Eastern Iowa Farmer Spring 2021

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mother nature “It is like when a kid over-inflates a balloon and it bursts. There was a big open door and nowhere for the air to escape. Eventually, it lifted the roof off, and the winds took the rest of the building.” — Matt McGuire When a derecho swept through Eastern Iowa on Aug. 10 with hurricane-force winds, that missing door proved fateful. McGuire was at his job as a loan officer at First Central State Bank in DeWitt Aug. 10 when he noticed the weather changing. Outside, the clouds darkened, and wind speeds climbed to more than 80 mph. At home his wife, Amy, looked out the window and saw the newly built shed’s roof had blown off and landed in their bean field. Without a door, the wind made its way inside the structure but had nowhere to go. “It is like when a kid over-inflates a balloon and it bursts,” McGuire said. “There was a big open door and nowhere for the air to escape. Eventually, it lifted the roof off, and the winds took the rest of the building.” McGuire was one of many farmers in Iowa who suffered losses as a result of the storm that ravaged grain bins, livestock barns and machine sheds, leaving heavy debris scattered in fields that had yet to be harvested. Millions of acres of crops in Iowa, mostly corn, were damaged by being blown flat. In all, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship put damages near $4 billion, more than half of the dollar amount in damages for all the impacted states. In Eastern Iowa, Cedar, Clinton and Jones counties saw the heaviest damage and were designated primary natural disaster areas along with 15 other counties. While Dubuque and Jackson counties fared better, they were among the 24 contiguous counties also deemed eligible for disaster relief programs. Even with all of the destruction, what impressed McGuire, who’s been farming the family ground since he was a kid, was the community support. After the storm had passed, people came to lend a helping hand. His neighbors helped him unload and store beans that had gotten wet and were starting to swell. They also worked to uncover the now damaged equipment that had been buried with the remains of the building. That list included a couple of semis, three or four tractors, grain augers and more, McGuire said. Call Judie, Chris or Kristi for more information | 563.652.5171 Your Life. Your Future. When it comes to protecting what’s important to your livelihood, trust the agency that’s been serving their clients for over 96 years. John L. Jones, Catherine Nissen Jones, Founder, 1925 The right insurance with the right service. nissen-Caven insurance we’ve been on your team for generations Donald Nissen Owner, 1948 Bob Caven Partner, 1966 Chris Nissen Owner, 1990 1925 2021 nissencaven.com 78 Eastern Iowa Farmer | Spring 2021 eifarmer.com
Even with all of the community support, he faced many challenges, starting with equipment. After the storm, he did not know what equipment worked or what needed to be fixed, and harvest was beginning. Tractors and other machinery took time to repair. “Everyone came together, and everything got fixed so it was operational for harvest. That was so helpful.” he said. Less urgent repairs – such as body work on the semis and tractors – were left until McGuire had more time over the winter. After years of housing equipment in some other family buildings, as well as at neighbors’ property, Mc- Guire had looked forward to getting everything under one roof for the winter. For now, he is making do. “We have a couple of pieces sitting out this winter. It’s not our first choice, but it’s what we have to do,” he said. The last challenge McGuire faced was the cost of the new building. mother nature After the storm, he called his builder and found that the price of building materials had increased by 40 percent as a direct result of not only this storm but of the hurricanes and wildfires taking place in other parts of the country. “I was surprised by the huge jump in prices since March. In just six months I was going to have to pay for almost another half of the building from what I paid the first time,” he said. McGuire’s builder recommended he hold off a while, predicting that the prices would start to come down through the winter and into early 2021. That’s what he decided to do. Plans were to begin buying building materials in January and February, with construction to begin in the spring. “We are definitely going to rebuild,” he said.n — Beth Lamp, a senior at Northeast High School, is a member of the CAC Media Group Derecho damage ➤ The derecho that swept through Iowa Aug. 10 is officially the most costly thunderstorm ever in recorded U.S. history, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. ➤ The storm is in the top five of the most expensive weather events in the United States last year, surpassing the damages caused by most hurricanes and tornados, according to a report by National Public Radio. ➤ Only Hurricane Laura, causing $14 billion in damage, surpassed it. The derecho has cost more than $7.5 million in damages including flattened crops and damage or destruction to farm structures, homes, businesses and vehicles. ➤ The line of thunderstorms traveled 770 miles from South Dakota through Ohio, by way of central Iowa, in 14 hours, bringing sustained and widespread winds over 100 mph and cutting power to half a million people, the NOAA said. ➤ More than 850,000 Iowa crop acres were lost, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture The Wheatland Manor Golden Rule: Treat each resident with respect, dignity, and understanding with which we expect to be treated; give to each resident the love and kindness which we hope to receive Wheatland Manor Care Facility is continuing its tradition of top-quality nursing care in its newly expanded, state-of-the-art facility with an unforgettable rural Iowa view. New Private Suites are now available. Wheatland Manor care facility Shown are (above left to right): Jean Williams, Leonard Kruckenberg and Carol Petersen in the great room. (Left top to bottom) Beautician Kendra Fitzgerald with resident Helen Soenksen; Activities Director Angela Bousselot and Mary Cronkleton in the courtyard; and Judy Coates using the rehab facility. Call today for a tour 563-374-1295 eifarmer.com spring 2021 | Eastern Iowa Farmer 79
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The Eastern Iowa Spring 2021 Farmer
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TODD HUSMANN Channel Seedsman Cente
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Today, Tomorrow, Forever Joining th
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Story Index 52 Mother Nature is hav
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McCaulley Ag Service Tyler Shannon
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Chores: The building blocks of char
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Country chores “We’ve always ho
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Supporting local is who we are When
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grain bin safety Eastern Iowa Farme
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Martens Angus Farms grain bin safet
Page 28 and 29: Maquoketa Agency Offce: 563-652-568
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Page 34 and 35: gate to plate “We’d take bones
Page 36 and 37: gate to plate “There’s some pol
Page 38 and 39: Have you cHecked your soil Fertilit
Page 40 and 41: 117 S. 2nd St. Maquoketa 563-652-65
Page 42 and 43: woolly endeavor “Every year I com
Page 44 and 45: nursed, Goedken puts the ewe in a h
Page 46 and 47: Bulletins offered good, free advice
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Page 50 and 51: little bit ...where FRANZEN FAMILY
Page 52 and 53: Clinton County farmer Chad Petersen
Page 54 and 55: It started with one truck... That w
Page 56 and 57: mother nature “None of this equip
Page 58 and 59: More FOR YOUR FARM Animal Health
Page 60 and 61: mother nature Eastern Iowa Farmer p
Page 62 and 63: mother nature Rebuild and Restart L
Page 64 and 65: mother nature In that phone call Le
Page 66 and 67: mother nature In fact, it was an in
Page 68 and 69: 903 DeWitt St.,Grand Mound www.lega
Page 70 and 71: mother nature John Mueller John Mue
Page 72 and 73: mother nature Water levels at Lock
Page 74 and 75: mother nature “I talked about how
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Page 80 and 81: mother nature Gerry Farrell Delmar
Page 82 and 83: mother nature Almanacs use ‘secre
Page 84 and 85: When you need a familar face we’r
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Page 88 and 89: FARMERS AT HEART ® DOING WHAT’S
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Page 92 and 93: mother nature Keeping an eye on thi
Page 94 and 95: mother nature way of life. Kara How
Page 96 and 97: A farming future is worth the sacri
Page 98 and 99: Land prices Prices moving to the no
Page 100 and 101: Land prices cultural professionals
Page 102 and 103: By KRIS KOTH Clinton County Executi
Page 104 and 105: Deep roots grow tall We want to tha
Page 106 and 107: Ag Bytes Meteorologist documents de
Page 108 and 109: Ag Bytes outstanding achievements i
Page 110 and 111: Delaneys Auto & Ag Center & Repair
Page 112 and 113: 1. All in the family — Marty Kram
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Page 117 and 118: 1. Cole and Logan Green help their
Page 119 and 120: 1. “Spiderman,” Dylan Matthiese
Page 121 and 122: 1. Molly Matthiesen and Meghan Klem
Page 123 and 124: One of the nation’s fastest growi
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