The case for choosing a live Christimas tree

Written by John Schlageck Tuesday, 27 November 2012 14:47

Now that we’ve celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas is just around the corner, many folks will be selecting their annual tree to adorn their apartment or home.

It’s been said many times before and will be repeated again and again, “A traditional Christmas begins with a real tree.”

Most of us buy a particular kind of tree based on family tradition. If we grew up with a spruce, we buy a spruce tree. If our family had firs, we buy firs. If we cut a cedar out of the pasture, chances are we still cut a cedar out of the pasture and bring it into our house for Christmas.

When I was a youngster my family only considered one option when buying a Christmas tree—a real pine or fir tree. That all changed when a U.S.-based toilet bowl...

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Hunting trip reveals extent of drought

Written by John Schlageck Tuesday, 20 November 2012 16:12

If the dry conditions we experienced in Ellis County on the opening weekend of pheasant season are any indication of what’s to come, we’re in for a lot of trouble. We walked several miles Nov. 10 and 11 and drove across much of the county and into northern Ness County.

The winter wheat crop looked remarkably well. Fields sported a deep, rich green color. Stands were uniform and wheat heights varied from just peeking out of the rows to 4 or 5 inches tall.

The milo crop was a horse of a different color. While the fields were generally flush with stalks, the heads were buried and featured tiny heads ranging from three to five inches in length. The berries were nearly non-existent and about the size of a pin head if it were round...

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Encouraging word heard seldom heard for wiley coyote in Kansas

Written by Jerry Engler Tuesday, 20 November 2012 16:10

In most conversations, attempts to get locals to say something good about these animals, especially the coyote, turns to whether people hunt or shoot them, or who they know who enjoys doing so. Nobody involved with agriculture in Marion County seems to have much good to say about the coyote.

Neither do they speak well of the raccoon, opossum or skunk.

Even the professional ag advisers in the county said their expertise is limited to crop and livestock production, not to wild predators.

If you broaden the conversation to include birds of prey such as the hawk, they usually will acknowledge that hawks catch and consume many mice and other rodents that otherwise could get out of hand causing crop damage.

But if you limit the conversation to mammalian wildlife, the creatures above don’t get much positive credit. Yet in research data, Kansas State University scientists say the mouse is the No. 1 food item for...

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Ag needs its voice in the media

Written by John Schlageck Tuesday, 23 October 2012 14:42

Life experiences teach plenty to those willing to learn. From the time I was a small boy, I remember my dad, uncles and grandfather talking and debating the issues of the day whenever we visited one another.

As I grew older, I began to hear some of what they said. I began to understand what they were talking about. But it has taken me nearly 30 years to understand what my grandfather used to say about understanding issues.

About the time I was halfway through high school, something he said finally sunk in. Grandpa Bert always said when you know a little about an issue, it’s easy to form an opinion. When you learn a little more, it becomes a little more difficult to make a decision. And when you learn even more about an issue, your...

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Drought-stricken farms may be eligible for aid

Written by Bill Harmon Tuesday, 16 October 2012 14:07

A serious lack of moisture that extended over the 2012 summer season has caused producers in Marion County as well as throughout Kansas to suffer from the effects of exceptional drought conditions.

Farms and ranches experiencing these conditions may be eligible for cost-share financial assistance under USDA’s Emergency Conservation Program–Drought Measures provision.

This program is administered by the Farm Service Agency and will provide benefit payments if damages are so severe that water available for livestock or orchards and vineyards has been reduced below normal to the extent that neither can survive without additional water.

Producers may request assistance by filing an application from Oct. 15 through Nov. 15 at their...

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