Second Alternative Market to raise funds for needs

Written by Hillsboro Free Press Tuesday, 09 October 2012 14:47

Organizers of the second annual Marion County Alterna­tive Gift Market are hoping for an even bigger turnout than the inaugural year.

This year’s event—which will benefit five local and 30 national and international projects—will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10,at Marion Presbyterian Church, 610 Lawrence.

Attendees select a nonprofit cause they would like support. In return for a contribution, they receive a Christmas ornament or card to give to their gift recipient. The projects support hunger, education, child mortality, maternal health, medical services, environmental sustainability and collaboration.

More than $4,000 was raised during last year’s event, said Jackie Volbrecht, Marion resident and market...

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Farmers considering strategies for drought-damaged soybeans

Written by Jerry Engler Tuesday, 18 September 2012 14:40

The drought-stricken soybeans this fall are prompting varying strategies on what to do with them in Marion County as well as across much of the United States.

The shortage of beans has prompted prices in the $17 per bushel range, causing farmers to think in terms of harvesting their fields, even for small yields.

Others, such as a young farmer at Cooperative Grain & Supply in Hillsboro last week, are seeking guidance on whether to cut beans as hay to feed cattle.

Listening to farmers at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson last week, there was favor for a third option of just planting wheat over the ruined crop since recent rains were insufficient for setting new beans.

These farmers said their best benefits are the beans’...

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Humor is best anecdote for drought woes

Written by John Schlageck Tuesday, 14 August 2012 13:16

The dog days of summer can be trying, especially for farmers and ranchers who are experiencing one of the worst droughts in decades

A summer like 2012 brings little rain, grueling heat and fiery winds. This year’s drought and string of more than 25 days of 100-degree days has finished off most of the dry-land corn and has now zeroed in on destroying this year’s soybean and milo crops.

What will happen to this fall’s upcoming winter wheat crop remains to be seen.

During this period, it’s healthy to interject a little humor into the daily diet. A chuckle or comic relief is good for the mind and body. With that in mind, here’s my offering for the middle of August.

I’ve yet to meet a farmer or rancher who isn’t continually...

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Drought is shriveling hope for profitable fall harvest

Written by Jerry Engler Tuesday, 14 August 2012 13:15

The outlook for double-crop soybeans, which looked so promising about two months ago, now looks “really bleak,” according to ag expert Rickey Roberts. He predicts most soybeans in Marion County likely will be used for cattle feed or tilled under for fertilizer. It seems the only sure things about the weather are that it will repeat, and it will change.

Marion County Extension Agent Rickey Roberts said a month ago, “I thought we were better off than a year ago.”

But that was before going another month with 100-degree plus temperatures and no rain.

“Now, we’re in the middle of a train wreck,” Roberts said, referring to the finished corn crop and the soybeans going downhill day by day.

“Some of the milo is heading now, and I think we’ll get to harvest a little of that,” he added. “But the beans are painting a really bleak picture. I think we’ll still get to harvest a few beans down on the bottoms, but the rest of them are just about finished.

Roberts said because the...

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