April 25, 2023 Driftless Journal

Holly Schmitt elected State FFA President

South

Winneshiek High

School graduate Holly Schmitt was recently elected president of the Iowa FFA Association at convention ceremonies in Ames.

Currently a sophomore majoring in agriculture education and hospitality management at Iowa State University, the new State President is the daughter of Greg and Sara Schmitt of Waucoma.

The election was held before a crowd of more than 6,000 FFA members at the 95th Iowa Leadership Conference, April 16-18, at Hilton Coliseum on the Iowa State University campus.

Schmitt grew up on a dairy farm, where her family milks Holstein cattle and raises crops, steers and calves. She also raises her own flock of ducks and shows horses.

During her years at South Winn, she was involved in many activities, including FFA, 4-H, State and County Councils, football and basketball cheerleading, drama, choir, swim team, dance, student government and track and field.

She is a past State FFA Officer, holding the office of Iowa FFA Secretary for 2022-23. Other past South Winn FFA state officers include: Warren Clark, 1972-72, Northeast District Vice President; Carson Brincks, 2020-21, Northeast District Vice President.

The motto “Learning to do,

H ME& Series

Building a dream off Scenic Byway A26

Holly Schmitt doing to learn, earning to live, and living to serve” – that’s the goal for the nine young leaders who will live out their year of service speaking with FFA members from across the state, presenting leadership camps and workshops and traveling around Iowa and the United States.

Schmitt and the other officers will have the opportunity to take part in Iowa FFA Foundation activities, FFA District Leadership Programs, Iowa FFA Legislative Symposium, the National FFA Convention and a wide variety of FFA Career Development Events.

FFA organizers said their largest responsibility will be to coordinate and conduct the 96th Iowa FFA Leadership Conference for over 6,500 FFA members, advisors, parents and guests next year.

Nierling earns top award at State FFA Convention

A Decorah High School student was among the 2023 Stars Over Iowa winners announced at the 95th Iowa FFA State Leadership Conference at Iowa State University on April 18.

A Star Over Iowa was selected in each of the four different areas: Agricultural Placement, Agribusiness, Agriscience, and Agricultural Production. Justin Nierling, son of Matt and Jolene Nierling, of the Decorah FFA Chapter is the 2023 Star in Agribusiness winner. This award category is based on an entrepreneurship/ownership Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) program in a non-production agriculture

area. Nierling is the owner and operator of Nierling Custom Farming, where he provides producers with services such as round baling and wrapping. In the summer of 2020, he was looking for something he could do to set himself up for a lifelong career. He looked at several options and ultimately decided to buy a round baler to start his own custom round baling business. Throughout the years, his business has grown significantly, and he has gained great responsibility and learned many

FFA award continued on page 3

By Kate Klimesh

Tessa and Colton Willie thought they had their dream home by Cresco. They had just finished renovating it to be exactly how they wanted for themselves and their two children, Raylan (9) and Harlan (6). Then an opportunity came along they simply couldn’t pass up.

Tessa explained, “Colton’s always wanted to build his own campground, even when he owned and ran his tree care service, he still wanted to someday build a campground.”

The couple heard that the Upper Iowa Resort, a 29-acre resort located between Dorchester and Waukon, was up for sale two years ago and struck while the iron was hot. “We had discussed the idea of building a campground with our banker, who was also the realtor for this place (the Upper Iowa Resort). Otherwise, we probably never would have known about it.”

The family spent some time at the campground and fell in love. They’ve operated the campground and made several major improvements over the past two years, including a new bath house, modernized office and adding seasonal sites and a shed for campground equipment, like their tractor. Colton also sold his tree care business to focus his energies on the campground and resort.

A hitch in the plans

“Living near Cresco, we had to live in a camper at the resort each summer because we needed to be here when the campers were here,” Tessa recollected.

“The boys loved being here in the summer, riding bikes all around the grounds and playing with other kids their age camp-

ing at the resort.”

After two summers of living in a camper on-site all summer, the family made the decision to build a new home at the campground. “The campground checked all the boxes for what

we were hoping for, so we decided to build our home here.”

In May 2022, their Cresco home was officially sold and they moved into a camper at the campground. But this time, there was a different kind of

LEFT- Colton and Tessa Willie, in the kitchen of their new home constructed on a well-planned lookout (pictured above) over the Upper Iowa Resort, which they purchased and have operated for the past two years near Dorchester. The family is happy to have their dream home completed and have been living there since Feb., with interesting design elements to fit their family’s needs.

anticipation. Only one more summer, fall and part of a winter in the camper while work was done at the campground.

DECORIDE fundraiser to benefit Decorah Free Clinic

Luther College students are organizing a cycling fundraiser with all proceeds going to the Decorah Free Clinic (DFC). DECORIDE will take place Saturday, May 6, at 9 a.m., on the Trout Run Trail in Decorah. The DFC serves underinsured or uninsured patients who

do not have access to professional health services, mainly because of cost. The patients in the clinic may have minor injuries or illnesses that need to be acutely attended to, or they may have chronic diseases that need long-term follow-up care.

Souk Sengsaisouk is a se-

nior nursing major at Luther who volunteered at the clinic and now works as their interim director. He is one of the main organizers of DECORIDE as he sees the impact of the DFC firsthand and wants to raise awareness and provide some financial support.

“Working closely with patients at the DFC allows me to gain insights about their primary health care needs. Having the DFC is a strength of our

DECORIDE May 6 continued on page 9

The large transom windows framing the entire wall of the Willie family’s open living room frame the gorgeous views they get each season, as they overlook the unique sand-bottom pond with graduated entrance at the campground, perfect for swimming in the hot Iowa summers. (Driftless Multimedia photos by Kate Klimesh)

on

Robey Memorial Library celebrates National Library Week

Robey Memorial Library encourages all community members to visit a local library during National Library Week, April 23-29, to explore all the library has to offer.

Most people know about the wealth of stories available at the library, from picture books and large print to audiobooks and eBooks. But there’s so much more to the story of libraries.

Libraries are welcoming spaces that bring communities together for entertainment, education and connection through

book clubs, story times, movie nights, crafting classes, lectures and more. Robey Memorial Library offers a wide array of programs, classes and resources and more.

A few of the events at RML include:

• Puzzle Corner daily during open hours

• Story Time, Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m.

• Stay & Play, first Tuesday monthly at 11 a.m.

• Afterschool with Ross of the Allamakee County Conservation Board, fourth Tuesday monthly at 3:30 p.m.

• Pajama Party-dinosaur story time and activity on Monday, May 1, 5:30-6:30 p.m.

• Live & Learn: Beginning American Sign Language on Thursday, April 27, 5:30 p.m.

• Live & Learn: Bullet Journaling on Thursday, May 25, 5:30 p.m.

• Live & Learn: Using Libby-downloading free audiobooks, ebooks and magazines

Lions fundraiser this Sunday

The Calmar Lions Club is offering a Pork Chop on a Stick fundraiser at Calmar Town Square, Sunday, April 30. Drive through from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to snag this local favorite. All funds support the Lions Club Park projects and other community projects.

on Thursday, June 29, 5:30 p.m.

• Summer Explorers-activities for children on June 7 & 21; July 5 & 19; August 2 & 16 at 10:30 a.m.

• Thursday Night Book

Club-topical book discussion monthly on the third Thursday at 6 p.m.

• Passport to Reading-book club for 4th through 6th graders on June 8, July 6, and August 3 at 10:30-11:30 a.m.

• Adult Reading Challenge, year-round reading challenge for adults with prizes

• Summer Reading Challenge for infant through teen during

July

• Ongoing literacy programs for infants through 12th grade – earn books for reading: 1,000 books before kindergarten; 100 books before high school; and Read for a Lifetime (for high school students)

• Grab & Go activities for kids and for teens—activity kits available on the second Wednesday each month

• Pinterest Projects— bi-monthly class with a project featured on the social media bookmarking site. Next class on Thursday, June 8.

• Lego Club for ages 8-17 on Tuesdays in June and July from 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Libraries play a critical role in the economic vitality of communities by providing internet and technology access, literacy skills and support for job seekers, small businesses and entrepreneurs. RML offers:

• Tech Tutor, Thursdays, 10 a.m.-noon

• JobNow/VetNow online services for career and Veteran needs

• HelpNow online tutoring and homework help

• Tech services for a fee: printing/wireless printing, copying and scan-to-email Stop by for a visit during National Library Week, April 2329. Follow RML on Facebook (WaukonLibrary), Instagram (robey_memorial_library), Twitter (WaukonLibrary), Pinterest (robeylibrary) or visit www.waukon.lib.ia.us. Use the hashtag #National Library Week to join the online celebration.

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association and libraries of all types across the country each April.

Police remind residents to stop feeding deer in city

The Decorah Police Department has recently taken calls about residents feeding deer in city limits. Police want to remind citizens of Decorah city code 6.32.020 which states:

A. No person may place or allow any device or any fruit, grain, mineral, plant, salt, vegetable, or other material to be placed outdoors on any public or private property for the purpose of attracting or feeding deer.

B. Each property owner shall have the duty to remove any materials placed on the owner’s property in violation of this chapter. Failure to remove such materials within twenty-four hours after notice from the city shall constitute a separate violation of this chapter.

C. Each property owner shall have the duty to remove any device placed on the owner’s

Family Education Program

property to which deer are attracted or from which deer feed. Alternatively, a property owner may modify such device or make other changes to from the device. Failure to remove such a device or to make such modifications within twenty-four hours after notice from the city shall constitute a separate violation of this chapter.

The City of Decorah finds that the intentional feeding of deer is a nuisance as such feeding of deer contributes to an unnaturally large population that creates traffic hazards, destroys personal property and places the deer herd at risk of disease. The violation of any provisions of this chapter shall be a misdemeanor punishable as provided in the municipal code for the City of Decorah.

The full city code can be found at www.decorahia.org.

GUNDERSEN DECORAH CLINIC WELCOMES

BOUNCY HOUSE CUPCAKE WALK LIFESIZE CHALK BOARD

Admission: FREE More Information: 563-380-1300 rweber@helpingservices.org

I’m excited to provide love + medicine in Decorah.

April is Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month Community event April 29

Across the nation and here in northeast Iowa, April is a time to emphasize Child Abuse Prevention and raise awareness for the efforts being done to eradicate child abuse.

National Child Abuse Awareness Month was first declared by President Jimmy Carter in 1979. After four years, April was formerly established as Child Abuse Prevention Month by President Ronald Reagan. The purpose of the month is for communities to rededicate themselves to being supportive of families and play an active role in preventing child abuse and neglect, as well as taking positive action to promote child and family well-being. The color blue became the color for child abuse awareness.

Helping Services for Youth & Families Family Education

Team is partnering with Community Partnerships for Protecting Children (CPPC) to put on a free community event for families. These events are to bring community awareness to Child Abuse Prevention Month and community resources through activities that the whole family can enjoy. The Blue Family Day event will include a bouncy house, carnival games and community resources to explore. The event will take place at the Waukon Wellness Center on Saturday, April 29, from 9 a.m. to noon. Working with families since 1973, Helping Services for Youth & Families, a nonprofit organization serving eight counties with programs that promote healthier and safer families throughout northeast Iowa.

OVCO to feature guest artist at final season performance

The Oneota Valley Community Orchestra will present its final concert of the season Sunday, April 30, at the Decorah High School Auditorium at 3 p.m. Guest violinist Philip Wharton will join the orchestra in presenting his “Concerto for Violin and Orchestra ” Wharton is known nationally and internationally for his exceptional compositions and playing.

“I’m thrilled that Philip can finally join us on stage,” said OVCO Director and Conductor Matthew Cody. “Philip is a

composer and violinist of quality, and I can’t think of a better way to end our ninth concert season.”

Originally from Decorah, Wharton is the son of Marjorie and the late George Wharton. Opening the concert with the vibrant and energetic “Festive Overture Op. 96” by Dimitri Shostakovich, the orchestra will conclude with the majestic “Symphony No. 1 in C minor” by Johannes Brahms. Admission is free. For more information about the orchestra visit ovcorchestra.org

Masking optional at all Gundersen locations

Masking for patients, visitors and staff will become optional at all Gundersen Health System locations on Monday, April 24. Based on lower risk factors including COVID Community Levels, along with readily available COVID vaccines and treatments, Gundersen has determined patients, visitors and staff no longer need to mask while visiting any Gundersen location.

Once the change is made,

patients, visitors and staff may choose to continue to mask. Patients with fever and/or respiratory symptoms seeking care, treatment or testing should mask upon entrance to any Gundersen facility and report those symptoms at check-in. Masks will remain available at entrances and/or registration desks. Visitors and support persons who have symptoms of COVID-19 should not accompany a patient.

Save Our Streams field training offers hands-on experience in water quality monitoring, including biological, chemical and physical stream assessments. Participants also learn to assess stream habitat and watershed land uses. Pictured are participants at a similar training last fall near Marquette.

(submitted photo)

Water quality/macroinvertebrate field training May 6 at YRSF

Join the Save our Streams (SOS) staff of the Izaak Walton League and Friends of Yellow River State Forest for a volunteer Macroinvertebrate Field Training Saturday, May 6, at 10 a.m. at Yellow River State Forest at the Walnut Wayside/Horse Day Use Area located at 745 State Forest Road near Harpers Ferry.

SOS field training offers hands-on experience in water quality monitoring, including biological, chemical and physical stream assessments. Participants also learn to assess stream habitat and watershed land uses, leaving field training fully equipped to assess water quality.

Pre-registration is required for this free workshop by emailing Taylor.Schaefers@dubuquecountyiowa.gov.

The Izaak Walton League’s SOS program is the only nationwide program training volun-

teers to protect waterways from pollution and bring information about water quality to their communities. Today, trained volunteer stream monitors across the country are uncovering pollution problems and urging their local leaders to take action on water quality. The work of these volunteers also creates a critical record of water quality over time, making it possible to quickly identify pollution problems that may develop in the future. Anybody can get trained as a volunteer stream monitor.

Prior to the field session, participants will need to complete the online portion of the training to learn about water quality issues and macroinvertebrates. Training will occur in rain or shine. Learn more about the class at www.iwla.org/water/stream-monitoring/upcoming-water-monitoring-workshops.

Iowa Hunters Education Field Day April 29

The Allamakee County Conservation Board and the Mississippi Valley Sportsman Club will host a Hunters Education Field Day Saturday, April 29, at the Mississippi Valley Sportsman Club from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.

This will be a field day course to complete online hunters’ education requirements for anyone 17 years of age or younger. Attendees must bring with them a certificate of completion of the online Iowa Hunters Education Course to participate in the field day exercises.

To register for the field day,

visit https://tinyurl.com/mpsw77m5. Registration for the field day is limited to 25 students.

The Mississippi Valley Sportsman’s Club is located at 1797 Columbus Road, Lansing. Dress accordingly for the weather as many events take place outside. To register or to receive more information on this or any event, call the ACCB at 563-538-0403 or follow ACCB on Facebook.

life lessons in running a business. He has baled 9,600 bales in the lifetime of his business. He expanded services last year and bought a bale wrapper. He wrapped a total of 3,700 bales within the last two years. Justin recently traded his baler for a brand-new one and bought a bale trailer to rent out to clients to speed up hauling round bales.

Nierling had many people help him get started in custom farming over the years. One of the biggest ways he received clients was through advertising his services on social media and offering merchandise to the public.

In FFA, he received a gold rating at state with his proficiency. He also served as a committee chairperson in his chapter.

After graduation, he plans to slowly start taking over the family farm. He also plans on picking up more crop ground to farm and to grow his business in providing producers with more custom services.

“This is a very prestigious FFA award that is based on outstanding supervised agricultural experiences (ag work-based learning) and FFA accomplishments,” commented Decorah FFA Advisor Joni Bruvold. “We are so proud of Justin on this amazing accomplishment and look forward to watching him continue to grow and expand his agricultural business.”

Decorah FFA Chapter advi-

sor is Joni Bruvold, and DHS Principal is Brad Hurst. DHS Superintendent is Dr. Tim Cronin. The Stars Over Iowa program is made possible with support from Beck’s Hybrids through the Iowa FFA Foundation. The National FFA Foundation sponsors cash awards for the overall star winners.

SPRING Pop Up Shop

Saturday,

April 28-30

Bird and Animal Swap

Sponsored by Northeast Iowa Bird & Animal Club

2023 Dates:

The Landing

T-Bock’s

Justin Nierling

The Willie’s family home has all the features this DIY family needs, with large windows (top) letting in natural light into their living room and showcasing the beauty of the Upper Iowa Campground where they are located. The extra large shop (bottom left) has adequate space for working on classic cars – even on a car lift, as well as creature comforts such as the plumbed-in compressed air and water hoses flanking the large overhead doors. A spacious three-car garage offers ample parking for the family out of the elements. The entire home, shop and garage has in-floor heating installed to keep it all comfortable.

again

How do you build a new home when everything you want is at the wrong location?

Start with what you know.

The family knew they didn’t want anything “super huge, so started at 2,000 sq. ft. for the house, with two bedrooms and a master bedroom and two baths.”

They met with a local designer who helped bring their ideas to life. Colton wanted to ensure he kept his shop the same as he had in Cresco, with high ceilings, lots of space and the amenities he needed to pursue his passion in classic car repair and restoration (currently spending quality time with a 1969 Nova), with room for a car lift in the future.

Tessa added, “There were many nights lying awake in bed thinking about the design and what we wanted in the house. You only get to build it once.”

With the design finalized, and many unique features to make life easier, the couple focused on hiring out all the work that needed to be done, including creating the ground on which the house would sit, ringed by a high retaining wall, overlooking the campground. “We wanted to stay on one level, with the attached garage and shop.”

The high vantage point ensured the family would have privacy from the campground while still being on-site and able to attend to campers at any time. The challenge was that a good portion of the ground

the home is built on had to be moved in to fit the house and its foundations in that location. The retaining wall was more for structural integrity of the site than appearances. And a wall that large was no small feat.

As site work began, workers needed to create the home’s building location by using extra soil and sand from creating the road to build up the site for the home to be built upon. They began the foundation cement work in the summer of 2022 with Hubka Construction of Decorah, being careful to ensure the integrity of the retaining wall laid by Pinter’s Gardens and Pumpkins near Ridgeway, as the foundation was poured.

Construction with the crew from Beisker Builders of Waukon began in August.

The Willie family acted as their own general contractors

Willie home continued on page 6

The open floor plan of the kitchen and living room fits the active lifestyle of the family, with beautiful picture windows showcasing each season’s beauty right out their front door.

Willie family! Thank yo

Willie home continued from page 5 and ensured any materials needed were ordered early enough that they didn’t experience any delays from supply shortages. The family used Ridgeway Lumber for most of their materials.

Tessa kept things simple, using the same countertops from Johanningmeier Stone throughout the house in kitchen and bathrooms alike. She also kept the same wood cabinets, doors and trim as a common theme throughout the home. Colton even found an old barn beam to use as the kitchen island light to tie together the rustic charm of the space.

“It was great working with Shelly at Ridgeway Lumber, and we could see how all the pieces fit before the final draft. If I had to do it over again, the only thing I’d do differently is make the island in the kitchen longer, so four chairs could fit at it at once.”

With site and design complete, the family continued to operate the Upper Iowa Resort as their home was being built. The road to the home was created as they worked, yet with the beautiful trees surrounding the site and the newness of the road, they could not get a semi up to the site. The crew at Beisker Builders got creative and used a skid loader to make multiple trips to and from the site. The boom crane from Kelly Concrete allowed them to set some of the trusses, but many others they had to set by hand due to the site’s limitations and

elevation.

Seth Beisker, an experienced bridge builder turned construc-

tion company five years ago, added, “Someone gives us a home design print, and we build

LEFT- The guest bathroom includes a rain glass window to allow for privacy while also allowing in plenty of natural light.

it. This home design, the trusses came in two pieces to span the whole width of the home, with lots of graduated sizes going to the valley where the vault meets the garage.”

The Willie family has been living in their home since February of this year and are truly loving every minute of their customized space: from the terrazzo flooring with in-floor heat installed with the plumbing by Becker Hardware of Ossian, which is easy to maintain with the abundance of natural elements surrounding them, to the nooks, shelves and special touches – like the boys’ shared bathroom between their bedrooms – that help the family enjoy their new, and permanent, dream home overlooking the beautiful Upper Iowa River, sand bottom pond and Upper Iowa Resort – a dream within a dream.

Future plans include a patio off the living room. As for landscaping, well, they will tackle that once the weather is ready to cooperate.

The Willie’s master bathroom

offers rustic elegance with dual vanity and of course, a bit of natural light and glimpses of their rural setting through the window. The deep tiled shower in natural stone colors offers a serene experience, with built-in shelving and is a great place to help wash away the natural elements for this outdoors-loving family

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the Bohr orchard came to pass. Apples and pears both require grafting to produce an exact replica of the fruit species, as simply planting their seeds has a one in 10,000 chance to produce the same kind of fruit variety. When Johnny Appleseed was planting seeds along his journey, he had no idea what exact kind of fruit would result those many years later.

“I took a class on apple tree grafting at Seed Savers Exchange five years ago, and really took an interest from there,” Bohr recalled of the spark that grew into the fruits of his labors today.

“It made me feel good, as all three trees I grafted for the class survived. It is kind of a patience thing, as it can be three to five years before the grafted tree bears fruit.”

Grafting an apple tree means taking two pieces of different trees and marrying them together to produce a new living tree, with properties from both halves, but the fruit identical to the top half - or scion wood.

The other portion of the grafted tree is the root stock.

“The root stock can come from any kind of apple tree.

If you plant apple seeds and they start growing, you can use

WATERLOO

Mary, Mary, may be quite contrary, but Daniel Bohr’s garden grows with an orchard of an even dozen grafted apple trees. Living on the edge of Spillville, Bohr has taken to the grafting process to propagate some very exciting apple varieties in his spacious backyard. In 10 years, people will be wondering how

Daniel Bohr

A fresh graft, pictured above, shows root stock and scion wood of equal size with matched surfaces for the best chance of growth. Once healed, it turns into a healed single tree.

Daniel Bohr inspects the grafts on the trees he grafted last year, which are planted in pots in the ground for ease of replanting and protection against the elements.

root stock looks like it swelled a bit, but they are solid and growing well.” They will be replanted this season. (left) the first apples the Bohr family picked from their first three trees grafted, just last year. (Driftless Multimedia photo by Kate Klimesh)

Apple grafting

those plants as root stock. You can also order root stock from any nursery that sells them to get specific properties for your grafted apple tree.”

The root stock determines the height and size of the tree, a tree’s cold-hardiness and disease resistance, as well as at what age it will bear fruit. When ordering specific root stock from specialized nurseries, there are options for standard size, which can be up to 30 foot wide and dwarf varieties, which are usually up to 10 foot wide, which is great for high-density planting.

“Apple trees are generally as tall as they are wide, and the smaller trees can make picking the apples much easier,” Bohr added.

One of the heirloom varieties, called Fameuse, Bohr grew from his original grafting class originated from the 1700s in French Canada.

“It’s really amazing that this scion wood is from a tree that has been growing this type of apple for over 300 years,” he said with a smile.

The scion wood used for grafting determines the properties of the fruit the grafted tree will bear. Grafting stock for both should be at least the size of a pencil before attempting to join the two together.

Bohr noted, “Using a single edged beveled knife makes the best graft cuts on both samples, and helps them line up better, which can help the graft when healing.”

Bohr reported his grafting method was “whip and tongue graft, which may not be the easiest, but it is very effective. And it’s a fairly cheap way to start grafting. You just need a good knife and grafting tape. Grafting trees can also be less expensive than buying a whole tree but does take patience over

DECORIDE May 6

a year or two to get to the same size as those ready for purchase as a whole tree.”

The whip and tongue graft is a style of bench grafting Bohr favors, which means the plant can be grafted in a pot when fairly young. “The whole goal of grafting is to match up the cambium layer — the green, actively growing layer — of the two samples of the root stock and the scion layer. If they are matched well, they will heal and grow, creating a scar at the graft point.”

“Generally, you want to graft trees in the spring, just before the buds come out — in March or April — depending on the weather. Grafting small trees right before the sap flows allows the tree to focus energy healing the graft, and then it can bud and bloom on year two.”

The newly grafted trees can be planted in pots and kept in any cool environment that will protect them from extreme weather. Keeping grafted plants in a refrigerator or unheated garage during the healing process allows the plants to heal.

Once the grafted trees have healed and begin pushing new growth from the tips of the grafted tree, “you know the graft has taken and you can then plant it in the ground. Then, pinch off the rest of the lower growth, leaving one branch on top for the main trunk of the tree to develop — this shoot will become what is called a whip. The second year, prune the tree to what will become the main branches of the tree, usually two to three branches, and the main leader –or what will be the main trunk of the tree.”

Bohr also recommends using grafting tape to secure the two grafted pieces together initially, “Parafilm, it’s kind of like saran wrap, only it sticks to itself as the graft grows, then falls off.”

continued from page 8

“The biggest challenge of grafting trees is keeping deer and rabbits off the trees for the first five years. Small diameter fencing around the trees is vital,” said the man who lost six young grafted trees to a juvenile rabbit and speaks from experience. “The trees must be very tasty.”

Bohr is hedging his bets, with the three grafted trees from his original course bearing fruit for the first time last year, three new apple trees he purchased, and six other grafted trees with disease resistant root stock to prevent the most commonly known apple tree diseases in this area, but with each hosting a different varietal scion wood. Since his first harvest was just last year, and many trees still another year off from fruiting, he added, “I don’t even know if I’m going to like the apples from them all yet.”

He has, however, been very contrary and particular in his pruning of all the trees. “Pruning is especially important the first three to five years of the tree’s life. You want to get good branch angles and that’s when you set the shape of the tree. Those small branches will be the main trunks and boughs in 10 years.”

Bohr has recently expanded and has grafted and planted some pear trees as well in his backyard orchard. “A lot of people try to grow peaches here too, but peaches are not an Iowa fruit tree. I haven’t found one that can stand the cold.”

“I do tell people to do their research before getting into grafting or planting fruit trees. Think about the finished size of the tree, where it is in your yard, and if that’s a good place for a bunch of apples to be lay-

ing on the ground, to make sure your root stock is cold-hardy and disease resistant. Do your research before planting for a better chance of success.”

“It’s a fun hobby to get into, I really enjoy it. I hope more people take up grafting and planting fruit trees.”

“We are hoping to have at least six trees produce fruit this coming year. What we’ll do with all the apples when all the trees are full and we have too many, I’m not sure. I’m sure we’ll sell them or give them away. But everybody can use apples, it’s a good thing to be able to share.”

Three freshly grafted trees take time to heal in a pot. The grafting tape covers the fresh cuts where the scion wood and root stock were joined. Once the trees show signs of new growth, they can be transplanted to their own post to grow big and strong before being transplanted into the ground.

continued from front community as it ensures health care needs are met at both the individual and community level,” said Sengsaisouk.

“The impact of the DFC is both for its patients and the individuals who serve at the clinic,” said Angela Kueny, Luther College nursing professor and volunteer nurse at the DFC.

“It is the mark of a committed community to meet the health needs of all of its members, across all backgrounds and abil-

ities to pay. Not only that, the DFC contributes to the health of the overall community. ”

Check-in begins at Will Baker Park at 9 a.m., with the ride starting at 10 a.m. At noon, Pulpit Rock Brewing will welcome participants to enjoy a cash bar and music provided by Driftless Jazz.

Registration is open now and anyone can participate. Visit linktr.ee/DECORIDE to register and learn more.

LADYBUG LANDSCAPES & FLORAL

Farm Loan Officer Trainee

The Winneshiek County USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Office located in Decorah, Iowa, is accepting applications to fill one Farm Loan Officer Trainee position. Iowa FSA is an exciting and rewarding place to start, build and/or continue your professional career. Be a part of our team and support the well-being of Iowa agriculture by applying for this position today.

Farm Loan Officer Trainees (FLOTs) are hired into the training program to become Farm Loan Officers for FSA, working alongside Farm Loan Managers (FLMs) reviewing loan application and making preliminary inquiries to develop information to assess the eligibility of applicants. Farm Loan Officers also provide technical advice, guidance and credit counseling to loan applicants and borrowers. These positions assist the Farm Loan Managers in administering farm loan programs at the Decorah USDA Service Center that services one or more counties.

The Farm Loan Officer Trainee (FLOT) position offers benefits such as health insurance, 401(k) plan, paid holidays, vacation and sick leave and flexible work schedules.

The position vacancy announcement with mandatory application requirements can be obtained online at www.usajobs.gov and accessing vacancy announcement number:

FSA-23-11934286-DE-IA-GNB (for non-USDA-FSA employees)

FSA-23-11934387-ST-IA-GNB (for current USDA-FSA employees)

The opening date will be April 26, 2023, and will close on May 10, 2023.

Questions regarding this position can be directed to Shelby Richards, Farm Loan Manager, at (563) 382-8777 ext. 5 or shelby.richards@usda.gov.

Wind doesn’t stop SW, TV linksters

It sure didn’t feel like spring Thursday night as the South Winn golf teams hosted Turkey Valley at Silver Springs Golf and Country Club in Ossian in a varsity only meet.

The area teams battled strong winds and cold temps with the wind chill hovering near 30 degrees with South Winn sweeping the meet.

Close for the boys

The Trojan boys came tantalizingly close to an upset

Trojan boys second at Kee

win over the Warriors on their home course, falling by a scant 5-stroke margin, 186 to 191.

Turkey Valley’s Oliver Schmitt took overall medalist honors with a 41, edging South Winn’s Carson Wenthold by one stroke (42).

Adding to the Warriors’ win on the scorecard were Jordan Baumler (46), Braiden Todd (49) and Carver Wenthold (49). Rounding out the varsity lineup for South Winn with 50s were Matson Winings and Jackson Goltz.

“It was a tough day on the golf course. It was windy and cold. We didn’t shoot our best score, either as a team or really any of our individuals. But the guys understood that what matters most is competing against their opponents. We beat a good UIC team today with that competitive mentality,” noted SW coach Mike Wenthold.

Caleb Kurtenbach (48), Calvin Bodensteiner (51) and Carson Busta (51) also counted for the Trojans in the dual with Garrett Dietzenbach (53) and Braylen Byrne (59) completing the Valley scorecard.

“We needed our No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 golfers to stay just a little closer to Oliver in order to challenge the perennially strong South Winn program,”

said TV coach John Reicks. “Overall, we posted some solid scores considering the weather.”

Medals for girls

On the girls’ side, the Warriors overwhelmingly won 229 to 254.

The South Winn girls swept medalist honors with junior Annie Ondrashek besting the field with a 54. Runner-up went to Brooke Steffans who was one stroke back with a 55. Contributing to the varsity win were Katrina Hageman (58) and Paige Jaster (62) with Julia Carnesi (65) and Aubrey Hageman (69) also on the course.

Annika Bodensteiner (57) and Sofia Rivera (65) both carded season low rounds, and Abby Schmitt (65), Morgan Vsetecka (66), Mariah Throndson (68) and Brookyln Kuennen (76) also showed plenty of grit and determination as did ALL the Trojan and Warrior golfers that competed under the “less than ideal” conditions this afternoon.

“The Lady Trojans just didn’t quite have enough firepower to match their Lady Warrior counterparts who are off to a great start this season. We did see an overall solid effort up and down the scorecard,” said TV Coach Reicks.

On tap for both

Both squads are in for a busy week with South Winn having started at North Fayette Valley Monday. Last week’s triangular with Turkey Valley and Decorah has been rescheduled for Tuesday, April 24, at the South Winn Golf and Country Club at 4 p.m.

The Trojans were at Postville Monday, then will be at South Winn Tuesday and finish the week at home against Central Elkader Thursday, April 27, at 4 p.m.

Vikes grab two more wins

The No. 14 Decorah boys soccer team moved to a 6-1 record with back-to-back wins to close out last week.

Thursday, the Vikes were at Waverly-Shell Rock and picked up a 2-0 win over the Go-Hawks (3-4). Both goals were scored by Jake Magner as he took three shots on the goal. In all, the Vikes had all 12 of the shots on goal in the match. Aside from Magner’s three, Jimmy Valdez had two, Jeramiah Rediske had two and Ian Giddings had two. With one each were Brady Benzing, Peter Essa and Franklin Lesmeister. Junior Caleb Meyer stood in goal for Decorah.

Friday, Decorah continued to step it up, knocking off Clayton

Less than ideal conditions

Wahawk Invite team scores

1. Cedar Falls 156.50; 2. Decorah 131; 3. Cedar Rapids Prairie 99; 4. Waverly-Shell Rock 91; 5. New Hampton 66; 6. Waterloo West 33.50; 7. Osage 30; 8. Marshalltown 28; 9. Dubuque Senior 25; 10. Cedar Rapids Washington 20; 10. Cedar Rapids Jefferson 20; 12. Waterloo East 19; 13. Don Bosco 10

With outstanding efforts in less than ideal weather conditions, the Decorah girls track team finished second in the team standings at the Wahawk Invite in Waterloo Thursday. The Viking finished the night with 131 points with Cedar Falls taking the team title with 156.50 points.

“The girls showed a lot of physical and mental growth at this meet,” said Co-Head Coach Brad Johansen.

The Vikes were paced by the six events that finished first. Chloe Reiser was in top form, winning the shot put with a heave of 40 feet 0.5 inch, while Julia Alberts took the discus title, with a throw of 120 feet 1 inch.

Ava Holthaus was a threetime champion. The freshman individually won gold in the 200-meter dash in 28.72 seconds. She also paired with Hayley Stowe, Brinley Krivachek and Kailyn O’Gara in the 4x100 to win in 50.99 seconds. In the distance medley relay, it was A. Holthaus again, this time combining with Dahlyn Headington. Sami Mount and McKenzie Riley. The foursome won

the event in 4:32.55. Stowe was also an individual champion with gold medal time of 12.92 in the 100-meter dash.

The Vikes are at Waukon today (Tuesday, April 25) before several members of the team head to Des Moines for the Drake Relays Thursday through Saturday, April 27-29. Varsity

– 8. Lauren Holthaus

4-4 Long jump – 3. Sydney Kipp 15-

5.5; 7. Jerikah Dodd 13-8.5 Shot put – 1. Chloe Reiser 400.5; 7. Lauren Luzum 33-8.4 Discus – 1. Julia Alberts 120-1; 13. Sally Laybourn 91-9 100m – 1. Hayley Stowe 12.92 200m – 1. Ava Holthaus 28.72; 8. Dodd 30.31

400m – 3. Lillian Olson 1:03.94;

10. Dodd 1:09.67

800m – 5. Danielle Losen 2:42.42 1500m – 10. Brynn Storhoff

5:48.65; 11. Grace Brynsaas

5:55.77

3000m – 8. Brynsaas 12:50.79

100m hurdles – 4. Renae Wilson

17.01; 7. Kipp 17.31

400m hurdles – 10. L. Holthaus

1:17.72; 11. Madison Tollefson

1:18.23

Shuttle hurdle – 2. Kipp, Wilson, Leslie Campbell, Autumn Schaller,

1:09.45

4x100 – 1. A. Holthaus, Brinley

Krivachek, Kailyn O’Gara, Stowe, 50.99

4x200 – 2. Krivachek, O’Gara, Stowe, Sami Mount, 1:48.59

4x400 – 3. Olson, Mount, McKenzie Riley, Lily Sandhorst,

4:17.53

4x800 – 4. Olson, Sandhorst, Losen, Storhoff, 10:33.36

Sprint medley – 2. Krivachek, O’Gara, Mount, Riley, 1:53.87

Distance medley – 1. A. Holthaus, Dahlyn Headington, Sandhorst, Paige Werner, 4:32.55

Coming up in varsity sports

Gary Bottorf boys team scores

1. MFL MarMac 120; 2. Turkey Valley 65; 3. Clayton Ridge 60; 4. Kee 55; 5. West Central 48; 6. De Soto (Wis.) 22; 7. Postville 18

Gary Bottorf girls team scores

1. Waukon 145; 2. Kee 87; 3. Turkey Valley 78; 4. West Central 27; 5. MFL MarMac 18; 6. De Soto (Wis.) 13; 7. Postville 8

Ridge (3-4) by a 7-1 tally. At halftime, the Vikes led 2-1 and put up five goals in the second half, outshooting the Eagles 27-2 overall. Performing a hat trick for Decorah was junior Lincoln Bishop. Others putting the ball in the back of the net for the Vikes were Parker Heiselman, Magner, Will Larson and Giddings. Once again, Meyer was goal for the Vikes with one save.

The Vikes were at Denver Monday and host Hudson tonight (Tuesday, April 29) at 5 p.m. A rescheduled match at North Fayette Valley will take place Saturday, April 29, at 9 a.m.

Against strong gusts of wind and temperatures hovering in the 40s, the Turkey Valley track teams competed well at the Gary Bottorf Invite hosted by Kee Thursday.

The Trojan boys finished second with 65 points behind team champion MFL MarMac who posted 120 points. In the girls’ team race, the Trojans tallied 78 points to finish third. Waukon won the meet with 145 points, followed by the hosts with 87.

Franzen on fire

Ryan Franzen lit up the track Thursday, earning two individual and one relay gold. The senior looped the track in 52.70 seconds to win the 400-meter dash and later won the 800-meter run in 2:07.48.

Franzen capped off the night as a member of the winning 4x400 relay with Burke Busta, Chase Hayek and Troy Schmitt. The quartet posted a winning time of 3:48.62.

For Noah Hanson it was a quartet of silvers as he was the runner-up in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes. In the shorter event the senior sprinted down the track in 11.42 seconds and stopped the clock at 23.46 seconds in the 200-meter dash.

Rounding out the sprints, Hanson finished second to teammate, Franzen, in the 400-meter dash in 53.20 seconds. In the 4x100 relay, he joined forces with Franzen, Dairean Keyes and JD Kruse to take silver in 48.72 seconds.

Rounding out the top-three finishes for the Trojans was the 4x800 relay of Logan Busta, Miguel Diaz, Kruse and Tucker Reicks in 10:56.62 for bronze.

Shining for the girls

Three events claimed titles for the Trojan girls which began with Jacqlyn Schmitt in the discus with a heave of 94 feet 9 inches. The senior claimed second in the shot put with a throw of 34 feet 6.5 inches as well.

The 4x100 relay and the 4x100 weightmen relay also won gold. In the 4x100 relay it was Jenna Throndson, Olivia Snyder, Ryann Schmitt and Morgan Wenthold posting the winning time of 54.48 seconds. Aubrey Hoffert, Delaney Busta, Addison Lutgen and J. Schmitt won the weightmen 4x100 relay in 1:02.72.

Layni Schuchhardt was the runner-up in the 3000-meter run in 13:43.84, along with the other six relays.

Coming up

The Trojans were at Sumner-

Fred Monday. Tuesday, April 25, the girls will be at Clayton Ridge, while the boys will travel to Clayton Ridge Thursday, April 27. Both events are scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m.

SW freshman Braiden Todd chips the golf ball on to the ninth green in Thursday’s meet versus the Trojans.

(Driftless Multimedia photo by Becky Walz)

Trojan Sophia Rivera gets set to putt amid the wind and cold temperatures Thursday.

(Driftless Multimedia photo by Becky Walz)

Turkey Valley’s Ryan Franzen (left) gets set to pass a runner in a contest from early in the season. Thursday, the senior won two individual golds and another in the 4x400 relay. (Driftless Multimedia photo by Becky Walz)

Lily Sandhorst takes the baton from Danielle Losen in the 4x800 relay in a meet held in Charles City earlier last week. (Photo courtesy of Kelly Terpstra/New Hampton Tribune)

ABOVE: Jake Magner winds up for a kick at Waverly-Shell Rock Tuesday where he scored both of Decorah’s goals.

BELOW: Viking junior Lincoln Bishop scored a hat trick in Decorah’s 7-1 win over Clayton Ridge Friday night. (Photos courtesy of Heather Benzing)

Addison Lutgen rounds a turn as the anchor in a meet at Nashua-Plainfield recently held. (Driftless Multimedia photo by Becky Walz)

No. 2 Viking netters top ranked opponents

The second-ranked Decorah boys tennis team (8-2) finished a tough two-week stretch where the Vikes played eight duals in 13 days by competing against No. 10 Waverly-Shell Rock (53) immediately followed by No. 5 Boone (12-2) Friday. It was another cold and windy day, with an early morning to travel to Waverly for a 9 a.m. start, where things started slowly but the team quickly warmed up and came away with a 7-2 team victory over the Go-Hawks, led by the trio of experienced Vikings at the top of the order in Caden Branum, Daniel Skrade

Decorah boys win Indian Relays

After Monday’s Decorah Relays were wiped out by a snowstorm, the Decorah boys track team braved the cold and windy conditions Friday at the Indian Relays hosted by Waukon.

“I was proud of the guys, as they showed real grit and determination in the difficult conditions. It was nice to get the chance to compete again,” said Coach Joel Rollinger.

The Vikes had a strong day on the oval, posting 160 points to take the team title, Waukon claimed second with 149 points.

Decorah brought home four gold medals in the night. It started with Dakota Johnson in the 100-meter dash who stopped the clock at 11.56 seconds. He later broke the tape in the 400-meter hurdles in 1:00.75. Cade Olson was the fastest to loop the track in the 400-meter dash in 51.53 seconds. The final gold medal of the night was won by Garrett See. The freshman was the fastest in the 1600-meter run with a time of 5:04.93.

Eight other events claimed silver for the Vikes including Peyton Webb in the high jump (5-6), William Hahn in the shot put (40-11), Fisher Tweten in the discus (113-11), Johnson in the 110-meter hurdles (16.73), the shuttle hurdle relay (1:09.60), 4x100 relay (47.30), 4x200 relay (1:40.53) and the 4x800 relay (9:35.83).

The Vikings were at Mason City Monday and will have several athletes preparing to compete at the Drake Relays Thursday through Saturday, April 27-29.

Varsity results

High jump – 2. Peyton Webb 5-6

Long jump – 3. Gavin Groux 18-

7.5; 7. Ashton Saltou 15-8.75

Shot put – 2. William Hahn 4011; 5. Fisher Tweten 36-0 Discus – 2. Tweten 113-11; 5. Hahn 97-8

31.76

400m – 1. Cade Olson 51.53; 5. Brayden Hartl 55.02

800m – 4. D’Mitry Lesser 2:22.97;

5. Thomas Hammel 2:24.46 1600m – 1. Garrett See 5:04.93;

4. Grant Zilka 5:14.13

3200m – 3. Hammel 11:34.94; 4. Max Grimstad 12:21.64

110m hurdles – 2. Johnson

16.73; 5. Joshua Adam 18.50

400m hurdles – 1. Johnson

1:00.75; 3. Saltou 1:03.94

Shuttle hurdle – 2. Adam, Tommy Sexton, Groux, Saltou,

1:09.60

4x100 – 2. Groux, Webb, Hartl, Adam, 47.30

4x200 – 2. Groux, Webb, Trevor Kuennen, Landon Quandahl, 1:40.53

4x400 – 3. L. Quandahl, Kuennen, Sexton, Carter Dlhy, 3:52.40

4x800 – 2. Lesser, See, Zilka, Mason Avila, 9:35.83

Sprint medley – 3. Adam, Hartl, Olson, Kuennen, 1:45.57

Distance medley – 4. JumpGerleman, Kaiden Youngblood, Garrett Waskow, Dhly, 4:21.33

and Landon Baker as well as a late addition to the singles lineup at No. 6 in Gabe Hiner due to an injury. In doubles play the Vikings came out fast and aggressive.

“The team worked very hard on doubles in practice this week and it showed against a tough opponent,” said Coach Matt Anderson.

Following a five-minute break, Decorah immediately took to the courts again against No. 5 Boone, a team the Vikes normally don’t play and know little about except knowing it was going to be a tough

Bulldogs edge SW golfers

The South Winn golf teams not only had to battle MFL MarMac on the links Friday, but the Warriors also fought a second day in a row of wind and cold temps. In the end, both squads fell to the Bulldogs at Tri City Golf and Country Club near Luana.

Lady Vikes tennis rewind

Saturday’s girls tennis tournament at Clinton was moved indoors due to colder-than-normal temperatures. As a result, the format was switched to double-play only. All three Viking teams were eliminated in the first round.

No other information was available at press time.

New veterans hunting, fishing licenses available

The new Armed Forces Hunting and Fishing licenses are now available to residents of Iowa who served in the armed forces of the United States on federal active duty. The new annual fishing license, or hunting and fishing combo license, is $5, with a $2 processing fee. To qualify, veterans will need to submit a one-time application for the Iowa Hunting/Fishing License for Resident Armed Forces Veteran along with a copy of their DD214. The application is available online at https://www.iowadnr.gov/

Hunting/Hunting-Licenses-Laws/License-Applications under Residents Only Ap-

plications.

Upon approval, the applicant’s account will be updated to reflect their status. They may then purchase the new license anywhere Iowa hunting and fishing licenses are sold. Qualifying veterans who have already purchased a hunting or fishing license for 2023 may submit the application, and then purchase the veterans license once their current license expires.

It was a mere three-stroke differential in girls action as MFL MarMac defeated the Warriors 228 to 231. With 45 strokes, South Winn’s Katrina Hageman claimed the top spot with Devon Meyer of MFL MarMac taking the runner-up medal with a 53. Putting up a 57 for the Warriors was Avery Luzum. Brooke Steffans came through with a 61 while Aubrey Hageman fired a 68. Other scores for SW were Paige Jaster, 69, and Kali Kleve, 74.

The SW boys fired a 182 behind MFL MarMac’s 159. The

match. Again, Decorah’s top three came out fast and aggressive against a team that is very consistent and forces you to work every point. In addition, No. 4 Liam Chamberlain found his form and with aggressive forehands and net play secured a fourth singles win. As singles wound down fans could see the long day starting to affect the players legs and the mental challenge of the wind was tough against a fresher opponent.

“The team gathered before doubles and talked about finishing the day with everything they had left to give and it showed with wins at No. 2 and No. 3, which required a furious rally to win the final seven games in a row to win the 10 game superset 11-9. That was one of the most amazing comebacks I have ever seen at 4-9 down, I simply challenged the boys to win one point at a time and I didn’t talk to them again, I just watched them fight and claw their way back…. so proud of that response,” said Coach Anderson. “The No. 1 team of Daniel Skrade and Landon Baker lost a very tough match as some cramping came into play. I was also very pleased with Aidan Nalean-Carlson, who had two tough singles matches against players he didn’t match up well against, but never hung his head and brought his best to help secure important doubles victories.”

At the end of the meet Decorah had secured a 6-3 team victory and a well-deserved weekend off.

Decorah is at Oelwein Tuesday, April 25, at 4 p.m., and will host Onalaska Friday, April 28, at 4 p.m.

Decorah 7, Waverly-Shell Rock 2

Singles: No. 1 Caden Branum (Dec) defeated Benny Ramker (W-SR) 10-3; No. 2 Daniel Skrade (Dec) defeated Luca Myers (W-SR) 10-0; No. 3 Landon Baker (Dec) defeated Seth Orta (W-SR) 10-5; No. 4 Liam Chamberlain (Dec) was defeated by Aidan Kelley (W-SR) 10-7; No. 5 Aidan Nalean-Carlson (Dec) was defeated by Brady Willis (W-SR) 10-7; No. 6 Gabriel Hiner (Dec) defeated Luis Portillo (W-SR) 10-7

Doubles: No. 1 Baker/Skrade (Dec) defeated Ramker/Myers (WSR) 10-7; No. 2 Branum/NaleanCarlson (Dec) defeated Orta/Willis (W-SR) 10-2; No. 3 Chamberlain/ Hiner (Dec) defeated Kelley/Portillo (W-SR) 10-5 Decorah 6, Boone 3 Singles: No. 1 Caden Branum (Dec) defeated Cody Overland (Boone) 10-3; No. 2 Daniel Skrade (Dec) defeated Jake Judge (Boone) 10-5; No. 3 Landon Baker (Dec) defeated Joe Jordan (Boone) 107; No. 4 Liam Chamberlain (Dec) defeated Wesley Baber (Boone) 10-5; No. 5 Aidan Nalean-Carlson (Dec) was defeated by Ashton Thilges (Boone) 10-2; No. 6 Gabriel Hiner (Dec) was defeated by Lucas Thompson (Boone) 10-6 Doubles: No. 1 Baker/Skrade (Dec) was defeated by Jordan/ Judge (Boone) 10-7; No. 2 Branum/ Nalean-Carlson (Dec) defeated Overland/Baber (Boone) 10-8; No. 3 Chamberlain/Hiner (Dec) defeated Thilges/Thompson (Boone) 11-9

Wind, temps prevail for linksters

Manchester Invite team scores

1. Solon 323; 2. West Delaware

326; 3. Pella 333; 4. Center PointUrbana 335; 5. Waverly-Shell Rock

335; 6. Columbus Catholi 336; 7. Vinton-Shellsburg 337; 8. Clear Creek-Amana 343; 9. Williamsburg 355; 10. Independence 359; 11. Benton 377; 12. Decorah 379

The Decorah boys golf team competed at the Manchester Golf Invitational Friday with the wind and cold conditions making the day very challenging for the Vikings.

Solon had the low team score of the day with 323 with West Delaware the runner-up with 326. Medalist of the meet was Carter Lamont with a one over par 73 from Vinton. Runner-up

with a 74 was Pella’s AJ Hoekstra.

Low for the Vikings was Lane Rolfs with a 92 on the par-72 course. Other scores for Decorah were Jack Knoke 94, Kollin Henry 95, Andrew Olson 98, Brandan Darling 98 and Jackson Pipho 99.

“With this being only our third meet thus far, our inconsistency was a big factor in our scores,” said Coach Rich Gaard.

The Vikes hosted Crestwood Monday at Silvercrest Golf and Country Club. Tuesday, April 25, Decorah will join South Winn and Turkey Valley on the links at South Winn Golf and Country Club at 4 p.m.

Vikes headed to Drake Relays

The Decorah girls and boys track teams will be well-represented at the Drake Relays held Thursday through Saturday, April 27-29, in Des Moines.

It starts with senior Julia Alberts competing in the discus Thursday at 2:30 p.m.

Friday is a busy day for the Vikes. Lani Hubka will be on the track in the 100-meter dash at 8:30 a.m. Also, at 8:30 a.m., junior Kaiden Quandahl will be in action in the long jump. At 9 a.m., Chloe Reiser will be competing in the shot put. The final event of the morning is the girls’ sprint medley relay at 9:49 a.m. Friday afternoon starts with 4x200 relay taking the stage at 12:47 p.m. At 2:23 p.m., it is the finals of the 100-meter dash (Hubka).

Saturday begins with the girls’ 4x100 relay prelims at 9:30 a.m. The boys 4x100 relay will on the track right after at 9:58 a.m., for their prelim races. Finals for both 4x100 relays will be Saturday afternoon with girls at 4:29 p.m., followed by boys at 4:34 p.m.

Look for results from the Drake Relays in the Thursday, May 4, Decorah Public Opinion.

Bulldogs swept the medal spots with Joe Grau carding a 38 and Ben Krambeer fashioning a 40. The Warriors were led by freshman Braiden Todd who toured the course with a 44. Teammate Cale Kleppe put up a 45, while Carson Wenthold rounded the course with a 46. Jordan Baumler concluded the scoring for SW with a 47. Also on the course were Carver Wenthold (48) and Carson Streeter (52).

The South Winn teams were at North Fayette Valley Monday. The Warriors host Decorah and Turkey Valley in a triangular Tuesday, April 25, at South Winn Golf and Country Club at 4 p.m.

Indian Relays team scores 1. Decorah 160; 2. Waukon 149;

3. Osage 148; 4. New Hampton 69;

5. Central Elkader 42

Tommy Sexton clears a hurdle ahead of a Waukon competitor in the shuttle hurdle relay at the Decorah Early Bird held earlier this season. (Driftless Multimedia photo by Becky Walz)

Friday at Waukon, D’Mitry Lesser led off the 4x800 relay which finished second in 9:35.83. (Driftless Multimedia photo by Becky Walz)

Setting up for a forehand return on a volley is Decorah’s Nalean-Carlson in a recent home Viking match. (Driftless Multimedia photo by Becky Walz)

LEFT: Ben Bockman tracks his ball after a swing in recent Decorah golf action.(Photo courtesy of Tami Bohr)

Warrior senior Carson Wenthold sets up for a putt during Thursday’s meet in Ossian. (Driftless Multimedia photo by Becky Walz)

Brooke Steffans eyes the line to the hole on the ninth green at Silver Springs Golf Course. (Driftless Multimedia photo by Becky Walz)

Driftless Farmer Coalition potluck, plant and seed swap

With spring around the corner, the Driftless Farmer Coalition is hosting a May Day Potluck Sunday, April 30, starting at 1 p.m., at the Phelps Park Pavilion. Beverages will be provided, with a hot grill available. Attendees are encouraged to bring extra transplants and seeds to exchange at the event as well.

An informational presentation on land access and sustainable landscapes will begin at 2 p.m. Live music and networking opportunities provided.

NEIRC writing contest winners announced

The 2023 Northeast Iowa Reading Council’s (NIRC) writing competition was recently judged and several local winners represent schools served by the NIRC. The contest is open to students in kindergarten through 12th grade with winners at each grade level. Teachers can enter students into poetry and short story competitions.

Local winners

Grade 4: First place “Butterfly” by Irie Smith, MFL MarMac; second place, Amelia Pollock, North Fayette Valley; and third place, Emma Meyer, MFL MarMac;

Grade 7: Second place “Faith” by Amira Frana, South Winneshiek; Grade 9 short story winners: First place Leo Yauk and sec-

ond place Josiah Gearhart, both of North Fayette Valley;

Grade 9 poetry winner: Peyton Elliott of North Fayette Valley; Grade 10 poetry winner: Gabrielle Morris of North Fayette Valley;

Grade 11 short story winner: Nicholas Hohenbrink of North Fayette Valley; Grade 11 poetry winners:

First place Kaidence Fels and second place Rosie Yauk, both of North Fayette Valley.

All winners will be celebrated with a banquet on Wednesday, April 26, in Elkader. Local author and NICC progessor Keith Lesmeister will speak to students about writing and his life as a writer.