News

Calving, lambing, and kidding out goats in January is always a chilly endeavor.

But typically not as bitterly cold as Jan. 11-20 when an Arctic airmass descended over Nebraska, spurring round-the-clock windchill warnings and advisories for nearly that entire stretch of days.

Caring for livestock in this type of weather is hard, especially when newborns are involved.

“This cold is almost like three steps: the good, the bad, and the ugly,” Jason Gerdes of Gerdes Farms near Fairfield, where he keeps a commercial herd,said. “The good is you and mom working together and nobody is getting stuck in the mud, the bad is the extra cost and time, and the ugly is that it’s so cold that the calf stops nursing, fighting the frostbite of ears and hooves, the struggle of why am I out here doing this?”

Clay County again became an extended winter wonderland as anywhere from eight-12 inches of snow, with bitterly cold temperatures invaded the county all of last week, causing schools to close for much of the week. In the top photo, submitted by Delaney Sheridan, the image shows the Tristan and Delaney Sheridan home behind several big drifts and a colorful sunset. In the lower left photo, shared by Michael and Sydney George, the George family captured a powerful look at a Sun Dog about five miles north of Sutton. In the lower right photo, by Tory Duncan, a buried car is shown in front of St. Mary’s Catholic Church. More winter scenes can be seen on page 12 this week.

Jason and Brenda Searle put it best, when the Edgar couple shared that, “When the Springer’s do something, they do it right, they spring into action and get things done.”

That is just one of the many reasons why Deloris Springer, and her son Darrel, and daughter-in-law, Jean, along with their entire family have been honored as the Clay County News’ 2023 Family of the Year.

From the very beginning of an interview with the Springer clan, it was easy to see the pride on the face and in the heart of the family matriarch, Deloris, as she looked around the family dining room table, and in one soft note, Deloris shared, “I’m just so proud of my family. They all work so hard, they do right by our small town, and Clay County, and certainly with the school out at Sandy Creek. I just have so much pride, and there’s never a moment in life where I don’t see and feel the love of my family.”

LENEXA, KS. (JAN. 11, 2024) – Aurora Cooperative Elevator Company has agreed to pay a $82,677 civil penalty to resolve alleged violations of the federal Clean Air Act’s chemical risk prevention provisions at its agronomy business in Harvard.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the facility stores, sells, and distributes anhydrous ammonia, a regulated toxic substance, and failed to comply with regulations intended to protect workers and the surrounding community from accidental releases.

“Compliance with Clean Air Act chemical risk prevention regulations saves lives,” David Cozad, director of EPA Region 7’s Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division, said. “These enforcement actions protect communities and level the playing field with businesses who are following the rules.”

Temperatures that failed to get above zero degrees over much of the weekend, with windchills dipping to nearly 50-below in much of Clay County, as much of the eastern two-thirds of the state of Nebraska was taking on heavy doses of snowfall during the past week. In Clay County alone, the National Weather Service office out Hastings has estimated that eight-12 inches of snow covered the ground over the course of two storms that blasted the county last week. Here, a tractor on the Jesse and Shelli Mohnike farm, just south and west of Sutton shows the magnitude of the blowing snow over the weekend.

The Sutton Community Home Foundation Board of Directors, along with the Sutton Community Home Board of Directors and administration will set out on their second attempt at a Capital Campaign to the nearly 60-year old nursing home beginning next week, Tuesday, Jan. 16, when the SCH Foundation welcomes Jim Rogers of the Steier Group, a capital campaign fundraising firm out of Omaha.

Rogers will bring with him a wealth of experience and background as he spearheads a new Planning Study for the foundation and SCH board.

Rogers is a native Nebraskan, born in Omaha, and graduated from the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He has worked on projects for the Steier Group in Chicago, Kansas City, Nashville, Port St. Lucie, and most recently finished work in Bellevue for a food pantry. When not working, Rogers enjoys cooking, smoking various meats for friends and family, traveling and yearning for the Huskers to return to a winning season.

The Sutton Area Chamber of Commerce has set Monday, Jan. 22, as the date on which they will host their annual meeting, beginning at 6 p.m. A social gathering, followed by a buffet, at a cost of $15 per person, will be held at the Flat River Grill located at 113 South Saunders Ave.

Those planning to attend are asked to RSVP to the Sutton Area Chamber of Commerce by emailing the number attending to: suttonchamber2014@ gmail.com The meeting, which will be presided over by president Julie Haag, will feature a presentation and discussion with Erv Portis of the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency.

Portis has been in discussions with Sutton Mayor Tim Anderson and will talk with those attending about how the State of Nebraska can potentially assist Sutton with its recovery efforts following the July 29 EF-1 tornado that caused substantial damage to Sutton’s downtown district.

This pair of cottonwood trees, located near Verona, just northeast of Clay Center, stand tall amid a heavy fog event that blanketed much of south-central Nebraska on the first day of 2024

FEBRUARY 1, 2023

Majors is named first-ever Applicator of the Year by NE Agri-Business Assoc.

Jason Majors, a lifetime resident of Sutton has set the bar high in his profession, as Majors was recently honored by the Nebraska Agri-Business Association (NABA) as “Applicator of the Year” for 2022.

In the announcement by the NABA, “Excellent service to our customers is the heart of our business and we all know the value of a great applicator. The applicator of the year was established to recognize a commercial applicator providing outstanding service, good stewardship in their community, and exceptional leadership through mentoring or training.”

The announcement also shared that “Jason started his application career in 1994 with Sutton Coop Grain. In 2004, he joined George Bros as an applicator and over the last 10 years, has added the role of training new applicators to his duties.