Janesville Blackhawk Golden Kiwanis

Blackhawk Golden ‘K’ General Meeting
Minutes
July 16^th, 2025

Richard Johnson presiding, called the meeting to order with a ring of the bell at 9:30AM.
A Programs Committee Board meeting occurred today.

The meeting was led with the Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of America, the National Anthem.

Invocation: Carl Cramer, mentioning warm weather and the children.

Raffle: Ray Szczepaniak oversaw the ticket sales and drawing this week.
The weekly pot was $15 and the big (Joker) pot was $312.
Jim Farrell drew a ticket from the bucket, ticket number 900.  Congratulations to the winner, Richard Johnson.
The deck of cards has 28/53 cards remaining.  Richard Johnson drew the 8♥.
Bonus raffles occurred!  Numbers 938 and 951 were drawn, a bouquet of fresh flowers from Ray’s garden, and several Japanese eggplants, were awarded.

Richard Johnson thanks greeters Dave Peterson and Dale Henning, invocator Carl Cramer, rafflemaster Ray Szczepaniak, and server Bob Knudson.

Happy Box: Richard Johnson announced he is happy because he won the raffle.  He is taking his wife out to dinner!  Richard is happy because the Cubs are in first.
Luci Cramer announced she is happy because she won beautiful flowers in the raffle.
Carl Cramer announced he is happy because the Cramers went to Milwaukee and saw the Brewers’ new pitcher.

Jokes: Steve Skelly had a good joke about bees.

Member Health: Luci Cramer had a status update on Jim Hay, relayed from his wife Janet, who said he is in the hospital.
Linda Bontly had a status update on Jerry Burhans, who is having trouble getting motivated to be at meetings (health).

Other Announcements: Tom Neumann spoke upon the golf outing this coming Monday, and passed around a list.

Committee Reports: There were no committee reports this week.

Ryan Lewis introduced the day’s speaker, Jim Raymond.  Jim has been in the Ag Business Council since it started in the 1980s.  His family has been farming in the area since 1836.  Jim hosts a radio talk show ‘Ag Matters,’ airing 5A Saturday and 11A Monday mornings on WCLO and on WJVL 5:30A Sunday.  Jim recently put together an agricultural vacation for forty people, in a rotation around Ireland.  He proceeded to share some information about the journey, the differences in agriculture between our countries, and some of the sights to see.

Jim started off by telling us Ireland has cows everywhere!  A difference between Wisconsin and Ireland is 1.2M vs. 1.6M cattle.  Nearly all of Ireland’s cows graze (95%).
Jim discussed some of the history that led up to Ireland’s currently economic strengths:
In 1845-1855, 1/3 of the Irish emigrated due to famine.  One million died, and 2 million remained.
Protestants, with backing from the English crown, ruled over Catholics.  Catholics couldn’t vote.
The Republic of Ireland was 70% Catholic, and 5% Protestant.
Now, Ireland has the second highest gross domestic product per capita in the world, compared to our seventh ranking.
Ireland has 103K GDP/person, whereas the USA has $78,000.
Ireland’s latitude is 52 degrees, and Wisconsin’s is 43.  They are 700 miles North of us.  That makes their animals grazing ten month’s instead of Wisconsin’s average seven all the more impressive.  It is due in part to the Irish continent’s unique global position in relation to the Arctic Circle and bodies of water.  They rarely see snow.
Jim discussed many other unique facets of Irish agriculture including agricultural tourism.  He covered numerous personal reflections on the vacation, such as the Belfast museum in tribute to the Titanic’s construction (3M rivets, done by heating and them driving them one by one, many by 14yo Catholics) and the seven-story Guiness tour, atopped by the ‘Gravity Bar.’
The talk was entertaining and informative, and elicited consistent Kiwanians’ questions.

Ryan Lewis thanked Jim Raymond for speaking and presented him with a Kiwanis yellow tumbler.

Richard Johnson adjourned the meeting with a ring of the bell at 11AM.

Next week on ‘Ag Matters,’ the new ‘Alice in Dairyland’ is the guest.

Minutes by Ryan Lewis.
Credit: Dave Figi, photographs.

Note: Kiwanis and its members are not responsible for errors or omissions.  We are open to discussion if you would like to request an alteration.