Auxiliary Makes Last Payment On OB Remodeling Project

The Ste. Genevieve County Memorial Hospital Auxiliary recently made its third and final payment to fund the $37,000 remodeling project of the hospital’s women’s health and childbirth center.

“Our OB staff does a fantastic job, but the unit itself was somewhat dated,” hospital CEO Tom Keim said.

“With help from our auxiliary, we now have a wing that modern parents expect.”

Sharen Gettinger, OB nurse manager said the rooms are more patient friendly with a warm, comfortable feel.

A local carpenter built custom cabinets for each room and a new, more functional nurse’s station was built. New flooring and paint completed the makeover.

“We’ve heard nothing but good comments from our moms and their families,” Gettinger said. “Many of our returning moms who deliver here for the personal care we’re able to give, were pleasantly surprised with the remodeling efforts and said that made their experience all the better.”

The makeover began in July 2009.

“The auxiliary was very pleased to help with this project,” auxiliary President Shirley Bishop said. “The smiling faces alone were worth it. We’re glad to help, and can’t wait for Mr. Keim to hand over another project.”

Keim said the changes on the OB floor reinforce the hospital’s commitment to women’s services.

“Our OB staff is second to none, and we have outstanding practitioners,” he said. “We offer women’s services at our Bloomsdale Family Health Center, and we offer water births to our list of options for expectant moms.

“We are not only committed to women’s services, we’re committed to growing our service as well.”
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Adventure Awaits Diners At Mississippi River Hills Association’s ‘Farm Fantastic!’ Benefit Dinner

Elk bulls and cows provide breeding stock for producers
and trophy bulls provide hunting experiences at registered hunting facilities.

Dishes made with regionally produced food will be served with a touch of adventure at the final Mississippi River Hills Association (MRHA) fund-raising dinner for the 2010 season.

“Farm Fantastic!” will be held September 11 at Kevin Hinkebien’s MoNatural Ranch, located along the borders of the Pickle Springs Natural Area in western Ste. Genevieve County.

Appetizers will be served at 5 p.m., followed by dinner at 5:30 p.m.

“This is a field-tromping experience,” MRHA Coordinator Lisa Palmer said.

“Very casual clothes and good walking shoes are suggested.

“Kevin has the perfect spot picked out to enjoy our dinner while watching the elk play. He’s also fired up the tractor and wagon to transport us into this evening of adventure.”

Palmer said pest control efforts will be made before the event begins.

“However, if you are extra sensitive to outside elements, a light misting of Off! will make your evening more enjoyable,” she added.

Hinkebien is a life-long resident and rancher raising beef cattle in Ste. Genevieve and St. Francois counties. Several years ago, rancher Hinkebien added elk to his ranch.

“He sells live elk and elk products, including meats, snack sticks, jerky, and mineral supplements made of antler velvet,” Palmer said.

As with all MRHA culinary experiences, Palmer said the menu will be determined by the variety of meat, artisan cheeses, local wines, and vegetables available on the day of the event.

Tickets are available for Farm Fantastic! They are $45 for MRHA members and $55 for non-members. Please include a handling fee of $1.75 per seat.

Ticket payments may be mailed to Mississippi River Hills Association, 255 Market Street, Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670. Tickets also can be purchased by credit card online at http://www.MississippiRiverHills.org.

Hinkebien said he has always enjoyed raising and working with animals.

“As a child growing up, we all had chores to do when we came home from school and on the weekend,” he said. “The jobs were assigned according to age. We started at a young age gathering eggs, pulling weeds (which worked best in bare feet after a good rain), getting the cows in to be milked, milking the cows, feeding the sows and pigs, feeding hay in the winter to the cows, fence building, repairing equipment and doing other jobs.”

Unlike field chores and harvesting, Hinkebien said animals require a producer’s attention seven days a week, 365 days a year. “You gotta love taking care of them no matter what the conditions are outside,” he said.

Over the years, Hinkebien said he’s had a chance to work with many animals on the farm including cattle, hogs, horses, chickens, turkeys, quail, pheasants, dogs, cats, sheep, goats, deer and elk.

“My brother and I now own and operate the farm that we grew up on which ourparents purchased in 1950,” he said. “We mainly grow grass and hay. The foundation of a cow/calf producer is your ability to grow grass, their basic feed source.”

Hinkebien started raising elk in 1990 after he obtained information about alternative agricultural enterprises through the department of agriculture.

“Elk is a very intriguing animal to me. I love to hunt and have a great respect for animals that I hunt,” he said. “Raising elk allowed me the opportunity to learn about and view such a beautiful animal on a daily basis.”

Hinkebien said elk are raised much like cattle. They are fed good quality hay in winter, allowed to graze on pasture, and are given a grain base feed including vitamins and minerals as a supplement. “Fescue is not good for elk,” he added.

Hinkebien’s facilities at MoNatural Elk Ranch consist of a seven to eight foot fence and handling facilities to work animals through a couple of times a year to worm, vaccinate and tag.

Elk produce a wide array of products, including premium meat. “Elk meat is a delicious, low fat, high protein meat and is considered a heart smart meat.

Many of the finest restaurants serve elk,” Hinkebien said.

Elk bulls and cows provide breeding stock for producers and trophy bulls provide hunting experiences at registered hunting facilities.

The bulls’ hard antlers are used to make lamps, chandeliers, coffee table bases, knife handles, door handles and other craft items.

Hinkebien said velvet antler is a renewable resource that is humanely harvested from bull elk when the antler is growing.

“Velvet is prized in oriental countries as a health supplement providing benefits for relief of arthritis, and several other benefits to provide for the well-being of the body,” he said “There is an expanding demand for velvet products in North America.”

Currently there are trade agreements between the United States and Korea, and Hinkebien said officials are pushing to include velvet in these negotiations.

“Korea has been the main purchaser of velvet antler, as well as China and Japan. Velvet antler has been used by the Asian countries for over 2,000 years,” he said.

Elk are basically a disease free animal. Hinkebien said elk are subject to a disease called chronic wasting disease (CWD) as are deer and other cervids.
The disease was first recognized in 1967 in a captive mule deer in the Colorado Division of Wildlife research facility in Fort Collins, Colorado.

To date, Missouri has only had one case of CWD in deer located in Linn County.

Hinkebien said elk producers have one of the most stringent health requirements in the animal industry. Elk are considered as a domestic animal by the Missouri Department of Agriculture and fall under their jurisdiction for health and transportation requirements.
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