Family Living October 2009

Page 1

celebrating iowa life

Protecting your family from the H1N1 flu page 3

Festival celebrates country music heritage page 6

Plan a fall escape to an apple orchard page 10

october 2009

marching for a victory Iowa marching bands dazzle football fans PAGE 4

Volume 18 Number 10 A publication of the Iowa Farm Bureau for ag-supporting members.

table of contents

october 2009

Features Here comes the band Iowa marching bands rev up football fans with a show of school spirit. page 4

Editorial Staff Editor Dirck Steimel Features Writer Teresa Bjork Writer & Photographer Joseph L. Murphy Iowa Farm Bureau Federation Craig Lang, president; Craig Hill, vice-president; Denny Presnall, secretary-treasurer and executive director; Edward G. Parker, general counsel. Board of Directors (District 1) Carlton Kjos, Decorah (2) Charlie Norris, Mason City; (3) Phil Sundblad, Albert City; (4) Doug Gronau, Vail; (5) Richard Merrill, Fort Dodge; (6) Joe Heinrich, Maquoketa; (7) Andrew Hora, Riverside; (8) Calvin Rozenboom, Oskaloosa; (9) Jim McKnight, Afton. Family Living (ISSN 1941-5486) is published monthly by the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, P.O. Box 670, Iowa Falls, IA 50126. Subscription price of $2 per year for mailing in the continental USA included in the dues of Farm Bureau members in Iowa. Additional subscription fee required for mailing outside of the continental USA. Periodical postage paid at Iowa Falls, Iowa. Please send change of address to your county Farm Bureau office. Postmaster send address changes to Family Living, Spokesman Press, P.O. Box 670, Iowa Falls, IA 50126. Editorial offices for Family Living are located at the Iowa Farm Bureau, 5400 University Ave., West Des Moines, Iowa 50266. Contact Family Living at 515-225-5416. Copyright 2009

Do you have a story idea for Family Living? Please send us an e-mail at familyliving@ifbf.org.

Iowa's musical roots Old-Time Country Music Festival in Le Mars celebrates the Midwest musical heritage. page 6 A day at the orchard Center Grove Orchard in Cambridge specializes in family-friendly activities. page 10

Iowa's environment Iowa farmers volunteer for wetland restoration projects to help protect the state's water quality. page 12 On the cover Tuba player Jimmy Rubin takes to the field with the Ogden High School marching band. The Ogden band will compete in the Mid-Iowa Band Championship in Ankeny Oct. 17. Cover photo by Joseph L. Murphy

Paying it forward New York volunteers impacted by the 9/11 tragedy rebuild a tornado-damaged boy scout camp in western Iowa. page 13 Safe teen driving ThinkFirst Iowa campaign educates teens about the dangers of the road. page 14

Departments Member benefits Flu shots may be covered under the $500 preventive services allowance from Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa. page 2 Healthy living Learn how to protect your family from the new H1N1 flu virus. page 3 This Iowa life Small town of Knierim revolves around the bumper harvests every fall. page 8

Correction The September issue of Family Living incorrectly listed the phone number for Breitbach's Country Dining in Balltown. To contact the restaurant, call 563-552-2220.

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Farm Bureau members in Iowa who have purchased their own individual health insurance coverage through Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa have coverage for vaccinations at a doctor’s office or at a pharmacy. Most plans provide coverage for up to $500 for preventive services. If you receive your vaccination at a doctor’s office, both the flu and H1N1 vaccines would be covered under the $500 preventive services allowance and would waive deductible, copays and coinsurance (if you have not exhausted your allowance on other preventive services). If you receive your vaccinations at a pharmacy,most plans cover up to $100 for vaccinations (if you have not exhausted the $100 annual benefit). Deductible and copays are waived up to the $100.

Farm Bureau members,especially those with limited or no insurance coverage for prescription drugs, can use your ScriptSave card to save on name brand and generic prescription purchases from participating local pharmacies. You can identify area participating pharmacies and compare prices online at www.scriptsave.com and entering Group #396.

Find out early if you are at high risk for stroke or vascular disease – when lifestyle changes can still make a difference. Iowa Heart Center offers members a 15 percent discount on calcium scoring and vascular and lung screenings. Call toll-free (877) 914-3600 for an appointment. Stroke Detection Plus conducts screenings across Iowa and provides a $40 discount ($80 for a couple) on four life-saving screenings. To find out when screenings will be conducted in your community, call toll-free (877) 732-8258.

2

family living october 2009

healthy living

BY teresa bjork

The new flu Safeguarding your family from H1N1

What parents should know to protect their kids from the new H1N1 flu virus. With the return of the cold and flu season this fall, parents now must look out for a new virus that can make their kids sick, the H1N1 flu. U.S. health officials plan to launch a campaign starting in October to vaccinate Americans against the H1N1 virus, a new strain of the flu spreading in Iowa among schools and college campuses. To help clear up confusion about H1N1, we asked Dr. Ann Garvey with the Iowa Department of Pub­ lic Health to answer some com­ mon questions about the virus and what parents can do to pro­ tect their kids from this illness. Q. How concerned should parents be about the H1N1 flu outbreak? “The good thing is that the sev­ erity of the illness is about the same as the seasonal flu. But because it’s a new virus, most people haven’t been exposed to it before, so we’re working on a vac­ cine—that’s not available yet—for people who don’t have an immu­ nity to (H1N1)."

H1N1 isn't 'swine flu'

Q. Who is the most at-risk for contracting the H1N1 virus? “Again, the severity is pretty similar to what we’ve seen with the seasonal flu. Most of the cases are occurring in people ages 5 to 24. The people who are at the highest risk for complica­ tions are children under 4, pregnant women and people of any age with chronic  medical conditions or (im­ mune system) suppression.” Q. Who should get vaccinated for the H1N1 virus, according to publichealth recommendations? “The Centers for Disease Control and ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) have iden­ tified some preliminary groups of people. The focus is on pregnant women, household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months of age, health-care work­ ers, people 6 months to 24 years (of age) and people ages 25 to 64 with higher risk of medical compli­ cations. “We would expect that the vaccine will be available from mid-to-late October. And nationwide, we expect there will be initially 45 million doses available, with about 20 million dos­ es each week thereafter.” Q. If you receive an H1N1 immunization, do you still need to get the seasonal flu shot? “Yes. We are still trying to emphasize

that it’s important to get your sea­ sonal vaccine, because we anticipate that we will see seasonal flu vir­us strains, as well. Many (health-care) providers currently have the seasonal flu vaccine available.” Q. Since the H1N1 vaccine  is  new, should parents be concerned about its safety? “It’s important to know that this vac­ cine is being manufactured the same way that seasonal vaccines are man­ ufactured. It’s just a different (flu) strain. It’s the same process.” Q. Can people catch the flu from getting the flu shot? “It’s a common myth. The flu shot doesn’t cause influenza, and it’s one of the best ways to protect yourself and your children.” Q. If a child comes home sick from daycare or school, what symptoms should parents look for to determine if their kids may be infected with H1N1 flu? “Definitely a fever and respiratory symptoms, sore throat, cough, that type of thing. With H1N1, people have also reported vomiting and diarrhea. That’s a little different than the sea­ son flu.

Seasonal flu shots are available now, but the H1N1 flu vaccine won't be available until mid-October, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health.

Q. What can parents do to treat children who are sick with the flu? “The same things they do for sea­ sonal flu every year. Keep a close eye on your kids. Provide fever-re­ ducing medications, those types of things. "If parents have any concerns that the illness is getting more severe, they should always contact their healthcare provider."

Q. What prevention steps should parents take to help keep their kids from getting sick with H1N1 flu? “Make sure you are emphasizing hand-washing and covering your cough in your sleeve. You can also encourage your children not to share personal items like beverages and cups. And the big thing, again, is getting the seasonal flu vaccine and H1N1 vaccine when it becomes avail­ able.”

flu prevention

The Iowa Department of Public Health recommends the “3 Cs” for preventing illness from H1N1 and seasonal flu viruses: • Clean your hands frequently. Lather and scrub your hands and wrists with warm, soapy water for 20 seconds. If soap and water aren’t available, use alcohol-based gel to clean hands. • Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your sleeve. • Contain germs by staying home when ill. Health officials also recommend a seasonal flu shot each year. Flu shots may be covered under the $500 preventive services allowance for Farm Bureau members who have purchased individual health insurance coverage through Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa. Talk to your Farm Bureau agent for details.

“If your children are ill, make sure you keep them home until 24 hours after the fever is completely gone. So keep those kids out of school.”

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National media and some government  agencies have mistakenly called the H1N1 virus "swine flu." However, H1N1 has never been transmitted from swine to humans. And people can’t get the flu virus from eating pork, scientists say. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack has urged the media to stop using the term “swine flu” when referring to the H1N1 virus.

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“I want folks who are in the business of conveying messages to understand that behind the message there is a family today, wondering how they’re going to be able to pay the bills when they continually sell pork for less than what it costs to produce,” Vilsack said in a press conference last month. “And they continue to get hammered for something that they have absolutely nothing to do with.”

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october 2009 family living 3

story by teresa bjork photos by joseph l. murphy

Marching to their own beat Iowa marching bands thrill football fans Fo o t b a l l   Fr i d ay   n i g h t s wouldn't be the same without the roaring sound of a high school marching band.

Band Championship in Ankeny. "It’s a community thing, as much as anything else, a pride in the school and the football team and the band.”

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Indeed, the student musicians proudly wear their school colors, with uniforms and music that reflect the community’s heritage.

One by one, students claimed their spot on the field. The flutes and saxophones warmed up by playing scales, while the drum line set up the xylophones by the director's stand.

Pella band members march in wooden shoes in a homage to their Dutch founders. The Mason City High School band thrills crowds with its rendition of “76 Trombones,” composed by Mason City native Meredith Wilson, who made the North Iowa town famous in his Broadway musi-

he cut grass shimmered with early-morning dew as members of the Ogden High School marching band took to the field for practice.

With a nip in the air, several musicians wore Ogden Bulldog or Iowa State University sweatshirts to keep warm. But a couple of young women on the color guard shivered in dresses and shorts, not yet ready to give up their summer wardrobe. It's another early morning for the 58-member Ogden marching band. The student musicians practice four days a week, often as early as 7:30 a.m., long before their classmates arrive, to prepare for their half-time shows at home football games. The central Iowa band also travels to state marching band competitions in the fall. Across Iowa, the same practices are taking place in small towns and big cities. In a world of cell phones and iPods, marching bands remain a time-honored musical tradition in Iowa high schools and colleges. The bands have become a symbol of school pride, community spirit and American patriotism. “(Iowans) appreciate Friday night football and all of the traditions that come along with that, and marching band is one of them," said Darin Haack, director of the Ankeny High School marching band and organizer of the Mid-Iowa

4 family living october 2009

Trumpet player Elly Adams joins the Ogden High School marching band in playing a selection of songs from the movie, "The Nightmare Before Christmas," during half time of the season football opener. Left: Night falls as the 58-member Ogden marching band, proudly wearing their school colors, takes to the field.

cal, “The Music Man.” The Ogden High School marching band may not have 76 trombones, but the band’s eight trombone players would make River City’s Harold Hill proud. Last year, the Ogden marching band received a superior rating from the Iowa High School Music Association’s state competition. The band also placed second in its division at the annual Mid-Iowa Band Championship in Ankeny.

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More than 7,000 people will pack the Ankeny High School football stadium to watch the marching band championship, which attracts bands from Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Minnesota. “It’s towards the end of the season for all of the bands, so it’s a great way for them to showcase what they’ve been working on all fall," Haack says.

Continued from page 4 cuts through the musician’s raucous warm-up. The instruments went quiet as Ogden Band Director Nate Newhard stepped in front of the band. But a few latecomers tried to sneak onto the field. “That was the 8:30 bell. You know the drill,” Newhard called out. “If you aren’t on the field, you take a lap around the shed.” The guilty students set down their instruments and ran around a tool shed about 100 yards away. Then they grabbed their instruments and took their positions. “Hut!” Newhard yelled. The students snapped to attention, pulling their instruments to their lips, ready to play the first booming note. The Ogden marching band started practicing two weeks ahead of the football team's home opener. The students voluntarily gave up part of their summer vacation to

attend band camp, a daily practice that lasts from three to six hours. Students learned how to perform routines, how to follow the drum major, how to play the music and, most importantly, how to march to the beat in unison. “Once you learn it, you’ll be walking down the street and hear something, and you’ll start walking in step,” said Elly Adams, an Ogden High School senior and trumpet player who serves as captain of the brass squad. Yet the challenge of marching band isn’t just stepping in rhythm to a beat. The performers must follow the choreography without breaking a line or wandering out of position, all the while maintaining the quality of the music. “It’s a pretty grueling activity,” Haack said. “The kids work really hard to make it happen. It’s very physical, not just moving on the field as quickly as they do, but to

play the instrument, the amount of air it takes to play and move like that is significant.”

The Mid-Iowa Band Champ­ ion­ship will be held Oct. 17 starting at 4 p.m. at the Ankeny High School stadium. Tickets will be sold at the gate. For more information,  visit  www. ankenybands.com.

Ogden High School junior and drum major Rachael Boettcher agreed that the students love to entertain and amaze the crowds.

ing band practice. “I think the discipline part of marching band helps transfer to the classroom,” Newhard said.

“Sometimes, those early morning (practices) can be tough, but we all like marching band enough that we go through it,” Boettcher said.

Another bell rang out across the schoolyard, calling the students back to class. As the students walked off the field, the drum line began an impromptu jam session. The snappy sound of snare drums echoed against the brick school building.

Newhard noted that many of the kids who stayed until 9:30 p.m. for the Monday evening drum line practice were the first to show up on Tuesday morning for regular march-

Color guard member Bailey Alexander helps cheer on the Ogden football team as the student athletes take to the field.

Watch the bands

It may be the end of practice, but the students want the band to play on.

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Band Director Newhard reminded students during band practice to keep their knees up when they were high-stepping to the music.

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This year, the Ogden marching band is performing a show based on “The Nightmare Before Christmas” movie. They play one song from the soundtrack at each home football game before performing the entire show in competition.

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At the Mid-Iowa Band Champ­ ionship this month, a panel of judges will evaluate the Ogden marching band and the 24 other competing bands based on the color-guard and drum line performance, marching style, music quality and the total effect on the audience.

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october 2009 family living 5

Country twang

Honoring Iowa's country music roots Old-Time Country Music Festival in Le Mars keeps music heritage alive.

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ashville musician Terry Smith  adjusted  the strings on his guitar, stepped up to the micro-

phone and looked out over the crowd settled down in their lawn chairs for a day of country music. “What song do you want us to close with?” Smith asked the crowd. “I could end with ‘Jordan,’ or would you like us to play something else.”

story and photos BY Teresa Bjork It's common to see musicians gather in impromptu jam sessions at the National Old-Time Country Music Festival in Le Mars. “Jordan!” someone called out from the audience. Without saying another word, Smith and his band filled the room with a lonesome country ballad. “I’ll be waiting on the far side banks of Jordan...,” Smith crooned. Audience members sang along to Smith’s beloved tune, “The Far Side Banks of Jordan,” a song made famous by country legends Johnny and June Cash.

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grass, Western and polka. The festival’s only requirement is that musicians play acoustical instruments, explained Bob Everhart of Anita, founder of the National Traditional Country Music Association. So bring your banjo, but leave your electric guitar at home. “We’re preservationists trying to

Continued on page 7

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Clockwise from top: Dorothy Techau and Marilyn Prien play with the Down Home Dulcimers from Silver City. Smokey Smith of Des Moines remembers his days as an Iowa country-music promoter. Tom Luke of Papillion, Neb., sings "Froggy Goes a Courtin'."

Len Miller of New Mexico, front left, and his sons, from left to right, Levi, Landon and Lance performed as the Triple L band at the Old-Time Country Music Festival in Le Mars. Organizers say a new generation is discovering old-time country music.

Continued from page 6 keep alive the early rural music of Iowa, from the very beginnings of  the  first pioneers”  said Everhart, a 73year-old professional musician who plays 12s t r i n g   g u i t a r, harmonica and EVERHART saxophone. Everhart said the Le Mars event is the largest traditional country music festival west of the Mississippi. This year’s festival, held in early September, featured more than 125 Iowa musicians, plus another 75 or so musicians from across the country and around the world.

a band playing in the men’s restroom. “There were six of them, jamming with their guitars and everything,” Parvu said. “That’s the first time I’ve ever had music played to me in the bathroom. They will play anyplace.” Art Peterson, an accordion player from San Francisco, said the Old-Time Country Music Festival has become a “family reunion” for many of the musicians. “There are a lot of good players who come here, and a lot of folks who just really love the music,” Peterson said. “It’s emotional music. The songs are about people and love and trying to get somewhere.”

country music isn't just loved by Americans. Several international country musicians performed at the festival, including Robert Simek, a Johnny Cash tribute performer from Slovakia. “(Cash) is the magic man. He is my heart,” says Simek with a thick accent, dressed in a black suit and carrying a guitar case. One of Johnny cash's friends, Smokey Smith, 87, of Des Moines, returns to the festival each year. Smith, a long-time country radio DJ in Iowa, hosted a television show on KRNT (now known as KCCI) in the 1950s that featured country stars, including Johnny Cash. Smith admits that he isn’t too

“We have to add (stages) every year because of the increase in the number of people who play the music,” he said.

Parvu said he enjoys seeing the country musicians meet off stage for impromptu “jam” sessions. One day, Parvu was surprised to find

“If we don’t get a field of youngsters involved in it when we are here, the music will be gone,” he adds. “But there are a few of them

plan a visit For more information about the National Traditional Country Music Association and the National Old-Time Country, Bluegrass and Folk Music Festival, visit w w w. o r g s i t e s . c o m / i a / oldtimemusic.

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The festival tries to squeeze in as many bands and musicians as possible, which sometimes limits the on-stage time to under 15 minutes, Everhart said.

Once country-music fans discover the festival, they usually come back. Al Parvu, owner of a Culver’s restaurant franchise in Sioux City, sets up a concession stand at the festival each year so he can spend an entire week listening to the sounds of dulcimers, fiddles and banjos.

“Out here, you are getting more actual country music,” said Smith, dressed in a cowboy hat with his trademark cigar in his front shirt pocket.

that are getting into it, and the ones that are are good.”

The Iowa pork industry:

Musicians played on 10 stages, each reserved for a certain musical style. One stage hosted 1950s-style country performers. Gospel musicians played in an open-air tent. And one “stage” was the front porch of a small log cabin, where musicians played pioneer folk songs like “Froggy Goes a Courtin’.”

“The audience, however, doesn’t increase. We have a hard time finding ways to get people, especially young people, to come and listen to the older music. But we keep trying.”

“comfortable” with some of the country music coming out of Nashville nowadays.

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• Creates more than 63,000 jobs for fellow Iowans. • Contributes more than $2 billion in annual payroll. • Contributes $12 billion annually in economic impact to the state of Iowa. • Hogs consume 25% of Iowa’s corn and 39% of Iowa’s soybeans, or 564 million bushels of corn and 166 million bushels of soybeans.

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www.iowapork.org october 2009 family living 7

this iowa life

BY CHUCK OFFENBURGER

Harvest watch in knierim Little place draws him like a magnet

The tiny town wound up being on our columnist’s “preferred route� between northwest and central Iowa, so he’s been there dozens of times, and keeps coming back. He especially thinks of Knierim in the fall, when the community does its best to hold 4.5 million bushels of incoming grain. It’s amazing to experience it then, and you can feel the pulse quickly by talking to the mayor and co-op elevator manager—same fella.

Chuck Offenburger, a longtime columnist and Iowa enthusiast, grew up in rural Iowa. He and his wife Carla live on an acreage in Greene County.

In past years, the bin-busting corn and soybean crops that farmers brought to the NEW Cooperative in Knierim have overflowed in piles onto the town's business district.

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t’s odd how you can stumble into a little place that you think is out in the middle of nowhere, and then over the

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years, you find yourself back there again, and again, and again. That’s how it is for me in Knierim, a town of 57. (City Clerk Joyce Gadbury did an up-to-the-minute head count for me.) It is located about 15 miles west of Fort Dodge, at the junction of two paved Calhoun County roads, P19 and D26. It was about 35 years ago when I first went through Knierim, undoubtedly on a trip from Des Moines to some destination in northwest Iowa. I’ve always preferred nice country roads over main highways. I do remember that the first time I saw the town, it was in full-swing of the harvest season, and there was a traffic jam of tractors, grain wagons, grain trucks and other vehicles all busily coming and going from the huge grain elevator on the south edge of town. With all that activity in a town that is really only about 12 square blocks, it was as busy there as at Seventh and Grand in downtown Des Moines. And the silos of the elevator loomed overhead like country skyscrapers. Right then, Knierim became my “harvest town.� I’ve been through there at all different times of the year, dozens of times, maybe even 100 times, since the town is on my preferred route between central Iowa and northwest Iowa. But it’s during harvest when Knierim is most alive and interesting. There was the fall of 1992 when the NEW Cooperative elevator had more than 200,000 bushels of corn piled on the south corner of the business district. It was piled so high that Knierim Mayor Rick Jud, who also happens to be the manager of the elevator, had one of his employees remove the street signs atop a 10-foot-tall pole “so the grain wouldn’t damage the signs when we went over the top.� A photo of that wound up on page 1 of USA Today. In the fall of 1997, I had my most memorable trip to Knierim, because I thought I might die right there. Our son Andrew was a senior at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake then, and for Parents’ Weekend, my wife Carla and I decided we would ride our bicycles up and back—two days to Storm Lake, two days back to Des Moines, in what was promised to be gorgeous autumn weather.

Continued on page 9

Continued from page 8 In fact, temperatures for several successive days that late September crept up into the 90s, and a steady west wind of 20 to 30 miles per hour was roaring across northwest Iowa. Somewhere between Callendar and Knierim in mid-afternoon, both Carla and I ran out of water on our bikes. We kept pedaling into the brutal headwind, and by the time we arrived in Knierim, I was so dehydrated I was starting to see pretty colors, always a danger sign. I yelled to Carla, “To the elevator! They’ll at least have a pop machine and a candy bar!� Rick Jud said he still remembers that day as clearly as I do.

going to be another year when we hope everybody breaks even.â€? D e s p i t e   t h at   h a i l ­ storm’s  damage,  there will still be a glut of grain coming  into  Knierim. The elevator can now store 4.5 million bushels, about 80 percent of that corn, the rest soybeans. Piling grain in the business district ended when NEW Cooperative built two huge outdoor “temporary storage areasâ€? southwest of the elevator, where corn will be piled in circles 315 feet in diameter, to a height of about 60 feet.

There will be an “atgrade�  intersection on the super highway, allowing traffic an easy route into Knierim. Paving may start as early as this fall, Mayor Jud said. Knierim is going to need a huge new sign on that highway, I said, with the town slogan on it.

Knierim Mayor Rick Jud also manages the NEW Cooperative in town. Jud says local farmers were hit hard this summer by a hail storm that damaged valuable crops. the fire station done.� Uh, how long has he been mayor?

“Just as you two were almost crawling up into our office, we were cutting a cold watermelon that one of the guys in the area had brought in for us all, kind of a harvest treat,â€? he said. I’m sure I’d be embarrassed if I could remember how much of the watermelon Carla and I ate! So, with another harvest now under way, and with what had been heralded as record Iowa corn and soybean crops coming in, I decided recently it was time for another stop in Knierim. The first person I ran into was young Rachel Jud, daughter-in-law of the mayor, who was walking up Centre Street, between Jud’s Bar & Grill, which she owns with her husband Mike, toward their nearby home. She was drinking a cup of coffee as she walked. She provided a quick update on the Who’s Who of Knierim, and then gave me the reminder that local folks routinely give to all strangers, “And we say it with the ‘K,’ you know.â€? K-nierim. Got it. The town was named after the German immigrant farmers Will­ iam and Wilhelmine Knierim, who donated the land for a town site in the late 1800s. The community started to develop in 1899, after the arrival of the railroad, and it was incorporated in 1901. At the elevator, Rick Jud, now 57, tells me that the co-op business, the area’s farmers and the town itself are all struggling some in this dicey economy. “Things were looking hopeful because we had one of the best crops developing around here through June and July,â€? he said. “I’m sure we were on our way to records.â€? But on Sunday morning, Aug. 9, “we had a violent hailstorm come through south of us, and it took out a big swath of crops, from way over west around Sioux City, all the way east to the Waterloo area. The aerial photos make it look like a huge line, a mile or two wide, kind of snaking back and forth along U.S. Highway 20. The crops there were all destroyed. So that set us back. "And (crop) input costs were so high last spring, we had started off in a real hole. Still, we were all hopeful that corn prices might rally, but look at us now—$2.80 per bushel corn. It looks like this is

The question stopped him in his tracks. “Well,� he said, pausing for thought, “I don’t really know. Since sometime in the 1970s, I think. It’s not the kind of thing we worry about in Knierim. Nobody ever takes out papers to run for office here. You just get written in. That’s how we do it, and I guess I haven’t messed up enough that somebody else got written in as mayor yet.�

"I’ve hung out here so much through the years, I’ll get to work on a new (town) slogan—and all you Family Living readers are hereby invited to send me your ideas for it, too."

Meanwhile,  the  town looks good, I told the mayor. “We’ve managed to get title to some of the rougher-looking  properties, and we’re either cleaning them up or getting rid of them,� he said. Besides the nicely-renovated bar and grill in the business district, there is also a new fire station under co nstruction.  “We  didn’t  mess around trying to get grants for it,� Jud said. “You have to jump through too many hoops getting grants. We operate the town pretty conservatively, so we had some money saved, and we’re using a lot of volunteer labor to get

City Clerk Gadbury did some quick digging in city records and said it was actually in 1976 when Rick Jud was first elected mayor. She said he’s correct that he has never actually filed papers to run for the position. And no one has ever run against him. That’s how he has become one of Iowa’s longest-tenured mayors! There’s one other huge project materializing now, something that could really trigger some growth in Knierim. The new four-lane U.S. Highway 20 is being constructed on the south edge of town.

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"We don’t have a town slogan,â€? Jud re­­sponded. So I told him I’ve hung out here so much through the years, I’ll get to

“Knierim,� she had said to me. “And we say it with the ‘K,’ you know.� So, the slogan? “KNIERIM!� in large letters, and then: “And we say it with the ‘K,’ you k-now.� You can reach the columnist at (515) 386-5488 or chuck@Offenburger.com. You can follow his daily commentary at http://Twitter.com/chuckoburger.

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work on a new slogan—and all you Family Living readers are hereby invited to send me your ideas for it, too. But my early choice actually comes from the mayor’s daughterin-law.

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OCTOBER 2009 family living 9

Taste of the country Savor the fall at family-friendly orchard Center  Grove  Orchard  in Cambridge offers pumpkin patch, corn maze and family memories.

T

he caramel apples were dipped and ready. Handpicked Honeycrisp apples were chilling in the cooler. And the corn “pool� was filled with golden kernels, just waiting for the first kids to arrive at the Center Grove Orchard in Cambridge.

story by Teresa bjork photos by joseph l. murphy

Amy Van Maanen, an employee at Center Grove Orchard in Cambridge, heats up caramel for dipping apples. The farm sells as many as 3,000 caramel apples during the busy visitor weekends in the fall.

For six weeks each fall, the farm and apple orchard becomes a lively playground for families looking for a country escape. It's one of dozens of orchards and pumpkin patches that dot the Iowa countryside. T h e   fa m i ly- ow n e d   C e n t e r Grove Orchard offers every Iowan a chance to be a farm kid for a day. Youngsters can jump in a shallow “pool� of corn kernels and run through the “3 Little Pigs� houses. They can feed apples to the baby goats and get their hands sticky from caramel apples. “It’s just a safe place for families to go and have fun and learn about farming,� says co-owner Steve Black, a 32-year-old farmer who grew up and still lives in the yellow farmhouse that overlooks the orchard and barnyard. Center Grove Orchard hosts a growing number of visitors each fall as more families discover the agritourism destination. The Black family keeps adding new, unique activities designed especially for kids ages 3 to 10. This year, the family planted small alfalfa, soybean and corn plots to give kids an up-close look at the typical crops grown in Iowa. They call the exhibit the “ABCs of Iowa crops.� The orchard hosts daily school tours, with as many as 6,000 to 10,000 students visiting the farm during the fall season. Steve’s mom Pat Black, a retired school teacher, converted the farm’s red cattle barn into a learning center to teach kids about modern agriculture.

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10 family living october 2009

“(Kids) really don’t get much exper­ ience on a farm today. And they really don’t know where our food comes from and how it is raised,â€? Pat says. St e v e ,   w h o   m a n a g e s   t h e orchard throughout the year, says he comes up with the ideas for new orchard activities by looking back at his childhood. “I try to find stuff that I did growing up, like the corn pool. We always had corn to go play in and pedal tractors and farm animals,â€? Steve says. Steve’s dad Larry planted the farm’s first apple trees in 1986. Soon, the business grew, and the family turned an on-farm machine shed into a country store to sell their bagged apples.

Continued on page 11

Continued from page 10 Steve returned to the farm in 1999 after graduating from Iowa State University. Unfortunately, his dad died soon after, leaving Steve to manage the orchard. Pat credits her son for turning Center Grove Orchard into a thriving agritourism business. In the last 10 years, the family has expanded the orchard by planting more apple trees and creating family games and activities. Today, the orchard offers more than 30 varieties of apples, including the most sought-after eating apple in Iowa, the Honeycrisp.

Above: Pat Black helps lead school tours and manage the country store at Center Grove Orchard. Her husband Larry planted the farm's first trees in 1986. Left: Farm Bureau member Steve Black inspects the pumpkins on Center Grove Orchard's 10-acre pumpkin patch. Black planted more than 30 varieties of pumpkins on his family's farm.

Steve gave up the cattle business and instead filled the barnyard with goats, chickens, elks, draft horses and baby pigs for the kids.

A HORSE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR

“It seems like people are just as much interested in looking at farm animals as they are picking apples,� Steve says. In addition to the apple orchard, the farm offers a corn maze and a 10-acre pumpkin patch. New this year is a lunch shed offering hamburgers, hot dogs, homemade applesauce, sweet corn and applecider donuts.

The Blacks say they love to open up their farm to families and give people a taste of the country life. “When you look at the land-

More goodies are available in the farm store, where employees mix up batches of caramel apples and more than 30 varieties of homemade fudge. Families can take home a fresh apple pie or a jug of apple cider. Steve’s brother and two sisters all come back to the farm to help out in the fall. His sister Deanna Black takes a month off from her job in Ohio to work in the farm store.

scape around the farm, it is just a good, safe way to let kids experience what I grew up with, the fun things I got to do,� Steve says.

Take a trip to an orchard

For a list of Iowa apple orchards, pumpkin patches and corn mazes, visit www.agriculture.state.ia.us/iowaProducts.asp.

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877-648-5549 october 2009 family living 11

Iowa's environment

BY teresa bjork

A clear solution Restored wetlands benefit water quality

Iowa farmers volunteer to participate in Iowa CREP wetland restoration. It’s hard to imagine that just three years ago the lush, scenic wetland on Jim McHugh’s Boone County farm was once a soybean field.

The wetland, which includes an 11acre pond, has become a frequent stop for migratory birds and a nesting ground for swans. “This morning, when I went out to feed my cows, we had a flock of pelicans in (the wetland)—great

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big, mammoth white birds,� McHugh says. Wildlife habitat is just one of the many conservation benefits of a restored wetland. McHugh volunteered to give up more than 100 acres of farmland for two wetland projects to help protect Iowa’s water quality. Over the last decade, Iowa farmers have helped restore and construct more than 35 wetlands as part of the state- and federally-funded Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). The program, administered by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS), provides incentives to landowners who voluntarily establish wetlands to benefit water quality. IDALS targets the construction of the CREP wetlands to areas of the highest environmental value.

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Don’t let the peaceful setting fool you. A wetland is a workhorse at filt­ ering Iowa streams and rivers. “It’s working great,â€? says McHugh, who likes to show off his CREP wetland project to visitors. “We are trying to do as much as we can to settle the pollutants out of the water that comes down the creek

photo by joseph l. murphy Jim McHugh says the restored wetland on his farm near Boone has reduced nitrate runoff and created habitat for waterfowl. A state and federal program provided the cost-share funds for the wetland's construction.

ahead of me.�

to a river, lake or stream.

The CREP projects have become so popular with Iowa farmers that there currently is a two-year waiting list of landowners who want to participate.

Lemke says Iowa’s rich, black soil is loaded with nitrogen. Heavy rains in the spring and summer carry these nitrates into rivers, lakes and streams.

“It’s limited in the amount of state funds,� explains Dean Lemke, IDALS water quality bureau chief.

“A misnomer in all of this is that nitrogen is exclusively the result of fertilizer,� Lemke says. “That really understates the situation.�

In fiscal year 2009, state funding for the Iowa CREP totaled $1.5 million. Since 2001, the state has spent more than $12 million to help fund CREP projects in the tile-drained areas of northern and central Iowa. “We’re the only state that’s building these kinds of wetlands for this purpose,� Lemke says. Iowa State University (ISU) developed the technology for the CREP wetland projects. “It’s a very green technology, a technology of the future,� Lemke says. He explains that wetlands act “like a kidney in the body." They remove nitrates and other nutrients that enter from a watershed, or the land where water flows across or under on its way

ISU testing has shown that the CREP wetlands remove 40 to 70 percent of the nitrates from the watershed, as well as up to 90 percent of the herbicides that enter into the wetland. Several acres of wildflowers and native grasses are planted around the CREP wetlands to help control soil erosion and create wildlife habitat. “These are very nice-looking wetlands,� Lemke says. “The wildlife very quickly find those areas on the landscape and move to them...There’s a lot of habitat, and a lot of interest from landowners who value those kinds of features.� This summer is one of the biggest construction seasons for the Iowa CREP, with 17 wetland sites under construction. Another 20 wetlands are in the design phase, bringing the total number of CREP wetlands to 72. CREP funds pay for the wetland construction and seeding costs. Farmers also receive incentive payments to keep the land out of agricultural production. “It’s a good plan. I’m 100 percent for it,� McHugh says. “There is tremendous wildlife habitat now, and it has a dual purpose of cleaning up the water.�

Did you know? Conservation efforts by Iowa farmers have helped reduce nitrogen delivery to the Gulf of Mexico by 21 percent between 2001 and 2005. The  Iowa  Department  of Agriculture and Land Stew­ ardship  and  USDA  Farm Service Agency in Iowa were nominated by the Iowa Farm Bureau and received a “Gulf Guardian Awardâ€? from the Environmental  Protection Agency in 2008 for their work to reduce nutrients traveling to the Gulf of Mexico.

Paying it forward Volunteers rebuild Iowa boy scout camp

Farm Bureau members serve meals to volunteers working to rebuild an Iowa boy scout camp destroyed by a tornado.

camps also came along. In all, more than 1,000 people worked on rebuilding the camp and putting up a chapel onsite.

A

“We look for a special project each year, one that will help a community where a natural disaster has taken place,� says Jeff Parness, founder of New York Says Thank You.

fter the devastation of the 9/11 terrorist attack, thousands of Americans donated  their  time, money and equipment to help with the recovery and clean-up efforts at the World Trade Center in New York City. Now a group of New York firefighters and survivors have decided to pay it forward. Over Labor Day weekend, more than 220 members of the New York Says Thank You Foundation descended on the western Iowa town of Missouri Valley to help rebuild the Little Sioux Scout Ranch. The camp had been devastated by a tornado in June 2008, killing four scouts and leveling the camp. Those arriving from New York included survivors of the World Trade Center and their families, schoolchildren who had been affected, Ground Zero construction workers and firefighters. In addition, another approximately 700 people who had been the recipient of the foundation’s past work

In past years, the New York Says Thank You group has worked at tornado sites in Indiana, Texas and Kansas; at the sites of the San Diego wildfires; and at clean-up efforts for Hurricane Katrina. “We made a decision to get together and pay it forward each 9/11 anniversary weekend,� Parness says. “Ultimately, it’s not so much about 9/11 as it is about the hope of 9/12.�

Many Iowa groups were also involved in feeding the crowd. The Harrison County Cattlemen grilled burgers at the Missouri Valley Fairgrounds on Saturday evening, with southwestern Iowa Farm Bureau groups and Iowa Farm Bureau putting up the money to do so. “When...the scouts who survived march shoulder to shoulder with firefighters who survived 9/11, it will transform these families,� Parness says. “It makes them a part of a larger family of survivors.� Van Kooten is a freelance writer from Pella.

many of the recipients of that site move along the next year to help with the following project.

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Volunteers with the group New York Says Thank You rebuilt a chapel destroyed by a deadly tornado that struck the Little Sioux Boy Scout camp in western Iowa last summer.

As each work camp takes place,

The chapel that was built at the Little Sioux Scout Ranch used re-claimed timber from the tornado damage. In addition, volunteers worked on restoring the trails that overlook the chapel, put in new landscaping and painted existing buildings for the 1,800-acre wilderness tract.

story by valerie van kooten photo by terri queck-matzie

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Keeping teens safe Teen drivers learn about dangers of the road

ThinkFirst Iowa, an injury-prevention program sponsored by AAA of Iowa, increases awareness of teen driving safety.

W

hen Chad Thomas and Jesse Gildea were  teenagers with big post-high school dreams, they were looking forward to their respective futures—one headed off to college and the other headed off to the pro-racing circuit. But tragic accidents altered their lives and their futures in an unspeakable way—except that’s exactly what they do: Speak about their experiences to youth in the hopes of getting across the mes-

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sage of playing it safe. The young men are VIPs (voices for injury prevention guest speakers) for ThinkFirst Iowa, a program administered by Iowa Health System to emphasize the importance of safety in preventing brain and spinal cord injuries. Thomas is program director of the Iowa chapter. This organization functions in part with funding provided by the

On the Web For more information about ThinkFirst Iowa, visit www. thinkfirstiowa.org or call (319) 226-2155.

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Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau through the Iowa Department of Public Safety. Sponsors such as AAA of Minnesota and AAA of Iowa provide various support means, too. “I was 18 when my accident happened—I had just graduated from high school and was working a couple of part-time summer jobs. I was playing high school baseball, too, and getting ready to go to college. One Friday evening around 5 p.m., I was driving home from work, and I fell asleep on a twolane county black top. I entered the left side of the ditch and crashed,” said Thomas, a Spirit Lake native. “I injured my spinal cord—I’m a T10 spinal cord injury, around the navel. I’m confined to a wheelchair and have no motor function or feeling below the belly button. That’s the message I want to get across to the kids—that there’s no cure, no fix. It lasts a lifetime.”

BY kristin danley-greiner Iowans Chad Thomas, left, and Jesse Gildea travel the state to talk with teens about the accidents that caused their spinal cord injuries. submitted photo In its 22nd year, the program reaches 30,000 students in Iowa each year through school-based assemblies. There are 127 chapters worldwide. “We emphasize wearing seat belts and helmets, not drinking and driving, avoiding chemicals like drugs, not being distracted while driving, like with texting,” Thomas said.

Osceola native Jesse Gildea knows all too well about those long-term consequences. Ever since he was 5 years old, Gildea has been racing and riding motocross. When he was 18, he was headed back through Missouri on New Year’s Day after racing in Oklahoma and ended up crashing his bike while practicing, landing flat on his back.

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“It’s important that these kids, teenagers in particular, realize that they’re not invincible and that the choices they make really do have long-term consequences. They have a video-game mentality where when it says ‘game over,’ you hit the reset button and it’s no big deal to start over. You don’t have that option in life. Such a seemingly simple choice like not putting on your seat belt has extreme longterm consequences.”

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“My accident changed me from that day on, but although I’m in a wheelchair, I can still ride my bike. There are bands that come out around my legs, and the seat is specialized to hold my hips in place,” Gildea said. “When I speak to the kids, I stress how they need to wear helmets. If it weren’t for mine, I’d be dead instead of alive in a wheelchair.” Not only is Gildea sharing his story with youth, but shares his admiration for a program that he hopes will save at least one youth from making a life-altering mistake. “The ThinkFirst Iowa program is one of the best programs there is for injury prevention," he said. “Having them see someone in a wheelchair, someone with the very disability you’re talking about preventing, that really gets the message across.”

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Index

ANNOUNCEMENTS: (003) Notices (005) Farmers Market (006) Travel BUSINESS-TRAINING: (008) Schools (010) Computer Training (012) Computer Programs FINANCIAL: (013) Loans (015) Investments COMMUNICATIONS: (020) Radio Communications (023) Satellite Systems/Cable (024) Computers (025) Cellular Phone SERVICES: (028) Farm Services (031) Professional (003) Notices Buyers & Feeders of Damaged Grain. Hot,wet,dry,fire & silo Corn. Beans & screenings Z BAR YARDS 319-480-1673 319-480-1426 563-926-2190

(075) Heating/Fuel OUTSIDE WOOD HEAT $1595. Forced Air. Houses - Mobiles - Shops 100K BTU. 417-581-7755 www.heatbywood.com

(033) Repair Services (035) Diesel Repair (036) Tiling/Ditching/Terracing PETS: (040) Pets For Sale (043) Pets Wanted HELP WANTED: (047) Help Wanted (050) Job Wanted MOTOR VEHICLES: (053) Autos/Vans (055) Trucks/Pickups (056) Heavy Duty/Commercial (057) Parts/Accessories (058) Motorcycles VEHICLE TIRES/ACCESSORIES: (060) Passenger Tires (063) Truck Tires (065) Agricultural Tires (067) Accessories MISCELLANEOUS FOR SALE: (069) Antiques

(090) Misc. Farm Equipment

(090) Misc. Farm Equipment

NEW STEEL

(070) Home Furnishings (072) Appliances (073) Articles For Sale (074) Gardening Equipment (075) Heating/Fuel (076) Fish Farms (077) Plants/Trees (078) Wanted To Buy SPORTING EQUIPMENT: (080) Boats/Motors (082) All Terrain (084) Snowmobiles (085) Hot Tubs (086) RV/Marine FARM EQUIPMENT: (090) Misc. Farm Equipment (094) Salvage Parts (095) Farm Trailers (096) Farm Equip. Wanted ENERGY: (100) Wind Power (103) Generators (091) Tractors CASE IH 4960 MFWD 3 valv -QH Nice $32,750 641-780-8400

LIVESTOCK: (110) Dairy (113) Beef (115) Calves (117) Purebred Cattle (119) Feeder Pigs (121) Swine (123) Purebred Swine (125) Sheep/Goats (127) Purebred Sheep/Goats (128) Llamas (129) Horses (135) Poultry/Rabbits (137) Exotic Animals & Wildlife (139) Livestock Equipment (141) Livestock Equip. Wanted (142) Livestock Materials HAY/FEED/BEDDING: (150) Hay/Straw/Grain (152) Feed (154) Bedding

(094) Material Handling USED TRACTOR & COMBINE PARTS

ANGELS, FLATS, SQ, ETC & WELDING SUPPLIES. MILLER WELDERS.

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Family Living October 2009

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SEED/FERTILIZER/CHEMICALS (160) Seed (162) Fertilizer (164) Chemicals REAL ESTATE: (170) Farms (172) Farm Land (174) Mobile Homes (176) Resort Property (178) Land For Rent (179) For Rent (180) House (181) Small Acreage BUILDING MATERIALS: (185) Building Materials (187) PreCnst. Bldgs. Util./Mach. (189) Bins/Silos AUCTIONEERS: (190) Auctioneers (193) Auctions (195) Coming Sale Dates

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Story City, IA Ryerson's 515.733.4921

Urbandale, IA Great American Outdoor 515.253.9005

DISCLAIMER: No Interest, No Payments for 12 Months followed by 17.9% APR Offer ends 10/30/2009. Some restrictions apply; other special rates and terms may be available, so see your dealer for details and other financing options. Subject to approved credit on John Deere Credit Revolving Plan, a service of FPC Financial F.S.B. For consumer use only. After promotional period, finance charges will begin to accrue at 17.9% APR. A $1.00 per month minimum finance charge may be required. Upon default of your account, the interest rate may increase to 19.8% APR. 0% Interest for 36 Months on selected compact tractors. Offer ends 10/30/2009. Some restrictions apply; other special rates and terms may be available, so see your dealer for details and other financing options. Subject to approved credit on John Deere Credit Installment Plan. See store for details. John Deere’s green and yellow color scheme, the leaping deer symbol and JOHN DEERE are trademarks of Deere & Company. The engine horsepower information is provided by the engine manufacturer to be used for comparison purposes only. Actual operating horsepower will be less.

16 family living october 2009

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