Soil conservation a priority early in Deines’ farm career

Written by Jerry Engler Tuesday, 21 February 2012 16:32

Mervin Deines, shown here with wife Leona, has been farming in the same location for almost 76 years. “I still feel like I’m 50,” he says. Mervin Deines may hold a Marion County record for farming the same place for 76 years.

That happens to be his age. He lives where he was born on 350th Road in the Ramona community, and he said, “I’ve been farming since I could start walking.”

Deines and wife Leona are Marion County Continuation Award winners for the Natural Resources Conservation Services.

Deines not only started building terraces and waterways early in his career, but has continued doing so—and has rebuilt them as necessary.

According to NRCS, Deines “started his farming career with soil conservation as a priority, building terraces and waterways. As his operation expanded, he continued to add conservation practices.

“He earned this award because he...

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Class a resource for raising students’ awareness of ag

Written by Patty Decker Tuesday, 21 February 2012 16:26

Michelle Carlson of Hillsboro, a second grade teacher at Hope Elementary School, talked at Saturday’s annual banquet about taking the course, “Connecting Your Classroom to Kansas Agriculture.” More than 100 people attended the Marion County Conservation District’s 66th annual dinner and meeting Saturday at Eastmoor United Methodist Church in Marion.

In addition to poster contest presentations and recognizing conservation award recipients, Michelle Carlson of Hillsboro talked about her experiences in “Connecting Your Classroom to Kansas Agriculture,” along with providing a slide show.

Carlson, a second-grade teacher at Hope Elementary School, thanked the district for providing a scholarship for her to attend the five-day class last summer.

“It was an awesome class,” she said, “and I have a short snippet of what we did and some of the ways we are incorporating (what was learned) in the classroom.”

The class...

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Wheat looking OK in western Kansas

Written by John Schlageck Tuesday, 31 January 2012 15:24

A recent swing through northwestern Kansas reveals a winter wheat crop that looks really good. Stands are uniform, the color is a dark green and even with the mild temperatures so far this winter, most of the wheat has not grown too quickly and may escape the specter of winter kill.

Even in southwestern Kansas, that region of the state hit the hardest last year, the wheat crop looks good. Favor­able growing conditions began the end of September and early October when this year’s crop was being planted.

Rains from 3 to 6 inches were reported in much of southwestern Kansas, although some of the cropland near Elkhart, Sublette, Satanta and Meade didn’t receive plentiful rainfall.

A similar weather pattern swept through this part of...

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Food myths as plentiful as calories in pecan pie

Written by John Schlageck Tuesday, 10 January 2012 15:28

It’s the new year and like so many, I have vowed to shed those extra pounds. Losing weight is no easy task. Expectations often exceed the will to lose the weight gradually during an extended period of time.

Today, there are as many diets out there as there are people who attempt to stick to them. What it really boils down to is watching what we eat, caloric intake and exercise. If we have the discipline to do that, each of us can meet our goals.

Still, when it comes to exercise and diet, myths are as plentiful as the calories in a piece of pecan pie—one of my favorites by the way. To clear up some of these misconceptions, I visited with a nutrition specialist during the holidays to set the record straight or at least point me in...

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