By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

The Yale City Council met in regular session on April 2. Prior to the regular meeting, a public hearing was held at 6:45 p.m. on the city’s proposed property tax levy. No citizens voiced any concerns or questions, so the public hearing was closed.

During the regular meeting, the council approved the proposed tax levy. Council members also discussed a proposal from Guthrie County Deputy Sheriff Blake Michelsen to provide four hours of law enforcement coverage per week to deal with violations of the city’s “nuisance” ordinance.

Mayor Beverly Louk shared a suggestion that violations of the nuisance ordinance include a $25 fee for first offense, $50 for second offense, and $100 for third and subsequent offenses.

Regarding the proposal from Michelsen, councilmember Tim Walker said the cost would be excessive.

“Basically, it would cost us almost $7,000 a year to hire him, so it’s definitely not a money saver,” said Walker.

The consensus of the council was that the city didn’t need four hours a week for this type of coverage, but that about one hour per week would be more realistic. The issue was tabled.

Mayor Louk voiced a reminder to residents that citywide cleanup is set for June 2, and that this is the best (and free) option for citizens to get rid of junk that otherwise may be identified as violations of the nuisance ordinance.

Council member Clint Deardorff said that in the past 10 years, he has seen continuing problems with some properties that are frequently in violation of the ordinance, and he supports the idea of increasing enforcement.

“I don’t see any improvements…it’s only gotten worse,” said Deardorff.

The council also discussed a citizen who is keeping chickens within city limits. The council voted unanimously to grant an extension of until April 15 for the property owner to decrease the number of chickens to no more than four and to keep the chickens contained at all times.

A public hearing will be held on Monday, April 22 at 7 p.m. to discuss and potentially adopt the city’s 2024-2025 budget. The public is welcome at all public meetings other than occasional special closed sessions as allowed by law.

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

Sunset Realty provided sale price data on homes and condos sold at Lake Panorama in 2022 and 2023.

The 29 waterfront homes sold in 2022 averaged $1,010,337, while the 28 waterfront homes sold in 2023 averaged $916,940.

Seven waterfront condos were sold in each year, with 2022 averaging $492,714 and 2023 averaging $567,143.

Fourteen off-shore homes sold in 2022 at an average price of $440,928, and 15 sold in 2023, averaging $435,009.

Five off-shore condos in 2022 sold at an average of $207,800, while the three sold in 2023 averaged $350,167.

Special to the Times Vedette

Do you know someone who deserves to be considered for the Iowa Master Farmer Award? Nominate them. Nominations for the 2025 Award are due Sept. 6, 2024.

Maybe it’s your parents, a sibling, your neighbors, a friend or a colleague. Perhaps its someone you’ve served with on a board, or someone you’ve long looked up to. Candidates may also nominate themselves.

Henry A. Wallace started the Master Farmer Award program in 1926 to recognize “Good Farming, Clear Thinking, Right Living.” A panel of judges selects the winners each year. Wallaces Farmer recognizes the winners in the magazine’s March issue. 

The application includes a nomination form and requires letters of support-but no financial information. There’s a rumor that Master Farmer nominees have to share their balance sheet. Not true. No one needs to provide that kind of financial information. The judging panel focuses on growth of the farming operation over the years, productivity and community involvement.

Eligibility criteria

Candidates should have a profitable farming operation, be good managers and take care of the land, while having a strong family and being involved in the community. Who’s eligible? Here’s a look:

* Candidates must farm in Iowa, deriving the majority of their income from agricultural production.

* Successful nominees have ag production records, are recognized leaders in the community, and have given back to the community in many ways.

* Candidates may be individuals, couples or siblings; judging is equally weighted.

* Each nominee should be actively engaged in agricultural production.

The selection committee is comprised of Iowa ag leaders, past Master Farmers, ag research or university specialists and the Wallaces Farmer editor. Candidates who don’t receive the award the year they are nominated are welcome to be resubmitted in following years. Notify Wallaces Farmer if you would like to amend your nomination in subsequent years.

Master Farmer winners are honored at the Master Farmer Awards Day luncheon, typically held in March. Wallaces Farmer is grateful to Growmark helping sponsor the Awards Day event. 

Application guidelines

Here’s a look at what makes for a successful application:

Be thorough. In the sections asking about farm history and growth, more information is better than less. Share how the individual(s) got started and how the operation has progressed. No detailed financial information is required.

Get letters. Attach a minimum of four letters of support, including one from a neighboring farmer. These letters give insight to character and reputation in the community.

Think local. List all things the nominee does in the local community, and in state and national organizations. These lists are often very detailed. For spouse or sibling nominations, list both individuals’ activities, noting who does what.

Start early. It’s not a quick process to nominate a Master Farmer. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime award, and the application reflects an entire career.

Think well-rounded. Community involvement is weighted highly as judges select winners, but so too is a farmer’s ag production skills and dedication to family. 

The 2025 nomination form is available online at 2025 Iowa Master Farmer form. Download the form, complete it with letters of support and send it to gil.gullickson@farmprogress.com by Sept. 6.

The Casey Service Club held a number of ribbon cuttings on March 27 to welcome businesses to the community.

Information supplied by the Casey Service Club

Sprayer Specialties

The first stop was at Sprayer Specialties, located just south of the Casey exit. This business will be a busy place soon as farmers looking for sprayer parts stop by and get what they need to keep them moving.    

Sprayer Specialties, Inc., based in Grimes, opened its fourth location on the south side of the Casey exit off Interstate 80 last spring. Lincoln Mincks, operations manager, said the aim of the company is to serve farmers’ spraying needs with a one-stop shop with no need to travel to the city.  

“As everyone knows, Grimes is starting to get more and more traffic. It’s a lot harder for farmers and those in agriculture with trailers to get in and out of there,” Mincks said. “This is a nice outpost, if you will, for people to come pick up fittings, hose, tanks, sprayer supplies and just a further west location for us to service the customers of western Iowa.”

Mincks commented that Casey was chosen because of its central location to western Iowa and for the visibility the town’s exit offers.

“Casey seemed like a good fit for visibility, and we already have a good customer base out here,” Mincks said.

Their other locations are in Brimfield, Illinois, and Gardner, Kansas.

Sprayer Specialties products involve liquid storage and liquid transfer. They don’t sell the liquid, whether that be fertilizer, chemicals or water, but they sell the rest that is needed to complete a job. Some of the items the business carries include pumps, tanks, hose, fittings and safety supplies. They also build their own sprayers, stock inventory for replacements and service them as well. They have replacement parts for pumps and other sprayer components in case of a breakdown.

Mid-January to mid-summer, Sprayer Specialties is the busiest with agricultural applications. In colder months, the company transitions to servicing those applying deicing fluid on roads ahead of winter storms. They are fully open and carry a large inventory of the most popular sprayer attachments, nozzles, tanks and more. Customers can pick up items not in stock at the Casey location by ordering them, and delivery will be made the next day.  

“We’re glad to be here in Casey, servicing the people of Adair, Casey, Greenfield, and all the surrounding communities,” Mincks said.

Casey Service Club members Nita Fagan and Bret Wedemeyer, Sprayer Specialties Operations Manager Lincoln Mincks, and Casey Service Club members Cheinie Reha and Linda Caltrider.

Terraplex Ag

The Casey Service Club welcomed Terraplex Ag to its new location at the Casey Iowa I-80 Exit 83. This Agronomic Company is pioneering in drone technology and has dedicated the company to delivering efficient and effective crop spraying services to the western half of Iowa.  Their mission is to revolutionize the ag industry by implementing the latest drone technology to enhance farming practices and maximize crop yields.

At the ribbon cutting on March 27, members of the Casey Service Club met the team that is adding options to the ag chemical application industry. This knowledgeable team gave a live demonstration of ways drones may be utilized for agriculture today. Drones are finding their way into many uses in modern agriculture. One example is in the applications of chemicals or fungicides, enabling access to locations not easily serviced by traditional field sprayers or other aerial applicators due to weather or landscape. Drones can scan the ground and spray the correct amount of liquid, while modulating distance from the ground and spraying in real time for even coverage. The result is increased efficiency with a reduction of the amount of chemicals penetrating into groundwater. Experts estimate that aerial spraying maybe completed up to five times faster with drones than with traditional machinery.

Casey Service Club members Linda Caltrider, Nita Fagan and Judy Wedemeyer; Terraplex staff Danny Assman, Gunner Schmitz, Ryan Schroeder; and Casey Service Club members Cheinie Reha and Bret Wedemeyer.

Fagan Fencing

The Casey Service Club continued on to welcome another thriving business that recently moved its headquarters to the west edge of Casey. Many have passed by the car wash or gone to the city’s compost with leaves and wondered what was going on next door. Meet Fagan Fencing. 

Fagan Fencing is another Casey agronomic business that started 25 years ago. They began as Sund’s Custom Fencing when Tom and Nita Fagan of rural Casey purchased the business from Warren and Marlene Sunds and continued the business and the name. A few years ago, they purchased the former Victor Awning business and began manufacturing their own fence braces. This evolved into manufacturing gates and bale rings. As they began to add to their manufacturing portfolio, they decided it was time to use their own brand name, Fagan Fencing & Mfg., and  move the rest of the business including the office, post yard and supplies from the former Highway 25 location to their new location west of Casey along Highway 6. The Fagans added a large display room and shop to the existing manufacturing building where they now have room for all the materials and supplies needed to install and maintain a customer’s fence. They also will custom design and install most all types of agricultural, commercial and residential fencing. Their manufacturing line has increased to offer not only braces and bale rings but also continuous pipe fence and gates, as well as custom-made orders to fit the customers’ needs.

Fagan Fencing employs many area youth in the summer as well as full-time crews that work all year in either fence installation or in the manufacturing part of the business.

Tom and Nita expressed how proud they are to be another Casey business and part of Casey’s revitalization. Fagan Fencing is an active member of the Casey Service Club. 

Casey Service Club member Judy Wedemeyer; Fagan Fencing’s Brennan Leonard, Nita Fagan (owner), Tom Fagan (owner) and Cole Reha; and Casey Service Club members Cheinie Reha and Bret Wedemeyer.

Tin Lizzie’s Sports Bar

The Casey Service Club made its final ribbon cutting of the day at the latest hot spot on main street Casey — Tin Lizzie’s Sports Bar. This nightspot and weekend day location offers a casual environment to cheer your favorite team or just a place to enjoy the game in a lively atmosphere where patrons can watch sports events, socialize and have a good time. Their many TVs allow you to follow your favorite teams and even multiple sports with family and friends. This beautifully decorated building, with metallic copper ceilings, spacious seating and a comfortable bar, showcases sports memorabilia, local athlete photos and old Casey school uniforms to create a literal walk-through of Casey’s past. 

Co-owner and Casey native Colleen Conrad has been involved with volunteering in her hometown the past seven years, which has included rehabbing and restoring several Main Street buildings. She and her husband, Corey C. Conrad, recently opened their latest venture, Tin Lizzie’s Sports Bar. Colleen came up with the name and theme of Casey’s latest business through inspiration from the town and the original building’s history.

This building, the former hardware store, had at one time operated as a Model T Ford Dealership in the Prohibition Era and for years thereafter. Colleen fell in love with the revival of old Speakeasy restaurants and venues throughout the United States, so, in 2023, she carefully researched what she felt could be a great venture for Casey. She and her husband, Corey, have been involved with helping to revive and improve the community since 2016. They have renovated several old buildings, created new opportunities for local businesses, and offered employment opportunities for teens and adults. They both look forward to creating more opportunities for Casey in the future. 

Colleen’s love for her hometown comes from growing up around amazing people and from her admiration for her parents, the late J.V. and Yvonne Mullen. These amazing people were great examples for Colleen, demonstrating their hard work and service to the community. Her parents taught her a great work ethic and compassion for all ages through their service to Mullen Funeral Homes and their many activities within local clubs and organizations. The garage where the old Tin Lizzie’s sits is aptly named “Joe’s Garage” after her father.

Colleen shared what you can expect when you visit Tin Lizzie’s. 

“Tin Lizzie’s is a modern day sports bar with a speakeasy vibe. Come join us for fun on our two top-of-the-line ‘Full-Swing’ simulator golf bays with a variety of game options. Enjoy our pool tables and shuffleboard, as well as entertainment almost every weekend. From line dancing, to live bands to DJs and karaoke, Tin Lizzie’s is the ‘rural’ place for entertainment. We also offer a variety of fresh pizzas, appetizers and drinks.”

            The Casey Service Club sampled a bit of this speakeasy entertainment as Tin Lizzies hosted all the businesses involved in the ribbon cutting at their establishment. The Service Club recognized the businesses, and everyone enjoyed appetizers and drinks.

The Casey Service Club is a group of citizens and business owners with a goal to work together to make the community a better place to live. They strive to accomplish this through efforts to promote community service projects, support youth activities, and promote and support all businesses and organizations in the community with the emphasis on building and preserving small-town values. 

If you are interested in volunteering with the group, contact any of the 2024 officers: President Stacy Wedemeyer; Vice President Cheinie Reha; Secretary Jessica Davis; or Treasurer, Bret Wedemeyer.

Casey Service Club members Jaxson Wedemeyer, Linda Caltrider, Nita Fagan and Judy Wedemeyer; Tin Lizzie’s staff Paxton Schneider, Colleen Conrad (owner), Stacy Wagner (general manager); (back row) Casey Service Club member Bret Wedemeyer; Tin Lizzie’s staff Grace Gebbie (assistant manager) and Sheila Ayers; and Casey Service Club member Cheinie Reha.