Meetings
People First will meet Monday, Sept. 12, at the Luverne Pizza Ranch. The meeting starts at 6 p.m.
Beaver Creek Township Board will meet at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 12, in the township hall.
Sanford Luverne Pink Ladies will resume regular meetings beginning Monday, Sept. 12, at 1:30 p.m. in the Blue Mound Meeting Room at Sanford Luverne. All previous regular members and guests are invited. Contact Sharon Zinnel at 507-227-3821 with questions.
Vienna Township Board will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13, in the Kenneth Community Center.
 
‘Out of the Darkness’ walk Sept. 10
Luverne will host the second annual “Out of the Darkness” suicide prevention walk on Saturday, Sept. 10, at the Luverne City Park. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the walk will be from 9 to 11 a.m.
This event raises money for research to prevent suicide and show community support for those who have lost loved ones to suicide or have struggled personally with suicide. To pre-register for the walk and to learn more, visit afsp.org/luverne
 
Optimist Club Fishing Derby Sept. 11
The Luverne Optimist Club Kids Fishing Derby will be from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11, at the Veterans Pond in Luverne for ages 15 and younger accompanied by an adult. There will be food and prizes. Contact Travis Pierce, 507-220-5191, or Stan Steensma, 507-227-0681.
 
Apply by Sept. 12 to serve on SWCC board
Southwest Crisis Center is seeking individuals to serve on its board of directors.
Board members serve two-year terms, meet monthly, and serve on one committee for a total time commitment of two to four hours per month. Apply by Monday, Sept. 12, at www.mnswcc.org under “Work With Us.” New terms begin in November at the SWCC’s annual meeting. contact Kenna Wahl, kenna@mnswcc.org, with questions.
 
Donate blood in Adrian Sept. 12
Adrian community blood drive will be from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 3 to 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 12, at the Adrian Ambulance Building.
Donors can log onto www.cbblifeblood.org to schedule an appointment. Or call 605-331-3222. All who donate will receive a $10 Subway gift card.
 
Bowling starts Sept. 13
Special Olympic Bowling begins Tuesday, Sept. 13, at Luverne Lanes. Group home and adult bowlers will start at 3:30 p.m. with school-age starting at 4:30 p.m. Questions may be directed to Evie Kephart, head of delegation, at 507-220-0805.
 
Food distribution is Sept. 15
New Life Celebration Church’s third Thursday monthly food giveaway is at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15, at the Atlas building at 101 W. Maple St. in Luverne.
Enter from Maple Street and stay along the west side of the building. Parking lot opens at 3 p.m. Do not block the Redeemed Remnants parking lot, intersection or alley entrance. Food will be loaded into vehicles, which exit via the alley going west. Call 507-283-8963 or 507-283-4366 with questions.
 
Book sale starts Sept. 15
The Friends of the Rock County Library annual book sale is Thursday, Sept. 15, through Saturday, Sept. 17. Times are from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15; from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16; and from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p. m. Saturday, Sept. 17 (bag sale).
Book donations must be dropped off at the library before Sept. 14. A members-only night will be from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14. For more information, contact the library at 507-449-5040.
 
Blue Mound Lutheran Church observes 150th
The Blue Mound Cemetery Association will celebrate the 150th Anniversary of Blue Mound Lutheran Church with a Fall Festival service at 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 18, at the church in rural Luverne. A catered meal in the parish hall will follow the service, led by guest pastor Gary Klatt. All are welcome.
 
Register students new to Luverne district
Families with children who are new to the Luverne School District can set up an appointment to register for the 2022-23 school year.
Call the Luverne Middle School/High School, 507-283-4497, or the elementary school, 507-283-4497. Both offices are open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
 
Register for Luverne
Community Ed
Community Education will offer the following classes in the next few weeks. Call 507-283-4724 to register.
Register now for Discovery Time Preschool starting in September for your child ages 3-5. There are openings in all sections. Early Learning Scholarships may be available to those who qualify.
Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) classes for children ages 0-5 is a Community Education program for parents and their children from birth to kindergarten age. It offers information and support to parents and provides activities for parents and children to explore together through classes that meet once a week throughout the school year.
New residents: Census information is needed for preschool children. If you are new to the community, please call Community Education at 283-4724 with your family information for all children ages 0 up to kindergarten. The school district uses the information for planning purposes, mailing out flyers regarding school events, including the state-mandated Preschool Screening for all 3-year-old children living in Minnesota. If your child is 4 years old and has not been screened, please call 283-4724. The screening should be completed prior to kindergarten.

The Community Ed Fall Brochure will be available in the Luverne Announcer on Labor Day Weekend and online Sept. 6.Taking Defensive Driving Classes allows adults 55 years of age and older to save on insurance premiums. The eight-hour beginner Defensive Driving class will be offered on Nov. 7 and 10.
Register now for Discovery Time preschool starting in September for your child ages 3-5 years of age. There are openings in all sections. Early Learning Scholarships may be available to those who qualify.
 
 
Library Happenings
For more information about library happenings, call 507-449-5040 or email rockcountystaff@gmail.com.
Trivia Night is at 7 p.m. the first Thursday of every month at Take 16 in Luverne. Team registration begins at 6 p.m.
Reminiscence Kits are available featuring various topics such as gardening, pets, baking, sewing, farming and hunting. The kits are designed to use with a loved one experiencing memory loss, encouraging the loved one to open up about activities they once loved in the past.
 
Prairie Ally seeks workers
Volunteer workers are needed from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays at Prairie Ally public food forest for a variety of maintenance tasks. No RSVP necessary. Other work opportunities are available by appointment by contacting info@projectfoodforest.org. Donations are also welcome for Prairie Ally, which is located along Blue Mound Avenue in Luverne.
 
A.C.E. respite care available, volunteers needed
A.C.E. of SW Minnesota (A.C.E.) offers respite care services in Rock County for those needing a break from caring for a loved one.
The respite program offers short-term (1-3 hours), temporary care for families and caregivers by providing a brief period of reprieve from the daily cares they provide to their loved one.
Volunteers provide non-professional supportive services to caregivers to give them time for themselves, relieve their stress and help them remain healthy.
Respite care volunteers are also needed. Trained A.C.E. volunteers provide respite care to family caregivers of adults age 60 and older who are suffering from long-term health conditions.
Contact Linda Wenzel at 507-283-5064 or ace.rock@co.rock.mn.us.

Seventy-seven tractors were registered Friday morning for the annual Rock County Tractor Ride, which started and ended at the Luverne City Park.
The destination this year was the South Dakota Veterans Cemetery and a Bluestem catered meal at Roger Lundstra’s air-conditioned shop near Brandon.
The day’s journey was 55 miles in all.
“It was a great ride,” said Ken Vos, who has been organizing the event for six years. “We couldn’t ask for a better day.”
He said the group includes mostly John Deere and Farmall tractors and mostly from the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, but there are many different kinds — Allis Chalmers, Ford, Oliver, Minneapolis Moline and others.
They came from all over the tri-state region, as far away as Butterfield and many from Sioux Center, Iowa, and Sioux County in Iowa.
While 77 tractors started the cross-county ride, not all of them made the complete trip.
“There were some break-downs, and one even started on fire and burned to the ground,” Vos said, adding that no one was hurt in the fire that happened in South Dakota on the return trip.
“These are old tractors and you can expect some things to happen.”
Vos works with fellow tractor enthusiasts Rodger Ossenfort and Verlyn Van Batavia on the tractor ride planning, including routes, itineraries and food and beverages.
Vos said the Veterans Cemetery tour was led by Luverne native Erin (Lammert) Brown. “She did a nice job,” Vos said. “It was very interesting.”
CHS elevator provided coffee and donuts for the gathering at the city park that started at 7:30 a.m., and Sunshine Foods in Luverne served ice cream at the park when the group returned home at 3:30 p.m.

While variability in weather and crop conditions is typical for Minnesota, recent rain patterns have led to good alfalfa regrowth going into the fall.
What should growers consider when balancing forage needs with the need for a healthy stand?
“The lowest risk approach for optimizing winter hardiness is to avoid taking any cuttings after the first week of September,” said Dr. Craig Sheaffer, University of Minnesota Extension forage agronomist. 
He said alfalfa depends on a fall dormancy period to prepare for winter, so any harvest during this critical period can impact winter survival.
“However, if producers need forage, a late fall harvest could be taken between Oct. 15 and early November,” he adds.
Growers should leave a little more stubble so it can catch snow and protect the alfalfa crowns. “If we have a normal winter with snow cover, a harvest at this time should not harm the alfalfa stand,” Sheaffer said.
Other factors influence overwintering, as well.
Older stands tend to be more susceptible to winter injury than younger stands. Similarly, lower levels of soil nutrients, particularly potassium, can negatively impact stand persistence over winter. Sheaffer recommends that producers soil test to determine if nutrients are needed. 
Drying cut forage in the fall is more challenging because of decreasing air temperatures and potential for dew.
Field drying times can be reduced by harvesting alfalfa as haylage or baleage instead of making dry hay at 20 percent moisture or less. 
As parts of Minnesota deal with dry conditions, harvesting drought-stressed corn for silage may be an option for salvaging the crop.
Recommended moisture levels vary depending on the type of storage, so test moisture content before and during chopping.
For more news from U of M Extension, visit www.extension.umn.edu/news or contact Extension Communications at extnews@umn.edu.

Luverne City Council members and Rock County Commissioners toured construction progress at the Lineage freezer storage warehouse in Luverne’s industrial park Tuesday evening, Aug. 30.
Lineage Logistics is building a 235,000-square-foot cold storage warehouse near Premium Minnesota Pork (which will store its products in a portion of the facility).
Among the information shared during the tour was that 2,500 geopiles underground will support the weight of the building.
The cooler portion of the building is roughly 400-by-450 and 48 feet high.
Construction progress is on track for completion next spring.
The warehouse, with an estimated construction value of more than $50 million, will be roughly the size of four football fields and built to store food products requiring temperatures ranging from minus 20 to minus 45 degrees.
Lineage has indicated it will create up to 75 new “quality paying” jobs in the area to support the operation.

Most crop experts are agreeing that 2022 corn and soybean yields are likely to be highly variable and are very difficult to predict.
As in most years, weather patterns, rainfall amounts, and the occurrence of severe storms will result in weather again being the primary factor when it comes to the “haves” and “have-nots” as far as 2022 corn and soybean yields are concerned.
Drought conditions have expanded in portions of the southwestern Corn Belt, with the greatest impact in Nebraska, but also affecting portions of western Iowa, South Dakota and Missouri. There are also pockets of drier areas in Indiana and Ohio.
On the other hand, large portions of southern Minnesota, eastern Iowa, western Illinois, and southern Wisconsin have mainly good-to-excellent crop conditions.
The rainfall events during August certainly helped finish off the corn yield expectations in many areas that were not severely drought-stressed, as well as adding some late season growth and pod development to the soybeans.
As has been the case during most of the 2022 growing season, the August rainfall events in many areas have been quite widespread and highly variable. The August rainfall probably came too late in the hardest hit drought areas of Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota to have much of a positive impact on final yield potential for 2022. There have also been some widespread severe storms across the Midwest that may not have much impact on overall U.S. corn and soybean production; however, these severe storms can certainly alter the yield expectations for producers in some localized areas.
Most of the crop information in the yield estimates released by USDA and by private companies was based on crop conditions in early-to-mid August, so any major changes in conditions after that timeframe could alter the future yield projections.
The expanding drought area during late July and early August has dimmed the hopes for record yields in many of the major corn and soybean producing areas of the United States. Most experts, as well as USDA, expect the final 2022 U.S. corn yield to fall short of the final 2021 record U.S. corn yield of 177 bushels per acre. The final 2022 corn yield is likely to end up closer to the 2020 final U.S. corn yield of 172 bushels per acre; however, some private analysts have projected a much lower 2022 national corn yield. The National Ag Statistics Service (NASS) Crop Report released on Aug. 12 estimated the 2022 U.S. average corn yield at 175.4 bushels per acre.
The final 2021 U.S. average soybean yield is projected to end up close to or slightly above the 2021 final U.S. soybean yield. The NASS Crop Report that was released by USDA on Aug. 12 estimated the average 2022 U.S. soybean yield at 51.9 bushels per acre, which would be slightly above the final U.S. soybean yield of 51.4 bushels per acre in 2021.
The 2022 soybean yield estimates from private companies have been slightly lower than the USDA yield estimate; most likely representing the worsening drought conditions in portions of the western Corn Belt.
Severe storms with strong winds and large hail have seemed to be more widespread across the Midwest during the 2022 growing season, compared to other recent years. However, in localized areas, there has been some “green snap” damage to corn and severe hail damage to corn and soybeans.
There certainly have been no storms to date in 2022 that would come close to rivaling the severe derecho storm that hit central Iowa and the surrounding states in mid-August of 2020, when thousands of acres of corn in locations across the Upper Midwest were either laid down flat or snapped off below the ear. If corn stalks are snapped off below the ear by strong winds, there is not much recourse for producers. It would be very difficult to pick up those ears off the ground to be harvested. Possibly there may be a way to salvage some of the damaged corn for forage to be fed to cattle or the fence off the area and have cattle graze the corn.
If producers have corn, soybeans or other crops damaged by wind, hail or drought, it is important for them to contact their crop insurance agent prior to harvesting the crop or before salvaging the crop for livestock forage.
Crop insurance adjusters will do a preliminary evaluation of crop loss but may not be able to finalize the crop loss until after harvest is completed.
Some crop producers also carry special wind or hail insurance on their crops and again should contact their insurance agent before beginning to harvest or salvage the crop.
At this point, no Federal disaster assistance program has been announced for 2022 crop losses from drought or severe storms. The Emergency Relief Program (ERP) did cover a portion of crop losses from late planting, heavy rainfall and other natural disasters for both the 2020 and 2021 crop years, which was similar to the previous WHIP+ disaster program for the 2018 and 2019 crop years.
Normally, one of the biggest challenges with the corn crop in Minnesota and other northern Corn Belt states is usually getting the crop mature before the first killing frost. Average first frost dates range from around Sept. 20 in the northern areas of the region to around Oct. 10-15 in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa. The good news is that crop development in many areas of the central Corn Belt, including southern Minnesota, is normal to slightly ahead of normal. Since May 1, the accumulation of growing degree units (GDU’s) have been running 5-8 percent or more above normal at most locations.
There is still some concern with crop maturity in areas of North and South Dakota, as well as central and northern Minnesota that incurred very late planting dates in the spring of 2022.
Corn is considered safe from a killing frost once the corn reaches physiological maturity, which is when the corn kernel reaches the “black layer” stage. Much of the 2022 corn crop is likely to reach this stage by mid to late September, which should greatly reduce any concern for an early frost this year.
When the corn reaches “black layer,” it is still usually at a kernel moisture of 28-32 percent. Ideally corn should be at 15-16 percent kernel moisture for safe storage in a grain bin until next spring or summer. Once the corn reaches maturity, favorable early fall weather can greatly assist with natural dry-down of the corn in the field, which can reduce corn drying costs and enhance corn quality. It is likely that a high percentage of the 2022 corn crop will be stored in farm grain storage until the spring and summer of 2023.
Based on the Aug. 29 USDA Crop Progress Report, 54 percent of the corn crop in the U.S. is rated “good-to-excellent,” which is the same as a week earlier. The 2022 corn ratings compare to a “good-to-excellent” crop ratings of 60 percent at the end of August a year ago and 62 percent in 2020.
The nationwide corn good-to-excellent ratings have declined for four weeks in a row, reflecting the worsening drought conditions in portions of the western Corn Belt. The highest statewide “good-to-excellent” ratings were Wisconsin at 76 percent, Illinois at 69 percent, Iowa and North Dakota at 66 percent, and Minnesota at 65 percent. The lowest “good-to-excellent” corn ratings were in Nebraska at 39 percent, South Dakota at 51 percent, and Indiana at 54 percent. Nationally, 19 percent of the soybean crop was listed as “poor-to-very poor,” including 34 percent in Nebraska and 25 percent in South Dakota.
The weekly USDA Crop Report on Aug. 29 listed 57 percent of the U.S. soybean crop as “good-to-excellent,” which was a decline of one percent from the Aug. 22 weekly report.
A year ago, 56 percent of the U.S. soybean crop was rated “good-to-excellent” at the end of August. Once again, Wisconsin leads the way regarding the percent of soybean acreage in the higher categories with 74 percent rated “good-to-excellent,” followed by Illinois and Minnesota at 66 percent, and Iowa at 63 percent. North and South Dakota, Ohio and Indiana all had a 54 to 59 percent of the soybeans rated in the “good-to-excellent” category.
The only midwestern state with a very low “good-to-excellent” rating was Nebraska at 43 percent. Nationally, 15 percent of the soybean crop was listed as “poor to very poor,” including 28 percent of the soybeans in Nebraska.
For additional information contact Kent Thiesse, Farm Management Analyst and Sr. Vice President, MinnStar Bank, Lake Crystal, MN.  Phone 507-381-7960)

Dear Gov. Walz, Lt. Gov. Flanagan and members of the Minnesota House and Senate:
As associations representing the state’s local partners – its school districts, counties, cities, and townships, encompassing all citizens of our state – we are aware of the significant challenges and needs local leaders face amid an uncertain economy and the ongoing effects of the pandemic.
During the 2022 legislative session these local leaders articulated needs for state support, some of which received consideration in bills that were not finalized before the conclusion of the session.
State resources play a critical role in providing local services, and many issues that need attention now should not wait until 2023.
We want to work with you on our legislative needs and priorities in what we feel is an important special session.
Labor shortages hinder delivery of public safety services including police and fire protection, and rapidly escalating costs are hurting local social services and the education of Minnesota’s students.
At the local level we’re working to improve deteriorating infrastructure, but we are doing so without appropriate state investments.
There are urgent needs in mental health support services to address substantial challenges being experienced by families and communities. School districts are confronting widespread challenges for students that will only compound without necessary resources.
We’re facing higher costs, disjointed planning and economic losses in our transportation, transit and infrastructure projects as a result of a delayed bonding bill and delays in addressing matching funds for the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Local governments also are on their own in regulating products under new THC law.
We need an immediate state framework and parameters for regulation, established by lawmakers in partnership with local governments. Not addressing this until next year will result in a patchwork quilt of local laws that are likely to be inconsistent from one community to another.
We are therefore writing to respectfully, yet strongly, encourage the prompt convening of a special session.
We need you to finalize supplemental budget and tax bills, develop a capital investment bill, and finish critical business, such as:
•approve state matching funds for the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
•address the growing special education cross subsidy.
•address a framework for the regulation of cannabinoid products.
We call upon state leaders to continue engaging with us, your local government partners, to finalize legislation that will serve the entire state.
The state’s historically large budget surplus provides an unprecedented opportunity for Minnesota to address the state’s immediate and critical needs. We ask all state leaders to use this opportunity and to return to the work at hand.
Minnesota’s local governments, and the state’s residents, business, families, and students are depending on you. Now is the time for action. We stand ready to work with you and appreciate your attention to our request.
Our constituents are your constituents.
Let’s work together in the next few weeks to complete the business started months ago and, in the end, benefit all Minnesotans.
 
•Association of Metropolitan School Districts
•Association of MN Counties
•Coalition of Greater MN Cities
•League of MN Cities
•Association of Metropolitan Municipalities
• MN Association of School Administrators
• MN Association of Small Cities
• MN Association of Townships Minnesota
•Inter-County Association Minnesota Rural Counties
•Minnesota School Boards Association
•Municipal Legislative Commission
•North Metro Mayors Association
•Range Association of Municipalities and Schools Southeastern
•MN League of Municipalities
•Schools for Equity in Education
•Southwest MN Council of Mayors

Last week I saw a young woman with a flat, tan tummy wearing a cropped top.
As I observed her exposed tummy, I reflected on why my tummy is not exposed.
A long time ago my stomach, too, was flat and tan, but in 1988 the last weeks of pregnancy sent stretch marks like lightning bolts across that fruited plain.
It was ’99 or maybe 2000 when I had my first abdominal surgery. The scar runs eight inches north to south dividing my belly neatly in two.
As part of cancer treatment in 2016, an ostomy joined the stretch marks and eight-inch scar decorating my abdomen. The ostomy sits left of center, just below my navel and is covered by a four-by six-inch flesh-colored bag.
In 2021 gall bladder surgery added a four-scar dot pattern to this amazing canvas.
Typically, laparoscopic gall bladder surgery leaves three small marks. I have those and one more from the burn I got when the cauterizing gun misfired during surgery. The burn left an inch-long scar on my rib cage.
The large, long, billowy tops I often wear cover the “Pillsbury dough roll” my stomach creates when I sit down. (Or stand up, for that matter.)
Along with billowy tops, I’ve learned jackets, long sweaters and vests also provide extra layers of tummy coverage.
So, young women wearing cropped tops, “every body” tells a story. As the years pass, perhaps your stories will be made more interesting by babies, surgeries, accidents, or gravity.
Until then, go ahead and flaunt it.
But the rest of us will stick with large, long, tummy-covering tops and smile when you walk by.

Under the heading of full disclosure, I would be in the group of folks that would be guilty as charged.
What’s the charge, you ask?
The charge is doing more than my share of complaining about all the inconveniences the road construction is causing. It seems at every turn one of those orange “construction ahead” signs staring you in the face.
A week or so ago on a Friday evening, Mary and I were sitting outside of Take 16 enjoying the Block Party. It was a beautiful evening, maybe 7:30.
That’s when you couldn’t help but notice the paving crew come back into town after a long, long day of resurfacing County Road 4. That is when I gave pause to the fact that these guys are doing everything possible to get the job done as quickly as possible with the least amount of inconvenience to us, the travelers.
Just last week that same paving crew laid down a new 2-inch overlay of asphalt down Main Street from the Highway 75 stoplight to the Rock River bridge in one day, albeit a 12- to 14-hour day. I think what is more impressive is this is hot dirty work, yet with the shortage of workers in nearly every field, this crew of pavers, truckdrivers, traffic controls got the job done.
These workers and millions of others just as dedicated to their jobs are why we observe Labor Day.
So no more complaining from me.

Local representatives of Pioneer Seeds recently awarded a $5,000 grant to the Luverne Fire Department to offset the costs of protective equipment for firefighters. The funds were awarded through Pioneer’s “Community Betterment Grant,” which supports community-based organizations as recommended by Pioneer employees and sales representatives. Grants are given to communities that support quality-of-life initiatives where Pioneer sales representatives, employees and customers live and work.