Thursday, May 16, 2024
Vol. 159, Issue 20
Decorah, Iowa 52101 www.decorahnewspapers.com
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in r u d s r e c u d o r p f e e b Saluting
Beef Month
A Simmental bull grazes at Springer Simmentals of rural Cresco. The purebred Simmental seed stock operation recently won the Best Seed Stock award at the Winneshiek County Cattleman’s Banquet and has won the Denver cattle show eight times.
Springer Simmentals:
Making award-winning innovations in beef cattle for 45 years
By Zach Jensen
Jeff and Lynda Springer, owners of Springer Simmentals of rural Cresco, took home the seedstock producer award during this year’s Winneshiek County Cattlemen’s Association Beef Banquet March 9 in Decorah, but earning awards for their prized purebred Simmental cows and bulls is nothing new to the operation. “We’re unique in that we showed at the Denver Stock Show for 20 years, and that’s the largest cattle show in the world,” said Jeff. “That’s what gave us a worldwide audience. We were very fortunate, because we won eight of the 20 times we exhibited. We were very blessed.” Simmental cattle are a breed of cattle that originated in Switzerland in the Middle Ages and are raised for both milk and meat. Simmental beef is known for its white fat, marbling and fine structure. The cattle are allowed
to graze freely on grasses and herbs that give the meat its characteristic flavor. But, perhaps most notably, Jeff said Simmentals are known for having 15 percent less fat, which means 15 percent more beef than Certified Angus Beef, the industry standard. And, Simmentals are also known for their disposition. Compared to other cattle, Jeff said Simmentals are docile beasts. “Jeff can walk right up to them, but they get a little fidgety when I’m with him,” Lynda said. “But
Rare light show Conditions were perfect Friday night into Saturday morning for viewing the aurora borealis, or Northern Lights. The lights are created when energized particles from the sun slam into Earth’s upper atmosphere. The intensity of the lights this weekend was caused by a strong geomagnetic storm. According to the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) — a division of the National Weather Service — a series of solar flares on the sun and coronal mass ejections began May 8. Space weather forecasters issued a Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm Watch for the evening of Friday, May 10. The phenomenon was easily visible even with the lights of town, when viewed through a camera lens. The unedited photo above was taken Saturday, May 11 at 1:23 a.m. looking south on Decorah’s Court St. towards the First United Methodist Church. (Driftless Multimedia photo by Samantha Ludeking)
New English Language Arts curriculum at Decorah Community Schools Visit us online -adopted www.decorahnewspapers.com By Roz Weis
was instrumental on the ELA team working for the past two years on selecting new curriculum materials. “Using the protocol set up by the district, the teachers used rubrics over the summer to evaluate various aspects of two series. In the fall of this year, they piloted one of the series, and in the spring of this year, the other,” Fox noted. “The sixth and seventh grade team chose a series that they believe best aligns with their priority standards and their goals for their
Visit us online - www.decorahnewspapers Springer Simmentals
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Jeff and Lynda Springer stand in a pasture, while part of their herd of Simmental cattle graze in the background. Simmentals are known for their docile, passive demeanor, and Springer Simmentals breeds for that trait. (Driftless Multimedia photo by Zach Jensen)
Improving student success with a revised curriculum was on the minds of Decorah Community School District (DCSD) board members at the meeting Monday night. After considerable discussion, the board approved a new English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum at a cost of $57,050.70. Included in the bid were “myPerspectives” by Savvas textbooks and online licenses for English classes in sixth through eleventh grades. Liz Fox, former English faculty members and the Facilitator of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Student Voice with Decorah High School,
School board
continued on page 5
Cops & Rodders: Automotive icons line Water Street in third annual car show fundraiser By Zach Jensen
Calypso Coral, Montalcino Red, Mosport Green, Lemon Twist and countless more car colors lost to the tomes of automotive history — yet revived each year for car shows across the state and around the world. The colors and the vehicles they envelope are reminisJim Herrmann’s 1957 Chevy Bel Air in Pistachio Green. (Driftless Multimedia photo by Zach Jensen)
cent of a different time — perhaps when cars and trucks had more individuality and personality, when simple tools and elbow grease kept them running and when American muscle dominated America’s roadways. More than 100 vehicular examples of bygone times lined Water Street the morning of Saturday, May 11, during the annual Cops & Rodders car show, which raised $2,300 for the Decorah Police Department K9 unit. The event’s coordinator, Vic Pinckney of Decorah, said all car show participants rebuild
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2024!
cars for different reasons, and all cars at each show are in different stages of restoration. “When you redo them, it’s your color, your motor, your interior,” said Pinckney, who showed a 1965 “Indian Red” Ford Mustang at Saturday’s show. “You get to pick everything, so it’s kind of like you’re building a dream you had since you were a kid. Most of
Cops & Rodders continued on page 9