Eastern Iowa Farmer Spring 2021

mother nature
came from near and far, including Ohio,
Oregon, Michigan, Missouri, Illinois and
across the state of Iowa and lent a helping
hand.
He had 13 of his relatives show up and
work for three days piling and cleaning up.
A few weeks later more family arrived and
worked, and then 15 more showed up and
made lists and crossed things off, and slowly
home began to look like home again.
“My parents and grandparents shared
this farm with all of our family through
family gatherings and it wasn’t just us that
lost our farm, all our family lost something
in this,” he said.
While the landscape of what was will
probably never be again, it will be home
thanks to the help of so many. Lee somberly
implied how overwhelming and heartbreaking
this storm truly was.
“I don’t really cry, but it was heartbreaking
no doubt and many of us did shed some
tears,” he said. “When you think of what
your dad and grandpa did and built and
it’s all gone in 45 minutes. And then you
are left to think about how to rebuild and
where to start.” n
‘Locking in’
Bellevue Dam collects data for National Weather
Service, tracking air and water temps, rainfall
BY sara millhouse
eastern iowa farmer
It’s 41 degrees Fahrenheit with a
brisk 16 mile-per-hour wind out
of the north on the morning of
Oct. 29 at Bellevue’s Lock and
Dam No. 12.
The steely-grey water is about 41
degrees, too, as the Bernard G pulls in,
headed south.
At the lock, a National Weather
Service unit keeps constant track of
conditions such as air and water temperatures
and rainfall.
“This unit has a satellite transmitter
and receiver, which is how they make
observations in real time,” explained
lockmaster John Mueller.
On the same unit, an anemometer
– a glorified weather vane – measures
wind speed, direction and gusts. A
weight-balanced float measures water
elevation. Called the “river stage,”
this number varies at different stations
along the river, based on sea level.
For Mueller and his coworkers at the
lock, river stage is the measurement
they watch most closely, because it has
a direct impact on their job. If the water’s
high enough, it has a direct impact
on farmers, too.
Each additional percentage of meter accuracy adds 1-2 more bushels per acre!
End of an Era
but the Legacy Continues
Congratulations on
retirement, Alfred!
21 years, 6,500+ meters, a combined
50,000+ bushels added to grower’s yields.
For 21 years, Alfred Casad has calibrated over 6,500
meters giving corn growers the peace of mind that
their meters will deliver an individual corn seed
to the ground every 6 inches. Even though he’s
retiring, his expertise has been passed down to
continue precise work of calibrating seed meters.
Bring your meters in to Spain Ag to ensure your
meters are operating at their peak accuracy, giving
you confidence in your planter’s ability to produce a
picket fence stand.
Pictured with MeterMax
Ultra seed meter test stand are
Bill Forret, Mitchell Schneden,
Alfred Casad and Jason Spain.
This machine calibrates seed
corn meters to your specific
seed corn that you purchased.
We provide nutrient application technologies that
Welton, Iowa | 563.212.3345 | jason.spain@plantpioneer.com
eifarmer.com spring 2021 | Eastern Iowa Farmer 69