Meetings
Parkinson’s support Group will meet at 2 p.m. Monday, April 4, at Poplar Creek Care Center. Masks are required. 
Blue Mound Quilters will meet at 6 p.m. Monday, April 4, at the Rock County Library for a tour of the library and computer lab. The quilters’ meeting and show-and-tell will follow.
Springwater Township Board will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 5, in the township hall.
 
Community meal is March 23
The Free Community Meal is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 23, at the Luverne United Methodist Church, 109 N. Freeman Ave. A pick-up option is available. For more information contact the church office at 507-283-4529.
 
Kindergarten Round-Up is March 24
Luverne Kindergarten Round-Up will be from 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, March 24, at the Luverne Elementary School. Parents and children will participate in an informal “meet and greet” open house. A staggered schedule is as follows:
•5:30 to 6 p.m. for last names beginning with A-G
•6 to 6:30 for last names beginning with H-M
•6:30 to 7 for N-Z
Children must be 5 years old before Sept. 1, 2022, to register for kindergarten. Call 507-283-4497 with questions.
 
‘More than Sad’ suicide prevention March 28
Cassie Linkenmeyer of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention will be in Luverne again from 7 to 8 p.m. Monday, March 28, at Luverne Community Education. Parents will learn how to recognize signs of depression and other mental health problems, initiate conversations and get help. There is no fee, but register to reserve a spot by calling 507-283-4742.
 
Free tax prep at library
AARP volunteers offer free tax preparation for low-income individuals and seniors at the Rock County Library on Mondays through April 15. Call 507-449-5040 for appointments. Bring documents, including last year’s tax return, and a form of identification to document social security number. Masks are required.
 
Mobile dental clinics scheduled
Mobile dental clinics will be in Luverne Wednesday, April 6 and Thursday, April 7, at the Rock County Health and Human Services community room.
These clinics provide dental care for adults and children ages infant through 100. Call 612-746-1530 to schedule an appointment. All forms of insurance accepted. The clinics are organized by the #Luv1LuvAll initiative, Rock County Oral Health Task Force.
 
Community Ed
Call Cindy at Luverne Community Education, 507-283-4724, to register for classes. Community Ed’s website is www.isd2184.net, select Luverne Community Education under schools.
Students in grades K-12 can sign up now for summer community ed T-ball, baseball or softball before March 28. Fees are lower in March and this ensures placement on a team.
 
Rock County Library Happenings
For more information about library happenings, call 507-449-5040 or email rockcountystaff@gmail.com
The 2022 Winter Reading Program, “Catch a Keeper at your Library,” is currently under way and goes through March 31. Read or listen to 12 books checked out from the Rock County Library and win a fabulous prize. Winter Reading Bingo will also be played. Bingo sheets are available now at the library.
Story Time with Bronwyn is at 10:30 a.m. Fridays through April 29.
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.
 
Sanford Health accepting scholarships
Students in select Sanford Health Network locations are invited to apply for a health network scholarship. The $2,000 scholarships are for students pursuing a post-secondary degree in a health care-related field. Each participating Sanford network facility will sponsor one student with a scholarship. Email educationalassistance@sanfordhealth.org for info.
 
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.

Farmers Union Agency honored agent Steve Cattnach with Cattnach Insurance Agency on serving his customers and the Luverne community for 40 years.
Cattnach was recognized with his service award on March 3 in celebration with his peers at the Farmers Union Agency 2022 Awards Dinner at Mystic Lake Conference Center in Prior Lake.
“Steve has seen many things change in his 40 years in the insurance industry, but one thing remains constant. He sets the standard with the care, professionalism and service he devotes to all of his customers. His example of great character, grit and excellence is an inspiration,” said Josh Vickerman, president of Farmers Union Agency.

The first-grade classrooms at Luverne Elementary School took a field trip to Luverne Lanes last week to learn about the game of bowling. Each classroom selected a day last week where the students (and teacher) were able to bowl as many frames as possible in an hour. The bowling experience was made possible through ESSR money received by the district.

Last week I encouraged you to get started cleaning up and pruning your landscape.
There are a few plants that I do not want you to prune now. This list includes all forms of lilacs, weigela, forsythia, spring-blooming spirea, mock orange, azaleas, and rhododendron. All of these shrubs have their flower buds formed in the buds of new growth, and any pruning now will remove potential flowers. For this list of shrubs, the only time to prune is immediately after they have finished blooming.
If you’re not sure if your landscape includes these shrubs or what they look like, google an image so you know before you go out with your pruning shears.
I have written before about some clump-forming perennials that get too thick and consequently lose their vigor and bloom capacity. Dwarf daylilies are an excellent example.
Often in the process of installing a landscape, plastic or fabric is used on the soil surface and covered with rock or some other mulch. A hole is cut in the fabric or plastic and the shrub or perennial is planted in that spot. The size of the hole determines how much space that plant gets to grow in.
For a single-stemmed shrub, that is not a problem. However, for a clump-forming perennial, when the plant reaches the edge of the space it is planted in, it starts to complain.
Some perennials just continue growing on top of the fabric and through the rocks, which causes its own problem. Others just start to decline because they are landlocked.
Ornamental Karl Forester Grass is a good example. As the clump grows, it spreads to the outside, leaving a dead spot in the center where it started. The base begins to look like a donut. For this perennial, you dig the entire clump, use your spade to divide it into quarters, and plant just one quarter back in the spot where you took it out.
If you do this early (before much new growth emerges), you will end up with a beautiful specimen the same growing season … do it later, and the plant will still appreciate the renewal but will probably not recover quite as quickly.
The same procedure works well for dwarf daylilies and hosta.

Farmland values in the Upper Midwest have reached or surpassed their highest levels in nearly a decade during the past 12 months, after several years of uncertainty from 2014 to 2020.
Average sales for high quality farm land in many portions of the Midwest and Northern Plains states are up by 20 to 40 percent in the past year. Land values in 2021 increased at the highest year-over-year percentage rate since 2013, which followed the high farm income years from 2011 through 2013.
Many areas of the Upper Midwest experienced solid yields combined with the highest crop prices in several years to boost final 2021 farm income, which also contributed to sharply higher land values.
Land values have also been enhanced by continued relatively low long-term interest rates and very strong buyer interest in 2021 and early 2022.
There was also a limited supply of land being offered for sale during the first half of 2021; however, sales volume increased later in the year after land prices began to increase and due to concern over potential changes in tax policy by the federal government.
Southern Minnesota land values, similar to those in Iowa, were much higher in 2021 due to much higher commodity prices and average to above average crop yields in many areas. In recent months, there have been some isolated land sales across southern Minnesota that have rivaled the highest land values per acre ever recorded.
Even with the higher land values, there has continued to be a gap between the average land price for high quality and well-drained farm land compared to low quality and poorly drained land.
One of the best sources of farm real estate values in Minnesota is the University of Minnesota’s “Land Economics” website at landeconomics.umn.edu. This site accesses a database of various land values reported by county assessors throughout the state – adjusted annually based on actual land sales in a given county.
Data released in late 2021 by the Federal Reserve districts across the U.S showed similar trends in average land values in the Upper Midwest, compared to a year earlier. The highest 12-month percentage increases at the end of 2021 were Iowa at 28 percent, Minnesota at 26 percent, and South Dakota at 23 percent.
Recent data from private sources shows that land values have continued to increase during the first three months of 2022. Some areas are showing an increase of 7 to 10 percent or more in land values since harvest was completed in the fall of 2021.
There have been numerous land sales at $10,000 to $14,000 per acre in Iowa and southern Minnesota, as well as other portions of the Midwest, with even higher isolated land sale values in portions of Iowa and Illinois. Buyer interest in purchasing land has remained strong by both farm operators and investors.
Currently, most signs point toward continued increases in land values in the next 12 months.
However, there are some lingering “caution flags” that could potentially reverse this optimistic trend and revert to more downward pressure on land values. These potential challenges include:
•return to lower crop prices and lower profitability in crop and livestock farming.
•the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as for other global political unrest.
•several increases in long-term interest rates by the Federal Reserve Bank in the next year.
•changes in federal policies, such as estate taxes, capital gains taxes, or 1031-exchange policies.
•reduced interest to purchase farm land or a large increase in the amount of land being offered for sale.
•lack of confidence in the land market by farmers, investors and ag lenders.
The U.S. Federal Reserve recently increased the prime interest rate by .25 percent, up to a revised prime rate of 3.50 percent. This was the first increase in the prime rate in about three years.
Many economists are predicting that there could be as many as five to seven more increases in the prime interest rate in the next 12 months.
The longer-term farm land real estate interest rates, which have already increased by nearly one percent in the past year, are usually based more on interest rate changes in the bond market for 10-year U.S. Treasury notes.  
The future trend in crop prices, the level of 2022 crop yields, and profitability in livestock production, along with the potential increases in interest rates and possible changes in government policy, will likely determine if there is further strength in land values later this year.

Thumps up — to Casey’s new bright red awning and sign. It’s a bright, shiny improvement to our South Highway 75 “gateway” into Luverne.
Thumps down — to rising gas prices. They’re taking a huge bite out of family budgets at a time wages finally nudged upward but are being gobbled up furiously by across-the-board inflation. And along those lines …
Thumbs down — to small-minded people eager to politicize rising fuel costs. Oil prices are always subject to multiple influencers, but post-covid pent-up demand combined with the global effects of Russian sanctions are combining to raise havoc at the pumps. These factors are beyond the control of a single person in U.S. leadership.
Thumbs up — to Luverne Middle School English teacher Deb Hoogendoorn and her innovative lesson plan involving sled dog racer and Minnesota native Brent Sass. Sass zoomed with local students talking about sled dogs and competing in Iditarod. Students tracked his progress in this year’s race and last week watched him cross the finish line in Nome, Alaska, in first place. “We watched him win LIVE this morning in my room,” Hoogendoorn said. “It was soooo exciting!”
Thumbs down — to those who take their dogs on walks around town without using a leash. Not all adults and kids feel comfortable around dogs, especially those they don’t know, and an unwelcome “visit” from an unleashed dog can ruin an otherwise enjoyable walk.
Thumbs up — to the Luverne City Council for pursuing a solution to the day care shortage. Residents and businesses have sought solutions for years, but a push from city leadership is bringing the possibility of a group day care to our community. Their negotiated purchase of the former Total Card Inc. building on Blue Mound Avenue also brings a purpose to a very large and empty building.
Thumbs down — to the rail authorities who authorized “trimming trees” in the railroad right of way. The current mode of operation is to hack at branches with a shredder, leaving the rail-facing sides of the trees mutilated. If we want to kill the trees, then we should remove them altogether. Leaving them in this state not only looks terrible, but it will prompt suckers as the trees attempt to heal themselves.
Thumbs up — to city of Luverne public works policies that focus on tending to trees year-round to keep them trimmed and healthy — and removed when necessary, to keep our boulevards safe and attractive.
Thumbs down — to distracted drivers all over town. They don’t stop for stop signs, which means they likely won’t see other drivers or pedestrians. Stay alert!
Thumbs up — to the Golla family whose Farm Store legacy lives on through the thoughtful sale of the feed mill and lawn service to local individuals who will carry on those two services that area residents have come to rely on.
Thumbs down — (and hopefully jail time) for those who keep stealing merchandize from Bomgaars and ACE Hardware. Due to the businesses not being able to stay fully staffed, out-of-town “customers” are taking advantage of those helping legitimate customers and walking out with merchandise.
Thumbs up — to Andrew Blank and the Beaver Creek City Council members for sprucing up their community welcome signs. Thumbs up also to the talented designers at Quality Printing for creating the signs and to local businesses who ponied up donations to cover production costs.

In two months voters in Congressional District 1 (which includes Rock County) will face the first of several ballots to fill the U.S. representative vacancy.
I say “several” ballots because in the middle of filling the vacancy for five months, another vote will take place to fill the same position during the November general election for the two-year term beginning in January.
The best scenario would be that the same person is selected in both elections, giving that person 2.5 years to settle into the position.
Until the elections, the process and vote schedule will be confusing, and I predict most of us will not care enough about politics to even participate.
I am determined to not only participate but also to be an informed voter.
Just days into the task, I’m already overwhelmed.
In the upcoming May 24 primary, 20 people plunked down the $300 filing fee to have their name included on the ballot.
At a glance, 10 candidates are registered Republicans, eight are Democrats and two are from parties who want to legalize cannabis in the state.
There are three women and 17 men.
The candidates themselves range from former legislators to spouses of former legislators.
Getting to know the candidates personally is impossible. Technology is the quickest avenue to get to know the candidates.
Even the internet is proving to be limited.
Not all the candidates have websites dedicated to introducing themselves to the 679,000 people who live in CD 1.
Some have been covered by the statewide news agencies while others have stories available from their hometown media outlets. Still others have nothing on the worldwide web or in print.
I am not giving up on making an informed decision. I hope you won’t either. Their names appear on the Minnesota Secretary of State website, sos.state.mn.us.

In the span of less than two weeks we turned our clocks ahead an hour, pretended to be Irish for a day, and celebrated the first day of spring. All good signs of longer, brighter, warmer days ahead.
All of those are signs that the outdoor grilling, smoker and flat top griddle season is here.
Remember the good old days when all you had for outdoor cooking was a round charcoal grill on a flimsy aluminum-legged tripod. If you were living on the right side of the tracks, you probably had a four-legged grill, two of which had wheels.
The real key to old-fashioned grilling was the charcoal briquets and lighter fluid.
Kingsford charcoal and lighter fluid was my dad’s choice. One of my most cherished memories is of my dad teaching me the proper way to light the charcoal for grilling.
What kid wouldn’t be interested in dirty charcoal, lighter fluid, matches and fire?
I suppose the way my dad started his charcoal isn’t much different than the way others did, but in my eyes, it was his way, so that became my way.
I don’t currently have a charcoal grill, but if I did, this is the way I would start my charcoal: First I’d pile the charcoal in a teepee in the center of the grill. Then I’d give it a good dousing of lighter fluid and let it soak in for 5 to 10 minutes. Finally, I’d give the pile of charcoal a little squirt of fluid and then stand back and throw a lit match on the pile.
After the charcoal burns for about 15 minutes, most of it should be turning gray and the center of the charcoal teepee should be red hot.
Now it’s time to spread the charcoal out, put the grill grate back on over the hot coals, let the grill grate heat up for a few minutes, and then throw those 39-cent Corn King hot dogs on the grill. We lived on the three-legged side of the tracks.

Even under Trump, Putin will not be stopped
To the Editor:
Comments I have heard lately like, “If Trump was in charge now, Putin would not have invaded Ukraine,” couldn’t be further from the truth. This letter to the editor that appeared in The Land newspaper I received is so spot-on that I decided to submit it to the Rock County Star Herald.
Donald Reker
Jasper
The following is the letter referenced and submitted by Reker:
To the Editor:
There is the appearance that Putin and Trump worked as a tag team to undermine Ukraine. Trump illegally asked Russia for help in his 2016 campaign. When Trump entered office, he worked to lift the current sanctions on Russia in exchange for nothing. Trump said he would not necessarily defend new NATO members from a Russian attack. Trump gave Putin what he wanted in Syria. Trump left Putin with full dominance and a bi-partisan House majority voted to rebuke Trump for it. Trump attacked U.S. allies for not admitting Russia into the G7 economic group. Putin and Trump held several private conversations with no note taking. Trump talked about pulling the United States out of NATO but was warned by his aides that it would be politically dangerous. Trump reportedly said, ‘We’ll do it in the second term.’
Newly elected President Zelensky resisted Trump’s blackmail attempt. So Trump illegally refused to give Ukraine the military aid that Congress had approved.
U.S. intelligence agencies blamed Russia for interference in the 2016 presidential race. Trump and Putin blamed Ukraine. Trump often attacked Ukraine as “corrupt.” This weakened American support for Ukraine and emboldened Putin.
Trump attempted to smear the Biden-Ukraine connection as corrupt. Republicans’ own investigation found Trump’s claims to be baseless. John Bolton said that if Trump had been re-elected, Trump would have simply given Ukraine to Putin. Thank goodness for President Biden.
Greg Rendahl
Ostrander, Minnesota