Workshop offered for producers who do prescribed grass burns

Written by Hillsboro Free Press Wednesday, 09 January 2008 19:18

The Marion County Extension Council, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service and Marion County Conservation District will host a prescribed-burning workshop Jan. 23 inside the 4-H Building on the Marion County Fairgrounds.

The school will be led by Walt Fick, a range and pasture management specialist with Kansas State University.

“It is well documented that prescribed burning is a very effective rangeland management tool,” said Rickey Roberts, extension agent for Marion County. “It may be the most efficient method we have to control invasive brush and weeds, while we also improve wildlife habitat, grazing distribution, and increase livestock gains.”

Topics will include why and...

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COMMENTARY- Strategies similar for farmers who prosper

Written by John Schlageck / Kansas Farm Bureau Wednesday, 09 January 2008 19:17

One of the main differences between farmers who make money and farmers who don’t is cost control. Studies by land-grant universities bear this out.

In a recent study at Auburn University, researchers divided farms into two groups—those with the most and least profit. The farms reported similar proportions of owned and rented land, yields, crop mixes, debt levels and gross returns per acre.

High-profit farms gained small advantages for most other expense items. The research concluded farmers with the highest returns paid more attention to details and spent more time monitoring their businesses, than did the farmers in the lower-profit category.

High-profit farms were slightly larger, but the big differences among them were...

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Physicians clinic in Marion features two practictioners

Written by Malinda Just Wednesday, 09 January 2008 18:49

Skiles.Bittle2.jpg Click to buy photo Nita Bittle (left) and Linda Skiles are the first two health-care providers at the St. Luke Physicians Clinic in Marion. Their intention is to bring customer-oriented service to their practice.

As the first two providers at the new St. Luke Physician Clinic in Marion, Linda L. Skiles, M.D., and Nita Bittle, physicians assistant, are working to develop quality health care while completing the office move into the former Prairie View building on the St. Luke Hospital campus.

“(I’m looking forward to) building the practice and having it become successful,” Skiles said. “Just doing a good job for those people that my life touches, that’s the biggest thing.”

Linda L. Skiles

Skiles, a...

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Lost Springs' Stuchlik elected to FSA county committee

Written by Bill Harmon /Farm Service Agency Monday, 31 December 2007 06:41

Based on ballot tabulation in the 2007 Farm Service Agency County Committee election, Lost Springs area farmer and rancher Monty Stuchlik has been elected to serve a three-year term, beginning in January.

Stuchlik joins producers Eldon Andres and Marvin Ratz­laff on the 2008 Marion County FSA Committee. He succeeds David Mueller, who completed nine years on the committee.

Producers who desire to meet with the Marion County FSA Committee during 2008 should schedule their appointments through the county office in Marion by calling 620-382-3714.

Farmer-elected county FSA committees serve as a vital link in the effective administration of USDA programs. Committees are responsible for carrying out federal farm programs in accordance...

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