Valley Sentinel - 01-13-2022

Inside this edition

Katie Green on the Wormfarm Institute

Community Calendar: Live music, open mic, book club and more

Sauk County Gardener: Winter Houseplant Care

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Spring Green, Wisconsin

Thursday, January 13, 2022 | Vol. 3, No. 2 FREE, Single-Copy

Governor Evers visits Spring Green businesses that received 'We're All In' grants Taylor Scott, Managing Editor Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers visited Spring Green Tuesday to tour two businesses that received "We're All In" grants, in the midst of a proposal that would seek to change how federal moneys, including those that fund grants like these, are allocated and by whom.

On Tuesday, a public hearing was held in Madison for Senate Joint Resolution 84, a resolution introduced by Senate Republicans in the state legislature that would seek to amend the Wisconsin Constitution to grant the legislature more authority to determine how federal moneys may be spent, authority that currently resides solely within the executive branch.

The proposed constitutional amendment would have to pass two consecutive legislative sessions and then be approved by voters in order to become law.

The "We're All In" small business grants were funded primarily by the federal CARES Act, with the largest initiative providing $2,500 grants to over 26,000 small businesses. The first phase of grants were limited to small businesses with up to 20 full-time employees that were in business by January 2020 and with total annual revenues of up to $1 million.

According to the Governor's office, Evers, a Democrat, has issued $240 million total in "We're All In" grants to about 55,000 small businesses across the state through three different phases.

In a statement from his office, Evers said he believes that the process of allocating these federal funds has worked well during the pandemic. He also said he listens to legislators and that "they are by no means kept in the dark about how we are allocating these funds." Evers' office further stated that they believe the governor is in a unique position to make these decisions as an executive officer who represents the entire state.

Senator Howard Marklein (R-Spring

Green) disagrees, releasing a statement Tuesday that touted the introduced constitutional amendment as a proposal that enshrines fiscal responsibility and accountability.

"By opening up billions of dollars in spending to the legislative process, lawmakers and the general public will have significantly more opportunity to have their voices heard and encourage a more accountable and efficient distribution of those funds," said Marklein.

Evers, for his part, highlighted how Wisconsin’s economy is "bouncing back" due to his management of these funds, noting Wisconsin’s record-low unemployment of 3 percent and $1.18 billion positive balance in the state’s general fund— the largest positive balance in Wisconsin state history.

“I know it’s been a tough two years for our small businesses, and we’ve worked hard to get resources and support to our family businesses, main streets, and communities across Wisconsin.

As I’ve traveled the state, visiting with small business owners and talking with community members, it’s been great to see how folks have come together to support one another, displaying incredible resilience and Wisconsin ingenuity to keep up with the curve balls they’ve been thrown. That’s certainly true here in Spring Green," said Evers, during his visit. "Our local small businesses make up the core of our local economies, and we’ve been proud to support their good work with these funds, which have provided a critical boost when they needed it most to help keep the lights on and doors open.”

At his first stop in the Valley, the Spring Green General Store, Evers met with owner Karin Miller, toured the store and discussed issues facing small businesses.

“I talked with him for quite a while,” said Miller. “I mentioned how resilient the business community is here in Spring Green — but how important all of the help that we received was. I

Photo by Taylor Scott, Managing Editor Gov. Evers speaks with Spring Green General Store owner Karin Miller on Tuesday in Spring Green.

Photo by Taylor Scott, Managing Editor Gov. Evers peruses Arcadia Books in Spring Green on Tuesday after speaking with staff about grants. seating, "so customers could linger personally don’t believe my business while socially distanced," she said. would have made it through the Baenen said they also used the grant pandemic without the help I received.” to purchase additional PPE items like Miller said she was able to use the masks and hand sanitizer, knowing that grant to buy inventory to restock the cold weather and the school year would store’s shelves. She was able to stay start shortly and the spread of the virus ahead of some of the severe supply would increase. chain issues caused by the ongoing "We were so honored that the COVID-19 pandemic by utilizing the Governor chose to visit our store and grant to order retail and restaurant community and appreciated his genuine supplies further in advance, with interest in the health of all local small the grant guaranteeing she had the businesses," said Baenen. "When resources to pay for the supplies. She Governor Evers asked how we've fared also used the grant to buy items that throughout the pandemic, we attributed were more geared towards her new our success to the incredible support of online store. our very loyal customers and the fact When asked about the current wave that we had a fully operating webstore of the COVID-19 pandemic, which prior to 2020, allowing customers from continues to set dire records, Miller around the country to easily order expressed her concern. books."

“Truthfully: I’m scared again, not Baenen also said she discussed with grieving the way I was in 2020, but Evers how the canceled 2020 season at feeling uncertain. I hope this passes American Players Theatre dramatically quickly. I had to close the Café this reduced the number of in-store week because so many of my staff were customers that summer. exposed to COVID. So far, nobody has “The best way to help River Valley it— but they were exposed, and need to businesses is to continue to shop quarantine. That is another first!” and dine locally and to do everything On ways the community can support possible to end the spread of the virus her small business, Miller was clear: - masks, vaccinations and boosters,” “Come in and shop with us!” She said Baenen. “We were proud to brag encouraged guests to request curbside about the incredible job that the Spring pickups and to order from their online Green EMS is doing with testing and store, while inviting customers to come vaccination clinics.” back to eat with them when their Café As Evers perused the bookstore after is open. speaking to its staff, Baenen gave the “I witnessed how much this governor a copy of The Sentence by community supports their small Pulitzer Prize winning author Louise businesses this holiday season — and I Erdrich. am grateful.”

“All of the Arcadia employees have While Evers headed to his next stop read this book and absolutely love it. It in Spring Green, promising to bring is set at Birchbark Books in Minneapolis his wife Kathy back to visit the store, (a real store, owned by Erdrich) during he couldn't resist purchasing a puzzle, the pandemic and the murder of George “Winter City” according to Miller, from Floyd and the unrest that followed,” a company out of Minnesota, called said Baenen. “In addition to the societal PuzzleTwist. issues, it is a love letter to independent Evers next stopped by Arcadia Books, bookstores and a ghost story.” speaking with staff and touring the “The Sentence also happens to be our bookstore.

February Arcadia Book Club selection, According to Arcadia Books CoManager Nancy Baenen, they used their so we made sure to invite the governor to join us for our Zoom discussion.” grant to purchase additional outdoor

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Commentary/Opinion

Thursday, January 13, 2022

Katie Green’s The Plain and Simple Correspondent: Worms Are Good For You Katie Green, The Plain and Simple Correspondent For a while we had a small worm farm in a box in our basement in Madison, and were astonished at how quickly the kitchen waste turned into compost and fertile castings over the winter. Come spring, the contents were worked into our tiny backyard garden. These days we have more yard, bigger gardens and overwinter the vegetable trimmings in a big barrel that is emptied into wherever the soil is in most need of amendment later on. Over the summer we directly trench compost and our efforts have paid off in richer soil, better and healthier crops, and quantities of big, fat wigglyworms in each shovel full who are busily aerating the garden, making it more pliable and able to produce threateningly giant veggies. My kale is a candidate for The Kale That Ate New York.

Katie Green At Strassenfest in Plain last October, my eye was caught by an outstandingly artistic handcrafted wooden booth that was manned and womanned by representatives of the Wormfarm

their booth with some literature, I vowed to make time to catch up with Donna Neuwirth, co-founder and Executive Director of Wormfarm Institute. When that finally happened, her story (and that of partner, Jay Salinas) reminded me much of the back-to-the land movement of my vanished youth in the 1960s, motivated by a desire to escape the city on the part of weary urbanites, unhappiness with the lack of available fresh, organic food, a yearning to apply their proclivities in a uniquely different way in a rural setting. In the last twentyplus years, Donna and Jay have experimented, revised, linked up with other like-minded programs, attracted sponsors, gained talented colleagues, inspired many to copy their efforts, and have established a wide-ranging, viable educational operation dedicated to the integration of agriculture and culture.

The New York Times and PBS have done pieces about the Institute. They received additional recognition in 2021 when they were given the Governor’s Tourism Award for the Farm/Art DTour that brought more than 18,000 visitors to Sauk County in 2020.

Their other outreach programs attract thousands more annually. One cannot underestimate the economic boon this is to our neck of the woods.

It all began in the mid-1990s with a vacation drive to the Driftless Region from Chicago, where they lived and worked at the time, Donna involved in theater, Jay as a sculptor, both with degrees in fine arts. Enthralled by the lovely countryside, they bought an old dairy farm, soon upped and moved to northern Sauk County. Since she specialized in drama, not surprisingly Donna said she “reacts to the landscape dramatically.” Everything both do has distinctly aesthetic care and attention

Photo by Katrin Talbot HEALTH collaboration with Sauk Soil & Water Improvement Group, 2020 Farm/Art DTour.

Institute (an inspired name), headquartered in Reedsburg. No mere tent and folding table for them. Worms, oh yes! I felt an immediate connection to my gardener’s soul. I had certainly heard of the organization but had not attended any of their events such as Fermentation Fest. I had, however, blundered onto one of their biennial Farm/Art DTours while driving back roads toward Sauk City on a fine day one autumn. I was plotzing along admiring the familiar passing scene and suddenly became aware of the unexpected: large, colorful, ingenious, or quirky art assemblages occupying some fields, as well as framed signs alongside the road that turned out to mark significant sites historically or geologically, and begged to be scrutinized. (Burma Shave signs along Old Route 40 enlivened family trips when I was a kid and prepared me for this.) It took me a very long time to reach the market that afternoon, and I returned even more slowly by the same route so as to absorb the unique creative imagination again more fully.

At Strassenfest, walking away from

to beauty and finish. First they taught themselves to grow things, organically.

Donna says her previous experience on the way to developing a greenthumb was nursing a tomato plant on the fire escape of their city apartment, and Jay was a beginner, too. “It was so shocking at first to poke seeds in the ground and watch them grow.”

The soil at the farm they bought was already infused with cow manure and they hit the ground running as farmers.

By 1995 they could offer CSA packages to their Chicago friends. That expanded into a successful Artist Residency program they advertised as an opportunity for artists and writers to “get dirty, eat well, make art.” Jay now runs the farm and the residency aspect of their organization. At the same time he is also a participant in food justice and sustainability programs in the Milwaukee area. The whole shebang is a not-for-profit, and therefore is able to apply for grants. More than a dozen foundations and untold individuals support Wormfarm Institute each year with contributions ranging from very modest to very grand, a telling

Photo by Katrin Talbot Get to the Pie by Brent Houzenga, 2020 Farm/Art DTour. endorsement from those believing in their mission.

“Fermentation Fest: A Live Culture Convergence” is one of their most notable successes. It has attracted neophytes as well as hardcore veteran makers of cheese, yoghurt, and sauerkraut. Storytellers, even dancers and other forms of merrymaking that are “yeasty”, have found a home and expand the participants’ imagination and pleasure at the festival. There are demos, exchanges of recipes, and a temporary rural escape for those new to fermentation just looking for something different to do.

Donna, wearing many hats, serves on the board of the Sauk County Development Corporation and is always on the prowl for collaborative relationships with farmers and artists who share their philosophy. Wormfarm’s tie to Grassland 2.0, is an example. The latter is a confederation of scientists, most of them connected to UW or U of MN, specializing in grasses, soil, and water use, who pursue regenerative agriculture as a means to improve environmental health while creating new economic avenues for farmers. Several local farmers and Plain’s own Bob Wills, of the innovative Cedar Grove cheese factory, are members.

Wormfarm’s collaboration with Grassland 2.0 led to an experiment with Kerzna, a perennial grain crop developed from intermediate wheatgrass by The Land Institute, an organization based in Salina, Kansas working to hybridize perennial rice, sorghum, oilseeds “with more to come.” Perennial grasses and other crops reduce erosion and obviate the necessity of having to replant each year, helping to sequester carbon and lessening pollution. It’s a less expensive way to farm, as well. With assistance from Grassland 2.0 researchers, a test plot was undertaken by DTour artist Tory Tepp and the owners of the Tower Rock

Farmstead Bakery outside of Prairie du Sac, to experiment with growing and harvesting kernza for use in the bakery.

Donna and Jay are passionate about using the arts to draw attention to what farmers do every day and spark people’s imaginations about what transformations are possible in the landscape and in agricultural practices.

But how, I wonder, to change minds, and make adherents of farmers, gardeners, and urban/suburban lawn owners who continue to practice the same old Chemical Age abuse of soil, water and air? A dilemma. Shaming and lecturing doesn’t work, as I can attest personally.

Perhaps if Donna and Jay just put their ideas out there, making what they do as joyful and attractive as possible, it will strike a persuasive chord. As great New Year’s resolutions, swearing to emancipate oneself from harmful habits is traditional...but famously not so easy to achieve.

Donna Neuwirth The village of Plain is now the trailhead for the Farm/Art DTour and when I next eagerly drive the curated 50-mile loop in 2022, I shall certainly see the matchless installations with newly enlightened eyes.

Photo by Katrin Talbot Kernza Cow by Brian Sobaski, 2021 Fermentation Fest: Grassland Edition, made from Kernza straw harvested from Tory Tepp’s ARK.

Commentary/Regional

Thursday, January 13, 2022 Page 3

Commentary: Our food system needs a major overhaul Danielle Endvick, Wisconsin Farmers Union

My youngest son has a nervous tic that causes him to do a quirky series of rapid-fire squints when he’s anxious.

It is rather endearing but became concerning last month when paired with daily headaches and eye pain. A trip to the eye doctor revealed strain from farsightedness.

Maybe it is the contemplative mood that comes with a new year or just my undying love for drawing analogies, but my son’s ordeal has me thinking about parallels to the headaches we see in agricultural policy.

Recently I watched “America’s Dairyland at a Crossroads,” an investigative documentary on the dairy crisis. Featuring the reporting of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s talented Rick Barrett and produced by Volume One, the film is well worth the hour of viewing time. It captures stories of struggling rural communities, an auctioneer, and a farmer who had to sell his herd and vividly paints a picture of both the joys and sorrows of dairy farming. But as a farm advocate, I was left longing for stronger solutions as a stream of interviews pointed to a need for farmers to “diversify,” “innovate,” “modernize,” and “adapt.”

That oft-repeated rhetoric, which puts the onus on the farmer to fix things in a system that is sorely broken, is terribly nearsighted. The American agricultural community hangs its hat on such buzzwords — and has for decades. Add “sustainability” and “resiliency” and you’ve got the whole kit and caboodle.

Some farmers are innovating, diversifying, and creating their own niches, and I applaud that. But I wish the industry’s answer to an ongoing crisis wasn’t always for farmers to manage better or work harder.

On Dec.16, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was in Cambridge, Wisconsin touring a farm run by Dane County Farmers Union members Duane and Tina Hinchley and their daughter, Anna. The stop highlighted investments in rural infrastructure and improvements to the Dairy Margin Coverage program.

USDA’s sign-up period for the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program and new supplemental coverage began Dec. 13.

During the visit, Vilsack stressed the need for the dairy industry to reach a consensus on potential dairy policy reforms before USDA will consider taking action.

“Rather than the USDA trying to dictate what we think the solution ought to be, and maybe make a mistake where Wisconsin thinks it’s great but

Vermont thinks it’s horrible, you all basically must come up with a plan,” Vilsack said.

In his coverage of the visit, John Oncken of Wisconsin State Farmer noted that Vilsack referred to the contrasting views of the Farm Bureau and the Farmers Union, not mentioning several other powerful dairy organizations.

“The only way this works is for the industry to do the hard job, and trying to figure out if there is a sweet spot in between the universes that are represented here and come to the USDA and say here’s what we’d like to do, and here’s what it’s going to require the government to do,” Vilsack said.

In some ways, Vilsack is right.

Farmers and the groups that represent them must organize their collective power if they expect change. That’s why Wisconsin Farmers Union has been working for several years on educating and unifying dairy groups from across the country around potential solutions through Dairy Together. We have listened and learned from farmers across the country and coalesced around an approach that is fair, effective, and politically feasible. A growing coalition of allies have united around the Dairy Revitalization Plan based on research by the UW-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems. We also, after talks with Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation staff and members, were pleased to see that delegates to their recent convention voted to support continued education of producers on the Dairy Revitalization Plan.

Yet Vilsack’s comments also felt like another cry for a kumbaya that may never come. Let’s face it, the American food system needs an overhaul. If we are looking at it with 20/20 vision, we have to see that some big players in the dairy industry are never going to line up to support change when it dips into their bottom line — even if that’s what consumers are asking for and what family farmers need to carry on.

The Dairy Margin Coverage program, which Vilsack was in Wisconsin to promote, has been a valued safety net, and new changes to the feed cost calculation will help producers receive more payments. The program can be a helpful tool in managing low price cycles; however, Wisconsin Farmers Union hopes to see other tools added to farmers’ toolboxes. Most importantly, we need meaningful dairy policy reform in the 2023 Farm Bill.

Though the Dairy Margin Coverage payments will help farmers, they don’t address the systemic issues that are

forcing dairy farmers out of business.

Time and time again in our efforts with Dairy Together, farmers have stressed that they would much rather receive their paycheck from a fairer and less volatile marketplace than from government handouts.

I’m 14 years into my career in Wisconsin agriculture, with that time split equally between ag journalism and advocacy work. In that relatively short time, Wisconsin has lost 7,824 dairy herds and western Wisconsin continues to lead the nation in farm bankruptcies. I’ve learned that, more often than not, potential solutions get mired in political stalemates, leaving us to the cyclical nature of the struggles in agriculture, stuck on repeat.

A look back at the herculean efforts of farm advocates of yesteryear shows us that the call to action to save family farms isn’t new. Over the summer, I flipped through old copies of Farmers Union newsletters and witnessed, with frustration, how many of the same issues that farmers faced back then remain unresolved. Those trendy words of innovation and diversification appeared within the pages, even decades ago. Such solutions have been fed to farmers like a miracle tonic – but where has this industry cheerleading led us?

For farmers who want a future for the next generation and consumers who care about where their food comes from, it’s time to sharpen our focus.

If numerous plans are tossed at the USDA in the next hearing on dairy, it will be easy for big players to again wag their finger at us, saying that farmers are too divided. If you care about the future of dairy, I hope you’ll check out Dairy Together, and be a part of the broader conversation.

But I’m also concerned that while officials wait for the joyous moment of industry unity, we continue to lose farms that we’ll never get back. With no throttle to control oversupply, that “industry” we’re waiting on, is stepping in to take our place with vertical integration that will likely speed up the demise of the family farm.

I’m grateful that Farmers Union is actively driving solutions but also looking at big picture systemic issues like monopolization in agriculture, a lack of market transparency, and practices that put profits over people, the environment, and family farms.

That’s why the National Farmers Union recently launched the Fairness for Farmers campaign. We know that, ultimately, we as a nation need to decide if we want our food to be grown and produced by a strong network

Contact us

Endvick is the Communications Director for Wisconsin Farmers Union, a membership-based organization that is committed to enhancing the quality of life for family farmers, rural communities, and all people through educational opportunities, cooperative endeavors, and civic engagement. She grew up on a dairy farm in northwestern Wisconsin and now raises beef cattle on her family’s Runamuck Ranch in Chippewa County.

The Wisconsin Examiner is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news site offering a fresh perspective on politics and policy in our state. As the largest news bureau covering state government in Madison, the Examiner offers investigative reporting and daily coverage dedicated to the public interest. We take our inspiration from the motto emblazoned on a ceiling in our state Capitol: “The Will of the People Is the Law of the Land.”

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PO Box 144 Spring Green, Wisconsin 53588 USA (608) 588-6694 editor@valleysentinelnews.com valleysentinelnews.com Editorial Editor-in-Chief Nicole Aimone Managing Editor Taylor Scott Legal Editor Gary Ernest Grass, esq.

of many farmers or an increasingly consolidated system controlled by a few dominant industry players. (For examples of that, look no further than Costco’s $400M investment in a poultry production facility in Nebraska, Walmart’s 250,000-square-foot milk processing facility in Indiana, or the General Mills partnership that controls 34,000 acres of farmland in South Dakota. And don’t get me started on how Bill Gates is now the biggest private owner of U.S. farmland.)

It seems the White House is starting to pay heed to these issues, too. President Biden and Secretary Vilsack kicked off the new year with a Jan. 3 roundtable on “Promoting Competition and Reducing Prices in the Meat Industry,” announcing actions to increase fairness and transparency in the beef industry.

Hopefully, those efforts will extend into taking a hard look at astronomical increases in farmers’ input costs, like fertilizer, seed, and chemical, and into other sectors such as dairy.

Some players won’t like the push for fairness for farmers and consumers.

Overhauling the American food system isn’t easy, but we’ll continue to push forward with a clear vision and strong voice for the family farmer. I appreciate Secretary Vilsack turning an eye to the dairy industry and hope we can all work together on more long-term solutions. It’s time to take a look at the future of farming through a new lens — one that takes into account how we truly want our food and agriculture to look moving forward.

Contributors Arts & Culture/Editorial Columns Graphic Design/Pagination Bill Gordon Grace Vosen Anna Stocks-Hess Arts & Culture/Editorial Sports Editorial Intern Alison Graves Mike McDermott Adeline Holte Arts Community/Opinion Graphic Design Intern Jen Salt Katie Green Julianna Williams Our team will be growing and changing as we settle into publishing regularly, please stay in touch. Thank you to all of our contributors for believing in our community.

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Community

Thursday, January 13, 2022

COmmunitycalendar Events for January 13 - January 22 Thursday, January 13 Stitch and Bitch 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM . Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St. Spring Green . springgreengeneralstore.com . The Spring Green General Store’s Stitch and Bitch handwork group meets Thursday afternoons weekly. All are welcome.

Knit Night at Nina’s 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM . Nina’s Department Store, 143 E. Jefferson St. Spring Green . ninasdepartmentstore.com . Every Thursday from 6 to 8 pm. All knitters and crocheters are welcome. Store closed after 5:30 pm.

Friday, January 14 Full Moon Snowshoeing January 14,15,16 . 5:00 PM - 9:30 PM . Wild Hills Winery, 30940 Oakridge Dr, Muscoda . wildhillswinery.com . $20 . Come enjoy a magical evening of twilight snowshoeing, thru the vineyard, along the ridge tops, and into the valleys. There will be a full moon, multiple bonfires, solar lights and tiki torches to light our twilight trail. Your ticket holds your snowshoe rental, any needed assistance with applying snowshoes, your time slot on the trail, and participation in the snowshoe portion of the event. All wine tastings and food options are booked directly with Wild Hills Winery. Stop at the tasting room to order your tasting before or after your trail experience.

Saturday, January 15 Ridgeway Pine Relict Workday 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM . County Highway H, Ridgeway .

Ridgeway Pine Relict State Natural Area is known for its large, quality wetlands and spring complexes. With prescribed burning and brush control, DNR crews and volunteers have increased efforts to improve this site. Our winter workdays, led by Friends of Waubesa Wetlands, will focus on cutting, treating and burning (if there is snow) of invasive brush like buckthorn and honeysuckle. Seeds are collected in the fall to spread in the cleared areas. For questions or to RSVP to attend this workday, contact Mary Kay Baum at marykbaum@gmail.com or 608-935-5834.

Tuesday, January 18 Winter Storytime 10:15 AM - 11:00 AM . Kraemer Library, 910 Main St, Plain . kraemerlibrary.org . Come join us for 45 minutes of fun-filled interactive stories, songs and rhymes! Meet new friends, sing songs, and have fun! Enjoy a story session that encourages a love of reading and fosters the development of early literacy skills.for a list of participating vendors and their contact information. Ages 0-5. Masks encouraged.

Wednesday, January 19 January Yoga Classes with Rural Remedy 6:00 PM- 7:30 PM . S11105 Fairview Rd Spring Green (lower barn) . ruralremedy.com . 3-class series is $50 (reach out for more options) . Let's do some yoga together! Begin again, start from scratch or revisit your practice in a restored, well-heated old barn tucked away in our beautiful rural hills. All are welcome. Please register online to reserve your spot. Email embenz@gmail.com for more information.

Arcadia Book Club discusses “Persuasion” by Jane Austen 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM .

Virtual/Zoom . readinutopia.com . January is our designated Read-A-Classic-Book month.

Whether Jane is an old friend or this is your first time reading Miss Austen, we think you'll love this book. And it's all about love, isn't it? Jane Austen's last completed novel, marrying witty social realism to a Cinderella love story.

Thursday, January 20 Stitch and Bitch 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM . Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St. Spring Green . springgreengeneralstore.com . The Spring Green General Store’s Stitch and Bitch handwork group meets Thursday afternoons weekly. All are welcome.

Knit Night at Nina’s 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM . Nina’s Department Store, 143 E. Jefferson St. Spring Green . ninasdepartmentstore.com . Every Thursday from 6 to 8 pm. All knitters and crocheters are welcome. Store closed after 5:30 pm.

LIVE MUSIC: Slowpoke Songwriters Round 7:30 PM- 9:30 PM . Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green . slowpokelounge.com . Featuring Soren Staff of Them Coulee Boys, Nici Peper of all the beautiful things, and Andrew Hughes of The Lake Effect. Support local artists by joining us for a night of original music with several songwriters, all on the stage together, sharing their music round robin style. If you would like to take part on stage, please contact Tim Eddy at pinehill@mwt.net. No cover, but tips for artists are always welcome. Proof of vaccination against COVID-19 required for all Slowpoke events.

Kate’s Bait Annual Ice Fishing Derby 6:00 AM - 1:30 PM . 3916 State Road 23, Dodgeville . katesbaitdodgeville.com . $15 per adult and $5 per kid (under 17) . Join us for the 9th Annual Ice Fishing Derby hosted by Kate's Bait. This event is for all ages. You may fish anywhere you want within the designated fishing time Jan. 15 from 6AM-1PM. Friday, January 21 Contestants may pre-register for the event or registration will open the day of the event at 4:30AM at Kate's Bait & Sporting Goods. Weigh-ins will be at Kate's Bait. The weigh-in COMEDY NIGHT: Plain Lions Club 6:00 PM . Wisconsin Riverside Resort, S13220 station will close at 1:30PM. Shifflet Rd, Spring Green, WI 53588 . $30 . Spend a night relaxing with some amusing Sauk Prairie Area’s Bald Eagle Watching Days 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM . Prairie du Sac . comedy, food and drink. Doors open at 6pm, with the comedian starting at 7pm. Ticket ferrybluffeaglecouncil.org includes the show and a wide range of all-you-can-eat heavy hor d'oeuvres and 1 alcoholic beverage. Proceeds go to help offset the costs of the Summer Children’s Pop-Up Spring Green Farmers Market 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM . S230 E. Monroe St., Recreation Program held in Plain (a program that is open to any resident or non-resiSpring Green . The Spring Green Farmers Market is continuing in the Spring Green dent children age 4 to 14 at no cost). A limited number of tickets will be sold. Contact Community Public Library Lot through the winter every Saturday morning. Pre-orders Bob Neuheisel 608-588-5004 or Ray Ring 608-588-4073 for more information. are recommended. Visit our Facebook or Instagram page or email SGFarmersMarket@gmail.com for a list of participating vendors and their contact Saturday, January 22 information.

LIVE MUSIC: Samuel Catral Quartet 7:30 PM . Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green . slowpokelounge.com . $10 in advance, $15 at the door . Jazz knows no generation. It's always new, it's always different. Let's bring on the next generation. Why not ease your way into 2022 with some cool jazz? The Samuel Catral Quartet is a Milwaukee based jazz band that plays songs from the American Song book and prominent jazz musicians. Proof of vaccination against COVID-19 required for all Slowpoke events.

Sunday, January 16

Pop-Up Spring Green Farmers Market 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM . S230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green . The Spring Green Farmers Market is continuing in the Spring Green Community Public Library Lot through the winter every Saturday morning. Pre-orders are recommended. Visit our Facebook or Instagram page or email SGFarmersMarket@gmail.com for a list of participating vendors and their contact information.

LIVE MUSIC: The Growlers 7:30 PM . Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green . slowpokelounge.com . No Cover . The Growlers (formerly Screamin Gene and the Lake Louie Growlers) are entering their 44th year with their core group of River Valley natives Gene Roberts-Bass, Greg Schoenmann-Guitar, and Ted Frank-Keyboard.

They are now joined by Lou Cassis of New Glarus on drums. Expect to receive a heavy dose of long jam progressive rock, with dabblings into jazz, funk, and psychedelia including Pink Floyd, Neil Young and Steely Dan. Proof of vaccination against COVID-19 required for all Slowpoke events.

January Yoga Classes with Rural Remedy 6:00 PM- 7:30 PM . S11105 Fairview Rd Spring Green (lower barn) . ruralremedy.com . 3-class series is $50 (reach out for more options) . Let's do some yoga together! Begin again, start from scratch or revisit your practice in a restored, well-heated old barn tucked away in our beautiful rural hills. All are welcome. Please register online to reserve your spot. Email embenz@gmail.com for January Yoga Classes with Rural Remedy 6:00 PM- 7:30 PM . S11105 Fairview Rd more information.

Spring Green (lower barn) . ruralremedy.com . 3-class series is $50 (reach out for more options) . Let's do some yoga together! Begin again, start from scratch or revisit your Sauk Prairie Area’s Bald Eagle Watching Days 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM . Prairie du Sac . practice in a restored, well-heated old barn tucked away in our beautiful rural hills. All ferrybluffeaglecouncil.org are welcome. Please register online to reserve your spot. Email embenz@gmail.com for more information.

Monday, January 17

OPEN MIC: Words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM . Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green . The Community Group for Racial Justice will be offering something special for January, to honor Martin Luther King Jr. We will gather at the Slowpoke Lounge with an open mic night to share King's powerful and inspirational words. Come with your favorite passages or to listen and support others!

Vaccinations required; masks recommended. Proof of vaccination against COVID-19 required for all Slowpoke events.

The Badger Army Ammunition Plant: Power Point History with Personal Reflections 1:30 PM . Grandma Mary’s Brisbane Hall 175 Hwy 14, Arena . badgerordnancehistory.org . 608-228-0261 . Hear from Verlyn Mueller, a twenty year employee and now President & Curator/Archivist of Badger Army Ammunition Museum. Sponsored by Arena Historians. Meeting open to the public. No charge.

Reminder The risk of participating in a certain activity depends on many factors. Because of this, there’s no way to assign risk levels to certain actions. That’s why it’s important to consider your own situation and the risks for you, your family, and your community.

Here are some important guidelines to help ensure everyone’s safety: Get vaccinated.

Stay at least 6 feet away from other people when possible.

Wash hands frequently.

Wear a mask.

Stay home when sick.

Get tested if you have symptoms or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19.

Avoid crowded and poorly ventilated indoor spaces when possible.

Taken from: www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/covid-19/community.htm

Community

Thursday, January 13, 2022 Page 5

COVID-19 Dashboard Wisconsin Summary

1,103,372 Positive Cases +90,133 from 1/5

Cases as of 1/12/2022

3,905,454 Negative Test Results +41,029 from 1/5

10,407 Deaths +274 from 1/5 Updated: 1/ 1/12 1/12/2022 12/2022 /2022

Critically High Vaccine Summary Statistics Very High Updated: 1/12/2022 High 3,377,475 8,799,183 335,036 5,086,672 Medium Moderna doses Johnson & Johnson Pfizer doses Total doses Low administered doses administered administered administered

covid case activity level This graph shows information on case burden and trajectory. Burden (case rate) is the total number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 Wisconsin residents in the last two weeks. Trajectory is the percent case change from the previous to the current week. These are different from Community Transmission Level, which is the total confirmed cases per 100,000 persons reported in the past 7 days.

Case activity is a combination of burden and trajectory over the prior two weeks.

Iowa County

757,665

22,664

Pfizer doses administered

Moderna doses administered

Johnson & Johnson doses administered

These two core measures are measures of herd immunity in Richland, Sauk and Iowa County.

We do not yet know what level of vaccination leads to herd immunity for COVID-19, or how current or future variants might affect herd immunity. We know based on other diseases that herd immunity is likely at least 60%, and if more transmissible variants become more common, that threshold may become higher, so the current target range is 60-90%. -Adapted from Madison Public Health and Dane County

+363 from 1/5 +92 from 1/5 +0 from 1/5

Richland

+442 from 1/5 +151 from 1/5 +0 from 1/5

3,951 Positive Cases 15,218 Negative Tests 22 Deaths

953,434

Total boosters administered

Vaccine Data

county level weekly statistics Richland County 2,966 Positive Cases 10,348 Negative Tests 33 Deaths

1,733,763

Sauk County

12,410 Positive Cases 45,517 Negative Tests 77 Deaths Updated: 1/12/2022

+1,466 from 1/5 +379 from 1/5 +3 from 1/5

Target Range

Sauk

Target Range

58.9%

64.0%

Percent with at least one vaccine dose

Percent with at least one vaccine dose

55.9%

60.1%

Percent fully vaccinated

Percent fully vaccinated Target Range

Iowa 69.4% Percent with at least one vaccine dose

66.1% Percent fully vaccinated

Cases per zip code

Percent of Wisconsin residents ages 5-11 who have received at least one dose by county

Cases as of 1/12/2022

Updated: 1/12/2022

Lower %

Richland County

15.8%

Ages 5-11

Iowa County Ages 5-11

Higher %

Percent of Wisconsin residents who have received at least one dose

28.4%

Sauk County Ages 5-11

Ages

21.8% Dane County Ages 5-11

Graphic by Anna Stocks-Hess

51.8%

5-11 12-17 18-24 25-34 35-44

Updated: 1/12/2022 22.7% 58.1% 57.5% 61.9%

45-54

67.6% 70.4%

55-64 65+

77.2% 85.5%

Data From: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/covid-19/index.htm

Page 6

Outdoors

Thursday, January 13, 2022

The Sauk County Gardener: Winter Houseplant Care Jeannie Manis, Wisconsin Certified Master Gardener “Like people, plants respond to extra attention.”

— H. Peter Loewer Over the holidays, I traveled to Florida to attend a bowl game. Although the bowl game was wonderful and the temps were fabulous (mid-80s), the highlight of the trip for me was our visits to two botanical gardens. All those blooming plants got me excited about gardening, but I think I’ll have to wait a bit – at least for gardening outdoors.

Now is great time to assess your houseplants and give them the extra care they need during the winter. Plants like the humidity to be around 50%, but the humidity in our homes can get quite low in the winter. Using a humidifier can help remedy this issue, plus it’s beneficial to you as well. We have a small humidifier that we have placed near our collection of houseplants in our south-facing windows.

By grouping the plants together, it helps creates a microclimate that is a little more humid than the rest of house. If a humidifier is not an option for you, place your plants in a shallow saucer with small pebbles and then fill with about a half inch of water. The water will evaporate and add humidity to the air. Misting your plants won’t help raise the humidity, but it will help manage spider mites who like drier conditions.

In the winter, it’s harder for plants to get adequate light. Place your plants in either a south- or west-facing window to give them as much light as possible. Make sure they are not touching the glass. To help

keep them growing straight, rotate them a quarter-turn every time you water.

Houseplants tend to need less water as growth slows down during the winter. In many cases, the top of the soil will feel dry but the soil near the bottom of the pot will be moist. Before watering, stick your finger in the soil to see how dry the soil really is or simply pick up the pot. If the pot feels light, then water the plant. You can also put the potted plant in a sink of room temperature water. After about 15 minutes, let the plant drain. One thing to keep in mind is plants that are near vents or in bright windows tend to dry out much quicker so you may need to water them more often.

Fertilizing in the winter typically isn’t needed as growth slows or the plant goes dormant. Wait until late winter/early spring for new growth and then start fertilizing as needed. The exception is flowering plants such as African violets and orchids.

Temperature is important to monitor as well. Plants tend to like the same temps that we do; daytime temps between 65 - 75 degrees F and cooler at night. However, African violets and orchids tend to like it a little warmer. Bonus - cooler night temps can help keep insect pests in check.

Finally, check your plants for any insects.

Determine what they are first before treating. Give them a lukewarm shower once a month will not only help keep insects in check, but also help remove dust that hinders photosynthesis. Take this time to give your houseplants a little TLC – a little bit goes a long way in keeping your plants healthy.

In Other News/Briefs Statement from the River Valley School District regarding change to PCR tests "Due to a nationwide shortage of rapid tests, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) has issued a mandate to all school districts that require schools to utilize PCR tests for students with COVIDrelated symptoms until further notice.

What this means is that any student who has COVID-related symptoms will not be able to have a rapid test completed at school. All students will need to be tested using a PCR test. Results from a PC test take about three (3) days to be returned, but this time can increase based on demand."

UPCOMING MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES WITH VALLEY SENTINEL

With winter in full swing and the promise of more snow on the horizon, we thought we'd put together a special section to break us all out of our mid-winter doldrums and highlight some of the great winter activities to do in the greater Spring Green area.

Whether winter sports with a thermos full of local coffee or hot cocoa are your thing or you'd prefer being cozy by the fire with a glass of wine, let's inspire the community with ideas this season.

PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR BUSINESSES: DATE OUT: January 27

Sponsorship Featured Business/Promotional Articles Advertising Spots Event Listings

SPACE DEADLINE: January 24

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Duties: • Manage multiple projects in various stages of planning and construction • Prepare and manage detailed schematic budgeting and estimating • Coordinate subcontractor bids Requirements: • 5+ years of Commercial Project Manager/Estimator experience • Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management or Civil Engineering • Understanding of our self-performed trades • Familiar with estimating software, have strong client service orientation, and demonstrate outstanding communication and organization skills

Commercial Construction Superintendent

Duties: • Management of construction activities • Ensuring compliance with design, schedule, and budget requirements • Overseeing multiple subcontractors Requirements • 5+ years of commercial field management experience • Experience in one of our self-performed trades • Must be able to demonstrate prior success in working effectively as a team with project owners, architects, and subcontractors. Must possess the leadership abilities to achieve top-flight results

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Salary will be based on experience EEO/AA employer

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We are looking for interns/volunteers who want to be in the unique position to learn the nuts and bolts of a news media publication that started from the ground up.

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Interested? Send us your area(s) of interest and a resume to: editor@valleysentinelnews.com Internship will be unpaid, interns will be required to sign a FSLA-compliant internship agreement.

If credit is available from intern’s educational institution for participation in an internship, we are glad to work with you to meet any requirements for receiving credit.

outdoors

Thursday, January 13, 2022 Page 7 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources - Snowmobilers: Think Smart Before You Start This Season

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is reminding snowmobilers that safety is an important part of the ride. Whether you were gifted a snowmobile over the holidays or are a veteran of the ride, the department asks all riders to be in the know and review Wisconsin’s snowmobile safety rules and regulations before heading out this winter.

Wisconsin is a long-time snowmobile destination offering some of the best riding opportunities in the country, especially in the northern part of the state. With more than 200,000 registered snowmobiles hitting the state’s 25,000 miles of groomed trails across the state each winter, safety is critical.

Between January and March 2021, there were 13 snowmobile fatalities in Wisconsin, with alcohol, excess speed, driver inexperience and operator error as the leading causes.

“It’s important to think smart before you start,” said Lt. Martin Stone, DNR Off Highway Vehicle Administrator.

“Winter’s fluctuating temperatures, snowfalls and snowmelts can cause unsafe conditions on snowmobile trails.

The DNR does not monitor conditions and we suggest snowmobilers contact local fishing clubs, snowmobile clubs or outfitters to ask about the ice conditions in your area. Remember – no ice is safe ice.”

There is no such thing as 100% safe ice.

Snowmobilers cannot judge ice strength by factors like appearance, age, thickness or temperature, especially when the ice is snow-covered.

There is a 55 mph speed limit when traveling at night. Do not overdrive what headlights can illuminate, such as trail markers or hazards.

Any person who is at least 12 years old born on or after Jan. 1, 1985 is required to have a valid Snowmobile Safety Certificate in order to operate a snowmobile in most areas. Operators must carry the certificate while riding and display it to a law enforcement officer when requested. Visit the DNR Safety Education webpage (dnr. wisconsin.gov/Education/OutdoorSkills/ safetyEducation) for details and to locate a class or take an online course.

Think smart before you start this season by following these tips: ON THE TRAILS • Don’t drink and ride.

• Stay on marked trails—riding off-trail or cutting corners is trespassing. Always wear your helmet and safety gear.

• Slow down and use extra caution at night.

• Travel with a friend, carry a cell phone and let people know where you are going and when you’ll return home.

• going and when you’ll return home.

• Dress appropriately, carry a first aid kit and navigation tools.

• Take a snowmobile safety course.

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Our schedule is posted each week on social media.

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Coffee & News A collaboration by Valley Sentinel & Butternut Road Coffee.

Stop by the coffee truck starting mid-week to pick up a copy of Valley Sentinel with your coffee, while supplies last.

Butternut Road Coffee Truck butternutroad_coffeetruck Butternut_Road

Photo via Travel Wisconsin While much of southern Wisconsin has yet to receive enough snowfall, the Wisconsin DNR is reminding snowmobilers that safety is an important part of the ride ahead of the season.

•

Check trail conditions using the Travel Wisconsin Snowmobile Snow Report.

ICE SAFETY Remember that ice is never completely safe under any conditions.

Contact local sport shops to ask about ice conditions locally on the lake or river you want to traverse.

Wear proper clothing and equipment, including a life jacket or float coat should you fall through the ice and to help retain body heat.

Do not travel in unfamiliar areas.

Slow down when traveling at night.

Know if the lake has inlets, outlets or narrows that have currents that can thin the ice.

Watch for pressure ridges or ice

buckling. These can be dangerous due to thin ice and open water.

For additional information on snowmobile safety classes, regulations, safety tips or to register your snowmobile, visit dnr.wisconsin.gov/ topic/Snowmobile DNR VIOLATION HOTLINE Anyone with information regarding natural resource violations, including unsafe snowmobile operation, may confidentially report by calling or texting: VIOLATION HOTLINE: 1-800-TIPWDNR or 1-800-847-9367. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Trained staff relay the information to conservation wardens. File an online report at dnr.wisconsin.gov/contact/ Hotline.html

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“The good stuff.”

Page 8

Outdoors & Recreation

Thursday, January 13, 2022

An Outdoorsman’s Journal

Mark Walters, Columnist

Deep South hunting, camping adventure Hello friends, The next two weeks this column is going to be as loaded with as much info as I can put in it about a trip I took with my daughter Selina, who is a junior at UW Stevens Point. Selina and I met my brother Tom Walters in the Delta National Forest in west central Mississippi and camped, canoed and hunted for whitetail deer and wild boar for 7 days.

Monday, December 27th High 78, Low 59 Record heat would be the theme of this incredible adventure in several ways and for the most part it shut down daytime movement for deer and hogs. When Selina and I left Necedah at 11:00 pm on Christmas night, the first form of rough luck was that all gauges on my pickup ceased to function twenty miles into our drive. Selina is sharp and rigged up the gps on her phone for a speedometer.

We camped remote and, after a 908mile drive pulling a trailer, met my brother Tom close to our bayou campsite deep in a forest that was flooded at a level of six feet on most trees for 212 days back in 2019. That record flood led to the demise or relocation of most deer and hogs as they either left or were stranded on high ground where many of the hogs were shot from above, and much of the 2019 fawn crop was killed by raccoons and hogs, just think about that for a minute.

The three of us hunted here that fall for the first time and had no idea about the flood until we arrived. Neither Tom nor I saw a deer. Selina saw two bucks, but we are in a management zone where bucks have to have a 15-inch inside spread or one beam that is at least 18-inches in length.

Our 7-day license that would allow us to harvest up to three bucks — but only one a day — also gave us small game and waterfowl licenses and cost $185.00 In reality, Selina and I had a main goal of harvesting a good-sized hog as it was a different species than we see in Wisconsin. Feral pigs are despised by a large percentage of people in the south due to the damage they do to the forest, agriculture, and potentially fawns and turkey.

Our camp was on a bayou, and we had one other campsite in our area and that was occupied by long time hunter and super cool guy, Bob Harvey and his friends and family. Bob is Mississippi’s first 7 level black belt and was an instructor for fifty years.

On day one, Bob named Selina “Yankee Girl” and that was all she was called the entire week. We were at camp seven days and Bob, who was there for 14, would not start hunting until the day after we left because, as he put it, “everything is nocturnal in this heat.”

Where we camped/hunted we had never been, so exploring by canoe and on foot was how we lived. We would canoe the bayou from camp and eventually found animals that in my case were just over a half mile walk after the same distance canoe adventure.

Photo by Mark Walters, Columnist This hunt took place in a management unit where bucks had to have either a 15 inch inside spread or a main beam of 18 inches or more.

Photo by Mark Walters, Columnist Selina Walters paddling a canoe in Mississippi's Delta National Forest.

Photo by Mark Walters, Columnist These hunters use horses and hounds to hunt squirrels in the Mississippi Delta National Forest area.

The heat and humidity was so intense that I did most of my exploring with just a blaze orange vest on the upper half of my body.

Each night we would sit by a fire, cook a very good meal and talk. All three of us live very interesting lives and we had some great conversations every night.

In the morning Tom would leave camp by 4:30, Selina and I would be a few minutes later and she would be in her tree by 5:30, I would be in mine just before six.

This year there was a zero-acorn crop in this area and that with the heat almost 100-percent ended any daytime meandering by deer and hogs.

This week was also the first week of Mississippi’s deer season with the use of dogs which made things extremely interesting, and I will touch more on that next week.

The only day that I ever started my truck, we spoke with three gentlemen that were using dogs and riding horses to hunt squirrels. These fellas had hunted coon the night before with the same method and I have to tell you, the folks down here are tough like most people

cannot understand. Also squirrel hunting is super respected in the south in a way that some people in the north feel about musky or big bucks.

I see that I am about out of space. Until next week, I close with this: I love the rural, deep south, especially in the cold season. Folks that have not spent time here would have a hard time understanding how tough and respectful our friends in rural southern states are unless they immersed themselves in the region and simply blended with the environment.

—Sunset Follow along each week on the adventures of Mark Walters, a syndicated outdoor adventure columnist who lives in Necedah, Wisconsin. He began writing his column, An Outdoorsman's Journal, in 1989. It includes hunting, fishing, lots of canoeing and backpacking. He currently writes for around 60 newspapers on a weekly basis. He hopes you enjoy reading about his adventures!

Want to read more?

Check out previous weeks’ columns at www.outdoorsmansjournal.com