This last week it became public knowledge that Dairyland Power Cooperative plans to either acquire, or by ‘legal’ means, grab some 600 acres in Vernon County land to make a coal ash landfill.

This landfill will include heavy metals and it certainly doesn’t fit in with image Vernon County has built concerning being a leader in sound conventional and organic farming practices.

The reason why Dairyland Power knows it can bulldozer Vernon County? As a utility, and under eminent domain laws, it can take any private landowner to court, make its case, and likely grab its land.

Right now we don’t have all the facts, and it’s early in the information cycle of this project, but I can tell you where I stand.

Dairyland Power should take its ash and ship it elsewhere, where there are less people and they don’t have to condemn people’s land to build a landfill. There are plenty of places out west where they could do it. How about shipping it back to the coal quarries to use as fill?

It costs too much money, says Dairyland. Well, that’s Dairyland’s problem. Dairy-land can afford to ship the ash elsewhere, even if it will cost them six times more than stuffing it down the throats of Vernon County residents.

Isn’t ash, by its nature, pretty easy to get picked up by the wind and carried from place-to-place? I don’t know what Dairyland’s complete plan is at this point, but I have questions, as I’m sure many other folks do.

We’ll see what comes out in the weeks ahead.

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I suppose I could have jibber-jabbered about county government this week, but what’s the point? Reminds me of that Robert Plant song, “Crazy on a ship of fools...”

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I was so pumped up for the Wisconsin-Iowa football game on Saturday that I actually blew a fuse.

As the Badgers took the ball deep into Iowa territory early in the game I was screaming at the TV... Then came Tyler Donovan’s fumble and the wind went right out of my sails. After that, I had to turn off the game, and check back later. It would have broke my heart to watch Wisconsin lose to Iowa at home.

Thankfully they won the battle in the second half and Wisconsin remains undefeated. It’s obvious, however, that not all cylinders are firing.

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Speaking of football, what happened to the Packers play calling on Sunday?

I know, I know. The Pack is 3-0, what do I have to complain about?

Well, when Mike McCarthy doesn’t run the ball on third-and-one in the third quarter; then doesn’t run it on fourth-and-goal from a foot out to take the lead late in the game, that bothers me.

Yes, an average of 57 yards rushing per game is a problem.

You know, if Green Bay wants to play a college spread offense and just let Brett Favre wing it, what do I have to say about it? But it will come back to bite them in the butt sooner or later. Keep chanting, Ted.

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Badgers and Packers both undefeated? Maybe I would have guessed the Badgers would be before the season started, but not the Packers. I’ll be going along for the ride, and be hoping it doesn’t stop at the Humpty Dump on Sunday.

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Norskedalen hosted its annual Threshing Bee, Saturday, and it was absolutely beautiful. Hats off to everyone involved.

Norskedalen is a beautiful place this time of year.

The leaves are turning colors on the north-facing slopes. The valley was pretty Saturday as Derek and I walked the grounds of Norskedalen going from display to display.

The Driftless Folk School had set up an apple grinder to make fresh apple cider. Derek surprised me by grinding up a bushel of apples by himself (and some help from Vince Hundt when the apples clogged the machine.)

Derek also liked using the old-fashioned corn grinder and the hand-cranked corn shelling machine.

“I want to be a farmer when I grow up,” Derek said as we were walking to the car. “Can I be a policeman, Marine, Navy farmer?” he asked.

“Son, you can be anything you want to be,” I said.

E-mail Matt Johnson at matt.johnson@lee.net