Prairie du Chien man killed in accident

A Prairie du Chien man was killed and three young passengers were injured when a Toyota pick-up truck rolled on a rural Allamakee County road on Monday.

According to an Iowa State patrol report, David Kirschbaum, 27, of Prairie du Chien, was killed when the truck, driven by Chad Feller, also of Prairie du Chien, lost control on a curve while traveling northbound on Suttle Creek Road northeast of Monona.

The truck struck a ditch embankment and rolled, coming to rest in the middle of the road.

The accident occurred just before 3 p.m.

The other passengers in the vehicle were Ariel Fitzgibbon, 22, of Boscobel and Samantha Olson, 18, whose address was listed as unknown on the accident report. The two young women were transported to Prairie du Chien Memorial Hospital, where an airlift was called. No further information on their condition is known.

No one was wearing a seat belt.

Cannons and Redcoats to return this weekend

Cannons and Redcoats, the popular event which takes Prairie du Chien back to 1814 under British rule, returns once again Sept. 18 and 19 at the Fort Crawford Museum.

The Friday program, running from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., is devoted to fourth and fifth grade students from area schools and supported by area school districts as part of their curriculum. Assemblyman Nerison and Senator Kapanke will be present to fire the cannon on Friday.

The Saturday event is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

On both days, historic interpreters present the following crafts and arts practiced in Wisconsin during the War of 1812: fur trading with Native Americans, flint-knapping, Voyageur paddle carving, rope making, soap making, spinning, open-fire cooking, lead pouring, catlinite pipe carving, early 19th century children’s games. ox drover with oxen, French farming on the prairie, raising sheep, basket making, decoy making, 19th century music and dancing, candle making, fire starting, primitive camping, knife making, British mini-militia and military demonstrations, cannon firing, Fort Crawford archaeology dig, Native American story telling and music, bow making. Each presenter has his or her own "encampment."

Many crafts people will be selling their wares on Saturday, including voyageur paddles, canoe cups, and other wooden ware made by the "retired voyageur," sweet grass baskets, bows, pipe tomahawks made by the "cannon master", knit dolls, and assorted trade goods.

Kussmaul Seeds bigger than ever in its 76th year

In 1934 Rud Kussmaul started his new business of growing and selling hybridized seed corn by planting one acre of corn. Seventy-five years later, in 2009, Kussmaul Seeds has over 2,000 acres of seed in production.

Ninety-five year old Al Kussmaul, still in charge of sales and public relations, and Paul Klinkhammer, president and current owner of Kussmaul Seeds, took time out during their 20th annual Plot Day Sept. 10, when customers are invited for lunch and a chance to view the new seed offerings for the year, to talk about the company and its growth.

Rud had heard about the virtues of hybridized corn, a new concept at that time, from Leonard Kalt of Glen Haven, and in 1934 planted his first one-acre plot. He picked it by hand and dried it in a small building by his machine shed. The corn was hauled to the second floor of the building and was dried by a woodburning stove down below.

In 2007, Al had written a short history of the company, and quotes Rud on that early operation. "We didn’t have electricity yet at the time, so I had a B tractor driving the fan. I used a gas engine on a sheller, fed it by hand." This all took place on the old Kussmaul farm, located about a mile away from the present location of Kussmaul Seeds at 9020 Highway 18 near Mt. Hope.

Rud sold his corn to area farmers for $3 a bushel. When they found out the corn stalks would stand up in the fall rather than collapse, more and more people wanted it, and Rud increased his acreage every year.

Al came into the picture in 1939. He was at Stevens Point, working as a salesman for the Copps Company. Rud talked him into selling the seed corn up there as well. At the time, Al said, most store keepers had never heard of hybrid seed corn. Nevertheless, once farmers tried it, they liked it.

In 1942, Al moved back and joined the company full time. Rud was in charge of production, and that part of the company was called Kussmaul Brothers. Al was responsible for the sales part, known as Kussmaul Hybrids. The company continued to grow until 1981, when they sold the retail part of their business, Kussmaul Hybrids, to Dairyland Seed. Rud and Al split Kussmaul Brothers between the two families. Both were growing for Dairyland until 1989 when they quit and went back into retail sales. Rud’s family quit the business, and Al became president of the company.

When they re-entered the retail business, Kussmaul added soybeans and alfalfa. They have alfalfa productions in the Pacific Northwest, and soybean production in Minnesota, Wisconsin and southern Illinois. Their seed corn is grown not only in Wisconsin, but in Minnesota and Iowa as well.

In 2002, Kussmaul purchased a seed plant in Warren, Ill., where they do drying and bagging for themselves and other companies as well.

In 2004, Paul Klinkhammer and his wife, Connie (Al’s daughter), bought the operation and continue to run it. Al, said Klinkhammer, remains the most important part of the organization. Clearly a people person, Al now spends winters in Florida, calling, writing and making contacts. He returns in the spring and, "is on the road every day seeing people."

Much has changed since 1934. Their seed corn now sells for somewhere between $200 and $300 a bag. The company offers 56 varieties of corn, seven alfalfa and nine soybean varieties. They also sell forages and grasses, although those are produced elsewhere. Their 2010 color catalog, a glossy, 72-page publication, not only contains descriptions of the seeds available, but is a wealth of information on soils, weed control and crop growing. Kussmaul now sells seeds products in 13 countries and several other countries.

While hybrids and brand name corn were almost unheard-of when Rud started the company, ‘traited,’ corn, with herbicide and insect control genetically built in, is the latest development. It has been accepted very well, but, said Klinkhammer, "the tech fees are getting so high that now people are talking about going back to non-traited corn."

Kussmaul is one of a shrinking number of seed companies that is still family-owned. "Big national and multi-national companies are buying up everybody," said Klinkhammer, "but so far we have remained independent." The biggest drawback to selling out to a larger company, he explained, is that the purchased business can offer only what the company distributes. "As an independent, we can offer anything because we’re not locked in," he said.

Despite the many changes in Kussmaul Seeds, two things have remained constant—the family ownership and personal, friendly attention to customers. That attention was evident during Plot Day, when they were greeted—and treated—as good friends who also happen to be customers.

Council discusses economic development

As part of a move toward establishing a set of goals and an action plan, Prairie du Chien Common Council last night discussed one of those goals, economic development, reviewed drafts of ordinances on false alarms and approved establishment of a procedure to search for a new city manager.

Among the development items discussed was attracting new business to the city. City planning consultant Garth Frable said a survey conducted a few years ago showed that creating an atmosphere to attract business was important, including quality of life issues. He also suggested identifying target companies and making cold calls and inviting executives to visit the area. He advised that Reliant Energy has a program through which communities can post properties available for development on a website.

Council also discussed the possibility of bringing a school or college to the city, perhaps through holding satellite classes in the city. The need for housing development and for cleaning up blighted properties was also discussed. Council asked that city staff assemble the ideas generated and bring them back for approval.

Two proposed false alarm ordinances, one for police calls and one for fire alarms, were reviewed. Both ordinances stipulate that after the third false alarm, caused by faulty security equipment or fire alarms, a fine of $100 plus costs be imposed., with fines to increase for additional false alarms.

The goal, said council member Frank Pintz, is not to increase city income, but to provide incentive for people to keep their alarm equipment clean and in good working order. Council authorized preparation of a final draft of the ordinances.

Following a discussion of whether people who do not live in the city should be on the committee, council approved adoption of a plan proposed by council member Linda Munson that a committee composed of experienced business people assist in reviewing applications. The people suggested so far are Gary Koch, Tom Farrell and Paul Ginkel (who does not live in the city). Council member Joe Ruskey suggested postponing the search until more information is available on potential changes within city staff, but council approved beginning the search early. Pintz, Ruskey and Judeen Ames cast dissenting votes.

Council also approved the placement of school crossing guards at the same corners as last year. Council members noted that additional bus stops seem to have alleviated some of the crossing problems. Council member Dave Hemmer encouraged parents to have their children ride the bus where possible.

Prairie du Chien Downtown Revitalization, Inc., (PDRI) has already begun the groundwork to implement a $524,815 grant from the Department of Commerce to purchase, rehabilitate and resell foreclosed, blighted or vacant properties in the city.

The grant, part of a stimulus package, comes from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program for the 2008 Housing Economic Recovery Act, and is distributed to states by the federal Office of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Since the state focus is on foreclosures, the money will at first be used to purchase nothing but foreclosures.

Judy Wall, who spearheaded the effort to obtain the grant and is serving as administrator of the program, explained that foreclosures can damage a whole neighborhood by reducing the value of other properties on a block.

In addition, she said, purchasing a foreclosed home is a complicated process for an individual, since a foreclosed property purchased at a sheriff’s sale isn’t necessarily clear of any liens. Using the grant money, PDRI will purchase the properties after they have been cleared of all encumbrances and liens.

They will then have any hazardous substances, such as lead paint, removed, and the property will be repaired and made energy efficient. The aim of the rehabilitation is to assure that the homebuyer will face no major repair expenses.

PDRI will then sell each property for a price equal to or less than what has been invested in it to a qualified homebuyer. To qualify, buyers have to be at or below 120 percent of the average median income for Crawford County. For a single person, this amount is $47,160. The number increases depending on the number of people in the household. Wall said that 69.1 percent of Crawford County residents fall within that income level.

Thirty percent of the funds, however, will be used for housing for people at 50 percent or below that median income. Much of this housing would probably be rental housing, since the grant allows purchase of a building by someone in a higher income bracket, but the purchaser must then rent it to someone at the qualified income level.

PDRI will also work with buyers to assure they do not enter into subprime mortgage agreements and that they obtain an affordable mortgage rate. In a subprime mortgage, money is lent at a high interest rate or on variable terms which can subject the buyer to changing payment conditions.

It was, said Wall, the existence of subprime mortgages that contributed to the success of the grant application. Crawford County, she said, is in the highest level (five on a scale of one to five) of subprime mortgages in the state. Because of this, the county is a 10 (on a scale of one to 10) in foreclosure abandonment risk.

Wall also provided other statistics regarding home values in the county. In the fourth quarter of 2008, she said, the average home price in Crawford County declined by 14 percent, from $120,652 to $103,000. Those numbers are significant, she said, because even before the decline, the county was already below the state median home value of $160,800. If, on top of that, a neighborhood is already experiencing decline, "You could be looking at another 20 percent loss in home price," she said. In addition, although county unemployment rates in the first quarter of 2009 were 4.7 percent, they have about doubled since then.

The following is the second in a series of articles to be written by Prairie du Chien’s Patrick Igou for The Courier Press as he chronicles his exploits while hiking the length of the 2,172-mile Appalachian Trail from Mount Katahdin, Maine to Springer Mountain, Georgia.

I’m still crawling along. The trip, though difficult, has remained very enjoyable. After Maine, I hiked through the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The trail there was brutal. The mountains were exceptionally high for the east, with Mount Washington being more than 6,000 feet, but the worst walking came when I crossed a road or highway in a notch which would be down around 500 feet and then go right back up into the mountains again. The toll on the knees and feet of this kind of elevation change is excruciating. The Whites are very popular mountains out here due to the high mountain peaks and alpine ridge walks so there are many tourists and day hikers. My senses being finely honed, I can smell a woman’s perfume or hair conditioner being carried on the wind from a quarter mile away. The fine scents of a woman, not one hiking the thousands of miles, is a sweet delight.

Vermont was a popular hiking state as well. The Green Mountains were rolling, lush, and filled with cool mountain streams and lakes. The water was so nice and the weather finally felt like summer so that I took many dips on my afternoon breaks. Vermont has its own long distance trail which runs from the Massachusetts border to the Canadian border and it merges with the Appalachian Trail for some miles which many people hike. I had to pick up a cloth that I used as swimming trunks because every time I went skinny dipping by myself, 10 or 15 people would show up before I left. These stuffy New Englanders were getting an eyeful.

Massachusetts was a pretty enough state but I never did stop long. There is a place which those who have hiked it call Mosquito Mass and they say when you catch yourself running through the woods, you’re almost there. Well, I found it friend and them bugs are as nasty as anything you’ll find in the bottoms back home. Mount Greylock supposedly inspired Melville’s Moby Dick. I don’t know anything about all that but there is a light house on top of it with no ocean in sight. I figured there were mosquitos at the top of that tower too so I passed it up. I actually skipped it because storms were pounding the New England coast from some dang hurricane or something and I was walking through a three-day storm at the time.

As for Connecticut, I hardly even knew her. The whole ordeal was short and sweet and ended as quick as it started. There weren’t many miles to cover and I’m normally kicking out between 18 and 22 miles a day at this point. There were a lot of signs warning of deer ticks and Lyme Disease, however, I could use some good looking gal to come out here and check me for ticks every so often. I’m currently on the New York-New Jersey border.

New York has been surprisingly pleasant. I crossed the the Hudson River on a huge suspension bridge, I got a good view of a real working river. So few rivers out here are big enough for any commerce. I saw my first rattlesnake and black bear of the trip here too. The most dangerous part of this section of the trail is all the highways, parkways, thruways, and other roadways that I have to cross on sore feet with a heavy pack. It’s a lot like playing that old Atari game, "Frogger," only in this case you’re playing for keeps.

The trip is going great but there is a lot of boredom and monotony in doing the same mildly painful thing day after day. The only thing a guy can do is abandon his sanity and talk nonsense to himself for 12 or 13 hours a day. I better get to bed soon. I think I’ll go for a hike tomorrow.

Patrick Igou

Southbound