discussion. She shared those thoughts with<br />
the audience.<br />
“I talked about how we are a family,<br />
and we do hold each other up. We are all<br />
together as one dairy farm,” she said.<br />
That’s been proven true during the last<br />
six months as many farmers assisted other<br />
farmers post-derecho.<br />
“We are always here to help one another,”<br />
she said. “It’s amazing.” n<br />
Matt<br />
McGuire<br />
Amy and Matt McGuire were<br />
weeks away from completing<br />
a new machine shed on their<br />
farm north of DeWitt when<br />
the derecho destroyed it.<br />
The McGuires planned to<br />
start rebuilding this spring.<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> photo<br />
/ Trevis Mayfield<br />
DeWitt<br />
Practical Strategies<br />
Professional<br />
with<br />
Results<br />
Retirement Savings<br />
Small Business Employer Plans, IRA’s, Roth IRA’s<br />
• Retirement Income Solutions<br />
• Fixed and Variable Annuities<br />
• Long Term Care Planning/Insurance<br />
• Life Insurance<br />
• Medicare supplemental/Prescription Drug Plans<br />
Tricia Holdgrafer, Agent, CPA, RICP ®<br />
New York Life Insurance Company<br />
Registered Representative offering securities through NYLife Securities, LLC<br />
Member FINRA/SIPC<br />
A Licensed Insurance agency and a New York Life Co.<br />
110 N. Riverview • Bellevue, <strong>Iowa</strong> • 563-872-3402 office • 563-543-7129 cell<br />
76 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
mother nature<br />
In the path of destruction<br />
Just weeks away from<br />
completion, machine shed<br />
leveled by derecho in mere<br />
minutes, wreaking havoc on<br />
equipment and nearby fields<br />
BY Beth Lamp<br />
eastern iowa farmer<br />
Matt McGuire started<br />
building a machine shed<br />
on his farm just north of<br />
DeWitt last May, with<br />
plans for construction to<br />
be completed before September.<br />
By early August, the 70-foot by 160-foot<br />
building’s frame, roof and sides were finished.<br />
All that was missing was the door.<br />
Come<br />
on in.<br />
Take a load off<br />
and enjoy your<br />
shopping experience!<br />
If it’s “Meant To Be” you will find it here!<br />
810 6th Ave.,<br />
DeWitt, IA<br />
563-659-1429<br />
Kevin & Lisa Duffy<br />
Lisa and her friendly staff can help you find the perfect<br />
decor to brighten your home and usher in the sunshine.<br />
Find us on<br />
Facebook<br />
meanttobewithflowers.com<br />
Pictured: Owner Lisa Duffy<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 77
mother nature<br />
“It is like when a kid<br />
over-inflates a balloon and<br />
it bursts. There was a big<br />
open door and nowhere<br />
for the air to escape.<br />
Eventually, it lifted the roof<br />
off, and the winds took the<br />
rest of the building.”<br />
— Matt McGuire<br />
When a derecho swept through <strong>Eastern</strong><br />
<strong>Iowa</strong> on Aug. 10 with hurricane-force<br />
winds, that missing door proved fateful.<br />
McGuire was at his job as a loan officer<br />
at First Central State Bank in DeWitt Aug.<br />
10 when he noticed the weather changing.<br />
Outside, the clouds darkened, and wind<br />
speeds climbed to more than 80 mph.<br />
At home his wife, Amy, looked out the<br />
window and saw the newly built shed’s<br />
roof had blown off and landed in their<br />
bean field.<br />
Without a door, the wind made its way<br />
inside the structure but had nowhere to go.<br />
“It is like when a kid over-inflates a<br />
balloon and it bursts,” McGuire said.<br />
“There was a big open door and nowhere<br />
for the air to escape. Eventually, it lifted<br />
the roof off, and the winds took the rest of<br />
the building.”<br />
McGuire was one of many farmers in<br />
<strong>Iowa</strong> who suffered losses as a result of the<br />
storm that ravaged grain bins, livestock<br />
barns and machine sheds, leaving heavy<br />
debris scattered in fields that had yet to be<br />
harvested.<br />
Millions of acres of crops in <strong>Iowa</strong>, mostly<br />
corn, were damaged by being blown flat.<br />
In all, the <strong>Iowa</strong> Department of Agriculture<br />
and Land Stewardship put damages near<br />
$4 billion, more than half of the dollar<br />
amount in damages for all the impacted<br />
states.<br />
In <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong>, Cedar, Clinton and<br />
Jones counties saw the heaviest damage<br />
and were designated primary natural<br />
disaster areas along with 15 other counties.<br />
While Dubuque and Jackson counties fared<br />
better, they were among the 24 contiguous<br />
counties also deemed eligible for disaster<br />
relief programs.<br />
Even with all of the destruction, what<br />
impressed McGuire, who’s been farming<br />
the family ground since he was a kid, was<br />
the community support. After the storm<br />
had passed, people came to lend a helping<br />
hand. His neighbors helped him unload<br />
and store beans that had gotten wet and<br />
were starting to swell. They also worked<br />
to uncover the now damaged equipment<br />
that had been buried with the remains of<br />
the building. That list included a couple of<br />
semis, three or four tractors, grain augers<br />
and more, McGuire said.<br />
Call Judie, Chris or Kristi for more information | 563.652.5171<br />
Your Life.<br />
Your Future.<br />
When it comes to protecting<br />
what’s important to your livelihood,<br />
trust the agency that’s been serving<br />
their clients for over 96 years.<br />
John L. Jones,<br />
Catherine<br />
Nissen Jones,<br />
Founder, 1925<br />
The right insurance<br />
with the right service.<br />
nissen-Caven insurance<br />
we’ve been on your team for generations<br />
Donald<br />
Nissen<br />
Owner,<br />
1948<br />
Bob<br />
Caven<br />
Partner,<br />
1966<br />
Chris Nissen<br />
Owner, 1990<br />
1925 <strong>2021</strong><br />
nissencaven.com<br />
78 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
Even with all of the community<br />
support, he faced many challenges,<br />
starting with equipment. After the<br />
storm, he did not know what equipment<br />
worked or what needed to be<br />
fixed, and harvest was beginning.<br />
Tractors and other machinery took<br />
time to repair.<br />
“Everyone came together, and everything<br />
got fixed so it was operational<br />
for harvest. That was so helpful.”<br />
he said. Less urgent repairs – such as<br />
body work on the semis and tractors<br />
– were left until McGuire had more<br />
time over the winter.<br />
After years of housing equipment<br />
in some other family buildings, as<br />
well as at neighbors’ property, Mc-<br />
Guire had looked forward to getting<br />
everything under one roof for the<br />
winter. For now, he is making do.<br />
“We have a couple of pieces sitting<br />
out this winter. It’s not our first<br />
choice, but it’s what we have to do,”<br />
he said.<br />
The last challenge McGuire faced<br />
was the cost of the new building.<br />
mother nature<br />
After the storm, he called his builder<br />
and found that the price of building<br />
materials had increased by 40<br />
percent as a direct result of not only<br />
this storm but of the hurricanes and<br />
wildfires taking place in other parts of<br />
the country.<br />
“I was surprised by the huge jump<br />
in prices since March. In just six<br />
months I was going to have to pay for<br />
almost another half of the building<br />
from what I paid the first time,” he<br />
said.<br />
McGuire’s builder recommended<br />
he hold off a while, predicting that<br />
the prices would start to come down<br />
through the winter and into early<br />
<strong>2021</strong>. That’s what he decided to do.<br />
Plans were to begin buying building<br />
materials in January and February,<br />
with construction to begin in the<br />
spring.<br />
“We are definitely going to rebuild,”<br />
he said.n<br />
— Beth Lamp, a senior at Northeast<br />
High School, is a member of the<br />
CAC Media Group<br />
Derecho damage<br />
➤ The derecho that swept through <strong>Iowa</strong> Aug. 10<br />
is officially the most costly thunderstorm ever in<br />
recorded U.S. history, according to the National<br />
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.<br />
➤ The storm is in the top five of the most<br />
expensive weather events in the United States<br />
last year, surpassing the damages caused by<br />
most hurricanes and tornados, according to a<br />
report by National Public Radio.<br />
➤ Only Hurricane Laura, causing $14 billion in<br />
damage, surpassed it. The derecho has cost<br />
more than $7.5 million in damages including<br />
flattened crops and damage or destruction<br />
to farm structures, homes, businesses and<br />
vehicles.<br />
➤ The line of thunderstorms traveled 770 miles<br />
from South Dakota through Ohio, by way of<br />
central <strong>Iowa</strong>, in 14 hours, bringing sustained<br />
and widespread winds over 100 mph and<br />
cutting power to half a million people, the<br />
NOAA said.<br />
➤ More than 850,000 <strong>Iowa</strong> crop acres were lost,<br />
according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture<br />
The Wheatland Manor Golden Rule:<br />
Treat each resident with respect, dignity, and understanding with which we expect to<br />
be treated; give to each resident the love and kindness which we hope to receive<br />
Wheatland Manor Care Facility is continuing its tradition of top-quality nursing care in its newly expanded,<br />
state-of-the-art facility with an unforgettable rural <strong>Iowa</strong> view. New Private Suites are now available.<br />
Wheatland<br />
Manor care<br />
facility<br />
Shown are (above left to right):<br />
Jean Williams, Leonard Kruckenberg and Carol<br />
Petersen in the great room. (Left top to bottom)<br />
Beautician Kendra Fitzgerald with resident<br />
Helen Soenksen; Activities Director Angela<br />
Bousselot and Mary Cronkleton in the courtyard;<br />
and Judy Coates using the rehab facility.<br />
Call today for a tour 563-374-1295<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 79
mother nature<br />
Gerry<br />
Farrell<br />
Delmar<br />
Retired Delmar<br />
farmer Gerry Farrell<br />
follows the weather<br />
as a hobby these<br />
days. He says you<br />
can never outguess<br />
Mother Nature.<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong><br />
<strong>Farmer</strong> photo /<br />
Trevis Mayfield<br />
CONTACT A MEMBER OF OUR<br />
TEAM TO HELP YOU START<br />
PLANNING YOUR 2020 YEAR<br />
Anthony Miller - Regional Account Manager - 641-529-6260<br />
Brian Bradley - Dealer - 563-599-2515 • Dave Elijah - Dealer - 563-357-8655<br />
Travis Stelken - Regional Account Manager - 563-451-7760<br />
80 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
mother nature<br />
Weather Lore<br />
Listen to the crickets, watch the size of oak leaves,<br />
and read what the almanacs say about weather<br />
prediction; then, say a little prayer, settle back<br />
and enjoy the ride – no matter how hard we try,<br />
Mother Nature always has the upper hand<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> photo courtesy<br />
of Old <strong>Farmer</strong>’s Almanac / almanac.com<br />
“The Old <strong>Farmer</strong>’s Almanac” started<br />
publishing when George Washington<br />
was president. It uses a secret method<br />
for its predictions.<br />
BY jane schmidt<br />
eastern iowa farmer<br />
While Gerry Farrell<br />
enjoys reading “The<br />
<strong>Farmer</strong>’s Almanac”<br />
for entertainment,<br />
the retired Delmar<br />
farmer said he’s always thought that a<br />
calendar is the best tool to determine<br />
when to plant and harvest.<br />
“This is <strong>Iowa</strong>, and it is always hot<br />
and dry in July. We simply farm the<br />
best we can with what we’ve got,” said<br />
Farrell, who comes from a long line of<br />
family members (whose roots were in<br />
Ireland before immigrating to <strong>Eastern</strong><br />
<strong>Iowa</strong>) involved in agriculture.<br />
Farrell – who has his own hobby<br />
weather station at home where he<br />
measures rain, humidity, and wind<br />
velocity – is quite familiar with the<br />
lore surrounding predictions for everything<br />
from when it will rain to when a<br />
drought will hit, but he is sure of one<br />
thing – you can never outguess the<br />
Our team<br />
has you covered!<br />
Luke Bowman<br />
Brian Franzen<br />
At Ohnward Insurance Group, we<br />
understand the long hours our farmers<br />
put in, the increase in costs you face<br />
and even weather challenges.<br />
To meet your needs and help you<br />
succeed, we offer a wide range of<br />
insurance options.<br />
Bellevue/Preston<br />
Veterinary Clinic<br />
563.872.4710<br />
563.689.3121<br />
We’ll be there!<br />
Dr. Chris Paulsen<br />
Dr. Susan Pond<br />
Dr. Paul Bulman<br />
Daron Oberbroeckling Susanne Owen Cathy Ryder<br />
AuTO | HOME | FARM | CROp<br />
BuSInESS | LIFE | HEALTH<br />
www.ohnward.com<br />
Jody Schmidt<br />
1017 6th Avenue,<br />
DeWitt, IA<br />
563.659.2699<br />
107 E. Quarry St.,<br />
Maquoketa, IA<br />
563.652.6937<br />
500 E. LeClaire Rd.,<br />
Eldridge, IA 52748<br />
563.285.2033<br />
Anamosa Silo<br />
Repair, LLC<br />
8827 Esgate Rd.,<br />
Maquoketa, IA<br />
563-652-5125<br />
‣ New Silos & Rebuilt Silos w/new staves door frames & doors<br />
‣ Replasters are hand plastered ‣ Complete Silo Repair & Service<br />
‣ Sales & service on all brands of feeding equipment including ValMetal,<br />
Jamesway, Van Dale, Hanson & Laidig Bottom unloaders<br />
‣ Jamesway (Waste Handlers) manure equipment 4 & 6 wheel tanks,<br />
lagoon pumps, transfer pumps, alley scrapers, stationary, mobile &<br />
vertical mixers<br />
‣ Electric Motor Repair drop off station ‣ Metal Culvert Sales<br />
Visit our website for a complete list of available equipment<br />
www.jameswayfarmeq.com www.valmetal.com<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 81
mother nature<br />
Almanacs use ‘secret formulas’ to predict<br />
weather for more than two centuries<br />
Two weather sources that have remained<br />
a presence in the life of farmers are “The<br />
Old <strong>Farmer</strong>’s Almanac” and “The <strong>Farmer</strong>s’<br />
Almanac,” both claiming 80% or better<br />
accuracy for predicting the weather.<br />
“The Old <strong>Farmer</strong>’s Almanac” premiered<br />
in 1792, during George Washington’s first<br />
term as president, costing 9 cents a copy.<br />
Robert B. Thomas was the first editor, and<br />
although there were other publications forecasting<br />
the weather, the methods used by<br />
“The Old <strong>Farmer</strong>’s Almanac” were shrouded<br />
in secrecy as Thomas gave astronomical<br />
and weather predictions.<br />
His publication when compared with<br />
others was considered to be a little more<br />
accurate, advice found in its pages was a<br />
little more useful, and features were a bit<br />
more entertaining, according to historical<br />
accounts. That has kept “The Old <strong>Farmer</strong>’s<br />
Almanac” in production to this day with its<br />
formula for predicting the weather locked in<br />
a black box at headquarters in Dublin, New<br />
Hampshire, and guarded as a highly secret<br />
method based on magnetic storms on the<br />
surface of the sun.<br />
As founder Robert B. Thomas explained,<br />
“Our main endeavor is to be useful, but with<br />
a pleasant degree of humor.”<br />
“The <strong>Farmer</strong>s’ Almanac” appeared in<br />
1818, claiming to use mathematical and astronomical<br />
formulas that were passed down<br />
and kept secret as well. Its weather prognosticator<br />
goes by the pseudonym Caleb<br />
Weatherbee, and this anonymous person<br />
is the only one who knows the publication’s<br />
formula for weather prediction.<br />
Before “The Old <strong>Farmer</strong>’s Almanac,”<br />
Benjamin Franklin invented the lightning<br />
rod, a metal rod mounted on a structure,<br />
intended to protect it from a lightning strike.<br />
Decades ago, these could be found on every<br />
building, Bonnie Mitchell of the Jackson<br />
County Historical Society. A little-known fact<br />
is that Preston was once the manufacturer<br />
of lightning rods with glass ball insulators.<br />
These are currently considered valuable<br />
collector’s items.<br />
– Jane Schmidt<br />
weather.<br />
Spending the daytime watching<br />
the weather won’t do anything, but<br />
“praying at night” was the best insurance<br />
for a good crop, said Farrell,<br />
whose family’s original homestead<br />
is being farmed by his son, Joe, the<br />
fourth generation.<br />
While such modern technology<br />
as radar offers much more accurate<br />
information to farmers than observing<br />
how close bees stay to their<br />
hives or whether the ants are closing<br />
up their hills (both a predictor of rain<br />
some say), many tidbits passed down<br />
through generations and shared<br />
in various publications are part of<br />
enduring weather lore.<br />
Matt Vickers, a DeWitt farmer<br />
and ag consultant, described a<br />
legend that one just needs to look<br />
at a caterpillar’s coat in the fall – if<br />
black and fuzzy, it warns of an early,<br />
bad winter. If the caterpillar’s coat<br />
is light-colored it predicts a mild<br />
82 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
75 Years<br />
AND STILL GOING STRONG!<br />
Picutred, seated: Tim Clark, Store Owner<br />
and Paul Hardison, Store Manager. Standing<br />
left to right: Dean Clementz, service<br />
technician; Tristian Spooner, delivery<br />
and installation; Lisa Omoyefa, sales;<br />
John Johnson, delivery and installation;<br />
Courtney Anderson, sales; Brandon Hicks,<br />
service department manager; and Jeremy<br />
Lutton, installation and service<br />
Zirkelbach Home Appliances is celebrating 75 years of supplying the<br />
Clinton County area with quality home appliance sales and service.<br />
We have been here doing this since April 1, 1946, when John and Betty<br />
Zirkelbach started as a small business specializing in refrigeration repair.<br />
Since 1946, we have expanded to both sales and service and offer<br />
options for the entire range of kitchen and laundry products. We even offer<br />
LG HDTV options with professional installation available.<br />
(563) 242-6121 | www.zirkelbachs.com | 225 5th Ave S, Clinton<br />
As the years come and go, things change. We do our best to change<br />
along with the demands. We have adapted just like the rest of the world<br />
has even during this pandemic. We offer curbside pick-up and our service<br />
and delivery professionals have adapted to wearing masks and sanitizing<br />
regularly to keep everyone as safe as possible.<br />
This entire year we will be<br />
offering deep discounts so<br />
everyone can help us celebrate!<br />
Our sales staff are factory trained (updated by webinar nowadays) and our<br />
service department has the best resources around to help keep our products<br />
going all year round. Stop in to see us and experience the difference at<br />
Zirkelbach Home Appliances. We do our best to make your life eaZier!!
When you need a<br />
familar face<br />
we’re here for you<br />
Bryan<br />
Herington<br />
We are policy-holder owned and managed by<br />
people who live and work in your community.<br />
We support your local schools,<br />
your local 4-H and FFA groups,<br />
and we support local charities and<br />
non-profit organizations.<br />
Since 1878 we have been insuring<br />
local farms, homes, and acreages.<br />
To learn more or find one of<br />
our local agents visit us at<br />
www.amutualinsurance.com.<br />
angela<br />
HaFner<br />
Kathi<br />
FausnaugHt<br />
grace<br />
adams<br />
ariel<br />
Jacobs<br />
Find us on<br />
Facebook<br />
MiKe<br />
reddersdorF<br />
MarK<br />
scHmidt<br />
carolyn<br />
HeatHman<br />
Grand Mound, IA<br />
563-847-2000
mother nature<br />
winter. Vickers, who works with farmers all over<br />
the Midwest, shared that one farmer has always<br />
said, “By the time the leaves on an oak tree are as<br />
big as a squirrel’s ear, you should have your corn<br />
planted.”<br />
Predicting the temperature is always a guess. No<br />
thermometer? No problem. When predicting the<br />
current temperature, one just needs to listen to the<br />
frequency of a cricket’s chirp, according to author<br />
Tom Moore, a retired meteorologist from The<br />
Weather Channel who has heard numerous tales of<br />
weather lore over more than three decades in the<br />
field. Being a cold-blooded animal, a cricket won’t<br />
chirp until the temperature is a least 55 degrees. A<br />
person can count the number of chirps in 14 seconds<br />
and then add 40. Do this a couple of times to<br />
get a good average, and, according to research, this<br />
calculation is good within one degree about 75% of<br />
the time.<br />
Want to know if wet or dry weather is coming?<br />
Moore shared that one can look for dry weather<br />
ahead if spiders are spinning their webs. Spiders<br />
are sensitive to changes in humidity and increased<br />
humidity causes their webs to break. They are more<br />
likely to spin their webs when dry conditions exist.<br />
Windy weather ahead? John Landers, an Illinois<br />
grain farmer who had local ties, gave the best<br />
Matt Vickers,<br />
DeWitt farmer<br />
description, “It’s windy<br />
enough to blow a rooster<br />
into a jug!” He also was one<br />
who always slept with one<br />
foot uncovered. When asked<br />
why he had this habit, he<br />
explained his big toe could<br />
predict the weather, and<br />
his foot reported to him the<br />
temperature.<br />
Looking at local history,<br />
Bonnie Mitchell of the<br />
Jackson County Historical<br />
Society, shared information<br />
on the Tornado of 1896, a<br />
huge storm traveling 25 miles per hour, passing<br />
south of Lost Nation and Elwood, grazing Delmar,<br />
and making its way through Miles and Teeds<br />
Grove.<br />
It ranged in width from 50 feet to 400 feet. It<br />
was reported by many that chickens were running<br />
around naked as the storm plucked off their<br />
feathers, and pieces of straw were driven through<br />
oak posts. Horses were picked up and carried miles<br />
before being set down in a field where they were<br />
found grazing. One can only guess how the Derecho<br />
of 2020 will be described in the future. n<br />
“By the time<br />
the leaves on<br />
an oak tree<br />
are as big as<br />
a squirrel’s<br />
ear, you<br />
should have<br />
your corn<br />
planted.”<br />
— Matt vickers<br />
Welter Seed<br />
& Honey Co.<br />
Offering the<br />
widest selectiOn<br />
Of seed in the<br />
tri-state area<br />
• Alfalfa<br />
• Pasture Mixes<br />
• Corn<br />
• Soybeans<br />
• Small Grains<br />
• Lawn Seed<br />
• Cover Crops<br />
• Custom Mixes<br />
• Seed for CRP<br />
• Pollinator Mixes<br />
Celebrating<br />
Over 65 Years<br />
in Business!<br />
17724 Hwy. 136 • Onslow, IA • (800) 470-3325<br />
www.welterseed.com<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 85
mother nature<br />
Navigating through<br />
catastrophe<br />
With the help of a generator, pencil and paper,<br />
Grand Mound company assisted farmers<br />
with filing $7 million in claims, repairing<br />
and rebuilding in storm’s aftermath<br />
BY Nancy Mayfield<br />
eastern iowa farmer<br />
Mark Schmidt had<br />
taken a vacation day<br />
on Aug. 10 when<br />
a derecho swept<br />
across parts of the<br />
Midwest. A look at the radar early in<br />
the day made him uneasy about the<br />
severity of the storm that might be<br />
coming, but he hoped it would die<br />
down before it reached <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong>.<br />
Later that afternoon, he watched as<br />
a tree across the road from his house<br />
fell, taking out electrical lines.<br />
“I knew then that it was going to<br />
be really bad,” said Schmidt, president<br />
of American Mutual Insurance<br />
Association in Grand Mound. The<br />
weather system that traveled 770<br />
miles between South Dakota and<br />
Ohio over 14 hours was the costliest<br />
thunderstorm in U.S. history,<br />
SERVICE beyond<br />
EXPECTATION<br />
When you need a realtor, we provide accurate abstracting to ensure a smooth<br />
closing. When you need a lender, we have a full array of services to assist you.<br />
When you need an attorney, we can provide accurate title evidencing to advise<br />
clients through the real estate transaction. We’re here to help you with every step.<br />
ABSTRACT & TITLE<br />
Guaranty Company<br />
Abstract & Title Guaranty Company is a full service title company<br />
providing property information for Clinton and Jackson Counties including<br />
title reports and abstracts of title, flood zone certificates, UCC searches,<br />
personal lien searches, criminal searches and escrow closing services.<br />
• Abstracting<br />
• Oral Lien Search<br />
• Written Lien Search<br />
• Written Lien Search<br />
– Extended<br />
• Pre-foreclosure Search<br />
• Personal and Criminal<br />
Lien Search<br />
• Title Search<br />
• Title Guaranty<br />
Form 900<br />
• Update Report<br />
• Title Guaranty<br />
Form 901<br />
• UCC Searches<br />
• Escrow Closing<br />
Services<br />
• Flood Zone Certificates<br />
326 5TH AVENUE SOUTH | CLINTON, IA<br />
563-243-2027<br />
WWW.ABSTRACTCO.COM<br />
115 SOUTH 2ND STREET | MAQUOKETA, IA<br />
563-652-5177<br />
86 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
mother nature<br />
Mark<br />
Schmidt<br />
Grand Mound<br />
Mark Schmidt sits in the control room of<br />
American Mutual Insurance Association<br />
in Grand Mound where the generator that<br />
powered the firm’s work after the derecho<br />
stands at the ready. The generator powered<br />
the company’s server and phone system as<br />
it handled hundreds of claims from clients<br />
after the Aug. 10 storm. On the desk beside<br />
Schmidt is the paperwork on each claim that<br />
was taken by hand until employees were able<br />
to enter them into the computer system.<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> photo / Trevis Mayfield<br />
according to the National Oceanic and<br />
Atmospheric Administration, causing<br />
more than $7 billion in damage. Central<br />
<strong>Iowa</strong> along Highway 30 was the epicenter,<br />
bearing the brunt of the impact.<br />
When the winds subsided, Schmidt<br />
jumped in his truck and headed to the<br />
office. An employee called to tell him the<br />
building was without power so he had<br />
someone go to a local store to get one of<br />
the last large generators.<br />
“When I finally got the power running<br />
the next morning, it was about 7 a.m. We<br />
had the server up and the phone systems<br />
going, and then the phones started ringing.<br />
All four lines lit up, and it was that way<br />
for what seemed like days,” Schmidt said.<br />
The company filed 495 claims – representing<br />
about 27% of its policy holders<br />
– from that single storm and paid out<br />
close to $7.8 million to local farmers and<br />
homeowners whose grain bins, livestock<br />
barns, machine sheds, homes and more<br />
were damaged or destroyed by hurricane-force<br />
winds.<br />
FCSAMERICA.COM<br />
AGRICULTURE<br />
REQUIRES HARD<br />
WORK AND A<br />
LENDER WHO<br />
WORKS HARD<br />
FOR YOU.<br />
As a customer-owned lender,<br />
your success is our success.<br />
That’s why we share ways to<br />
save money, offer tools that add<br />
convenience and programs to<br />
help find profit. No other lender<br />
works like us.<br />
Call 800-884-FARM to<br />
learn more.<br />
16294<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 87
FARMERS AT HEART ®<br />
DOING WHAT’S<br />
RIGHT FOR<br />
FARMERS. AT<br />
OUR CORE,<br />
THAT’S WHO<br />
WE ARE.<br />
OUR CULTURE IS<br />
WHAT SETS US<br />
APART.<br />
BECK’S SEED ADVISOR<br />
MATT GERLACH<br />
563.249.4871<br />
SCHMIDT AG SERVICES<br />
MIKE SCHMIDT<br />
563.522.2300<br />
SCHMIDT AG SERVICES<br />
JOSH SPAIN<br />
563.522.2300<br />
MAQUOKETA FEEDS<br />
CAITLIN DENGER<br />
563.652.4981<br />
Our employees and local<br />
dealer are the heartbeat of<br />
our company.<br />
KRMAER SEEDS<br />
MARTY KRAMER<br />
563.542.4410<br />
IMPACT AGRONOMY<br />
TYLLER BRASWELL<br />
563.723.2403<br />
KRAY SEED LLC<br />
PARKER KRAY<br />
319.480.8222<br />
88 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
mother nature<br />
“We got more claims in one day than we’ve<br />
ever had in one day in the history of the company,<br />
and that’s 142 years,” Schmidt said of<br />
the policyholder-owned company with almost<br />
1,800 clients in 10 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> counties,<br />
including Cedar, Clinton, Dubuque, Jackson<br />
and Jones.<br />
To put the derecho’s impact into context, for<br />
the entirety of 2016 to 2019 American Mutual<br />
paid a total of 548 claims that totaled $3.8<br />
million.<br />
As calls poured in from frazzled customers,<br />
Schmidt and his eight employees jumped into<br />
action with their disaster plan. Everyone, no<br />
matter what their job, took phone calls, and<br />
did things the old-fashioned way – filling out a<br />
paper form with the caller’s name, location, and<br />
damage sustained and assigning a priority level<br />
based on that damage.<br />
“Luckily, we had implemented a plan earlier<br />
in the year for COVID for people to work<br />
remotely, so five of the eight employees had<br />
laptops,” he said. They were able to charge two<br />
laptops at a time because that’s all the generator<br />
could handle in addition to the server and the<br />
phones.<br />
Most of the firm’s outside agents were impacted<br />
by the storm as well and were without<br />
power and couldn’t be reached by clients for<br />
a time. Those calls came to the Grand Mound<br />
office too.<br />
Then it was a matter of entering the claims<br />
into the system and assigning them to adjusters.<br />
“We had one full-time claims adjuster in the<br />
office, and there was no way he could handle<br />
this many claims,” Schmidt said, adding that<br />
one adjuster might take months to handle 100<br />
claims. An agent in the office with 18 years<br />
past experience as an adjuster was reassigned<br />
job duties, and third-party adjusters also were<br />
hired.<br />
“You can’t staff for a once-in-a-lifetime<br />
event and that is exactly what we were facing,”<br />
he said, adding that he and his staff appreciate<br />
the patience of their customers.<br />
“There simply was not enough adjusters in<br />
the United States to handle all the disasters<br />
going on at the same time,” he said, noting that<br />
hurricanes in the south and wildfires in the west<br />
contributed to the stress on the supply-and-demand<br />
chain across the nation.<br />
Besides a shortage of adjusters, materials and<br />
contractors also were scarce as farmers faced<br />
heading into the colder months with temporary<br />
“We got more<br />
claims in one day<br />
than we’ve ever<br />
had in one day in<br />
the history of the<br />
company, and<br />
that’s 142 years.”<br />
— Mark Schmidt<br />
Join a community that<br />
feels like family<br />
assisted Living<br />
memory care<br />
closer care<br />
Our community is focused<br />
on bringing our residents<br />
fulfillment and joy through rich<br />
experiences, great service, and the<br />
right amount of support and care.<br />
Our caregivers are eager to<br />
welcome you or your loved one home.<br />
205 Ehlers Lane, maquoketa 563-652-2125 www.cloverridgeplace.net<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 89
mother nature<br />
repairs to get by until permanent work<br />
could be done.<br />
“It was a perfect storm in the middle of<br />
a pandemic that created a real shortage of<br />
resources,” Schmidt said,<br />
“I hope I never see anything like it again<br />
in my career, but I also know that when it<br />
happens again, we will be ready. Many of<br />
our employees were new to the industry in<br />
the last five years. One employee asked if it<br />
was always like this after a storm,” he said.<br />
“Thankfully it’s not, but I also know this<br />
experience not only shows us what we are<br />
capable of as a team but what we need to<br />
do to improve the process the next time.”<br />
He’s looking in to a whole-building<br />
generator, and the staff is discussing how<br />
to streamline processes and handle more<br />
claims if the need should ever arise.<br />
Meanwhile, the company continues to<br />
work with its clients on dealing with the<br />
aftermath of the derecho, Schmidt said<br />
“Being able to help people when there<br />
is loss is why we exist, and we won’t stop<br />
working until every claim is settled, and we<br />
get everyone back on their feet,” he said. n<br />
Marty<br />
Murrell<br />
Shown above, this<br />
weather station transmits<br />
information to a monitor in<br />
Marty Murrell’s home.<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong><br />
photos / Trevis Mayfield<br />
Charlotte<br />
From his rural Charlotte home, weather observer<br />
Marty Murrell is one of the volunteers around the<br />
state who provide information used for forecasts.<br />
Here he poses on a 7-degree day with an instrument<br />
that measures precipitation.<br />
Your Complete HeavY DutY repair SHop<br />
Complete diagnostic service of all makes and models!<br />
and<br />
Pictured left to right:<br />
Blaine Long<br />
Ashley Hopper — ASE Master Certified<br />
Ryan Jones<br />
Sarah Beuthien<br />
Matt Beuthien - ASE Master Certified<br />
563.374.3500<br />
1129 Hwy. 30, Wheatland, <strong>Iowa</strong><br />
rpj@fbcom.net<br />
90 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
mother nature<br />
Weather observation:<br />
not a spectator sport<br />
After he moved to a farmhouse atop<br />
a hill, Charlotte man began to track<br />
current conditions to help with forecasting<br />
BY sara millhouse<br />
eastern iowa farmer<br />
<strong>Farmer</strong>s have always kept<br />
one eye on the clouds, but<br />
nowadays, they’re checking<br />
the National Weather<br />
Service website, Weather<br />
Underground’s app or the radar tracker<br />
of a local television station, too.<br />
Grumbling about the meteorologists’<br />
mess-up is still a favorite<br />
pastime. However, weather forecasts<br />
have gotten a lot better than they used<br />
to be.<br />
Five-day weather predictions now<br />
are as accurate as one-day forecasts<br />
were in 1980, reports the journal<br />
Science. Seven-day forecasts are now<br />
correct about 80% of the time, and<br />
five-day forecasts have 90% accuracy<br />
rates, according to the National<br />
“It’s your space”<br />
Celebrating<br />
20 Years<br />
IN busINess<br />
Call me today for a tour<br />
April McFall, Executive Director 563-242-1010<br />
Have it your way!<br />
Enclosed garage<br />
available with every<br />
home along with<br />
many other luxurious<br />
amenities for those<br />
55 and older — for<br />
less than $2 per<br />
square foot!<br />
Regency<br />
Retirement<br />
Residence of Clinton<br />
839 13th Avenue North • Clinton, <strong>Iowa</strong> 52732 www.regencyofclinton.com<br />
SPRING<br />
SPECIAL!<br />
We will pay<br />
your first<br />
$1,000<br />
*Some restrictions may apply<br />
*Offer good thru May 31, <strong>2021</strong><br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 91
mother nature<br />
Keeping an eye on things<br />
Cooperative Observers: The backbone<br />
of our nation’s weather data.<br />
National Weather Service<br />
observers have stations at approximately<br />
25-mile increments<br />
throughout the United States. This<br />
historic volunteer program involves<br />
more than 12,000 people. Openings<br />
are available in an area when<br />
a participant leaves the program.<br />
Most observers track high and low<br />
temperatures and precipitation.<br />
Equipment is installed and maintained<br />
by the Weather Service.<br />
Storm Spotters: Eyes on the<br />
sky when the weather gets bad.<br />
The National Weather Service<br />
Quad Cities office is expected to<br />
hold Storm Spotter training online<br />
this spring. Watch local media and<br />
check with the National Weather<br />
Service Quad Cities office for<br />
details. After completing training,<br />
the National Weather Service may<br />
call for storm spotters to make<br />
observations in the case of floods<br />
or other severe weather.<br />
CoCoRaHS: How much wet<br />
stuff? Community Collaborative<br />
Rain, Hail & Snow Network is a<br />
network of volunteers around the<br />
country who report precipitation<br />
data used by the National Weather,<br />
meteorologists, agronomists<br />
and others. Observers buy a standardized<br />
rain gauge, go through<br />
a training and report precipitation<br />
daily, as they’re able. This program<br />
has the greatest need for additional<br />
local participants, according to<br />
Tim Gross of the National Weather<br />
Service Quad Cities office.<br />
– Sara Millhouse<br />
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.<br />
Weather forecasts and warnings depend on<br />
satellite imagery, in conjunction with real-time<br />
reports from observers on the ground. If you’re<br />
inclined to check your rain-gauge as often as you<br />
brush your teeth, you might want even want to<br />
get involved.<br />
Official observations are only part of the big<br />
weather picture, however. Shading in the details<br />
are local weather observers in our communities.<br />
Marty Murrell started reporting weather observations<br />
after he moved to a windblown 1920s<br />
farmhouse at the top of a hill by Charlotte.<br />
“I thought, there’s got to be a lot of pretty cool<br />
weather up in this place,” he said. “It’s pretty<br />
desolate.”<br />
Murrell lives in “Joe Brown’s old place,” as<br />
those in Charlotte know it. On Weather Underground,<br />
you can look up “Joe Brown’s station”<br />
to see current conditions at Murrell’s personal<br />
weather station.<br />
Besides Weather Underground, Murrell reports<br />
precipitation daily for Community Collaborative<br />
Rain Hail & Snow network (CoCoRaHS),<br />
a nonprofit that started in Colorado and now has<br />
thousands of volunteer precipitation observers.<br />
The National Weather Service and others use<br />
PROTECTION FOR<br />
YOUR FARM.<br />
AND YOUR<br />
FARM’S FUTURE.<br />
You’ve got big plans<br />
for the future and<br />
at American Family<br />
Insurance, we<br />
understand what it<br />
takes to make your<br />
dream a reality.<br />
Let’s talk about<br />
the protection<br />
your dream<br />
deserves.<br />
Pictured: Sandy Kloos<br />
with her family — Alen,<br />
Larson and Olivia.<br />
Sandy Kloos, Agent<br />
108 E Platt St<br />
Maquoketa, IA 52060<br />
Bus: (563) 652-4554<br />
skloos@amfam.com<br />
American Family Mutual Insurance Company, S.I. & Its Operating Companies, American Family Insurance Company, 6000 American Parkway,<br />
Madison, WI 53783 ©2019 016630 – 04/19 – 12827974<br />
92 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
mother nature<br />
“If nothing else, people<br />
need to be aware of<br />
the weather for their<br />
own health and safety.<br />
The National Weather<br />
Service doesn’t issue<br />
warnings just for fun,<br />
and it’s good for people<br />
to understand them.”<br />
— Marty Murrell<br />
Convenience<br />
Osterhaus<br />
Pharmacy<br />
CoCoRaHS data to forecast floods, hail,<br />
storms and more.<br />
Reporting every morning only takes a<br />
couple minutes, Murrell said. Furthermore,<br />
as a volunteer, he isn’t obligated to report<br />
anything. CoCoRaHS encourages reporting<br />
even when there’s no rainfall, but you can report<br />
multiday totals when you’re busy. Some<br />
snowbird observers skip the winter months<br />
entirely.<br />
Murrell said it’s easy to play a small part<br />
in weather reporting.<br />
“I’m not a weather geek like I read a lot of<br />
people are,” he said. “It’s just something to<br />
do and help a good cause, for both the weather<br />
service and CoCoRaHS.”<br />
Murrell is also a trained storm spotter<br />
with the National Weather Service. If you’re<br />
tempted to chase storms on your own, consider<br />
putting that adrenaline to good use.<br />
“For somebody to do that willy-nilly is<br />
pretty crazy really,” Murrell said. “You need<br />
to know where to position yourself. Directly<br />
in line isn’t going to give you a good view.<br />
On the sides or back side is a better vantage<br />
point.”<br />
As a spotter, Murrell has also been called<br />
in any style!<br />
At your locally owned pharmacy, we care about keeping you safe.<br />
The Covid-19 pandemic has made every day errands more difficult,<br />
but now you can use our easy drive-up window to pick up your<br />
prescriptions and talk to our pharmacists without ever leaving your<br />
vehicle — no matter what you drive!<br />
We care<br />
about<br />
your health!<br />
918 W. Platt • Maquoketa • 652-5611 or 1-800-224-5611<br />
to report on local flooding.<br />
Though Murrell was stuck at the office<br />
for August’s derecho, the windstorm was<br />
a devastating reminder for many to heed<br />
quickly-changing weather warnings.<br />
“If nothing else, people need to be aware<br />
of the weather for their own health and<br />
safety,” Murrell said. “The National Weather<br />
Service doesn’t issue warnings just for fun,<br />
and it’s good for people to understand them.”<br />
The National Weather Service typically<br />
holds storm spotter training in the spring.<br />
Keep an eye on local media for announcements.<br />
Another way to get involved is by joining<br />
the Coop program, explains meteorologist<br />
Tim Gross of the National Weather Service.<br />
These volunteer “cooperative observers”<br />
record temperature, precipitation and other<br />
weather data at approximately 25-mile<br />
increments across the U.S., using equipment<br />
installed and maintained by the National<br />
Weather Service.<br />
The program dates to 1890 and includes<br />
families that have been participants since it<br />
Pictured: Gary Drew using the<br />
drive through at Osterhaus Pharmacy.<br />
Meeting him outside is Matt Osterhaus.<br />
Jessie Johnson, Matt Osterhaus, Connie Connolly, Marilyn Osterhaus,<br />
Tammy Bullock, Angie Spannagel, and Amy Dunleavy<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 93
mother nature<br />
way of life.<br />
Kara Howe, Agent<br />
Jeff Reed, Agent<br />
1801 Lincoln Way<br />
826 S. 4th Street<br />
Clinton, IA 52732<br />
Clinton, IA 52732<br />
Bus: 563-242-3400<br />
Bus: 563-243-1060<br />
kara@myclintonagent.com<br />
jeff@jeffreedinsurance.com<br />
ard to help you protect your farm, with coverage from State Farm ®<br />
enough to meet all your farm and auto insurance needs. Your local<br />
ere to help. Let’s talk today.<br />
Kara Howe, Agent<br />
We’ll work hard to help you protect your 1801 farm, Lincoln with Way coverage from State Farm ®<br />
that’s broad enough to meet all your farm<br />
Clinton,<br />
and<br />
IA<br />
auto<br />
52732<br />
insurance needs. Your local<br />
Bus: 563-242-3400<br />
agents are here to help. Let’s talk kara@myclintonagent.com<br />
today.<br />
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, State Farm Indemnity Company,<br />
State Farm Fire and Casualty Company, State Farm General Insurance Company, Bloomington, IL<br />
State Farm Florida Insurance Company, Winter Haven, FL<br />
1708172.1 State Farm County Mutual Insurance Company of Texas, State Farm Lloyds, Richardson, TX<br />
Jeff Reed, Agent<br />
826 S. 4th Street<br />
Clinton, IA 52732<br />
Bus: 563-243-1060<br />
jeff@jeffreedinsurance.com<br />
Relax, Refresh<br />
and Recharge<br />
began.<br />
“The Cooperative Program<br />
Here for your<br />
is one of the most extraordinary<br />
services ever developed,<br />
netting the public more per<br />
way Here of life. for your<br />
dollar expended than any other<br />
government service in the<br />
world,” then-Secretary of Agriculture<br />
Henry Wallace told<br />
way of life.<br />
President Franklin Roosevelt<br />
in 1933.<br />
If you’re considering joining<br />
up as a weather observer,<br />
the greatest need locally is for<br />
We’ll work hard to help you protect your farm, with coverage from State Farm ®<br />
more CoCoRaHS volunteers,<br />
that’s broad enough to meet all your farm and auto insurance needs. Your local<br />
agents<br />
We’ll<br />
are here<br />
work<br />
to help. Let’s<br />
hard<br />
talk today.<br />
to help you protect your Gross said. There’s a gap in<br />
farm, with coverage from State Farm® regular CoCoRaHS observers<br />
in Jackson County, for<br />
that’s broad enough to meet all your farm example.<br />
re<br />
We’ll work hard to help protect farm, with coverage from State Farm<br />
and<br />
for<br />
auto ®<br />
CoCoRaHS volunteers go<br />
that’s<br />
insurance<br />
your<br />
broad enough to<br />
needs.<br />
meet all Your<br />
farm and<br />
local<br />
auto insurance needs. Your<br />
through<br />
local<br />
simple training and<br />
agents are help. Let’s talk today.<br />
agents are here to help. Let’s talk today. use standardized, affordable<br />
gauges, but their small observations<br />
can have a big effect.<br />
y of Here life. for your<br />
“Your reports of hail or<br />
heavy rain may trigger the<br />
NWS to issue severe thunderstorm<br />
or flash flood warnings,”<br />
CoCoRaHS explains<br />
on their website. “In cases of<br />
extreme localized storms, your<br />
local report could help save<br />
lives.”<br />
<strong>Farmer</strong>s who are already<br />
keeping a close eye on precipitation<br />
can use data on their<br />
farm to help other producers<br />
around the country effectively<br />
plan field days, planting,<br />
harvesting and more.<br />
“<strong>Farmer</strong>s are very astute<br />
weather-wise because their<br />
livelihood depends upon it,”<br />
said National Weather Service<br />
meteorologist Brian Pierce.<br />
“It’s… legalized gambling.”<br />
Weather observations on<br />
the ground can improve the<br />
odds of that gamble for fellow<br />
farmers. To get involved, go to<br />
www.cocorahs.org or contact<br />
Gross at the National Weather<br />
Service, Quad Cities, office. n<br />
Kara Howe, Agent<br />
1801 Lincoln Way<br />
Clinton, IA 52732<br />
Bus: 563-242-3400<br />
kara@myclintonagent.com<br />
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, State Farm Indemnity Company,<br />
State Farm Fire and Casualty Company, State Farm General Insurance Company, Bloomington, IL<br />
State Farm Florida Insurance Company, Winter Haven, FL<br />
1708172.1 Kara Howe, Agent State Farm County Mutual Insurance Jeff Company Reed, Agent of Texas, State Farm Lloyds, Richardson, TX<br />
1801 Lincoln Way<br />
826 S. 4th Street<br />
Clinton, IA 52732<br />
Clinton, IA 52732<br />
Bus: 563-242-3400<br />
Bus: 563-243-1060<br />
kara@myclintonagent.com<br />
jeff@jeffreedinsurance.com<br />
Jeff Reed, Agent<br />
826 S. 4th Street<br />
Clinton, IA 52732<br />
Bus: 563-243-1060<br />
jeff@jeffreedinsurance.com<br />
Set on 200 wooded acres, we are a rustic resort just miles<br />
from a timber reserve, Maquoketa Caves State Park<br />
and two nearby ski resorts. Homey cottages feature<br />
kitchenettes, fireplaces, whirlpool tubs, BBQ grills, TVs<br />
and DVD players. Amenities include a fishing pond and<br />
a 6-hole golf course, plus air-conditioning.<br />
whisperingmeadowsresortia.com<br />
1708172.1<br />
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, State Farm Indemnity Company,<br />
State Farm Fire and Casualty Company, State Farm General Insurance Company, Bloomington, IL<br />
State Farm Florida Insurance Company, Winter Haven, FL<br />
State Farm County Mutual Insurance Company of Texas, State Farm Lloyds, Richardson, TX<br />
34580 100th St. • Spragueville, <strong>Iowa</strong> • (563) 357-3784<br />
whisperingmeadows@yahoo.com<br />
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, State Indemnity Company,<br />
94 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com<br />
e Farm Fire and Casualty Company, State Farm General Insurance Company, Bloomington, IL<br />
State Farm Florida Insurance Company, Winter Haven, FL<br />
tate Farm County Mutual Insurance Company of Texas, State Farm Lloyds, Richardson, TX
Let’s get<br />
to work!<br />
Our ServiceS:<br />
➤ Rock & Lime Quarry<br />
➤ Topsoil (pulverized and non)<br />
➤ Compost<br />
➤ Concrete work<br />
➤ Trucking<br />
➤ Snow removal<br />
agriculture lime & rock quarry<br />
Trucking<br />
A Dan Arensdorf<br />
Construction, Inc.<br />
company<br />
Rock Quarry<br />
& Ag Lime Application<br />
Whether you’re tending to your soil or<br />
building a roadway, driveway, setting<br />
a culvert, or anything in between, our<br />
family has been delivering the hard<br />
stuff you need for more than 60 years.<br />
call today and we’ll deliver what you need!<br />
563-773-8999
A farming future<br />
is worth the sacrifice<br />
By JENNA STEVENS<br />
Ag in the Classroom<br />
Coordinator<br />
Clinton County Farm Bureau<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER<br />
Future is<br />
Still on the Farm.”<br />
If you have a<br />
DeWitt Central FFA<br />
“America’s<br />
member living in<br />
your house or you have seen them<br />
around town, this phrase might look<br />
familiar to you. That is because it is<br />
the slogan selected to represent the<br />
FFA chapter on the back of this year’s<br />
t-shirts. Why? Because of a conversation<br />
that was had by the officer team at<br />
their summer retreat. That conversation<br />
brought up the importance of production<br />
agriculture and how traditional<br />
practices will continue to serve us in<br />
the future.<br />
Agriculture is many things: it is innovation,<br />
it is progress, it is technology,<br />
but most importantly it is farming.<br />
You see, agriculture no longer must<br />
mean green tractors or faded blue overalls.<br />
The term can be used to describe a<br />
roof-top garden in New York City or an<br />
urban chicken coop in California. And<br />
yes, it is all these things; but, the bulk<br />
of production agriculture still happens<br />
here in the finishing barn down the road<br />
or in the combine that I am watching<br />
cross our field as I type this sitting on<br />
my porch.<br />
More than that though, America’s<br />
future is still on the farm because the<br />
farm is what makes up the core of agriculture,<br />
and the people who embrace<br />
this lifestyle are people whose values<br />
need to be included in the future. The<br />
values we find in the farming community<br />
are values like determination,<br />
sacrifice, and faith, things that put into<br />
perspective what is really important.<br />
If you have ever lived with a farmer<br />
during January, you know the face of<br />
determination. It is the soaked coveralls<br />
and frozen hands as he works to unthaw<br />
a cattle waterer after an ice storm<br />
or the sleep that gets sacrificed during<br />
harvest season because the daylight<br />
hours were spent changing out broken<br />
belts.<br />
These are not the fun parts of farming.<br />
I do not know of a single farmer<br />
who considers cleaning up after an ice<br />
storm a good time, but these are the<br />
things that make us resilient, and that is<br />
something our future desperately needs.<br />
Society makes it easy to quit. Quit<br />
the team if you don’t like the coach,<br />
quit your job if you don’t like your<br />
boss, and yet our farmers who fight<br />
against weather and markets and breakdowns,<br />
who have every reason to quit,<br />
don’t.<br />
This is why America’s future continues<br />
to be on the farm. Because farmers<br />
are people who continue to show up<br />
and work an honest day. They are also<br />
the ones teaching the next generation<br />
how to care for their land and livestock<br />
and how to take responsibility for<br />
things beyond themselves.<br />
Farm kids are a dwindling population,<br />
and yet the ones still around<br />
defend this lifestyle fiercely because<br />
somewhere between morning chores<br />
and weekends in the tractor seat, they<br />
see their own futures start to take<br />
shape.<br />
While none of us truly know what<br />
lies ahead, one thing is for certain,<br />
America still needs producers to grow<br />
our food and give direction to the next<br />
generation. The value set of farmers<br />
will continue to be important for years<br />
to come and reminds us that tradition is<br />
its own way forward.<br />
America’s future IS still on the farm,<br />
and a farming future is one worth sacrificing<br />
for. n<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> photo / contributed<br />
Jake VanderHeiden, a DeWitt Central FFA member,<br />
climbs a grain bin during harvest at his family’s farm<br />
outside of Wheatland. The slogan on the back of<br />
VanderHeiden’s shirt represents the FFA chapter’s<br />
commitment to spreading a positive message about<br />
<strong>Iowa</strong> agriculture and celebrating the farmers in our<br />
community who work hard to produce our food.<br />
96 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
0% Fixed Financing<br />
Through River Valley Cooperative<br />
Advance For Inputs<br />
Powered by CFA®<br />
Agronomy | Energy | Feed | Grain<br />
From one season to the next, River Valley Cooperative is there for our<br />
member-owners and the communities we call home. Like you, we combine<br />
the latest technologies and insights with roll-up-your-sleeves hard work.<br />
Download the River<br />
Valley Cooperative Grower<br />
Portal app and pay invoices,<br />
shop for products and view<br />
past purchases.<br />
Download the RV Coop<br />
Grain app and access your<br />
account information, scale<br />
tickets, contract,s and cash<br />
bids at your fingertips.<br />
www.rivervalleycoop.com | 1-866-962-7820<br />
@RiverValleyCoop<br />
@RVCooperative<br />
@River_Valley_Cooperative
Land prices<br />
Prices moving to the north<br />
Land values in <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> ticked up last year<br />
BY Nancy Mayfield<br />
eastern iowa farmer<br />
Land prices in Clinton and<br />
Jackson counties went up<br />
more than twice as much as<br />
the state average last year,<br />
fueled by rising commodity<br />
prices, low interest rates and a tight<br />
supply.<br />
Respondents to <strong>Iowa</strong> State University’s<br />
annual survey also identified government<br />
payments, including COVID-19 assistance,<br />
as another driver behind the overall<br />
1.7% increase in values statewide.<br />
Clinton County’s average farmland<br />
value rose 3.9% to $7,758 from November<br />
2019 to November 2020 and<br />
in Jackson County it increased 4.9% to<br />
$7,056 during the same period, according<br />
to the 2020 <strong>Iowa</strong><br />
State University<br />
Land Value Survey.<br />
An average acre<br />
of farmland in the<br />
state was valued at<br />
$7,559.<br />
From their<br />
vantage point at the<br />
DeWitt office of<br />
Peoples Company, a<br />
national brokerage,<br />
Doug Yegge and<br />
Alan McNeil saw a<br />
marked difference<br />
in the last quarter of the year.<br />
Doug Yegge,<br />
Peoples Company<br />
“Moving into that fall season and people<br />
getting a crop out, it seemed like there<br />
was some optimism and traction in the<br />
market,” said McNeil, a sales representative<br />
with the company. “It turned into a<br />
very aggressive market. A lot of that is the<br />
fall selling season. Guys get the crop out<br />
and have a little money in their pockets.<br />
The commodity prices did tick up, which<br />
definitely helped. With low interest rates,<br />
people were willing to take a stab at<br />
farms. Even moving into the start of the<br />
year, things have been crazy.”<br />
Higher quality land especially has been<br />
affected, said Yegge, who is a broker with<br />
the company.<br />
“There’ve just been a number of farms<br />
that sold in the last few months that had<br />
been sitting on the market for quite a<br />
while. It was somewhat of a stagnant<br />
market for the first part of 2020. It wasn’t<br />
real slow, but it wasn’t anything like it is<br />
now,” he said.<br />
98 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
Land prices<br />
Much of the movement<br />
has been from people doing<br />
land transactions to consolidate<br />
their ground into one<br />
area if they’ve got it scattered<br />
around, Yegge said.<br />
“There’s also people trying<br />
to improve their ground by<br />
upgrading. I think there’s a lot<br />
of that,” he said.<br />
Lower-quality land tended<br />
to sit on the market last<br />
summer.<br />
“It got some looks, but<br />
nobody stepped up to the<br />
plate,” Yegge said. Farms with<br />
high-quality land, on the other<br />
hand, sell right away. That<br />
started changing toward the end<br />
of the year as lower-quality<br />
farms started selling too.<br />
As a result, inventory is way<br />
down.<br />
“If you have a farm, now is<br />
the time to sell,” McNeil said.<br />
“If you have to buy again, it’s<br />
usually a tight market but even<br />
tighter today.”<br />
Added Yegge, “We have a<br />
lot of farms we could sell right<br />
now, but we can’t find replacement<br />
property for the people.<br />
It’s not just one or two. It’s a<br />
bunch of people.”<br />
The survey showed that the<br />
majority of farmland sales<br />
(72%) were to existing farmers,<br />
of which existing local<br />
farmers captured 69% of land<br />
sales. Only 3% of sales were<br />
to existing relocating farmers,<br />
while investors represented<br />
22% of land sales. New farmers<br />
represented 4% of sales,<br />
and other purchasers were 2%<br />
of sales.<br />
Wendong Zhang, an assistant<br />
professor in economics<br />
and extension economist<br />
at <strong>Iowa</strong> State, conducts the<br />
annual land value survey each<br />
year, based on reports by agri-<br />
CEMENT GRAVEL SAND<br />
Bellevue Sand & Gravel<br />
563-872-3886 • Home: 563-542-1124<br />
Quarry Locations: Bellevue - LaMotte<br />
St. Donatus - <strong>Spring</strong>brook - Otter Creek<br />
29427 Hwy. 52, Bellevue, IA • Open 8 a.m.- 5 p.m.<br />
For quality concrete prices & service, call us when<br />
building your next hog confinement, cattle shed, pole<br />
building, barn, new house and everything in between!<br />
FREE ESTIMATES/RADIO DISPATCHED/QUALITY CONCRETE & LIMESTONE<br />
Your grain bin specialists!<br />
Specializing in: Brock Grain Bins, Brock Dryers, Westfield Augers,<br />
Shivvers Dryers, Meyer Tower Dryers<br />
Pictured: Owners<br />
Kevin and Amanda<br />
Holdgrafer<br />
with kids Detroit<br />
and Daisy.<br />
Spragueville, IA • 563-689-4889<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 99
Land prices<br />
cultural professionals knowledgeable<br />
of land market conditions, such as<br />
appraisers, farm managers, agricultural<br />
lenders, and actual land sales.<br />
“The rebound in recent months is<br />
due to strong government payments,<br />
interest rate cuts, limited land supply<br />
and recent commodity price rallies,”<br />
Zhang said.<br />
“The land market faced downward<br />
pressure initially with the onset of the<br />
COVID-19 pandemic, which lowered<br />
food demand and resulted in declines<br />
in livestock and ethanol prices,”<br />
Zhang said.<br />
But the negative impact cited by<br />
respondents – COVID-19, weather<br />
uncertainty, political unrest and other<br />
factors – initially had on land value<br />
has been mitigated by other market<br />
forces, experts said.<br />
Prices for corn and soybeans began<br />
increasing in September and continued<br />
to rise.<br />
Respondents expect a slow-butsteady<br />
improvement in corn and<br />
soybean cash crop markets, the report<br />
Alan McNeil,<br />
Peoples Company<br />
said. Respondent<br />
predictions<br />
for the<br />
state average<br />
cash corn prices<br />
in November<br />
<strong>2021</strong> and November<br />
2025<br />
were $3.92<br />
per bushel<br />
and $4.24 per<br />
bushel, respectively.<br />
For<br />
soybeans, they<br />
were $9.97 per<br />
bushel in November <strong>2021</strong> and $10.59<br />
per bushel in November 2025.<br />
“If commodity prices go up, land<br />
is going to go up,” McNeil said, adding<br />
it’s a good place to put money.<br />
“It just feels like land is such a<br />
safe long-term investment,” McNeil<br />
said. “You’re never going to see these<br />
huge valleys and peaks in the market.<br />
That’s the good thing about land. It<br />
doesn’t die hard as an asset class.” n<br />
<strong>Iowa</strong> 2020<br />
Land Values<br />
The <strong>Iowa</strong> State University Land Value Survey is conducted<br />
in November by the ISU Center for Agricultural and Rural<br />
Development (CARD) and the ISU Extension and Outreach.<br />
Results from the statewide survey are consistent with results<br />
by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, the Realtors<br />
Land Institute, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.<br />
The 2020 results, released in December, reflect the change<br />
in the value of an acre of farmland since 2019.<br />
The figures represent an average of<br />
low-, medium-, and high-quality farmland.<br />
Below are the results from <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> counties:<br />
0.7% Cedar<br />
County:<br />
$8,737/acre<br />
0.9% dubuque<br />
County:<br />
$7,678/acre<br />
3.8% Jones<br />
County:<br />
$7,802/acre<br />
3.9% Clinton<br />
County:<br />
$7,758/acre<br />
4.9% Jackson<br />
County:<br />
$7,056/acre<br />
1.7% state<br />
average:<br />
$7,559/acre<br />
our<br />
strong<br />
team<br />
will keep your herd healthy<br />
Yeah, we have fun...<br />
but we are serious<br />
about your animals<br />
and your success!<br />
Whether they are your<br />
livelihood or your<br />
best friend, animals<br />
are our business.<br />
We specialize in<br />
beef and dairy herd<br />
health, consultation<br />
and surgery.<br />
Dr. chris rock<br />
Dr. Luke ThoLe<br />
Dr. Joe JeDLicka<br />
Dr. Tom Lapke<br />
And, we take<br />
it seriously!<br />
Rolling Hills VeteRinaRy seRVice<br />
cascaDe: 1103 1st Ave E. • 563-852-3237 LamoTTe: 113 S. Main St. • 563-773-2771<br />
100 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
Ohnward Farm Management team Greg Bopes, Paige Somerville and Dean Engel.<br />
Ohnward Farm Management:<br />
Supporting family farms from generation to generation.<br />
Constant Communication<br />
Executed with detailed reports, personal<br />
phone calls, and regular visits with clients<br />
and on the farm.<br />
professional accounting<br />
Including monthly and annual financial<br />
statements, along with income and expense<br />
summaries.<br />
Hourly Consulting<br />
Secure the idea of a professional for short-term<br />
decision making or special management problems.<br />
Collaboration<br />
Operator collaboration between farm<br />
manager, farm owner, and farm is key<br />
in successful management of your farm.<br />
Customer satisfaction<br />
Significant customer satisfaction is our<br />
priority. We want every client to be proud<br />
of the fact that their investment is being<br />
taken care of and improved constantly.<br />
Farm visits<br />
Farm visits are a priority for our farm<br />
managers.<br />
personalized Farm management program<br />
When we assume management of your farm, a complete inventory is made to identify the<br />
specific objectives you have for the farm. This provides the background information for future<br />
management recommendations and decisions.<br />
GreG Bopes<br />
AFM, CCA-IA<br />
gbopes@ohnward.com<br />
Dean enGel<br />
dengel@ohnward.com<br />
paiGe somerville<br />
psomerville@ohnward.com<br />
563-652-2491 • 866-320-6327 (toll-free)
By KRIS KOTH<br />
Clinton County Executive Director<br />
Cedar County Acting Executive Director<br />
Farm Service Agency<br />
kris.koth@usda.gov<br />
EASTERN IOWA FARMER<br />
The <strong>2021</strong> ARCPLC sign-up has begun,<br />
and producers have until March 15 to<br />
enroll in the <strong>2021</strong> program. Because<br />
the doors to the FSA office remain<br />
locked to producers, we encourage<br />
them to contact their local FSA office to see how<br />
ARCPLC signup is being handled in their county.<br />
One thing that is the same in every county is<br />
that if there have been any changes to your farming<br />
operation (change in shares, no longer farming<br />
a farm, or you picked up a new farm) since<br />
the 2020 crop year, please contact your office.<br />
Producers are reminded that the <strong>2021</strong> Marketing<br />
Year runs from Sept. 1, <strong>2021</strong> through Aug. 31,<br />
2022. The <strong>2021</strong> Program will be paid in October<br />
of 2022.<br />
Producers can also use the following web tools:<br />
n Gardner-farmdoc Payment Calculator, the<br />
University of Illinois tool that offers farmers<br />
the ability to run payment estimate modeling<br />
for their farms and counties for ARC-County<br />
and PLC.<br />
n ARC and PLC Decision Tool, the Texas<br />
A&M tool allows producers to analyze payment<br />
yield updates and expected payments for<br />
<strong>2021</strong>. Producers who have used the tool in the<br />
past should see their username and much of<br />
their farm data already available in the system.<br />
Following is a quick overview of the three<br />
program options:<br />
Price Loss Coverage (PLC) PLC program payments<br />
are issued when the effective price of a covered<br />
commodity is less than the respective effective<br />
reference price for that commodity. The effective<br />
price equals the higher of the national market<br />
year average price (MYA) or the national average<br />
loan rate for the covered commodity. The effective<br />
reference price is the lesser of 115% of the<br />
reference price or an amount equal to the greater of<br />
<strong>2021</strong> ARCPLC<br />
sign-up underway<br />
at local Farm<br />
Service Agency<br />
the reference price or 85% of the average of MYA<br />
prices from the five preceding years, excluding the<br />
highest and lowest price. The reference Price in<br />
Corn is $3.70 and $8.40 on Soybeans. Payments<br />
are triggered when the marketing year price for<br />
those commodities falls below the reference price.<br />
County Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC-<br />
CO) ARC-CO program payments are triggered<br />
when the actual county crop revenue of a covered<br />
commodity is less than the ARC-CO guarantee<br />
for the crop. The actual county revenue and the<br />
revenue guarantee are based on county level yield<br />
data for the physical location of the base acres on<br />
the farm and tract.<br />
ARC-CO payments are not dependent upon the<br />
planting of a covered commodity or planting of<br />
the applicable base crop on the farm.<br />
The ARC-CO benchmark revenue is the fiveyear<br />
Olympic average MYA price multiplied<br />
by the five-year Olympic average county yield.<br />
Benchmark yields and MYA’s will be calculated<br />
using the five years preceding the year prior to the<br />
program year.<br />
The ARC-CO guarantee is determined by<br />
multiplying the ARC-CO benchmark revenue by<br />
86%. The ARC-CO actual crop revenue is determined<br />
by multiplying the applicable actual county<br />
yield by the MYA price for the program year.<br />
County yields for the benchmark and actual<br />
revenues will be based on the physical location<br />
and historical irrigated percentage of base acres<br />
on the farm and tract. If a farm has base acres<br />
physically located in more than one county or has<br />
a historical irrigated percentage for the covered<br />
commodity, the benchmark and actual crop revenues<br />
will be weighted and summarized based on<br />
those aspects to the farm level.<br />
The ARC-CO payment is equal to 85% of the<br />
base acres of the covered commodity multiplied<br />
by the difference between the county guarantee<br />
and the actual county crop revenue for the covered<br />
commodity. Payment rates may not exceed<br />
10% of the ARC-CO benchmark revenue.<br />
Individual Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC-<br />
IC) ARC-IC program payments are issued when<br />
the actual individual crop revenue for all covered<br />
If you have<br />
any questions,<br />
please contact<br />
your local<br />
FSA Office.<br />
Cedar County<br />
205 W. South St.,<br />
Ste. 3, Tipton, IA<br />
52772<br />
(563) 886-6061<br />
Clinton County<br />
1212 17th Ave.,<br />
DeWitt, IA 52742<br />
(563) 659-3456<br />
Dubuque County<br />
210 Bierman<br />
Road, Epworth, IA<br />
52045<br />
(563) 876-3328<br />
Jackson County<br />
601 E. Platt St.,<br />
Maquoketa, IA<br />
52060<br />
(563) 652-3237<br />
Jones County<br />
300 Chamber Dr.,<br />
Anamosa, IA<br />
52205<br />
(563) 462-3517<br />
102 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
FSA News<br />
commodities planted on the<br />
ARC-IC farm is less than the<br />
ARC-IC guarantee for those<br />
covered commodities. ARC-IC<br />
uses producer’s certified yields,<br />
rather than county level yields.<br />
ARC-IC payments are dependent<br />
upon the planting of covered<br />
commodities on the farm.<br />
A producer’s ARC-IC farm is<br />
defined as the sum of the producer’s<br />
interest in all ARC-IC<br />
enrolled farms in the state.<br />
The farm’s ARC-IC guarantee<br />
equals 86% of the ARC-IC<br />
farm’s weighted benchmark<br />
revenue. The ARC-IC benchmark<br />
revenue is the five-year<br />
Olympic average revenue,<br />
which is the MYA price multiplied<br />
by the individual’s certified<br />
yield for each year in the<br />
benchmark period. A benchmark<br />
revenue is calculated for<br />
each planted covered commodity<br />
on the ARC-IC farm in<br />
the current year, weighed and<br />
summed across all covered<br />
commodities on the farm. The<br />
yields and MYA prices used in<br />
the benchmark calculation will<br />
be the five years preceding the<br />
year prior to the program year.<br />
The ARC-IC actual crop<br />
revenue is determined by<br />
multiplying the MYA price<br />
by the individual’s certified<br />
yield, weighted and summed<br />
across all covered commodities<br />
planted on the farm in the<br />
current year.<br />
The ARC-IC payment is<br />
equal to 65% of the total base<br />
acres on the farm, multiplied<br />
by the difference between<br />
the calculated individual<br />
guarantee revenue and the<br />
actual individual crop revenue<br />
summed across all covered<br />
commodities planted on the<br />
farm. ARC-IC payment rates<br />
may not exceed 10% of the individual<br />
weighted benchmark<br />
revenue. n<br />
TOP 100 FARM LENDERS<br />
by Dollar Volume<br />
See why our Ag Professionals rank among the nation’s best.<br />
Visit us at one of our<br />
convenient locations!<br />
Clinton • Eldridge<br />
DeWitt • Goose Lake<br />
LeClaire<br />
(800) 262-3141<br />
www.firstcentralsb.bank<br />
Kathy Sellnau<br />
ksellnau@firstcentralsb.com<br />
Scott Wiley<br />
swiley@firstcentralsb.com<br />
Tyler Vandendooren<br />
tvandendooren@firstcentralsb.com<br />
Leo McGarry<br />
lmcgarry@firstcentralsb.com<br />
Matt McGuire<br />
mmcguire@firstcentralsb.com<br />
The Friedman Group,<br />
Your Partner in Confinement Insurance<br />
New programs mean new opportunities. Contact us today to<br />
find out about our new confinement insurance program options.<br />
The Friedman Group, protecting what is important to you.<br />
Pictured: Eric DeSousa,<br />
Friedman Group<br />
account executive<br />
880 Locust Street, Suite 200 Dubuque, IA 52001 | Phone: (563) 556-0272 | www.friedman-group.com<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 103
Deep<br />
roots<br />
grow<br />
tall<br />
We want to thank you for helping turn our small-town<br />
idea into a big-time success. We couldn’t do this without<br />
the consumers and producers who have joined us on<br />
our journey. We’re excited to share what’s coming next.<br />
Picutred,<br />
the Moore faMily:<br />
brandon,<br />
heather, tucker,<br />
cassidy, cooPer,<br />
and sutton<br />
Maquoketa<br />
Exciting things are happening in Maquoketa for Moore<br />
Family Farms and Creamery! You can now find our retail<br />
store on Birch Street. While you’re here, you can learn about<br />
how we process our own cheese - right here in Maquoketa!<br />
Bellevue<br />
We’re looking forward to opening the doors to our new<br />
coffee shop where we’re focused on two things:<br />
fast and delicious! Follow us on Facebook for updates.<br />
“We had an idea and our community<br />
made it a success.”<br />
— Heather Moore<br />
AND CREAMERY<br />
facebook.com/pg/moorefamilymoos<br />
heatherannmoore@gmail.com
Ag Bytes<br />
Purina, Truterra partner with<br />
local IAS office to support<br />
farmer-led sustainability<br />
A project to improve farm ground quality in<br />
the Maquoketa Watershed by working with local<br />
producers is the aim of a partnership between<br />
Purina, Truterra and the Andrew office<br />
of Innovative Ag Services.<br />
“Purina has always been committed to<br />
sustainability and how we procure a lot of our<br />
dog and cat food.<br />
You have to work<br />
with the ones who<br />
make the changes<br />
you wish to see.<br />
That’s the farming<br />
and ranching community,”<br />
said Jack<br />
Scott, vice president<br />
of sustainability and<br />
responsible sourcing<br />
for Nestlé Purina<br />
Under the program,<br />
which<br />
launched in the fall<br />
of 2019, Nestlé Purina<br />
is supporting<br />
conservation practices<br />
on farms near<br />
the company’s Clinton<br />
and Davenport<br />
production facilities.<br />
Working with Skott<br />
Gent, an agronomy<br />
advisor with IAS,<br />
farmers can use<br />
the Truterra Insights<br />
Engine, a computer<br />
program that<br />
benchmarks current<br />
practices and environmental<br />
impact on<br />
a field-by-field and<br />
acre-by-acre basis.<br />
Jack Scott,<br />
Vice President of<br />
Sustainability and<br />
Responsible Sourcing,<br />
Nestlé Purina<br />
Skott Gent,<br />
Agronomy Advisor,<br />
Innovative Ag Service<br />
This information<br />
helps farmers better<br />
model both the potential<br />
environmental<br />
and economic<br />
impacts of conservation<br />
practices, said Matt Kruger, a precision<br />
conservation specialist with Truterra, which is<br />
operated by Land O’Lakes, Inc.<br />
The three entities are identifying farmers to<br />
enroll into the free program, with more than<br />
100 already participating. The way it works is<br />
a crop advisor visits the farm and develops<br />
a baseline of information, Kruger said. They<br />
work with farmers to get a handle on their soil<br />
health, topography, etc. Then they work with<br />
farmers to find ways to improve the land.<br />
The move to engage at the local level, with<br />
the people who are growing the raw materials,<br />
was motivated by Purina deciding to start<br />
at the beginning of the supply chain when<br />
looking at how to meet consumer demand for<br />
sustainably produced products. It didn’t like<br />
the idea of pushing edicts onto their suppliers.<br />
“What we did was flip it. We said let’s not<br />
try to push things down to our supply chain,<br />
but let’s begin with the ones who make the<br />
changes we wish to see. That’s where it begins,”<br />
Scott said.<br />
Scott and Kruger both noted that the use of<br />
technology is continuing to grow. Technology,<br />
sustainability and community are connected.<br />
“We’re trying to find ways to help support<br />
farmers with technology. Of all the tools I’ve<br />
seen, Truterra’s is one of the best. It’s great<br />
for farmers and ranchers. It gives them additional<br />
insights,” Scott said, adding that those<br />
insights can help farmers make decisions<br />
about how to improve their soil.<br />
Kruger said right now they are targeting<br />
50,000 acres in a 100-mile radius of Davenport<br />
and Clinton to use the program.<br />
“We will be backing up how growers are<br />
operating with data to tell their story, make<br />
them more profitable and track those changes<br />
over time,” he said.<br />
Gent is the local “boots-on-the-ground”<br />
person for the program, which is open to all<br />
farmers. They do not have to be a customer<br />
of IAS. For more information, contact Gent<br />
at the office at (800) 397-3228 or on his cell<br />
phone at (563) 590-9232.<br />
Mark Schroeder retires from<br />
Clinton County Extension after<br />
10 years wearing many hats<br />
After10 years with the <strong>Iowa</strong> State Extension<br />
and Outreach in Clinton County, Mark<br />
Schroeder retired<br />
in January. During<br />
his time with the<br />
Clinton County Extension<br />
Office, he<br />
wore many different<br />
hats, though mainly<br />
served in a role<br />
related to community<br />
and economic<br />
development outreach.<br />
“Mark was an<br />
extremely valuable<br />
asset to me when I<br />
started in my position<br />
back in 2019,”<br />
said Sam Genson,<br />
director of Clinton<br />
Mark Schroeder,<br />
Clinton County<br />
Extension Office<br />
County’s ISU Extension. “He did a lot for the<br />
office in times of transition, including serving<br />
as interim county director in the spring<br />
of 2019. Mark has years of connections that<br />
greatly benefited the mission of our office and<br />
has certainly left some big shoes to fill.”<br />
The extension office will forward cards<br />
from people who would like to extend their<br />
best wishes to Schroeder. They can be<br />
mailed to <strong>Iowa</strong> State University Extension<br />
and Outreach/Clinton County, 400 E. 11 th St.,<br />
DeWitt, IA 52742.<br />
AgArts offering classes,<br />
podcasts to foster connections<br />
with creativity and rural areas<br />
AgArts, a nonprofit that fosters connections<br />
between art and agriculture, is now offering<br />
online classes. Topics include such things as<br />
botanical drawing, designing a food forest,<br />
writing poetry, making natural dyes, and producing<br />
a short video. For more information,<br />
visit agarts.org/events/<br />
The group is also doing podcasts – “AgArts<br />
from Horse and Buggy Land” – hosted by<br />
Mary Swander, a<br />
former <strong>Iowa</strong> poet<br />
laureate who lives<br />
in Kalona. In the<br />
program, Swander,<br />
a founder of AgArts,<br />
explores life among<br />
the Amish and the<br />
arts and agriculture<br />
in the wider rural<br />
community. People<br />
can listen in at<br />
agarts.org/podcast/<br />
The organization<br />
continues to do<br />
Farm-to-Artist residencies,<br />
Swander AgArts Founder<br />
Mary Swander,<br />
said. AgArts is looking for farmers who would<br />
be willing to open their homes to an artist for<br />
a week or two during the year. It’s an immersion<br />
experience that allows writers, painters,<br />
sculptors, musicians etc. the chance to dig<br />
deep into agriculture and learn about a rural<br />
way of life.<br />
“The artist gets to know the farmer and the<br />
issues, and then creates art based on their<br />
experience,” Swander said. Often performances<br />
and workshops at other <strong>Iowa</strong> locations<br />
are part of the program.<br />
Any local farmers who would be interested<br />
in hosting an artist can contact Swander. For<br />
more information visit her website at maryswander.com<br />
and click on “Contact Mary.”<br />
For more information on AgArts visit agarts.<br />
org.<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 105
Ag Bytes<br />
Meteorologist documents<br />
derecho’s impact, science<br />
behind the storm in new book<br />
Former Quad Cities<br />
meteorologist<br />
Terry Swails and<br />
journalist Carolyn<br />
Wettstone wrote a<br />
book about the Aug.<br />
10 storm that devastated<br />
parts of <strong>Iowa</strong>.<br />
The book, “Derecho<br />
911: <strong>Iowa</strong>’s Inland<br />
Hurricane,” can be<br />
ordered at derechobook.com.<br />
On his website,<br />
Swails gives a preview<br />
of the book’s<br />
Terry Swails,<br />
Meteorologist<br />
scope: According<br />
to National Oceanic<br />
and Atmospheric Administration, the Aug. 10,<br />
2020 derecho is the costliest severe thunderstorm<br />
in U.S. history. A derecho is a large,<br />
fast-moving complex of thunderstorms with<br />
powerful straight-line winds that cause widespread<br />
destruction. This book chronicles the<br />
historic derecho which utterly devastated a<br />
large portion of <strong>Iowa</strong>. The book investigates<br />
in-depth the meteorological conditions that<br />
caused the storm. It looks at other derechos<br />
in <strong>Iowa</strong>’s past and shows how they compare<br />
to the 2020 disaster. The book also describes<br />
what victims lived through, exploring the human<br />
side of how the storm impacted the people<br />
of <strong>Iowa</strong> – the agriculture, the power grid,<br />
the tree canopy, and many other compelling<br />
issues related to the disaster. Readers will<br />
come away understanding the meteorology,<br />
the impact, and the importance of the event.<br />
Rueter awarded American<br />
FFA degree, recognizing<br />
her work, achievements<br />
Allison Rueter, a member of the DeWitt<br />
Central FFA, was awarded the American<br />
FFA Degree at the 93rd National FFA Convention<br />
& Expo last fall. Sponsored by Case<br />
IH, Elanco Animal Health and Syngenta, the<br />
award recognizes demonstrated ability and<br />
you need it?<br />
We got it!<br />
Our new online parts store will keep you<br />
up and running and stocked up for all seasons!<br />
shop.deepcreekapplicators.com<br />
deePCREEK<br />
a P P l i c a t o r s<br />
Office: (563) 678-2837 | Rural Maquoketa | Cell: (515) 460-2553<br />
info@deepcreekapplicators.com<br />
Our<br />
easy-to-navigate<br />
website lets you<br />
shop for what you need<br />
without leaving home.<br />
And...we’ll ship<br />
it to you!<br />
Proud to be an official dealer for:<br />
4 Tractor Parts<br />
4 Tillage<br />
4 Tisco Parts<br />
4 Planter & Grain Drill<br />
4 Cutting Parts<br />
4 Hydraulics<br />
4 Berings & Seals<br />
4 Chains, Belts, & Sprockets<br />
4 Equipment<br />
4 Combine & Air Accessories<br />
4 Lawn & Garden<br />
4 Towing & Trailer<br />
4 Irrigation & Levee Dams<br />
4 Fuel Pumps & Lubrication<br />
4 Shop & Auto Supplies<br />
4 Paint & Body<br />
4 Electrical & Lighting<br />
4 Seats & Canopies<br />
AND MORE!<br />
10% off<br />
Use promocode<br />
“WelcOme”<br />
when you<br />
entire purchase! checkout<br />
106 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
count on us<br />
for All your DrAin tile<br />
instAllAtion & repAir!<br />
We do everything from pattern tiling to tile repair and so much more!<br />
Pictured: steve<br />
Brandenburg<br />
(left) and Joe<br />
Brandenburg.<br />
Agriculture DrAin<br />
tile repAir AnD<br />
instAllAtion<br />
trenching with gps<br />
Mapping & rtK control<br />
Installed over 9 million feet<br />
of agriculture drain tile for<br />
rural farmers throughout<br />
the great state of <strong>Iowa</strong><br />
tree cleAring<br />
AnD vegetAtion<br />
MAintenAnce<br />
Clearing and Maintenance<br />
experience of over 6,500 MIles<br />
BullDozing &<br />
excAvAtion<br />
land Improvement: Waterways,<br />
Terracing, land Clearing<br />
563.689.5334 | 2236 312th Ave. Maquoketa, IA<br />
www.brandenburgdrainage.com
Ag Bytes<br />
outstanding<br />
achievements in agricultural<br />
business,<br />
production, processing<br />
or service<br />
programs. To be eligible,<br />
FFA members<br />
must have earned<br />
and productively<br />
invested $10,000<br />
through a supervised<br />
agricultural<br />
experience in which<br />
they own their own<br />
business or hold a<br />
professional position<br />
as an employee,<br />
in addition to<br />
other requirements.<br />
Allison Rueter,<br />
Central DeWitt graduate<br />
will earn ag studies<br />
degree from ISU this<br />
spring.<br />
Rueter worked at Rueters Rabbits, taking<br />
care of rabbits, feeding and training them to<br />
show. She had an agronomy sales internship<br />
with River Valley Cooperative, worked at Susie’s<br />
Studio, painting, assembling and selling<br />
tin can garden flowers, and worked at Smicker<br />
Hamps and Downs, feeding, watering,<br />
washing and training sheep to exhibit.<br />
Heinrich elected to another<br />
term as VP of <strong>Iowa</strong> Farm<br />
Bureau Federation<br />
Joe Heinrich of<br />
Jackson County<br />
was re-elected in<br />
December for a twoyear<br />
term as <strong>Iowa</strong><br />
Farm Bureau Federation<br />
(IFBF) vice<br />
president during the<br />
organization’s annual<br />
meeting. Heinrich<br />
has served as IFBF<br />
vice president since<br />
2011. Heinrich, a<br />
Jackson County<br />
farmer, farms with<br />
his family, including<br />
his wife Shelley<br />
and other family<br />
Joe Heinrich,<br />
<strong>Iowa</strong> Farm Bureau<br />
Federation VP<br />
members. They have a<br />
diversified farming operation including corn,<br />
soybeans, oats and hay. They also have a<br />
beef cow-calf herd and a dairy operation.<br />
Heinrich was first elected to the IFBF board<br />
in 2004, representing District 6, prior to his<br />
service as vice president. Before his election<br />
to the state board, Heinrich served as Jackson<br />
County president, vice president, voting<br />
delegate, young farmer chair, and served on<br />
the state internal study committee.<br />
Unwind and enjoy<br />
an off-farm experience<br />
with other farm couples<br />
In response to high levels of both personal<br />
and financial farm stress, <strong>Iowa</strong> State University<br />
Extension and Outreach is offering three<br />
“Farm Couple Getaways” aimed at farmers<br />
wanting to take advantage of activities to improve<br />
farm family communication, work on<br />
farm or family goal setting or farm transitioning,<br />
or who would just like a weekend away to<br />
discuss farm and family issues.<br />
The first getaway will be held Friday and<br />
Saturday, March 26 and 27, at Best Western<br />
Plus in Dubuque. The dates and locations for<br />
It starts here!<br />
When it<br />
comes to<br />
your fields,<br />
our Custom<br />
Applicator<br />
team has you<br />
covered.<br />
Preston<br />
563-689-3622<br />
Maquoketa<br />
563-652-5332<br />
Meet the team! Top Row: Austin McLaughlin, Tanner Eberhart<br />
(Public Relations), Brady Eberhart and Jared Hoffman.<br />
Bottom Row: Devan Stoll, Joe Sparks, Kyle Hoffman and Jake Gerlach.<br />
108 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
Ag Bytes<br />
the other getaways are:<br />
Friday and Saturday, April 9-10, at Lake<br />
Shore Center at Okoboji in Milford.<br />
Friday and Saturday, April 16-17, at Hotel<br />
Winneshiek in Decorah.<br />
The getaways run from 12:30 p.m. on the<br />
first day to 3:15 p.m. on the second day.<br />
There is no cost to attend, as food, lodging<br />
and other expenses are being paid for by<br />
sponsorships. However, there is a $50 per<br />
couple deposit to hold each reservation, refundable<br />
on the second day of the event.<br />
“Past Farm Couple Getaways have proven<br />
to be beneficial to farm couples. They are<br />
a productive and delightful time to discuss<br />
items of importance to help farms and families<br />
be successful,” said Larry Tranel, dairy<br />
specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach.<br />
Each getaway will consist of 10 farm couples<br />
and the extension facilitators. Registration<br />
will be on a first-come, first-served basis,<br />
due two weeks prior to each session. Registration<br />
brochures for the various sites can<br />
be obtained from select ISU Extension and<br />
Outreach county offices, or from dairy specialists.<br />
Jenn Bentley can be reached at jbentley@<br />
iastate.edu or at the Winneshiek County office<br />
at 563-382-2949; Fred Hall, at fredhall@<br />
iastate.edu or the Sioux County office at<br />
712-737-4230; and Larry Tranel, at tranel@<br />
iastate.edu or the Dubuque County office at<br />
563-583-6496.<br />
The Farm Couple Getaways statewide gold<br />
sponsor is the <strong>Iowa</strong> Farm Bureau Federation,<br />
with other local sponsors recognized at each<br />
local event. More information is available in<br />
the event brochure for <strong>Eastern</strong> or Western<br />
<strong>Iowa</strong> at extension.iastate.edu/dairyteam/<br />
farm-couple-getaways.<br />
USDA extends general<br />
signup for Conservation<br />
Reserve Program<br />
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is extending<br />
the Conservation Reserve Program<br />
(CRP) General Signup period, which had previously<br />
been announced as ending on Feb. 12.<br />
USDA will continue to accept offers as it takes<br />
this opportunity for the incoming Administration<br />
to evaluate ways to increase enrollment.<br />
Under the previous<br />
Administration, incentives<br />
and rental payment<br />
rates were reduced resulting<br />
in an enrollment<br />
shortfall of over four million<br />
acres. The program, administered by US-<br />
DA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), provides<br />
annual rental payments for 10 to 15 years for<br />
land devoted to conservation purposes, as<br />
well as other types of payments.<br />
Before the General CRP signup period<br />
ends, producers will have the opportunity to<br />
adjust or resubmit their offers to take advantage<br />
of planned improvements to the program.<br />
As one of the largest private-lands conservation<br />
programs in the United States, CRP provides<br />
both economic and conservation benefits<br />
by taking land out of agricultural production.<br />
This signup for CRP gives producers an<br />
opportunity to enroll land for the first time or<br />
re-enroll land under existing contracts that<br />
will be expiring Sept. 30. All interested producers,<br />
including those on Indian reservations<br />
and with trust lands, are encouraged to<br />
contact their local USDA Service Center for<br />
more information.<br />
STRUTTING OUR STUFF FOR 54 YEARS<br />
WE RAISE OUR OWN FLOCKS OF BIRDS TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET THE BEST OF ALL BIRDS<br />
Pictured: Owner Etta<br />
Culver and Marie Forret<br />
in the Schlecht Hatchery’s<br />
incubating and hatching<br />
room.<br />
Chickens<br />
Ducks<br />
Eggs<br />
Turkeys<br />
Geese<br />
Schlecht Farm & Hatchery<br />
PH. 563-682-7865<br />
9749 500TH AVENUE<br />
MILES, IOWA 52064<br />
Hatchery Hours :<br />
Monday - Friday 7:30-4:30<br />
Saturday - By appointment only<br />
Closed Sundays<br />
schlechthatchery.com<br />
2017<br />
Award Recipient<br />
<strong>Farmer</strong> of<br />
the Year<br />
IN<br />
JACKSON COUNTY<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 109
Delaneys Auto & Ag Center & Repair is specialized<br />
to help all farmers with their mechanical needs.<br />
Our inventory is stocked with all your spring planting parts!<br />
Jason, Ralph, Matt<br />
and the rest of the<br />
Delaney’s team<br />
guarantee the<br />
job will get<br />
done right.<br />
delaneysautoandag@gmail.com<br />
ENDLESS INVENTORY OF:<br />
• Hydraulic Hose up to 6,000 PSI & Fittings<br />
• Nuts, Bolts, Belts & Filters • Roller Chains & Bearings<br />
• Batteries • Snow Plows • All Types of Tires Available<br />
WE’LL KEEP YOU MOVING NO MATTER WHAT SEASON IT IS!
Your Partners in<br />
Financial Success!<br />
MARK<br />
MILDER<br />
JOEL<br />
KACZINSKI<br />
JOHN<br />
MIELK<br />
563-243-1243<br />
www.clintonnational.com<br />
Member<br />
FDIC<br />
ANDOVER CAMANCHE CLINTON DELMAR MILES PRESTON SABULA
1. All in the family — Marty Kramer with Cody, Sage,<br />
Cory and Lane Medinger gather around the tractor.<br />
Submitted by Stephanie Medinger<br />
2. Kyler Strait and Michael Thoma go for a ride.<br />
Submitted by Becca Sack<br />
3. Things don’t always go as planned around the<br />
farm. Dr. Tom Lapke and Brandon Moore work<br />
together to help deliver a calf and split its broken leg.<br />
Submitted by Heather Moore<br />
4. Ryker Henderson and Jorja Kilburg watch<br />
their dad Brian Kilburg during harvest 2020.<br />
Submitted by Bree Kilburg<br />
112 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
5. The Johnson kids (Ty-7,<br />
Lane-5 & Addie-3) play on one<br />
of the thousands of bales their<br />
dad makes in the fall to be<br />
used for cattle bedding during<br />
the winter to keep cattle warm<br />
and dry.<br />
Submitted by Ashley<br />
Johnson<br />
6. Steve Miner (Monticello)<br />
stopped for a picture with<br />
his family while on the 2020<br />
WMT Tractorcade that made<br />
a stop in Baldwin. Pictured<br />
with Steve are his daughter,<br />
Jaymee (Miner) Johnson,<br />
son-in-law Joe Johnson and<br />
grandchildren , Carter and<br />
Caden Johnson.<br />
Submitted by Jaymee<br />
Johnson<br />
7. Sutton Moore tackles her<br />
daily chores at Moore Family<br />
Farms.<br />
Submitted by Heather Moore<br />
8. Detroit and Daisy<br />
Holdgrafer get ready for<br />
their big ad photo shoot<br />
by practicing their smiles<br />
for the camera.<br />
Photo by Trevis Mayfield<br />
9. Brody Green checks<br />
out his Grandpa Albert’s cows<br />
in rural Grand Mound.<br />
Submitted by Chris and<br />
Kimberly Green<br />
10. Chris Johnson makes<br />
hay while the sun shines<br />
in a summer day in 2020.<br />
He makes about 400 large<br />
round bales each year to keep<br />
cattle fed year-round.<br />
Submitted by Ali Johnson<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 113
1. Sage Medinger takes<br />
a quick snooze between<br />
jobs on farm.<br />
Submitted by<br />
Stephanie Medinger<br />
2. Jana Rae, Gibson,<br />
and Wylie Miller pose with<br />
Jack the horse.<br />
Submitted by Alicia Miller<br />
3. Jake Schmidt with a<br />
very large boo boo mistake<br />
— make sure the door is<br />
closed!!!!<br />
Submitted by Joey Veach<br />
4. Measure twice, cut once<br />
is the old construction adage,<br />
and Jeff Swanson, left, and<br />
Jason Hamilton of Sheets<br />
Design Build employ the<br />
advice as they measure a<br />
beam atop the ag learning<br />
center under construction at<br />
Maquoketa High School in<br />
January. Sheets Design Build<br />
was awarded the $1.24 million<br />
contract for the project, which<br />
includes a food science lab,<br />
classroom space, shop area<br />
and greenhouse located on<br />
the southeast side of the high<br />
school, near the band room<br />
and welding shop.<br />
Photo by Kelly Gerlach<br />
5. Ben and Anna Selman<br />
go about business as usual<br />
around the farm.<br />
Submitted by Amber<br />
Heinrich Selman<br />
6. Kendall Strait and Ditto<br />
share a moment.<br />
Submitted by Becca Sack<br />
7. Luke Marcus trains<br />
calf Cy with Jake Marcus<br />
and Snowflake.<br />
Submitted by Kelly<br />
McMahon<br />
8. Kade and Jackson Foust<br />
learn about farming from their<br />
grandpa Steve Foust on the<br />
family farm!<br />
Submitted by Erin Foust<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 115
116 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
1. Cole and Logan Green<br />
help their Dad (Chris) and<br />
Uncle Jason plant waterways.<br />
Submitted by Chris and<br />
Kimberly Green<br />
2. Maverick Scott takes<br />
a tractor ride with grandpa<br />
Kenny Bowman. This Oliver<br />
used to be Maverick’s great<br />
grandpas.<br />
Submitted by Jessica Scott<br />
3. Ellie Selman is ready to<br />
get to work in the barn.<br />
Submitted by Amber<br />
Heinrich Selman<br />
4. Charlene Johnson, 4,<br />
holds her bottle baby.<br />
Submitted by Brittany<br />
Johnson<br />
5. Hailey Veach helps dad<br />
(Joey) fill the semi<br />
Submitted by Joey Veach<br />
6. Larry Johnson, Johnson<br />
Family Farms, finishes up a<br />
row of corn during harvest<br />
2020.<br />
Submitted by Jaymee<br />
Johnson<br />
7. Gibson Miller enjoys a dip<br />
with his Muscovy ducklings.<br />
Submitted by Alicia Miller<br />
8. Brextin, Brinley, and<br />
Braydenn Werden line up<br />
for a photo this past harvest<br />
season.<br />
Submitted by<br />
Ashley Werden<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 117
118 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
1. “Spiderman,” Dylan<br />
Matthiesen, shows up to<br />
help with harvest.<br />
Submitted by<br />
Amber Matthiesen<br />
2. Cousins enjoy fun on the<br />
farm while on the cornstalk<br />
bales. Pictured are Carter and<br />
Caden Johnson (sons of<br />
Joe and Jaymee Johnson)<br />
and Ty and Lane Johnson<br />
(sons of James and Ashley<br />
Johnson).<br />
Submitted by Jaymee<br />
Johnson<br />
3. Kelting family farm dog,<br />
Boomer, enjoys a farm-style<br />
spa day!<br />
Submitted by Ashley Kelting<br />
4. Coralee Duhme and<br />
JeAnn Duhme, daughters<br />
of Bryan and Steffany<br />
Duhme of Maquoketa, hang<br />
out at the farm.<br />
Submitted by Bryan Duhme<br />
5. Tannen Kelting, 5, helps<br />
check cows in the pasture.<br />
Submitted by Ashley Kelting<br />
6. Bradley Bousselot,<br />
son of Whitney Bousselot,<br />
gets attention from his Uncle<br />
Aaron Trenkamp.<br />
Submitted by Sara Beuthien<br />
7. Lincoln Veach, 3, is super<br />
excited to ride in combine.<br />
Submitted by Joey Veach<br />
8. John Wayne Marcus<br />
walks with Cy, his bottle calf<br />
and quarantine project.<br />
Submitted by<br />
Kelly McMahon<br />
9. Danny Kilburg (grandpa)<br />
Jorja Kilburg and Brian<br />
Kilburg (dad) know how to<br />
work as a team.<br />
Submitted by Bree Kilburg<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 119
120 <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> | <strong>Spring</strong> <strong>2021</strong> eifarmer.com
1. Molly Matthiesen and<br />
Meghan Klemme, members<br />
of the Jackson County 4-H<br />
County Council, deliver<br />
<strong>Farmer</strong> Appreciation buckets<br />
to father and son,Kevin<br />
and Darin Banowetz, of<br />
Spragueville.<br />
Submitted by Amber<br />
Matthiesen<br />
2. Addison Ambrosy and<br />
Connor Ambrosy help out by<br />
feeding calves around the<br />
farm<br />
Submitted by Aaron<br />
Ambrosy<br />
3. Best auger cart driver<br />
in Jackson County, Woody<br />
McKenna, fills up Ricky (SLIM)<br />
Egan of Maquoketa.<br />
Submitted by Joey Veach<br />
4. The wedding of Katherine<br />
Fischer and Clint Fortier in<br />
the hay loft of her parent’s old<br />
dairy barn in Colesburg. They<br />
spent all summer clearing out<br />
hay and cobwebs to host the<br />
wedding October 17, 2020.<br />
Submitted by Kristy Howell<br />
5. Kyler Strait does the heavy<br />
lifting around the farm.<br />
Submitted by Becca Sack<br />
6. The sun goes down on<br />
a beautiful fall evening in<br />
<strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong>.<br />
Submitted by Jaymee<br />
Johnson<br />
7. Carter Johnson, 9, lends a<br />
hand with cement work on the<br />
farm. He is the son of Joe &<br />
Jaymee Johnson, Maquoketa.<br />
Submitted by Jaymee<br />
Johnson<br />
8. Ethan Howell checks out<br />
grandma and grandpa’s cows,<br />
at Mary and Charlie Fischer’s<br />
farm in Colesburg, <strong>Iowa</strong>.<br />
Submitted by Kristy Howell<br />
eifarmer.com spring <strong>2021</strong> | <strong>Eastern</strong> <strong>Iowa</strong> <strong>Farmer</strong> 121
Peoples company<br />
FarMer<br />
Paul Tonderum<br />
2011-2020<br />
YeggeMcNeilLand.com | 563.659.8185<br />
formerly Total Realty Co.
One of the nation’s fastest growing land services<br />
organizations offering land brokerage, land management,<br />
land investing, and appraisal services.<br />
“Peoples Company has been a great<br />
partner for me. They have a great<br />
team, and anytime you have a<br />
question, they will get you the right<br />
answer. You can count on them to<br />
always tell you the truth. Whether you<br />
are selling land, buying land or looking<br />
for a tenant to farm your land, Peoples<br />
has the connections and expertise to<br />
help you get the job done right.”<br />
When you’re<br />
ready...<br />
You’ve spent your life tending the<br />
soil, producing the yields, and raising<br />
livestock. When you’re ready to pass<br />
your legacy to the next generation,<br />
let us help. Our DeWitt, <strong>Iowa</strong> based<br />
farm real estate company employs<br />
dedicated professionals with a<br />
comprehensive line of farm real estate<br />
services offered in our beautiful<br />
Midwest area.<br />
When you’re ready...<br />
we’re here for you.<br />
TaMi guY<br />
563.659.8185<br />
tami@peoplescompany.com<br />
aLaN McNeiL<br />
563.321.1125<br />
alan@peoplescompany.com<br />
Doug Yegge<br />
563.320.9900<br />
Doug@peoplescompany.com<br />
563.659.8185<br />
700 6th Avenue | DeWitt, <strong>Iowa</strong> 52742
We are here<br />
to pick<br />
you up<br />
when you are down<br />
Mike Dunn<br />
Roger Hill<br />
Tina Lively<br />
Greg Gannon<br />
Kathy Rollings<br />
Bridget Maher Marty Murrell<br />
Bill Vetter<br />
Grant Lilienthal Sarah Jurgens<br />
Francesca Schwartz<br />
Unlike the weather, it’s certain that you can rely on DeWitt Bank & Trust Co.<br />
for quality banking and business services.<br />
dewittbank.com • 563.659.3211 • 815 6th Ave, DeWitt