Small Town News

Sweetsers small farmer talk...

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When the waitress asked if I wanted my pizza cut into four or eight slices, I said, "Four, I don't think I can eat eight."

I take cardiac therapy with a man who had been Hormel's head hog buyer at its Fremont, Nebraska plant. He said what I've often heard-that boar pigs end up in pizza. Fve heard many rumors about where they go--to the ghettos of Chicago, for one. Another time I'd heard they were given a shot to do away with the very objectional smell and taste. A local buying employee said that you can't give 'em enough shots.

Advice: "Never eat more than you can lift."

More advice: Red meat is not bad for you. Blue-green meat, now that's bad for you!

Phosphorous is currently $396 a ton, with potash $626 a ton. Anhydrous ammonia is expected to rise $50 a ton on September first. Getting more manure than ever is saving quite a little over commercial fertilizer this year. As of the first of September, corn in Minnesota was only seven percent dented, as compared to a normal year of 33 percent.

On AgDay today a grain analyst said that there's one billion bushels of corn suseptible to an early frost; even frost at its normal dates is expected to hurt yields.

Someone's figuring on big yields, as corn for cash sale dropped 10 cents a bushel today. One neighbor said the beans are going downhill from white mold.

Another man said the beans are turning, yet a lot of them are flat in the pods. Yesterday, corn was fully 10 cents a bushel on the futures, which most elevators lowered prices a dime. I was talking to the manager of a local elevator after hours while making the rounds to sell some hay on wagons in our shed, and in talking about corn prices dropping a dime, he said his elevator raised the corn basis four cents a bushel for a net loss of six cents a bushel at $2.99 a bushel.

Recently, it came out in this column that two elevators, 12 miles aparat, both of the same large coop, had a basis of six cents a bushel, It should have said, the one to the east had a six cents higher basis, which was about 21 cents under on beans. Sounding possibly like the river at Winona had some empty barges that they were trying to get filled.

A lot of beans are getting brown on top. Is it "sudden death syndrome", or they getting mature? There some reports in our area of dented corn on September first.

In the South, both corn and bean harvests are underway, which is a little hard to believe.

I recently drove the rough stretch of road on the east edge of LeRoy. I was pleased to see the "V" part of that had been fixed by the State. But apparently after surveying and measuring the State determined the short stretch (not over a couple hundred feet) belonged to the city or county. Had common sense prevailed, whoever is responsible for that short stretch could have hired the State to fix it all, and take responsibility of the cost.

With corn basis narrowing locally there must be a good demand or shrinking supply. One local ethanol processor is currently bidding around 15 cents a bushel more than our local elevators.

When corn is at dent, an average of 77 percent of the yield is made. If the crop is too late to dent, 85 percent of the yield is made. Growing degree days are calculated by adding the day's high and low temperatures, dividing by two then subtracting 50. In southeast Minnesota, black layer is when the corn yield is 100 percent safe.

This good stretch of drying, rain-free, days has allowed us to get up quite a few bales of hay one can be proud of. We were taken aback a little when after taking two partial loads of hay to the hay auction for $3.25, our neighbor, whom we have in the past criticized for light bales and knocking leaves off by raking or tedding when the leaves were dry, actually sold a small trailer load for $3.75. Small quantities always seem to sell better. One of our loads we delivered 3.5 miles to a Mennonite dairy man. He has a different hay conveyor, consisting of two upright augers about a bales width apart and you put the bales between them and quickly move upward to a horizontal conveyor to be dropped of along his 150 foot barn.

As we can sell hay in our area for $3.50, we probably won't haul any more hay to the auction. We hadn't sold any yet this year. Dairymen are limited by low milk prices. I'm squeezed by a $1970 bill. Last month and over $1300 this month and then get half the hay. One of them bought eight acres for $60 and two acres of thinner hay for $50 with the raking up time. Raking and tipping hay for two balers, keeps one busy some days.

A lot of beans are showing some brown. There's iron chlorosis in one of my neighbor's, which is said to stay in the field where white mold has once been. Nematodes are still in fields after seven years. There's also sudden death syndrome out there. I'm happy, since as of the seventh, they are still green. Some say the pod count is down this year.

With no rain we've continued to get up what some might call premium hay, with some orders backed up. Half the pleasure of haying is selling green, leafy, honest bales.

At the latest produce auction, tomatoes seemed higher again, $14-$ 18 for top boxes. A lot appeared green to me. I picked up some extremely good sweet corn from the wagon across from the auction building for $2.50 a dozen. This is corn I'd be proud to sell in a couple of weeks. We should be caught up on our hay baling, then I'd like to once again sell tomatoes in Austin.

A man went back to see the doctor for a checkup after he had been ill.

"Doctor," the man said, "you were right when you said you'd have me on my feet and walking in no time."

"That's good, John," the doctor said. "When did you start walking?"

"When I got your bill," the man replied.

"I had to sell my car to pay it."

Good Health to all, Bill around Trinity Lutheran on Sunday. It was Rally Sunday, with a special petting zoo set up for kids, and a potluck dinner for everyone at the end of the activities. Next Sunday is the return to regular church service at 10:00 each Sunday. Sunday School and Adult Bible Study will start at 8:45 each week.

In case you are wondering, the noisy offering that the kids bring to the altar every Sunday has now raised enough money to buy "2 1/4" goats for the families in Tanzania. The goats are $50 each and one goat is enough to change the life of a local family in Tanzania. Each Sunday kids bring up loose change or dollar bills and place them in a special offering plate on the altar. When a dollar is dropped into the special plate, the kids get to ring a special bell. This was something that Pastor Linda started last spring to raise money for mosquito nets as she prepared for her mission trip to Tanzania. This summer the plan started to raise money to buy goats for Tanzania.

Mark on your calendars a special Congregation

Meeting on October 11 following the morning service. The purpose of the meeting is to talk about the Call Process for a new minister. The Congregation needs to discuss and agree what direction they want the Church Council to pursue in looking for a new pastor.

Don't forget that the new church book study starts Wednesday at 6:30. We are going to learn all about "The Bad Girls of the Bible" each Wednesday night.

September is becoming a very popular wedding month. This last Saturday evening there were two wedding receptions at the International Event Center, both with Grand Meadow connections. One side of the hall was Randy Gehling's wedding reception and the other was the wedding of Steven and Miranda Porter, Steven is the son of Gail Porter, a Grand Meadow teacher. This Saturday has many area weddings, including Wendy Jasper's wedding in LeRoy. Congratulations to everyone!



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© 2009 LeRoy Independent LeRoy, Minnesota. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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