Meatloaf at Red’s

Red’s Catering in downtown Hartley will be serving a meatloaf dinner on Wednesday, Feb. 9 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

See the ad on Page 5 for more details.

Lasagna fundraiser for new pool is Feb. 6

The Hartley Community Pool Campaign Committee will host a lasagna fundraising meal to benefit the new pool on Sunday, Feb. 6. The event will be drive-thru only at the Hartley Community Center from 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Meal includes homemade lasagna, fancy green beans, breadstick and a chocolate chip cookie.

May City firemen to hold soup supper

Firefighters in May City will hold a soup supper on Saturday, Feb. 5 at the fire hall.

Dine-in and curbside service will be available. See the ad on Page 5 for more details.

CMI meeting is Feb. 9

The annual meeting of members of Century Mutual Insurance will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 1 p.m. at the Hartley office.

See the ad on Page 3 for more details.

Conversations with Conservation begin Feb. 3

Starting in February, join the O’Brien County Conservation Board for Conversations with Conservation. This adult-focused series will be held once a month at the Prairie Heritage Center.

The series will focus on learning about an interesting topic with a guest speaker who is passionate and knowledgeable about their topic. Naturalist Abbie Parker said this series will help fuel connections with others interested in learning and having great conversations about the world around us.

February’s guest for Conversations with Conservation is Quinn Black, the archaeologist at Sanford Museum and Planetarium in Cherokee. His conversation topic is “The Bustling Wittrock Village,” and he will discuss the well preserved fortified Mill Creek village site located in O’Brien County. He will lead a presentation and then open it up for questions and conversation.

February’s Conversations with Conservation will be held Thursday, Feb. 3 at the Prairie Heritage Center. The presentation will begin shortly after 5:30 p.m.

To see the upcoming schedule for Conversations with Conservation visit http://www.prairieheritagecenter.org. The program series will be held at the Prairie Heritage Center on the first Thursday of the month at 5:30 p.m., unless noted differently. For questions or more information about Conversations with Conservation, please contact Parker at (712) 295-7200 or aparker@obriencounty.iowa.gov.

H-M-S menus

Thursday, Feb. 3: Breakfast – Pancake/sausage bites, fruit, juice; Lunch – Chicken strips, mashed potatoes, green beans, pears, roll.

Friday, Feb. 4: Breakfast – Donut, fruit, juice; Lunch – Mini corndogs, baked beans, cucumbers, applesauce.

Monday, Feb. 7: Breakfast – Cereal, pop tart (9-12), fruit, juice; Lunch – Chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes, cooked carrots, mixed fruit.

Tuesday, Feb. 8: Breakfast – Mini cinnis, fruit, juice; Lunch – Italian chicken/bun, chips (9-12), broccoli, red peppers, pineapple.

Wednesday, Feb. 9: Breakfast – Breakfast tornado, muffin (EL), fruit, juice; Lunch – Softshell taco/cheese, refried beans, green beans, tomatoes, grapes.

Thursday, Feb. 10: Breakfast – Waffles, fruit, juice; Lunch – Chili/crackers, cinnamon roll, carrots/celery, oranges.

Friday, Feb. 11: No School – Professional Development.

Milk served with each meal. Fruit/veggie bar served with lunch.

CC/E menus

Thursday, Feb. 3: Breakfast – French toast sticks, cereal, toast, fruit, juice, yogurt; Lunch – Hamburger on bun, baked beans, banana.

Friday, Feb. 4: Breakfast – Donut, cereal, toast, fruit, juice, yogurt; Lunch – Pancake, sausage patty, hashbrowns, sidekick.

Monday, Feb. 7: Breakfast – Cereal, toast, fruit, juice, yogurt; Lunch – Chicken nuggets, French fries, mixed vegetables, pears.

Tuesday, Feb. 8: Breakfast – Scrambled egg, cereal, toast, fruit, juice, yogurt; Lunch – Brat, carrots, fruit cocktail, chocolate chip cookie.

Wednesday, Feb. 9: Breakfast – Waffles, cereal, toast, fruit, juice, yogurt; Lunch – Pulled pork, baked beans, orange.

Thursday, Feb. 10: Breakfast – Egg wrap, cereal, toast, fruit, juice, yogurt; Lunch – Beef nachos, corn, rice, banana.

Friday, Feb. 11: Breakfast – Donut, cereal, toast, fruit, juice, yogurt; Lunch – Hot dog on bun, broccoli, strawberry cup.

Milk is served with each meal. Menus are subject to change at any time.

Food pantry at Hope Lutheran

Current hours for the food pantry at Hope Lutheran Church in Everly are Wednesdays, 1-5 p.m. Everyone is allowed to come in and pick out their food, but masks are required.

Blood drive Feb. 7 at Spencer

LifeServe Blood Center is conducting a drive at Southpark Mall, 901 11th Street SW in Spencer, on Monday, Feb. 7, from 7-11 p.m.

Appointments are required. Schedule a donation appointment online at lifeservebloodcenter.org or call (800) 287-4903.

Regular hours at Royal library

Hours at the Royal Public Library are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 3-5 p.m .; and Tuesday and Saturday, 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Winter Funderland Feb. 5 at MCP

Join the O’Brien County Conservation Board for Winter Funderland at Mill Creek Park, on Saturday, Feb. 5. The event will feature a variety of fun-filled activities for all ages, both outside and indoors.

Hours for the event are 2-6 p.m. There will be horse-drawn wagon rides around Mill Creek Park, a snowball slingshot competition, opportunities to try out ice fishing and snowshoeing (snow/ice pending), create your own birdfeeder or build your own snowman catapult. You can also have your picture taken with Oh Brien, the conservation board’s new bison mascot, go on a flashlight gnome scavenger hunt and so much more.

Winter Funderland will also host a human dogsled race starting at 3 p.m. Teams made up of five people, four sled pullers and one sled rider, will compete in this hilariously fun event. Participants must be ages 13 and older, and it is free to participate. If you would like to set up a team, please register by calling (712) 295-7200 or emailing occb@obriencounty.org with your team name, contact information and ages of participants. Sleds and rope will be provided. Teams can register the day of the event by 2:30 p.m.

For a full schedule of Winter Funderland events, visit http://www.prairieheritagecenter.org.

Farm Bill meetings offered in February

Iowa producers have until March 15, 2022 to make their annual election for Price Loss Coverage or Agriculture Risk Coverage (at the individual or county levels) under the 2018 Farm Bill.

This annual decision impacts the 2022 crop year, consistent with the 2018 Farm Bill. Similar annual decisions for the 2023 crop year will coincide with the final year of the bill.

In order to help Iowans understand their options for 2022, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and the USDA Farm Service Agency will hold in-person meetings during the week of Feb. 13. Individuals who prefer to attend a virtual learning session can visit the Ag Decision Maker Farm Bill information and resources webpage at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/info/farmbill.html.

“The key decision is between Price Loss Coverage and Agriculture Risk Coverage (county or individual),” said Extension farm management specialist Gary Wright in a news release. “A farmer’s choices will depend on the type of operation, where located, and their price outlook.”

PLC payments are triggered when the marketing year average price falls below the reference prices of $3.70 per bushel for corn and $8.40 per bushel for soybeans. Whereas ARC-CO payments are triggered when actual county revenue for the crop is less than the guarantee. According to Wright, current USDA price projections for 2022 are $4.80 per bushel for corn and $10.50 per bushel for soybeans.

“The producers’ overall 2022 crop decisions by announced deadlines will want to include (a) the federal crop election (ARC versus PLC); and (b) a thorough review of the other crop insurance options,” Wright said. “These two decisions should be evaluated jointly, following consultation with their trusted crop insurance agent (in regard to annual premiums), to ensure the desired risk control management steps are being fully considered.”

Ag producers and landowners are encouraged to be proactive and attend an in-person or virtual session if they have questions about their options. There is no fee to attend, but preregistration is required. Sessions will be approximately two hours in length, with time for questions.

In-person meetings are scheduled as follows:

• Thursday, Feb. 17, 9-11 a.m., Northwest Iowa Community College, Building A, Room 117, 603 W. Park Street, Sheldon; Preregister to (712) 957-5045.

• Friday, Feb. 18, 9-11 a.m., Grace United Methodist Church, 311 2nd Avenue, Spencer; Preregister to (712) 262-2264.

Additional questions can be directed to Wright at (712) 223-1574 or gdwright@iastate.edu.

Workshop to focus on optimizing planter setup

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach specialists are teaming up with ISU ag and biosystems engineering specialists to bring planter equipment expertise across Iowa in February.

The workshops are an opportunity for farmers, agricultural service providers, equipment and precision ag dealers, and others to gain insight into how both traditional and high-speed planters function; optimize settings for individual seed, field and equipment needs; and improve understanding of planter wear and calibration.

Specialists from the Iowa State Digital Ag group will lead each workshop and focus on small-group, hands-on learning with row units representing a variety of technologies currently available for planters.

A workshop is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 7, at the Northwest Research and Demonstration Farm near Sutherland. It will begin with check-in and refreshments at 9 a.m. and adjourn at approximately 2:30 p.m.

Attendance will be limited to maintain small group size and allow for hands-on activities. Registration is $75 and closes seven days ahead of the meeting. Register online at https://www.aep.iastate.edu/planter/. Registration includes lunch, refreshments, materials and CCA credits.

For questions, contact ANR Program Services at (515) 294-6429, or anr@iastate.edu, or contact your regional Extension field agronomist.

Northwest AEA to offer substitute authorization

Northwest AEA will be offering a substitute authorization course during February to ease the shortage of substitute teachers.

Eligible participants must be at least 21 years of age and must have either completed 60 credit hours from an accredited college or university, or have earned an associate’s degree or have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher. Additionally, for the duration of the governor’s disaster proclamation and any extension of the suspension, a paraeducator who holds or obtains a substitute authorization on a paraeducator certificate may substitute in any classroom in grades preK-12, except in a driver’s education classroom.

Participants will learn the ethical and professional practices for substitute teaching; methods for keeping students engaged and on-task; the components of effective lessons and instructional strategies; and the diverse learning needs of students.

Sessions will be held via Zoom on Feb. 15, 17, 21-23, from 4:30-7:30 p.m. For more information contact Dr. Judy Sweetman at (712) 222-6088 or Crystal McHugh at (712) 222-6205.

Extension offers workshop for swine producers

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will offer a workshop for hog confinement site operators on four dates in February throughout northwest Iowa.

Each workshop will be led by Extension Swine Specialist Dave Stender and Ag Engineering Specialist Kris Kohl and will focus on key areas for more productive and profitable swine operations. All workshops will cover the same mini topics, so individuals need only select the date and location that works best for them.

At each workshop Stender and Kohl will address how to capture more value from the nutrients in manure, understand the regulations for selling manure, determine how changes in swine rations will impact nutrients in manure, slow down the spread of pathogens in and between barns, identify energy saving tips through infrared technology and see a demonstration of Agri-View, a swine movement tracking tool to prepare for a foreign animal disease outbreak.

As a convenience to attendees, each workshop is being hosted after a confinement site manure applicator certification session in the same location.

Workshop options include: Friday, Feb. 18, Plymouth County Extension Office, LeMars; Wednesday, Feb. 23, Sioux County Extension Office, Orange City; and Monday, Feb. 28, Buena Vista County Extension Office, Storm Lake. All sessions will be held from 11:40 a.m.-2 p.m.

A working lunch will be provided for $15 per person. Preregistrations are appreciated, but walk-ins will be welcome. To preregister or for more information contact Stender at (712) 261-0225 or dstender@iastate.edu.