Valley Sentinel - 12-02-2021

Inside this edition

Community Discussions: News vs. Op-Eds

Spring Green Country Christmas Event Listings

Rocket Man Pizza Review and Q&A with the Manager

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Spring Green, Wisconsin

Thursday, December 2, 2021 | Vol. 2, No. 47 FREE, Single-Copy

Lower Wisconsin Riverway Board hoping to bring Riverway Visitor Center to Spring Green Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board The Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board (LWSRB) met on Nov. 11 to conduct a regular monthly business meeting. The meeting signaled the beginning of the boards’ thirty-third year as a state agency. The first meeting of the Riverway Board was held in Muscoda on November 1, 1989.

Mark Cupp, Executive Director, said he and LWSRB members Steve Wetter, Gigi LaBudde and Ritchie Brown had met with Terry and Suzanne Shifflet regarding the possible sale of the Wintergreen ski hill property and building to the State of Wisconsin for the Riverway project. DNR Riverway Property Manager Jesse Kellogg

also was present. The property includes 250 acres of wooded bluffs and nearly a mile of shoreline on the Wisconsin River. The board directed Cupp to contact Governor Evers, Senator Howard Marklein and Representative Todd Novak, as well as other interested parties, to determine if acquisition by the state would be feasible. Cupp said he has long envisioned a Riverway Visitor Center with a Natural and Cultural History display area. The site also would be able to house LWSRB offices and have space for meetings. The existing trail infrastructure would draw visitors and would enable interpretation of the Riverway natural and cultural resources along with stunning

views of the lower Wisconsin valley. Cupp said the acquisition would be a wonderful asset for the Riverway and would enhance tourism growth and stir economic development. The Wintergreen property is located in the Town of Wyoming, Iowa County, west of Taliesin , near Spring Green.

Cupp reported he had issued two permits since the last meeting. Permits were issued to Mike Finlay, DNR Forester, for continued timber harvest and tree removal in the Town of Spring Green, Sauk County, and to the Mississippi Valley Conservancy for continued management activities at their property near Boscobel.

Larry Anding of Arena addressed the board regarding concerns with irregular river flow. The Anding family has owned property on the river in Iowa County for 75 years. He said the flow has changed significantly and the river is wider and shallower than it used to be. Cupp explained the dynamics of river flow management with the dams upstream, including the Prairie du Sac dam. He said the Riverway Board has no jurisdiction over river flow but suggested the board host a guest speaker on the topic so the public and board members could learn more about river flow management.

The next Riverway Board meeting is slated for December 9th.

Review, Q&A as Rocket Man Pizza lifts off, bringing hand tossed pizza to Plain 2021 nine-day gun deer hunt harvest totals and license sales released, harvest down 17% in region Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources The 2021 nine-day gun deer hunt in Wisconsin kicked off the holiday season with plenty of opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors, put delicious, wild-harvested protein on the table and make memories with family and friends. Preliminary license sales and harvest registration numbers are now available.

As of 11:59 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 28, sales for gun, bow, crossbow, sports and patron licenses reached 808,224. Of that total, 564,440 were for gun privileges, including gun, patron and sports licenses. The yearto-date sales for all deer licenses are down 1.5% from the same time last year.

Of the licenses sold to date, 60% of licenses were purchased online. The remaining 40% were sold in-person through transactions at DNR license agents locations. Deer hunting license and harvest authorization sales will continue throughout the remaining deer hunting seasons.

Preliminary figures show that hunters registered 175,667 deer during the 2021 nine-day gun deer hunt, including 84,952 antlered and 90,715 antlerless deer. Since archery seasons opened Sept. 18, hunters have registered 270,046 deer statewide, showing the growing influence of earlier seasons on cumulative harvest.

Compared to 2020, the total firearm deer harvest was down 7.9% statewide, with buck harvest down 1.3% and antlerless harvest down 13.2%.

The Northern Forest management zone showed harvest increases from 2020 for both antlered and antlerless kills, while the other three zones showed declines in harvest. The Central Forest (-3.0%) and Central Farmland (-8.9%) had similar declines in total harvest from 2020 levels, while the Southern Farmland showed a larger decline in total harvest of 17.0%.

Harvest numbers will climb as hunters enjoy additional hunting opportunities: Nov. 29 - Dec. 8: Statewide muzzleloader hunt, Dec. 9-11: Statewide four-day antlerless-only hunt, Dec. 24 - Jan. 1, 2022: Nine-day antlerless-only holiday hunt in select Farmland Zone counties, Now to Jan. 9, 2022: Remaining archery and crossbow seasons, Jan. 10-31, 2022: Extended archery and crossbow seasons in select Farmland Zone counties.

Photo by Taylor Scott, Managing Editor A rocket ship light, a menu and two pizzas — a spicy BBQ chicken and pesto veggie — warmly welcome you to Rocket Man Pizza, which recently opened in downtown Plain. Boasting a pinball machine and indoor/outdoor viewing windows, this is a pizza place not to be missed.

Taylor Scott, Managing Editor and Nicole Aimone, Editor-in-Chief We recently had the chance to stop by and try out the newest pizza place in the Valley. With veteran pizzaman and restaurateur Rich Peterson at the helm, Rocket Man Pizza is a gem in downtown Plain that will delight. (Disclosure: They even sent us home with some more options to try!) We took the opportunity to review the options and ask Peterson some questions:

Review

I tried the Rocket Stix which are essentially cheesy, garlicky butter pizza sticks served with different dipping sauces. They were reminiscent of ‘Topperstix’, but they were much fresher and tastier. With the stix you get a choice

of dipping sauces, which brings your usual offerings of marinara, ranch etc. but they also offer nacho cheese. When our waitress mentioned that it piqued my interest because it sounds just weird enough to be good, and it definitely was. I don’t have words to describe why or how the odd concoction of essentially cheese pizza dipped in nacho cheese works, but it does, really well. It makes the stix even cheesier and with a hint of jalapeño flavor.

It was a fun start to the meal and set the tone for trying out some eclectic pizza flavors.

For the main pizza I tried out the supreme pizza, which was packed with ham, pepperoni, ground beef, Italian sausage, mushrooms, red onion, bell

pepper and black olives all piled onto a house made, fresh double dough style pizza.

The veggie toppings were super fresh and cooked well — without the sometimes soggy veggie issue pizzas have — but, instead, they maintained a pleasant little crunch, and the meat toppings were fresh and had good flavor. There was plenty of sauce, toppings and cheese to go around, all of which was spread high enough on the crusts edge to make the crust tasty and not dry. I really think crust eaters and leavers both will enjoy it. There’s enough plain crust there for the lovers, but heavy enough on the toppings so it doesn’t feel too crusty.

I’ve also tried the BBQ chicken pizza

See page 7

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Commentary/Opinion

Thursday, December 2, 2021

Community Discussions: News vs. Op-Ed and ensuring voices are heard Recently we received feedback from a reader that we’d like to feature in full as part of a community conversation.

Dialogues like these are a helpful way for us all to improve as we consider differing views and ensure that we become both better purveyors and consumers of news.

This is a time when the news landscape is changing and we need to discover and rediscover healthy ways to produce and consume news. This involves going beyond the bubbles social media algorithms put us in. Going beyond headlines, newsbites and punditry. It involves acknowledging that while we are part of a much bigger world, our energy and attention — emotional, mental and physical — is finite and there is so, so much that goes on here in our local community that is worth celebrating and highlighting.

We look forward to recommitting every week to that, growing and changing, bringing you great news, diverse commentary, fun events and more.

To jump back into the specific discussion at hand, this community discussion is a bit different than we would normally do. How we normally would envision community discussions would feature 1.) community feedback/question, complaint etc. 2.) subject response 3.) expert analysis. Or a community discussion could be a simpler point/ counterpoint.

This dialogue is a bit of a mix and we are choosing not to print the name of the reader that submitted the feedback, something we wouldn’t normally do.

We reached out to them and asked permission to use their name, but haven’t gotten permission as of press time. If that changes, when this is published online it will be updated to reflect the name of the reader.

However, we felt that it was important to feature diverse voices and be sure they’re heard. We hope the ensuing conversation, featuring: 1.) the reader’s feedback, 2.) our response and 3.) the response of Ruth Conniff, editor-in-chief of the Wisconsin Examiner, a nonpartisan, nonprofit news bureau covering state government - help readers both understand what we hope to do with Valley Sentinel each week and also start a larger conversation about news vs. opinion, being exposed to and considering differing viewpoints and thinking critically while consuming news.

We can’t thank enough everyone in our community each week who give us feedback, we couldn’t do this without

your voices and we’re happy to share them.

Below is feedback and responses in full, with light editing for space and clarity, regarding commentary from the Wisconsin Examiner, and making sure voices are heard. ...

Reader

In the 10/6 issue of Valley Sentinel you printed a commentary by Brian J. Allfrey which advocated for our country going back to being civil with one another, listening to one another and finding common ground. I cut out the article because I thought it was excellent, and because I wanted to see if your paper would follow that advice in the weeks to come.

Unfortunately, it was disappointing to see the commentary you included this week from Ruth Conniff, “Kids are Watching”. I thought her premise was spot on - our kids are watching and society today is doing a terrible job of teaching them how to compromise, respect authority, and talk about differences in a non-violent way. However, it was so typical of Wisconsin Examiner to only focus on conservative parents, Donald Trump and the GOP and completely leave out the violence and property destruction by BLM supporters and the stalking of U.S. senators by progressives.

Wisconsin Examiner claims to be nonpartisan, but I see no articles on their website that present conservative ideas in a positive light. I emailed Ruth yesterday to express my disappointment in her one-sided article and asked her to email me any articles that would show they are indeed nonpartisan. She did not send any.

I know it’s challenging to produce enough content for small local papers, but I would caution you to not just include articles slanted to one side.

Please follow the advice from Allfrey’s commentary and include articles that simply tell us what happened during the week. We don’t need you to print more articles written by people telling us what to think. That’s not news and your paper can do better.

...

Valley Sentinel’s Response

Thank you so much for reaching out!

We love receiving feedback and were happy to hear you enjoyed a piece of commentary we ran and that another piece of commentary was thought-provoking for you.

That’s the hope for us, that our commentary is thought-provoking. You mention telling people what to think, and we don’t believe any commentary we curate is meant to do that. Even our editorials, which are non-partisan and common sense, strive to be just that — common sense. We don’t tell people how to think or feel, but use the space as a starting point for constructive and thoughtful conversations, much like the one we’re having here.

We’re also sure to label our commentary, columns, opinion and editorial pieces as such, which we believe is very important — because not every publication does a great job of that anymore.

Regardless, we hope our op-eds foster constructive conversations. No journalistic work we print, op-ed or story, is meant to be the primary authority on any given topic. We curate and write pieces that are that starting point, either for conversations or for research.

We’re an all-volunteer, independent local news publication. While we may look like a community news weekly, we’re hoping to occupy that unfilled space of alt-news weekly with an emphasis on arts & culture, outdoors & recreation, events and being a watchdog of government and meetings, and yes — curating a wide spectrum of views, opinions and commentary.

There is plenty of news and events in our wonderful area, and plenty of content to be produced, but not a ton of manpower right now to produce it.

Again, we are all-volunteer. However, we are always looking for clear and community voices like yours to feature, as a guest or as a regular contributor.

No matter our manpower, we believe in curating a strong weekly publication from a variety of writers with a range of compelling local and regional community interests.

Again, thank you so much for reaching out and giving us your feedback. If you thought the premise from Ruth Conniff’s “Kids are Watching” commentary was spot on, that “our kids are watching and society today is doing a terrible job of teaching them how to compromise, respect authority, and talk about differences in a non-violent way” but that the scope should have been greater, you did exactly what we hope our community and readers can do — start a constructive, thoughtful conversation and try to find compromise while identifying and respecting differences.

If you feel there are voices or scope being left out of the conversation, we’d like to include yours to remedy that.

...

Ruth Conniff’s Response

I am really not thrilled by the chaos I describe at the beginning of the piece, which has nothing to do with conservatives. I do think that Trump has deliberately stoked dangerous, violent elements and the Republicans need to shake him off instead of continuing to indulge those elements, which I see as the greatest threat to the country, certainly more than Black Lives Matter protesters.

At the same time that Trump started pushing us toward authoritarianism, the social media ecosystem also increased incivility and a kind of constant road rage in civic dialogue, which, it seems to me, is as much a problem as ideology.

I like to think we give conservatives a

Ruth Conniff fair shake and give credit where it’s due — to Glenn Grothmann going after payday lenders, for example, or Rep. Sortwell on social media censorship (before his unfortunate latest problems).

An additional relevant piece the Examiner ran is my interview with the James Widgerson, editor of Right Wisconsin: wisconsinexaminer. com/2021/05/25/conservatives-insearch-of-a-party Respectfully, trying to get a publication not to run commentary you disagree with is not a contribution to civil dialogue.

Anyway, I appreciate your comments.

Ruth Conniff is Editor-in-chief of the Wisconsin Examiner. She formerly served as Editor-in-chief of The Progressive Magazine where she worked for many years from both Madison and Washington, DC. She graduated from Yale University in 1990, where she ran track and edited the campus magazine The New Journal. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her husband and three daughters.

Chris Hardie’s Back Home column: A sweet end to a successful hunt Chris Hardie, Columnist

The trees were silhouetted by the light of the waning but still large Beaver Moon as I slowly made my way down the hill toward my hunting spot.

It was shortly after 6 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 20, the opening day of the Wisconsin gun deer hunting season. The temperature was in the mid-20 degrees and the woods were still.

My 46th whitetail hunt began where it has been the past 16 years, in a ground blind on our family farm. I settled my back against a tree, poured myself a cup of coffee from a thermos that once belonged to my grandfather and settled in.

Morning comes slowly in my hunting valley as nature awakens. It’s one of my favorite times of opening day as I soak in the surroundings and enjoy the stillness.

About 6:45 a.m., I heard two short hoots from a barred owl that landed in a nearby tree. I took a photo before the avian predator flew over the hill into the next valley, where it launched into

Tony Wilkin Gibart several choruses of its easily recognizable call “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all,” which carried across the quiet morning.

The squirrels started to stir about 7:30 a.m., including one that chattered for several minutes in a tree above me before scurrying down the trunk. The birds — including red-headed wood-

Photo via Chris Hardie Chris Hardie and his 9-point buck and an 18-inch antler spread shot opening day, Nov. 20, 2021. peckers, chickadees and blue jays — searched for food.

Part of the challenge of hunting whitetail deer is being quiet and pa-

tient — two virtues I had little of as a youngster. There is no perfect place to hunt, but if you understand the lay of

continued on page 3

Commentary/Opinion

Thursday, December 2, 2021 Page 3

Hardie: Time spent with son best part of hunt continued from page 2 the land and observe deer behavior and patterns, you can put yourself into a spot favorable for seeing deer. After all, one has to see deer to have a chance at success.

At 8:30 a.m., I saw my first deer of the day. On the hillside to my left, about 150 yards away, four does ran through.

I watched them go, knowing that sometimes they are followed by a buck.

Sure enough, at 8:45 a.m., a small forkhorned buck walked the same trail. He was in no hurry, stopping several times before disappearing over the crest of the ridge.

It’s always much easier to stay put when you see deer, and I always hunt my stand for the entire opening day.

Besides, I had my little wood fire to keep me cozy and warm.

My patience paid off at about 10 a.m. when I spotted a large-racked buck following the same path as the deer before him. I shouldered my rifle and waited for him to clear some trees. It wasn’t the perfect shot — there seldom are when you hunt in the woods — but I lined up the crosshairs and fired.

The buck flinched, ran a few feet and briefly stopped. I fired again. The buck disappeared from my view up the hill but I heard a loud crash.

Carefully lining up some trees where I last saw the buck, I walked up the hill to the spot. The loud crash that I hoped was the sound of the buck collapsing was confirmed when I found him under a tree.

It was a 9-point buck with a slightly atypical rack and an 18-inch antler

spread. He had a big body and was probably 3 1/2 years old. It was one of the largest bucks I’ve shot.

I was luckier than some. Overall, the opening weekend registration numbers were down 14% this year, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

The central farmland region where I hunt had a drop of 16%.

I sent a text to my son Ross and field dressed the buck. I dragged him for a few yards up the hill when Ross appeared. Together we each grabbed a side of the rack and pulled the buck about 100 yards to the edge of a field next to a wild apple tree.

Last year was the first time I hunted after my father died, but I was sick with COVID-19 and struggled to enjoy the hunt. Dad never missed hunting and we spent many hours together in the woods, sharing stories and enjoying the special bond between father and son.

Ross and I went back to my stand, toasted some sandwiches over the fire and told a few stories. I was thrilled with getting a nice buck, but time spent with my son was by far the best part of the day.

Later that afternoon, we lifted the buck into the back of the pickup, and Ross was able to reach a couple of apples still on the tree. They were a little frozen, but it was a sweet taste to end an even sweeter day.

Chris Hardie spent more than 30 years as a reporter, editor and publisher. He was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and won dozens of state and national journalism awards. He is a former president of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association.

UPCOMING MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES WITH VALLEY SENTINEL

With the holiday celebrations underway and all things winter on the horizon, we thought we'd put together a special section to highlight some wonderful last minute local holiday shopping options in the greater Spring Green area.

PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR BUSINESSES:

Featured Business/Promotional Articles Advertising Spots Featured Gift Listings 1x No-Cost Gift Listing

DATE OUT: December 9

SPACE DEADLINE: December 6

Guaranteed 1,000 copy regional print distribution with additional e-edition engagement. The section will be featured online all year as well for residents and tourists alike to plan their local gift-giving.

Interested in learning more? Contact us today to claim your space!

Email: ads@valleysentinelnews.com | Phone: 608-588-6694

Want to be the first to read Valley Sentinel?

More subscriptions mean more routes, and our distribution intern is back at college, so we’re looking for help distributing the paper!

We can’t thank those who have recently stepped up to offer to help enough, thank you!

Photo via Chris Hardie Chris Hardie enjoys coffee while sitting in his hunting stand.

Paper Distribution Routes Arena Subscribers: COVERED Arena Businesses: COVERED Lone Rock Subscribers: AVAILABLE Lone Rock Businesses: COVERED Plain Subscribers: AVAILABLE

Contact us

Want to enjoy scenic fall drives or a walk around town and assist in connecting our businesses, subscribers and community? Whether for fun or for volunteer experience, just one village, route, or more, we’d be happy to have you!

Interested?

Email: editor@valleysentinelnews.com or call 608-588-6694

Deadlines: The display and classified advertising deadline is Monday at noon for that week. If you would like our design team to design the ad then please allow extra time for the creative process and proofing.

Ad team: ads@valleysentinelnews.com

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.

Plain Businesses: AVAILABLE Spring Green Subscribers: AVAILABLE Spring Green Businesses: AVAILABLE

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 Sports/Photography Intern Jen Salt Katie Green Kalen Scott 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.

Editorial Policy

On certain topics in areas of great community interest, the editors of the Valley Sentinel may take positions they believe best represent and serve the interests of the community. Any opinions or positions taken by the editorial board are separate and distinct in labeling and substance from the community journalism that appears in the rest of the publication and does not affect the integrity and impartiality of our reporting. .

Est. 2020 igne conflatum “Forged in Fire”

Letter to the Editor Policy

Letters submitted for consideration are subject to fact-checking and editing for space and clarity. Submissions must have a compelling local community interest. Letters to the editor must fit within a 500-word limit, and include name, city and phone number. Phone numbers are for office use only and will not be published. Letters of a political nature, without chance of rebuttal, will not be published the week before an election.

Valley Sentinel is a free, weekly single-copy news publication, available on newsstands in the area.

Covering Arena, Lone Rock, Plain, Spring Green and the surrounding areas in Sauk, Iowa and Richland counties.

Column Policy

Community Discussion Policy

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Valley Sentinel is published in Spring Green, Wisconsin every Thursday by Lower Wisconsin River Valley Sentinel, LLC. ISSN 2694-541X (print) — ISSN 2694-5401 (online)

Editors may feature opinion columns written by public figures, members of the public or other publication staff. Columns reflect the opinions of the individual contributors and do not represent positions of the publication. Guest columns of an anticipated length more than 500 words should seek prior editor authorization. .

From time to time the editorial board may select letters to the editor of a particular compelling community interest where a public figure or accountable public action is the recipient of criticism and allow, in the same issue, the subject of the criticism chance for rebuttal, with expounded independent input. The format shall be point, counterpoint and expert analysis. This community discussion shall serve as a moderated dialogue that presents multiple views of important community topics.

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Community

Thursday, December 2, 2021

COmmunitycalendar Events for December 2 - December 9 Thursday, December 2 Stitch and Bitch 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM . Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St. Spring Green . www.springgreengeneralstore.com . The Spring Green General Store’s Stitch and Bitch handwork group meets Thursday afternoons weekly. All are welcome.

Friday, December 3 Live Music: Gin Mill Hollow 7:30 PM - 10:00 PM . Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green . www.slowpokelounge.com . Gin Mill Hollow is a 3-piece Madison, Wisconsin-based semi-acoustic rock group. The band consists of Dan Plourde on electric guitar and uke-bass, Joshua "Juice" Giudice on the mandolin and Mark Norman playing acoustic guitar and upright bass. Vocal duties are shared by all three musicians, and their string-band approach is augmented by the use of Porchboard kick-drum emulators in lieu of a drummer for a little extra foot-stomping rhythm. Their sound incorporates elements of bluegrass, folk and Americana, and they draw from influences that include The Wood Brothers, Tom Petty, The Band, Neil Young, and Bob Dylan.

Tickets $10 in advance, $15 at the door. Proof of vaccination against COVID-19 required for all Slowpoke events.

Saturday, December 4 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.

Spring Green Community Church Cookie Walk 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM . Spring Green Community Church, 151 E. Bossard Street, Spring Green . The 14th annual Spring Green Community Church Cookie Walk will be held on Saturday December 4 from 9 am to Noon or whenever cookies are gone, whichever happens first.

The Cookie Walk features approximately 400 dozen cookies of many varieties including traditional Christmas sugar cookies. At the Cookie Walk, participants circle the tables of cookies and fill a container that is provided. Cookies are sold by the pound. It’s a great way to save some time in the kitchen, taste-test some new cookie recipes or get a jump start on enjoying these wonderful tasty holiday treats.

A variety of other homemade goodies including dessert breads will also be available.

Live music of the season will be provided by Tobie and Sam Sequin and Kendall Harger from 9 to 10:30 am. Don’t be afraid to sing along.

Holiday Craft Bazaar 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM . River Valley High School in the West (new) gymnasium, 660 Varsity Blvd. Spring Green . This Saturday is the 36th annual Holiday Craft Bazaar, from 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM at River Valley High School in the West (new) gymnasium #LikeAHawk!

This event is sponsored by the RVHS Cross Country Team and brings in over 30 vendors with a wide range of merchandise.

Please note that Masks are REQUIRED at this event.

Don't miss an opportunity to "shop local" for special gift items for family and friends.

We look forward to seeing you there!

FRIENDS OF THE SPRING GREEN COMMUNITY LIBRARY BAKE & BOOK SALE 8:30 AM - 2:00 PM . Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green . www.springgreenlibrary.org . Current friends members can shop at 8:30. Open to the general public at 9:00. Not a member? You can join that morning.

Book sale continues on Monday, Dec. 6, 10 am - 5 pm. Homemade baked goods.

Gently used: Fiction and non-fiction, coffee table books, cook books, gardening books, seasonal craft books, children's books, DVD's and more.

Monday, December 6 Slowpoke Trivia Night 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM . Slowpoke Lounge, 137 W Jefferson St., Spring Green . www.slowpokelounge.com . Join us for a night of Trivia! Kyle Adams will host as we put teams together for a contest of trivia. Come for the prizes, stay for the fun!

First question at 7:00 - and it should last about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Proof of vaccination against COVID-19 required for all Slowpoke events.

Tuesday, December 7 Fall Storytime (Indoors) 10:15 AM . Kraemer Library Community Room, 910 Main St., Plain . Indoor Storytime is back! Join us for our Fall Storytime sesson from November 16th - December 21st 2021. Join us for songs, stories, and crafts in the Community Room. Aimed at children ages 0-4 but, all are welcome:) Stories and songs are 20 minutes followed by a themed activity/craft:) Masks are encouraged due to CDC guidelines Virtual Family Trivia Night 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM . www.springgreenlibrary.org . Join us virtually for a family trivia night! From world history and science to sports and pop culture, this event is geared for families with kids from ages 5-12, but everyone is welcome! Families that join will be eligible to win free books and more!

Wednesday, December 8 Family Storytime 10:00 AM . Spring Green Community Library, 230 E. Monroe St., Spring Green . www.springgreenlibrary.org . Join Ms. Grace for stories, songs, and fun!

Starting in December, we will offer indoor storytime on Wednesdays! There is no sign up required for now, but attendance is limited to 19 people, so get there early to reserve your spot! We do require masks for everyone age 2 and up and will be socially distanced around the room for safety.

Thursday, December 9 Stitch and Bitch 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM . Spring Green General Store, 137 S. Albany St. Spring Green . www.springgreengeneralstore.com . The Spring Green General Store’s Stitch and Bitch handwork group meets Thursday afternoons weekly. All are welcome.

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, December 2, 2021 Page 5 In Other News/ Briefs

COVID-19 Dashboard

97% of Wisconsin ICU beds full The Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) reported Tuesday that hospital intensive care units are full in the state’s western and northwestern regions. In the statement, Dr. Ben Weston of the Medical College of Wisconsin said, “The entire western region of our state has zero ICU beds available. Zero.” According to the WHA, statewide 97% of hospital ICU beds are full. Wisconsin currently has the fourth-worst rate of positive COVID-19 tests of any U.S. state, Weston said.

Wisconsin Summary

875,393 Positive Cases +41,512 from 11/16

Cases as of 11/30/2021

3,688,705 Negative Test Results +69,512 from 11/16

RV Elementary, RVMS, RVHS under mask mandate

9,019 Deaths +240 from 11/16 Updated: 11/30/2021

Critically High Vaccine Summary Statistics Very High Updated: 11/30/2021 High 2,974,671 4,388,234 7,666,459 303,545 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.

Total boosters administered

2,956 Positive Cases 14,348 Negative Tests 17 Deaths

405,722

Moderna doses administered

11,120

Johnson & Johnson doses administered

Vaccine Data

+96 from 11/16 +127 from 11/9 +2 from 11/9

Iowa County

Pfizer 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

county level weekly statistics Richland County 2,336 Positive Cases 9,938 Negative Tests 28 Deaths

594,826

1,011,668

Richland

Target Range

Percent with at least one vaccine dose

Percent with at least one vaccine dose

53.9%

57.4%

Percent fully vaccinated

Percent fully vaccinated

+527 from 11/16 +611 from 11/16 +1 from 11/16

9,218 Positive Cases 43,563 Negative Tests 68 Deaths

Sauk 60.4%

+144 from 11/16 +202 from 11/16 +1 from 11/16

Sauk County

Target Range

56.2%

Updated: 11/30/2021

Target Range

Iowa 65.2% Percent with at least one vaccine dose

62.8% Percent fully vaccinated

Cases per zip code

Percent of Wisconsin residents ages 12-15 who have received at least one dose by county

Business/Professional

Directory

Cases as of 11/30/2021

Updated: 11/30/2021

Lower %

J J

Higher %

Total Lawn Care

ork yW M-F alit sured s 8a u •Q lly In ate S and a t 8a m-5pm m u i t F s m-n • eE and oon e Richland County •Fr Ages 12-15 44.9% •608-588-2453• E4792 Kennedy Rd. James Harwood

Iowa County

Ages 12-15

57.2%

Snow Removal

Percent of Wisconsin residents who have received at least one dose We offer complete landscape and

•Natural double shredded oak bark mulch lawn care service Sauk County - $30/yard •Full Landscaping from start to finish Ages 12-15 48.6% •Colored decorative mulch Red-Brown-Gold-Orange •Lawn Mowing We’ - $30/yard re y •Plantings stop our on •Free delivery to the River Valley area (min. 2 yards) Dane County •Grading & Seedings sho e p!

Ages 12-15 •Other landscape supplies available!

•Bark83.7% Spreading Gravel-Boulders-Screened Topsoil-Sand, etc.

•Limestone & Boulder Retaining Walls

CLASSIFIEDS

Graphic by Anna Stocks-Hess

Updated: 11/30/2021

Ages 12-15 16-17 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

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

Healthcare Employment Opportunities *Director of Heart, Lung & Sleep Services – full-time exempt leadership position, $7,500.00 Employment Bonus! *Respiratory Therapists – full-time or part-time Evening/Night shift positions, 12 hour shifts available during the week days. Also a .6 FTE evening/night weekender shift Premium Pay position! $5,000.00 Employment Bonus available for benefit eligible positions! *Director of DME Services – full-time exempt management position in our Platteville office. *OR Technician - .8 FTE position *RN Med/Surg unit - .75 FTE evening/night shift position *RN Float Nurse –.6 to a .9 FTE evening/night shift position *RN ICU unit - .6 FTE evening/night shift position *RN OB unit - .6 FTE and a .75 FTE evening/night shift position *RN ED unit - .75 to a .9 FTE evening/night shift position *Emergency Department Technician - .6 FTE part-time position *Certified Nursing Assistants – part-time positions available in our Nursing & Rehab Center on day, evening and night shifts, $3,000 Employment Bonus included along with a competitive wage and benefits package for part or full time work! *Imaging Technician – premium pay Weekender Program, Day/Evening and a 1.0 FTE p.m. shift position. *MRI Imaging - .5 to a 1.0 FTE day shift position. *Athletic Trainer – full-time AT position. *Health Information Management Supervisor – 1.0 FTE exempt supervisory position. *Revenue Integrity Pricing Specialist – 1.0 FTE position in our Patient Financial Services dept *Environmental Services Staff – full time p.m. and night shift positions. *Sterile Processing Technician - .8 FTE day shift position. *Phlebotomist - .8 FTE day shift position. *Clinic X-ray/Lab Technician - .5 FTE position *Cook & Culinary Aide - .5 to 1.0 FTE part to full-time Cook position & a .5 FTE Aide position

To find out more detailed information about all open positions and to apply, go to our website at www.uplandhillshealth.org.

Upland Hills Health 800 Compassion Way Dodgeville, WI 53533

49.9% 54.0% 54.6% 59.4% 66.5% 67.1% 75.5% 87.4%

With cases climbing locally, many of the school buildings in the River Valley School District are under mask mandates until the end of next week. As of 12/1, RVHS active cases number in the double digits.

The daily masking thresholds and daily tracker can be found on the District website here: rvschools.org/district/ rvcovidupdates.cfm

Outdoors Page 6 Thursday, December 2, 2021 Birding Report: Tundra Swans Reach State In Big Numbers Sauk County Gardener — Christmas Tree Selection and Care Ryan Brady, DNR Natural Heritage Conservation Program Biologist Tundra swans reached the state in a big way this week, the first major influx coming on November 17 when birders reported hundreds from various sites around the state and over 1200 in Portage County.

Numbers have built substantially at the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge, where upwards of 10,000 can now be found on Pool 8. The Brownsville overlook on the Minnesota side often provides the best viewing. Look for bald eagles, Canada geese, American white pelicans, and large numbers of ducks at various refuge vantages. Impressive this week were counts of 1,000 American wigeon in Vernon county and 3,000 canvasbacks in Crawford. Elsewhere, divers such as bufflehead, common goldeneye, and red-breasted mergansers are showing well, including over 2,000 of the latter in Racine.

Not to be outdone, sandhill cranes were also reported in large numbers across southern Wisconsin, including a highly visible southward flight on November 22.

Over 1,800 were tallied in just a few hours in Ozaukee County, while nearly 3,000 were reportedly still staging near Horicon Marsh. Gulls aren’t viewed as admirably by most but a count of 5,500 herring gulls on Lake Superior in Douglas is impressive nonetheless. A few shorebirds continue to be seen including dunlin, sanderling, greater yellowlegs, Wilson’s snipe, and a few others.

A total of 18 snowy owls have been

reported from 14 counties, the bulk of those arriving this past week. Read a detailed update on our snowy owl page. Other winter birds being seen include rough-legged hawk, short-eared owl, northern shrike, snow bunting, and American tree sparrow.

Common redpolls are plentiful and widespread across the north woods, with a few reaching southern Wisconsin already, but don’t expect many at feeders until later in winter. White-winged crossbills are also being seen, though less abundantly. A few pine siskins, American goldfinches, and purple finches can be found too, as well as small numbers of pine grosbeaks in far northern counties.

Surprising were reports of lingering species such as Baltimore oriole, rosebreasted grosbeak, least flycatcher, American bittern, Hudsonian godwit, and common yellowthroat. Other rarities since our last report include king eider on Green Bay, red phalaropes in Dane and Sheboygan, Townsend’s solitaire in Douglas, rufous hummingbird in Richland, black-legged kittiwakes, Pacific loon, and hoary redpoll in Bayfield, and late cattle egrets documented in Dodge, Door, Marinette, Ashland, and Bayfield.

As dry, seasonable weather is forecast into early December, a general lack of snow and ice (on larger water bodies, at least) should allow many species to linger and provide good late-season birdwatching opportunities. Find out what others are seeing and report your finds at https:// ebird.org/wi/home. Good birding!

Photo by Todd Leech Tundra swans have reached the state in good numbers and should provide good viewing opportunities into at least early December.

Administrative Support Assistant The Administrative Support Assistant will work with our Productivity & Planning Managers as well as our Project Managers to assist in completing day to day administrative duties.

Duties: • Maintain archives of completed projects • Typing of proposals, reports, change orders, and other correspondence • Communicate with subcontractors/owners/architects via email, telephone, and fax • Assist with miscellaneous duties such as copying, filing, organizing as requested Knowledge/Skills: • Ability to type accurately and proficiently • Knowledge of software programs especially Excel and Outlook • Detailed oriented • Ability to work with a variety of different people and personalities • Able to utilize standard office equipment: printers, fax, computers, etc.

Work Enironment: • Most work will be performed sitting and working on a desktop Salary will be based on experience computer EEO/AA employer • Will need to occasionally move around the office building • Part time position between 20-25 hours per week. Schedule is Please send your resume to: Kraemer Brothers, LLC flexible 925 Park Ave | PO Box 219 Kraemer Brothers is a leading Commercial General Contractor Plain, WI 53577 and has several projects throughout Southern Wisconsin.

Email: jobs@kraemerbrothers.com For more info visit www.kraemerbrothers.com Phone: 608-546-2411

Jeannie Manis, Sauk County Master Gardener “The smell of pine needles, spruce and the smell of a Christmas tree, those to me, are the scents of the holidays.”

— Blake Lively There is something magical about selecting a Christmas tree and it seems everyone has a different opinion on the “perfect” tree. My perfect tree is one that is very tall, slender but full, has strong branches for our many ornaments, and is very fragrant. My husband will say my perfect tree is the one at the way back of the Christmas tree farm so it has to be hauled a mile back to the truck and has extra sharp needles to stick everyone.

It also must be covered in snow, so the person who cuts down the tree (typically my husband or son in years past) will have to lay in a foot or more of snow and end up with lots of snow down the backs of their coats. Whatever your idea is of the perfect tree, you can probably find it as Wisconsin is one of the top producers of real Christmas trees in the nation. We are fortunate to be able to choose from a large selection of different trees based on personal preference. The common type of Christmas trees available to us in Wisconsin are Balsam Fir, Fraser Fir, Canaan Fir, Scotch Pine, White Pine, and Spruce.

There are some distinct differences between these conifers and the easiest way to tell is by their “leaves” or as we know them – needles. Pine tree needles are attached to the tree branches in clusters, whereas fir and spruce needles are attached individually to the branches.

Pine needles tend to be longer, and fir and spruce are typically much shorter.

It’s harder to tell the difference between spruces and firs. Spruce needles are sharply pointed, square and can be rolled easily between your fingers. Fir needles are softer, flat, and cannot be rolled.

Spruce branches also feel rough as their needles are attached via small stalk-like woody projections. When the spruce loses its needles, the woody projections remain, making the branches feel rough.

Here are some additional things to consider – aroma, branch strength, and color. If you like a strong, Christmas tree smell, consider the Balsam or Fraser fir. Their branches are stiff, hold up well to heavy ornaments, have blue/ green or dark green needles, and have good needle retention. The Canaan fir is also a good option, especially for needle retention. If you’re a traditionalist, consider the Scotch (aka Scots) or white pine. Both are good economical choices; however, the Scotch pine will hold up heavy ornaments better than a white pine and has good needle retention. The white pine is a great economical choice if you want a larger, taller tree. Spruce trees are popular choices for Christmas trees as their branches are stiff and hold ornaments well. Although spruce needles

have excellent color, their needles can get quite sharp so you might want to consider of different tree if you have pets or small children.

Before you head out to buy your tree, note how tall your ceilings are and how big of a trunk your tree stand can accommodate (diameter and depth).

Trust me, they are bigger than you think once you get them home (just ask my husband who has had to reel me back in from some really big trees over the years.)

Select one that is at least a foot shorter than your ceilings. You’ll still have plenty of boughs to use in your outdoor arrangements. If you decide to select your tree from a tree lot, buy the tree earlier in the season versus later so you can get it in water as soon as possible. Try to buy local as local trees will most likely be fresher and typically less expensive. Look closely at the trunk; if it’s split, it will not take up water well or at all. The base of the tree should be straight for at least six to eight inches as that’s about how much needs to go in a standard tree stand. Once again, this why we measure BEFORE we pick out a tree. Look for a tree that has nice, healthy, green color with few brown or dying needles. Give it a good shake; it’s normal for a few needles to fall but if a lot of needles fall, consider a different tree as that one is pretty dry. The needles should be flexible, snap if bent sharply, and not fall off when you run your hand over them.

When you get your tree home, cut at least a half inch off the bottom the base and place it in a bucket of water for a couple hours to let it absorb water.

Finally, place it in the tree stand filled with fresh water; no preservatives are necessary. Keep an eye on it to make sure it always has water. If you cut your own tree, it will need a constant supply of water – more than a quart a day for most trees. Whether your tree is fresh cut or off the tree lot, make sure the water level does not go below the base of the tree.

Keep it away from heat sources as much as possible to help avoid drying out the tree. Once the season is passed, dispose of the tree properly. In some places, old Christmas trees can be used to create fish and wildlife habitats but only if all the decorations have been properly removed.

Take the time to properly select and care for your tree and you’ll be rewarded with a wonderful Christmas display the entire season.

We now have a limited supply of 2022 Phenology Calendars available at the Extension office. Cost is $15 each.

This week’s article is written by Jeannie Manis, a Wisconsin Certified Sauk County Master Gardener Volunteer.

If you have any gardening questions, please contact the Extension Sauk County by emailing to trripp@wisc.edu or calling the University of Wisconsin Madison Division of Extension Sauk County office at 608-355-3250.

Commercial Project Manager/Estimator

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

For more info visit www.kraemerbrothers.com

Salary will be based on experience EEO/AA employer

Please send your resume to:

Kraemer Brothers, LLC 925 Park Ave | PO Box 219 Plain, WI 53577 Email: jobs@kraemerbrothers.com Phone: 608-546-2411

Business/Community

Thursday, December 2, 2021 Page 7

Plain welcomes new hand tossed pizza place to downtown — Reviews and Q&A with manager/chef continued from page 1

and pesto veggie pizza as well. The BBQ chicken was your classic fare with incredibly fresh ingredients and while I’m not the biggest fan of pesto, it worked well with the variety of veggies loaded on top. Extra points for offering a vegetarian friendly option, without someone having to make adjustments to something already on the menu!

Going back to the crust, it was honestly the perfect double dough crust. It had good flavor, which is really only half the battle when it comes to a thicker crust like this one. In my Chicago-deep dish-pizzaraised opinion, you want the edges of the crust to be crunchy and just right, but also not soggy. This crust achieved just that. It was crispy where it needed to, but fluffy with good flavor as well.

The storefront itself is small and quaint, but has the casual vibe you’d expect for a takeout pizza place. They have a fun window into the kitchen where you can watch the pizza making process, complete with a dough toss and all.

There’s a fun pinball machine to play while you wait, which I would love to see them lean into a bit more. It’d be such a fun thing to have an arcade crossed with a pizza place where you can play retro video games while waiting.

Overall, I was impressed and it will definitely be a go to when the craving for eclectic, yet classic, pizza strikes. It’s the perfect to-go pizza place our area needed and I’d love to see them start up delivery.

It’d be great to have more options for delivery in the area.

I’m also in love with the fact that they have an ice cream case! Where you can get a cake or waffle cone filled with Cedar Crest ice cream. I regret not grabbing a scoop while we were there, it would have been a great ending to such a fresh and delicious meal. Plus, I’m happy to see a

place in a downtown in the area to grab a good quality ice cream cone!

— Nicole Aimone, Editor-in-Chief ...

I think it’s going to be a long, long time until you find another pizza place like this. Endearingly, Rocket Man is the type of pizza place you expect to find in a large college town after a night out.

Greeted by the most amazing spaceship lamp, a pinball machine and outdoor/ indoor windows that allow for peak hand tossed pizza-making watching, you’ll hardly remember you’re in warmly bucolic Plain — which is certainly starting to punch above its weight.

Rocket Man is understated and it knows it, with a confident smile from the manager and master chef Rich Peterson when he hands you a pizza you know you’re going to like it.

I am always a fan of BBQ chicken pizza, but when I saw the tequila lime chicken pizza I know I had to try it out. Boasting tequila lime sauce, grilled chicken, red onion, green pepper, yellow pepper, red pepper and a satisfying little kick that I couldn’t get Peterson to reveal the source of — it’s a sum of all its ingredients in a way that is as subtle and understated as the restaurant, not too much of any one thing. The flavors work well together and even if lime isn’t your favorite flavor, you’ll be pleased with this pizza.

I’ll definitely be checking out the BBQ chicken pizza next.

I should also say that my pizza was made with a gluten free crust. I appreciate all of the options the Valley has for people that are gluten free and what I appreciate just as much is a good gluten free crust.

They’re not incredibly common yet and this one was a great choice.

It won’t be long until a pizza craving brings me ‘round again, and Rocket Man is a solid choice.

— Taylor Scott, Managing Editor ...

After indulging in copious amounts of pizza, we got the change to ask Peterson some questions: Valley Sentinel: Rocket Man Pizza is an interesting name, can you tell us the origin of the name and what it represents?

Rich Peterson: Rocket Man Pizza was the idea of the property owner Mike Haight. I think his idea was to make it a fun and kitschy place. Being a long time fan of cheesy and classic horror and Sci-Fi films I immediately embraced the idea.

VS: Boasting a pinball machine, a viewing window where patrons can watch their pizza being made and a “rocket” taking off from the register, is there a certain atmosphere — or vibe, as the kids say — that you’re trying to evoke? What should people expect when they walk in?

RP: A busy, yet inviting atmosphere.

Definitely a unique space, but it’s still a work in progress. Mike’s plan is to make the pizza side look like the inside of a space ship. We have had some old Sci-Fi comics donated by a new friend and loyal patron, Kendra Schluter; that will be on display as well as possibly some classic movie posters or Sci-Fi art.

VS: With Lone Rock Bistro & Taproom and Roaring 20’s (review coming in a couple weeks!), Rocket Man Pizza is the third recent endeavor by Mike Haight’s consortium, so why pizza and why Plain?

RP: Well the pizza place was already a part of the building and as me a part of the Bistro team with 37 years of experience it just seemed fitting to put me in this position and offer up a new and different product for the community and surrounding area.

VS: You’re far from the only pizza place in the Valley — with The Shed, Last Leaf Public House, Homecoming and more:

what experience do you bring to the table that makes you different?

RP: I have a bit of an eclectic and eccentric approach to everything that I do in my life and am trying to bring that to life with the product and flavors I am putting out.

VS: Right now, all those places listed occupy their own niche, what makes your pizza different and what is your niche?

RP: Throughout the years I have brought together different ideas and recipes to have finally established my own personal dough, sauce, and seasoning recipes in hopes of pleasing all tastes.

VS: Looking at the menu, we can’t help but wonder if there’s some Chicago inspiration?

RP: I have worked in several Italian style restaurants but the main inspiration was in my younger years visiting my brother in laws parents who had come over from Italy. Nana Accardo would serve up the best pasta and Italian dishes family style and the flavors just stuck with me.

We offer our classic pizza shop sandwiches with the Meatball sub, Straka Meats Italian Sausage Sub both topped with our house marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. We also offer an Italian Beef Sub with your option of banana peppers or Giardiniera.

VS: What sort of menu items are in research and development right now?

RP: Within the next few weeks I will be rolling out the full menu including more specialty pizzas, rocket rolls, and calzones.

We have monthly pizzas of the month that can be seen at www.rocketmanpizza.com.

We are open Wednesday – Sunday 11 AM – 9 PM. Call 608-546-1010 for carry out. Dine in available on the Roaring 20’s side. All 12” pizzas available on gluten free crust. We also offer Cedar Crest Ice Cream.

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“The good stuff.”

Page 8

Outdoors/agriculture

Thursday, December 2, 2021

An Outdoorsman’s Journal

Mark Walters, Contributor

Back to the Beef Hello friends, Next week this column returns to deer camp and then ice fishing but so I could stay at deer camp I am writing about what in reality is one of the most important parts of my life.

The older that I get the more I strive for as much independent living as possible. That ranges from my paycheck which has come from traveling in the outdoors, writing about it and then marketing my product each week since 1989.

What is just as important to me and time consuming is growing much of my own food and heating my home with trees that I have harvested and that is what this week’s column is about.

I live in northern Juneau County and this area has some of the poorest soil in the state of Wisconsin when it comes to producing a crop. In simple terms the first year that you put a garden in on new soil it does quite well, the second year your yield is greatly reduced and the third year you are basically wasting your time unless you are doing something to rebuild your soil.

In 2001 after seeing my garden produce next to nothing I came up with the idea of raising four steers a year to create cash for my taxes, Roth IRA, and Selina’s college plan. I was well

aware that I might not actually make a profit on the cattle but I would consider it forced investing that would take care of the above bills and give me the soil that I needed to grow lots of food.

Here is an idea of what I am talking about when it comes to growing food. The harvest is over and there is 600-pounds of Yukon Golds and Pontiac Reds. Three hundred pounds of Butternut and Acorn squash. Twenty six tomato and 30 pepper plants helped create 58 quarts of salsa and 31-gallons of chili which had 80-pounds of onions to perk it up.

I had a record harvest of sweet corn which gave me 81, one quart bags of frozen corn and sweet corn was added to all of the chili and salsa and enjoyed fresh from mid July until mid September.

I also grew green beans, broccoli and pumpkins.

So here is what the gist of this story is about. I got out of the cattle business two years ago after I realized that when I sold my animals and they were dandy’s, well fed and next to zero stress that I had actually lost $300 an animal and that had nothing to do with labor.

Now we are going to go backwards in this column, how was I going to create the kind of harvest I just wrote about on the what would be my second summer without manure.

Here is another very important part of

Photo by Mark Walters, Contributor These calves will weigh about 1500 pounds in March of 2023.

Photo by Mark Walters, Contributor A full woodshed is needed for a long Wisconsin winter.

Photo by Mark Walters, Contributor Most of the year Mark Walters’ hens produce eggs for six people.

this story, I love having cattle around.

I was kind of embarrassed to say that I got out. Farming is my favorite hobby, pastime or however you want to describe it and I am very good at growing what in the end is prime steaks, roasts, and hamburger.

I think I should add that my harvest is feeding six people and I give a lot away.

So last summer I had five separate families come together that had purchased halves of beef from me in the past. I had never shared with them that over the years I was actually losing money, I just got out.

Three different times they asked me to get back in, each time I explained that I sold my beef at market price lost money and now grain prices are up a solid 25-percent from when I got out.

On my friends third visit to my house I was given a plan that if I kept the records, they would make sure that I was given a profit.

So starting in August I began looking for quality 200-pound calves and I found them on October 10th and purchased

three Angus bull, Holstein cow, calves on November 9th.

These calves are some beautiful animals and they are currently in my loafing area dropping manure and growing beef which will be sweet corn and taters next summer. Until I sell them in March of 2023 I will be broke as a crushed egg but I am used to that and doing exactly what I have programmed myself to do almost all of my adult life.

The next time you eat a burger or a steak think about the farmer that created that incredible meal for you and how much of a challenge it has to be to pay all of their bills from the beef or pork that they provide for you.

When I go to heaven I want to be a rancher!

—Sunset

Want to read more?

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