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www.driftlessjournal.com | news@driftlessjournal.com | 563-382-4221 | Tuesday, June 13, 2023 | Vol. 5 Issue 24
Young farmers find ag opportunities a perfect fit
Thanks for the memories …
Historic North Winn School treasures in traveling exhibit By Roz Weis
‘Once a Mustang, Always a Mustang’ The story of how a Winneshiek County man came to possess the most extensive collection of North Winneshiek School memorabilia needs to be prefaced with a bit of history. Phil Richert is a self-proclaimed lifelong North Winneshiek Community supporter. He grew up in the time of the old, rural one-room country schools, attending the Hesper No. 3 School (also known as Kenyon School) until the third grade. When he was in elementary school, the rural schools of the county, which at one time numbered more than 130 (with 17 in the North Winneshiek area alone), were all closed and students were integrated into the public schools. When those one-room schoolhouses were closed, the school maps, supplies, blackboards, desks and other artifacts were auctioned off to the highest bidder. And the items were then shoved on a shelf somewhere. “No one collected anything back then,” he said, “and it all went to the wind.” History Richert was there for the groundbreaking of the North Winneshiek Community School in the early 1960s. The school opened in 1964, replacing those one-room schoolhouses in northern Winneshiek County. The initial North Winn enrollment for kindergarten through high school was 400 students. Richert is a proud 1973 graduate of North Winn High School, and his support of the school has flourished over the years. He served on the District School Board for 16 years. North Winneshiek boasts more than 1,000 graduates in its long history in the county. A seemingly steady decline in enrollment forced the North Winn School to drop high school in 2001. High school students enrolled in either Decorah High School or Mabel-Canton in Minn. By 2016, the North Winn School Board approved closing the school and consolidating with Decorah School District. In 2019, the school was closed permanently. Due to the increased cost of building upkeep, the Decorah School Board voted to sell the building and its contents at an auction last fall.
Phil Richert of rural Decorah salvaged what is left of a bygone era and is sharing it with those around him. His North Winneshiek School traveling exhibit will make its maiden voyage at the upcoming Laura Days Parade Saturday, June 24, sponsored by the Laura Ingalls Wilder Park and Museum. The parade will make its way down the main street in the village of Burr Oak. (Driftless Multimedia photos by Roz Weis) That’s when Richert decided to save some of the North Winneshiek memorabilia for future generations. “Before the school closed, I told the board I wasn’t going to let it all go to the wind,” he said. “I was there the day they sold the building last fall … and I got the sign!” Seeing this collection of all things “North Winneshiek School” leaves one begging for more. The exhibit illustrates a timeline from the early years of North Winn School. After purchasing many of the artifacts, Richert knew the items should be shared with the public. He refused to allow the artifacts to be locked away, out of sight, in a storage building. “They need to be shared,” he commented. And that’s when he came up with the idea of a traveling exhibit of sorts. “Since I have no place to display it,” he said, “I decided to take it to the people.” He has created a unique traveling exhibit, which will be showcased at parades in the area over the summer months. The float will bring back a lot of memories for North Winn graduates and families, who still hold fond memories of their years at the school.
North Winn treasures continued on page 2
Remains of missing mother found near Mabel A Fillmore County Deputy found human remains on Wednesday afternoon, June 7, north of Mabel, Minn. Thursday during a press conference, it was reported by Winona Police Chief Tom Wil- Adam Fravel liams that the Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the remains to be those of 26-year-old Madeline Kingsbury, who had been missing since March 31. Kingsbury was found off a low-maintenance public road-
way in some brush off Highway 43 and was located using information – including digital evidence – generated during the Madeline Kingsbury investigation by the Winona Police Department, the Winona County Sheriff’s Office, the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office, the Southeast Minnesota Violent Crimes Enforcement Team and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) agents and crime scene personnel. Law enforcement personnel have arrested the father of Kingsbury’s children, 29-yearold Adam Fravel, on “probable cause” in connection to Kingsbury’s disappearance, according to Fillmore County Sheriff John
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DeGeorge. During a press conference Thursday, June 8, Chief Williams stated the same area had been previously searched for Kingsbury, but “was covered and concealed in such a manner that she was not visible.” Police did not discuss charges against Fravel at the press conference, but Winona County Detention Center records indicate Fravel is detained on a second-degree murder charge. Police stated they’re still reviewing over 450 tips, conducting witness interviews and compiling evidence to lead to charges in the case, but representatives were unable to comment on charging decisions during the press confer-
Madeline Kingsbury ence. Winona County brought on Special Prosecutor Phillip Prokopowicz to handle the Kingsbury case last month. “While the discovery was not what we were hoping for, we
Remains
continued on page 4
Ethan and Carly Zierke are beginning to settle in on the Luzum Heritage Farm off highway 52 after being selected as the new SILT farm occupants just this spring. The 170-acre farm has 100 acres in CRP, which leaves plenty of room for these young farmers currently making the most of one acre of farm land from Canoe Creek produce. (Driftless Multimedia photo by Kate Klimesh) By Kate Klimesh A lot of folks say it’s very hard to break into farming these days due to land prices, equipment prices and the volatile markets. However, there are two opportunities right in Winneshiek County to support and encourage young farmers: The Luzum Heritage Farm and Canoe Creek Produce Incubator Farm. And there’s a pair of young farmers who have been able to utilize both opportunities to break into their dream careers as organic farmers – Ethan and Carly Zierke. For this pair, farming the land sustainably was their way to affect the change in the world they wanted to see. It just so happened they connected with all the right people, at all the right times, to pursue their passion for agriculture. The Canoe Creek Produce Incubator Farm is where the pair are currently raising their fresh produce. They have access to an acre of land, along with the major resources they need to plant, harvest and wash their produce for sale at the local farmer’s market, the co-op, restaurants and through their farm’s CSA – Community Supported Agriculture – where members subscribe to receive an assortment of seasonal vegetables each week. The Zierkes were looking to move to the Decorah area in the fall of 2021 and were considering making the move to farming. The couple found their passion for making the world a better place while teaching English in Vietnam for a year, then working at Iowa farms during COVID. A friend told them about an organic farming course she had taken, and they attended the six-month Organic Farm School program in Washington State. After the course, they called the Iowa Food Hub just to inquire what the possibilities might be for them; if land was available, what the markets would be like. “We called to figure out what organic farming was like in the
area, and ended the call with a real land opportunity,” Ethan stated. They called Peter Kraus, General Manager of the Iowa Food Hub, and learned that his mother, Barb Kraus, was starting an incubator program on her farm – Canoe Creek Produce. Ethan and Carly were eager to accept the opportunity. In addition to the acre of land, they had access to hoophouses for starting seeds and tender crops, cooler space, a washing area and always solid, experienced advice. Coming to the land in the fall of 2021, they planted garlic, and spent the winter planning out their next spring’s crops. Favoring fully diversified seasonal plantings, they made maps and many plans for the spring of 2022. “Crop planning is Carly’s forte,” noted Ethan, “She would plan plantings with the temperature of the soil, and plan out dates of harvest even.” That first year, they planted 30 different crops on one acre of Barb’s land and began to learn that with diversity, there was always something that thrived, even when weather was unpredictable. “We spend our winter planning it all out,” added Carly. “We enjoy the benefits of a fully diversified farm. The best thing is putting together the boxes for customers who appreciate them so much.” “Their faces light up and it’s like Christmas, seeing what new vegetable they may be getting to try, or looking forward to old favorites coming into season,” Ethan explained. In their search for long-term land access and housing, they found the Luzum Heritage Farm, donated to the SILT – Sustainable Iowa Land Trust – for use by farmers following sustainable land practices in 2017. The farm had been home to Andy and Betsy Boone and their children since 2018,
Young farmers continued on page 5
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