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“Where Fillmore County News Comes First” Weekly Edition
Falcon Fire and Mabel-Canton compete Pages 28
Becky’s Food Tales
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Monday, July 8, 2013
Preston native shares Navy experience page
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Volume 28 Issue 40
Fountain takes care of business page
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Rushford Village fiscal impact report page
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Canton l Chatfield l Fountain l Harmony l Lanesboro l Mabel l Ostrander l Peterson l Preston l Rushford l Rushford Village l Spring Valley l Whalan l Wykoff
Dairy Night on the Farm a huge success By Barb Jeffers barb@fillmorecountyjournal.com
Senior Judge Robert R. Benson conducts the oath of office to incoming Third District Judge Matthew J. Opat as other judicial officers witness the moment. Photo by Mitchell Walbridge
Matthew Opat sworn in as Third District Judge By Mitchell Walbridge mitchell@fillmorecountyjournal.com
The well known Potter Auditorium in Chatfield, Minn., which is now the foundation for the Chatfield Center for the Arts, served briefly as the Fillmore County Courthouse on Friday, June 28 as Matthew J. Opat was sworn in as Fillmore County’s judge for the Third Judicial District of the State of Minnesota. Nineteen Minnesota district judges (both current and senior), a number of dignitaries, court administration staff, and family members and friends of the inductee gathered for this very special ceremony that concluded
by formally recognizing Opat as a judicial officer for the Third Court District of the State. Minnesota’s Third Judicial District covers much of the southeastern portion of the state, including Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, Wabasha, Waseca, and Winona counties. Chief District Judge Jeffrey Thompson, who replaced Judge Robert Benson following his retirement in March of 2013, opened the program, setting a congratulatory tone for the event. Assistant Chief Judge Robert Birnbaum also presented a gift from the district judges. “Over the years, there’s prob-
Dirty
Martini
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ably no secret about it. It’s a gavel… and I’ve found that over the years, I really don’t use one.” Jokes aside, Birnbaum went on to explain that the gavel is a symbol of the judicial office, and of the responsibilities and power that go along with it. Senior Judge Robert Benson had the honors of swearing in his successor, Matthew Opat, during the ceremony with the oath of office. With his wife Therese at his side, Opat accepted the duties bestowed upon him. Opat then went on to give his address to the audience, thanking everyone for their support, See JUDGE OPAT Page 11
OPEN 7 DAYS/NIGHTS A WEEK! Mon -Thurs - Noon-9pm Fri- Sun - 11am-9pm 109 S. Parkway, Lanesboro, MN 55949 www.riversideontheroot.com
Boettcher Dairy was the place to be on June 29, 2013, for anyone who works in the Dairy Industry and also for people who knew little to nothing about dairy farming. Curtis and Cheryle Boettcher and their sons, Chad and Brian, hosted this year’s Dairy Night on the Farm and had an amazing response with cars lined up and down Highway 16 which is adjacent to the farm. The big draw for most visitors was curiosity in seeing the technology the Boettcher’s are using to milk cows with Robotic milking machines. A tour of the barn where the robotic milking takes places was on the top of most people’s list of things to see and do that evening. Chad Kieffer of Benson Farm Service of Lewiston, Minn., greeted visitors at the entrance to the barn, handing out protective boots for those who wanted to tour
the barn. Chad is a Nutrition Consultant and has an extensive range of responsibilities including determining what feed the cows need, the correct balanced ration, and making sure the right amount of feed goes in the robots. There were several examples of feed on display to show visitors the different types used in dairy farming. Gregg Luebke with Dairyland Services, Inc., of Plainview, Minn., who sell and install the Robotic milking machines, was on hand to answer questions from the crowd gathered to view the robots at work. Gregg explained that each cow has a “box time” of about seven minutes from when the cow enters until they leave. The robots do not only perform milking, they also do the cleaning, weighing, and more. Gregg Luebke states that they can often tell if a cow is sick before symptoms start with the technology the robots See DAIRY NIGHT Page 3
Fillmore County flood damage exceed $2.6 million lion. The total state damages for the June 20 through June 26 rain karen@fillmorecountyjournal.com and flooding event are expected Fillmore County Emergency to exceed $10 million. Beck Management Director Kevin said he hated to say it, but was Beck reported to the county board glad the damages are sufficient to at its July 2 meeting that the meet the threshold to get FEMA total public damage estimates for involved. Any damages covered the county were $2,604,739.97. by insurance can not be included This figure did not include the in the total. repair of the ‘Choice’ Highway Beck said the next step is for 43 bridge, which MnDot esti- state and federal representatives to do a Preliminary Damage mates will cost about $200,000. Houston County public damage estimates are at $6.175 mil- See FLOOD DAMAGE Page 16 By K aren R eisner
Summer Music!
Wed., July 10TH • 5-9pm • Michelle Lynn Fri., July 12TH • 8-11:30pm • Root River Jam Sun., July 14TH • 5-9pm • Kozy Lil Duo