Albin news August 23, 2010

Albin News Readers,

I'm sad to report another debilitating accident in the Albin area. Garrett Ross (21), son of Cindy (Petch) Ross was in a vehicle accident on the “S” curves between Midway and Hillsdale. More details to follow.

Pamela Weaver and Bette Lu Lerwick took a day trip down to a quilt fair at the fair grounds in Loveland, CO. Pam's quilt shop has been completed and is on track to be open for business by the time the snow flies.

There are now 57 horizontal drilling permits in Laramie County and 13 in Goshen. Five weeks ago there were 47 permits in Laramie County and 12 in Goshen. This number is sure to keep climbing in future months. Rex Energy's President and CEO Benjamin Hulburt said they plan to drill 24 wells in the next year. They currently have three horizontal drilling permits according to the Wyoming Oil and Gas Commission website. Noble Energy has the most drilling permits with 21. EOG and Noble seem to be the biggest players at this time with 400,000 and 750,000 acres leased in the Niobrara shale. Rex energy currently claims 32,000 acres in Wyoming and 8,000 in Colorado.

John and Dianne Kirkbride were honorary chairs of the 21^st annual Denim 'N Diamonds Gala held at the Little America in Cheyenne. The Gala was a fundraiser for the Cheyenne Regional Medical Center and raised over $200,000 to purchase a new wireless IV pump system for the hospital.

Here is Dixie's latest update on Tim's condition!

This verse of promise is one of my 'big-breath' verses!  Again, it doesn't state a definite amount of time--it only states for a 'little while'! (Kinda reminds me when our parents and also ourselves as parents respond to our kids...in a 'little bit'!)  But the 'deep breath' doesn't come because you have held it in for that 'little while', but because of the enormity of the grace and the promise to restore, support, strengthen, and establish because of God's love and salvation plan (the Cross)!
    We have been and are in that 'little while' time---but above all, we're in that grace of the Almighty God! We thank each of you for being in this time with us with your prayer support, encouragement, and friendship.
    Tim had a full day of more words, finishing sentences with seeing an object/answering questions about the object, and answering questions about memory (birth date, city/state from, identifying Bethany from a picture, etc.).  He will have his lower lumbar/spinal area tested tomorrow (CT Scan) so please pray for that to go smoothly.  Continue to pray for restful nights--so important for the next day! Goodnight!  

In Ag news, there has been 24 hr media coverage of a nationwide egg recall. First of all, let me say that the eggs involved in the recall make up less than one percent of the eggs on the market. The recall is designed to err on the extreme side of caution so that the vast majority of the recalled eggs are likely safe to eat. To find out whether or not the eggs in your fridge are involved in the recall you can visit eggsafety.org for a complete list. More importantly, if you cook your eggs until the yolks and whites are firm, then you're covered no matter what.

Now that I've said that, I get to vent a little. I'm willing to bet more people have been sickened by the media coverage of this than by the eggs themselves! Of course I don't want to belittle what some have suffered by this but it's all a little hard to swallow from a farmer's perspective. On one hand you have a section of society demanding raw eggs and milk (they want salmonella in their milk) and on the other hand you have the USDA recalling full production (over a half million eggs so far) of all farms that have any connection to a hand full of people who have been sickened. Why doesn't the media put this into perspective? I would love to see a headline that says “116,830 people got drunk and lost their supper last night – again.” I know all the media coverage isn't because of heartfelt concern for consumer safety, but why does something with such a miniscule risk sell papers? My Dad (Ron Lerwick) explained it to me this way. He said that food is not a logical choice for most consumers, it's an emotional choice. Most people are separated from the farm by two or three generations and do not have a practical understanding of how food arrives at their plates. When you think about it this way, it's easy to see how most someone who saw a headline about a food recall, would want to buy the paper to investigate further. After all, they cook eggs for their kids in the morning! It's an easy narrative for a news outlet to write and a sure seller. Whatever the reasons for the media buzz, I think there are things in this world more worthy of our precious worrying!

The GDUs for 2009 and 2010, May 15 – August 23 (baseline 50 deg F) are 1492.0 and 1766.0. About the 15^th of August last year it turned cool and we had an early fall. This year we had a great string of hot days that has really helped the crops mature!  

Albin news August 16, 2010

Albin News Readers,

Fall is the fulfillment of summer's promise. I've been trying to put a finger on why this time of year is so exciting and I think that's it in a nutshell. In the ag news section of the Albin news I've tried to convey a little of the forethought, passion, pride and providence that goes into bringing a good crop to harvest. While it's all very exciting, it's also a lot of pressure. During our short growing season, the pressure is on to make every growing day count. Farmers agonize during the winter months over whether they should grow an 89 day corn or risk it with a 92 day variety. All of the fertilizing, watering, weeding, cutting, baling, etc has to be done in a timely manner during that narrow growing period to avoid any delay in maturity. With fall coming, the conclusion of the summer's work starts to come into focus. The calves on pasture are fat, the corn ears are full, the beans are striping, and the sunflower heads are fanning out. On top of that, the mule deer have put on their antlers, the sharp-tail grouse are plump, and the sweet corn is ready. I get pretty fired up the first time I get that fall feeling. As Uncle Ed says, it makes your neck swell (referring to how a deer's neck swells in the rut). It's undeniable.

In community news, there are two more births to report. Griffin James Rundell was born August fifth to Jeff and Dawn Rundell of Lincoln, NE. Griffin was 7 lbs 14 oz and 21 in long. Grandparents are Ligie and Jan Rundell of the Albin area and Jim and Sheri Cauble of Scottsbluff, NE.

Macy Blaze Serrano was born March 12th to Shane and Sheena Serrano. Shane and Sheena are living in the Albin area with grandparents Gerald and Izzy Serrano. Shane is currently pursuing a degree that will allow him to work as a pharmacy technician.

Devin Lerwick, originally from Albin, will be in the area through the month of August and has started weekly bible talks with Scott Rauscher in Cheyenne. The two will be speaking for the next few Sundays at the Laramie County Community College in the Center for Conferences Institutes Centennial Room from 4 – 5 pm. For those of you who are wondering what in the world it is he's doing, this is a great opportunity to see for yourself! All are welcome and there is no admission fee.

Dixie Malm posted this update on caringbridge.org concerning Tim's condition.

Romans 12:12  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer!  We have joy and faith--it's the patience in God's timing that He has and is working with us.  In therapy, Tim said more words today!! He named items and read a few words off cards!!!  He gets to go to the pool in the morning so we hope for more and easier range of motion in the left leg and arm!  I (Dixie) made it home safely from Branson in time to help with Tim's dinner--did you know you can puree beef spare ribs?  Thank you for praying for Bethany and myself with the traveling and all of the emotional time. I truly felt God's presence driving and physically keeping me going for almost 36 hrs. with a short hour nap that morning in the car before we could  move her into the dorm! Restful nights have me caught up and am excited to watch and hear God's miracles this week with Tim!  God Bless All Y'all!  

Bill and Dixie Rabou and Lee and Ramona Willert had unexpected guests Monday. Three sisters, Dixie Royals (Dallas, TX), Mary Sue Wade (Dallas, TX), and Rebecca Holt (Napa, CA) and one mutual friend Libby Brown knocked on their door asking questions about the Rabou ancestors. The four women were on a quest to find out about their grandfather and grandmother who had homesteaded in the Albin area. After visiting for hours, looking through old books, pictures, etc, much was pieced together about one of our community's more interesting stories. If any of you have more information about this piece of history, please help these ladies out by sending along the information. I can put you in touch with them directly.

The story began when Margaret Rabou adopted and raised an orphan girl on their ranch north of Albin. The girl's name was also Margaret but it seems they called her Mary. In November of 1910 Andrew Cunningham filed a homestead claim a mile away from the Rabou ranch and built the cabin that still stands today off CR 159 a mile north of hwy 216. Andrew Cunningham met and married Mary Rabou and to this union were born two girls, Viola and Mickey. Many of you may have heard from the older ones, as I did from grandpa Glenn Lerwick, about the tragedy that followed. Andrew had gone into a dance in Albin when a fight broke out. Guns were drawn and Andrew was killed leaving Mary and the two girls to mourn for him. Dixie relayed these details about the killing that were told to her by Florence Anderson, daughter of Nora (Cunningham) Capitola who was a sister of Andrew Cunningham. Florence said that a cousin of Andrew (Mr. Stevens) was the man who actually shot and killed Andrew. However, for reasons unknown, Andrew's brother Clarence took blame for the killing, changed his name to Ben Grant and fled the community. The obituary for Clarence and Andrew's father, John William Cunningham, lists the address of Clarence as “unknown at this time.” The obituary was written in 1932.

At the time their father was killed, Viola was 2 and Mickey was 4. Mary moved to Pine Bluffs with the two girls and raised them there. Viola eventually met Dot Emerson Moody (Wheatland, WY) at a country dance in Pine Bluffs and married him in Lexington, NE in 1932. They farmed some, then may have run a pool hall in Kimball before moving to Dallas, TX. Viola and Dot are the parents of Dixie, Mary and Rebbeca.

Another interesting fact is that many of Dixie, Mary and Rebecca's ancestors are buried in the Hall Cemetery off the Stegall road. If anyone knows what connection they had to the Hall community, the sisters would like to know. Was there a Catholic church there?

Master Gardner Ann Sanchez had this to say about geraniums:

Chloe and Dorothy Miller, long time residents of the Golden Prairie area had a special affection for plants, especially their geraniums. They faithfully saved their geraniums each fall to enjoy during the winter and then used them again the following summer. They both have passed away, but their special geraniums are still enjoyed today by their family and friends. Nancy Sandberg, a niece of Dorothy Miller, has kept the extensive collection of geraniums alive and has added many new varieties. She is keeping a living history of her family and friends from the geraniums she grows and saves.

Here are two methods of saving geraniums that you can use to keep them alive for the future. The first way is to prune the plant to ½ its size. Dig it out of the soil and knock off the excess soil on the roots. Transplant the geranium in sterile potting soil. Give the plant a good watering and put it in a sunny location. The second way to preserve your geraniums is through cuttings. Cut a 4 to 6 inch section from the tip of the geranium. This should include several leaves and a node. Remove the leaves from the bottom section and dip the cut of the stem in rooting hormone. Place the cuttings in a pot filled with wet sand or a combination of vermiculite and perlite. Cover with a plastic bag to create a greenhouse. Place the cuttings in indirect sunlight. Some cuttings take longer than others, but usually the new roots will appear within 4 to 5 weeks. Plant the newly rooted plants in potting soil, give them plenty of sun and fertilize them once a month. Some types of geraniums are more difficult to propagate with this method especially the ivy type geraniums.

In Ag news, bean harvest is nearing. There is a lot of bearish price news since it looks like a very large crop. One report estimated a 13.2 million bag harvest with a 2.5 million bag carryover for 2011 on the pinto beans. Demand was estimated to be around 12.5 million bags. As we saw in the wheat, one good supply scare could quickly bring the price back up.

The heat units for 2009 and 2010 May 15 – Aug 16 (baseline 50 deg F) are 1460.5 and 1626.5.

Albin news August 9, 2010

Albin News Readers,

This article completes the first dozen Albin news articles that I have written as the de-facto Albin news reporter. Once again I've been surprised at how much is going on in this seemingly placid community. I thought that I would run out of reportable news pretty quickly but so far have just ran out of time to report it all!

In community news, there is a primary election happening on Tuesday August 17 from 7am to 7pm at the Albin Community Center. It is important to vote in the primary because it determines which candidates will run in the general election in November. Also, if you're not a registered voter, you can register at the primary election so you'll be ready to vote in the general election. If you value our system of democracy and want to keep a good thing going, take the time to vote!

We have another candidate from the Albin community running for public office. Kelly Krakow is hoping to be elected for one of three County Commissioner positions. Kelly is currently working for Farmer's insurance in Torrington and would continue doing so if elected to public office. Other candidates running for County Commissioner are Jeff Ketcham, Diane Humphrey, Judy Case, Troy Thompson, C. Kim Cox, and Dale Meyer. The current commissioners are Jeff Ketcham, Gay Woodhouse, and Diane Humphrey.

Many of the local residents are in Cheyenne this week showing off their best and tastiest at the Laramie County Fair. Kelly Krakow's daughter Kayla showed her Targhee sheep and won grand reserve champion ram and ewe. The Targhee sheep are known for their excellent wool qualities. Most of the showing will happen later this week. More details to follow.

For the aspiring and accomplished guitar players in the community, the Albin Community Center is hosting guitar jams on the second and fourth Mondays of the month from 7 pm to whenever. The purpose is for more experienced guitar players to help the less experienced guitar players advance their skills. Bring your own guitar.

This is Dixie's most recent update on Tim's condition.

Ps. 95:6-7 (ab) Come let us worship and bow down;Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand..
   Ever wonder about God's 'pasture' here on earth?  We would have never dreamed of this one...but it is His pasture because He is here with His hand over His sheep (us)!  I don't know about other pastures, but the ones we've been across are not smooth and can have some big rocks and ruts. Alongside the bumpy ride you can choose to see the beauty of the pasture with its grasses, wildflowers, wildlife (hopefully you see/find all your cattle, too), and water.  Tim had a 'bumpy ride' today--because he is physically moving more and more, it causes more muscles to fire and overwork to the point of being very uncomfortable and needing some extra Tylenol at times.  He did have some good stretching sessions and the highlight of the day was he was allowed to eat some applesauce---Praise the Lord!!
Please pray for an extraordinary soothing and relaxing time in the therapy pool in the morning and also for our monthly family meeting with his team (doctor, day nurse, night nurse, Occ Th, Sp Th, Phy Th, and a few others) in the afternoon.   Also, pray for Tim's strength, verbal/communication skills to begin, and to see his smile soon!  Was so good to have Lee and Charlene visit us today as they have walked this road many times before with great faithfulness.  Have a great evening--Howard & Dixie

Master Gardener Ann Sanchez passed along this information resource for local gardeners.

There are countless gardening websites available on the internet. Jerrene Randall shared with me one of her favorites and it has now become one of mine. WyomingGardens.com is a site that you may visit once, or you may sign up for a free internet monthly newsletter. There are several different authors and they each write about a different topic. An example of topics this month includes: Fast Growing Trees in Wyoming, Controlling Insects Organically, Bearberry Shrubs, and an article about the County Fair. The radio archive link will connect you with a list of past gardening topics that have been written from a Wyoming perspective. This site offers quick information about the special challenges we have growing plants in our great state.

In Ag news, we are now in the peak of our irrigating season. During the month of August, the spring crops have finished building the plant and are now growing the good stuff. The corn is setting ears, the beans are filling pods, and the sunflowers are just now breaking open and will soon be filling heads.

Keeping pivots running efficiently is paramount this time of year. I would like to share a tip that has helped me run my pivots efficiently. Like most farmers in the area, I'm dealing with a lot of 20+ year old pivots of varying shapes, sizes, makes and models. Ideally, I try to know within plus or minus 30 minutes when the pivots are going to finish watering a field so that I'm not waiting for the pivot to come around or running water where I don't want it. A lot of pivots are outfitted with automatic stops but many (especially where there are several wells and pivots tied together in one irrigation system) cannot automatically shut the well down when the pivot stops. Hopefully the following tip can help make our irrigation more efficient.

To understand why this works, you have to understand how a pivot moves. On all of the pivots I've run, the end tower has a one speed electric motor that simply runs a certain percent of the time. The operator just sets the pivot to run at, say 50%, and the end tower will turn on for five minutes and off for five minutes until it's told to stop. Since the speed of the pivot is based on the percent run time of the motor, there is a linear relationship between the percent setting and the run time of the pivot. I learned in high school algebra that two points define a line. That means that if you know how fast the pivot runs at a certain percent (i.e. takes 36 hrs to half a circle at 17.5%) then you have all the information you need to figure how fast to run your pivot to go any distance and arrive at the right place at the right time.

The first step is to take what you already know about your pivot and calculate what I call the “speed number.” Let's say you know the pivot makes a half a circle in 40 hours at 25%. Intuitively you should know that it makes the same half circle in 20 hrs at 50%. If you double the speed, it takes half the time to travel the same distance. Also, a full circle would take 40 hrs at 50% because the pivot has to travel twice as far at the same speed. However, what if your pivot is setting about a quarter of the way around when you change a gear box and get it running again at 3:00 pm on Monday? How do you set your pivot such that it comes around at 8:00 am on Wednesday when you need to switch the water to another pivot? This is when it's handy to have a “speed number” to work from.

The speed number is the time it takes to do a full circle times the percent setting. A pivot that makes a full circle in 40 hrs at 50% has a speed number of 2,000 (40hrs x 50% = 2,000). Once you have this number, it gets really easy to set the pivot speed.

First of all, take the speed number and multiply it by the percent of the circle that it needs to travel (for ½ of the field multiply it by 0.5, for ¼ of the field multiply it by .25, etc). If the pivot is stuck out in the middle somewhere, just guess how many tenths along it needs to go and times it by the speed number. So if the pivot needs to travel ¾ of the way around then times the speed number by 0.75 (2,000 x ¾ = 1500).

Second, divide that number by either the hours you want the pivot to travel or the percent setting you want to use. If you want the pivot to be around in 41.5 hrs, then divide 1500 by 41.5 hrs and you get 36.1%, the speed the pivot needs to be set on to finish watering in 41.5 hrs. If you want to set your pivot on 25 percent to reach a certain watering goal, then divide 1500 by 25%. This gives you 60 hrs, the number of hours it will take the pivot to finish the field at 25%.

A lot of pivots have the handy little charts in them showing how much water will be applied at different percentages. This works OK but still requires some guess work. The beauty of finding the speed number on a pivot is it accounts for a lot of the eccentricities of the individual pivot that develop over time. Once you zero in on that speed number, those pivots will start running like clockwork!

The GDUs for 2009 and 2010 May 15 – Aug 9 (Baseline 50 deg F) are 1329.5 and 1497.0.

Albin news August 2, 2010

Albin News Readers,

We are in the final month of summer and I'm starting to think about fall plans. My wife and I have a baby on the way and both drew elk tags for some hunting in October. I'm wondering if any of you would like to try your hand at writing the Albin News for a week. There's not much prestige to be had, but there is a little cash incentive. I have no idea what the circulation is or how many people read the Albin news, but I know for sure it's over a dozen. At least a dozen people have told me how surprised they are that I'm writing the Albin news. I'm pretty busy this week too so will keep it short and sweet.

In community news Betty Ann McLaughlin had special company for her birthday this week. Her only living sister Nancy Stiller and husband Andy Stiller came from Northern Minnesota for most of the week. They also brought their daughter Cindy Stiller and grand-daughter Jenny Watt with them. They had a nice time catching up and getting away from tourists. Andy and Nancy live near the boundary waters where a lot of tourists come this time or year. They stayed away from Cheyenne Frontier Days.

Diane Lerwick had a baby shower Saturday morning from 10 to noon to celebrate the birth of twins Anna Marie and Kenneth Andrew. A group of a dozen or more attended and had a good time holding the babies and talking.

Tim Malm continues to make progress through daily care and therapy. Once again, Dixie Malm has been doing a great job of posting updates on Tim's condition. To find these updates, go to caringbridge.org and search “timmalm.” This is Dixie's latest update:

Psalm 33:20-21...We wait for the Lord. He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts find joy. In His holy name we trust.
The verbs here are wait, find, and trust with the nouns being help, shield,and joy.  Sounds so easy...and we're trying hard to totally follow His Word. Thank ya'll for the daily strength and encouragement with your prayers, comments, cards, etc--that's keeps the 'fuel' in our hearts.
Tim had a full day starting with two mornings sessions and three sessions in the afternoon.  He followed verbal commands and muscle isolation with toe-touch kicking a ball with each foot twice and we also used a different chair that 'stood up' with Tim for balance and strength.  Please pray for the right arm to completely relax and straighten because they are looking at possible muscle injection and a series of different casts for the arm.  We're praying that pool therapy will loosen and relax, but wholly that God would relax that arm. His left thigh/knee joint area has bent more, but again, keep praying that if there is any bone ossification that He would just dissolve any for full range of motion.  Tim is sleeping well through the nights so praise and thank God, and continue to pray for total healing and restoration!  BELIEVE 

Albin's Master Gardner Ann Sanchez had this tip for those of you who would like to try growing their own fresh garlic!

I’m feeling pretty excited about my garden this week. I just harvested my first crop of garlic. I bought my garlic bulbs from the farmers market, but you can also buy bulbs from the seed catalogs or even at the grocery story.

Grow garlic in a spot that gets full sun and has loose crumbly soil. Plant your garlic in September or October. This allows the plants to develop a vigorous root system before cold weather. Break the bulb apart and plant each clove with the pointed growing tip up and the flat root end down. Plant the cloves from 2 to 4 inches deep. Space them 4 to 6 inches apart. Keep the cloves watered for about 3 weeks. Not much happens in the fall above ground, but in the spring the plants will take off. What I found fascinating was the hummingbird head shaped flower scapes that formed at the top of the plant. First the scapes made a loop then they straighten out as the plant matured. The plants were ready to harvest when half their leaves turn yellow and fell over. Digging up the garlic was fun and easy. Now the bulbs are drying or curing in single layers in a well-ventilated spot.

Growing garlic has another great advantage. Hail storms did not affect the end product.

In ag news, the wheat price spike has now spanned more than $2.00/bu. This is a very large movement especially considering is started at just above $4.50/bu. In terms of percentages, the price of wheat has jumped nearly 50% and hasn't set a top yet. This is the third spike of this magnitude that we have seen in the past two years. This first one was in the winter of 2008 and the second was June of last year. All three were precipitated by the possibility of a food shortage and magnified by speculator money. The first two dropped as quickly as they shot up, suggesting that we are in a new market environment of big price swings. I'm not an economist, but it seems to me that we as level headed farmers have the social and economic responsibility of counter balancing the flighty speculators. We don't know when or how much the speculator money will swing the market, but I think it's safe to say the market will continue to move more than we're used to. It will move up and down more than it logically should. We can't get discouraged by the extreme lows or overly excited by the extreme highs but patiently wait for the market to move in your favor and then boldly sell only the crop that we plan to produce. If we're lucky, the speculators will keep sending some price spikes our way and we can keep selling our crops for more than they're worth. The more the market moves, the more the speculators will want a piece of the action. All it takes to start a stampede is for a few of those speculators to strike it rich by guessing right.

I mentioned last week that there was a drought in the black sea region. This is true but I haven't been able to find much solid data on this. I've heard a lot of educated guesses but they vary a lot. The bottom line is that the black sea region produces less than 5% of the World's wheat. The united states produces roughly twice as much wheat as Russia and we are having a very good wheat year. Maybe the local markets near that region should be sharply higher, but I can't see how the markets here should be too concerned. All the local elevators agree with this as they have raised their cash basis to negative $1.94 at Lindbergh at $1.91 at Burns and Pine Bluffs. For those of you unfamiliar with the cash basis, it is the difference between the cash price paid at the local market (i.e. Lindbergh elevator) and the futures price at the location of the trading floor (Kansas City or Chicago). The cash basis near Albin is figured off of the Kansas City Board of Trade's futures price for hard red winter wheat. The cash basis for the Albin area has historically been about negative $0.60. It's essentially what the farmers pay the elevator to store, market, and ship their grain and is supposed to be less than what it costs to ship grain to the location of the trading floor. At this point, the elevators have been charging a high rate because all of the wheat markets are flooded and they have to sell at a discounted rate just to get their bins cleaned out and ready for corn harvest. They know that they won't be able to sell wheat for much so every time the speculators at the Kansas City Board of Trade raises the the wheat price, the elevators raise the basis. This really isn't how these markets are designed to work.

Wheat harvest has progressed to the irrigated wheat this week. The stripe rust seems to have taken 10-20 bushels per acres off of most of the irrigated wheat. Considering that most farmers applied fungicides to their wheat, this is tough loss. If the fungicide application cost was around $20/ac and the yield loss was $65/ac, the average profit margin loss for the area was around $85/ac because of the rust. Hopefully some of you wheat farmers are able to take advantage of the bump in wheat prices to make up for this!

The GDUs for 2009 and 2010 for April 15 – August 2 (baseline 50 deg F) are 1192.5 and 1394.5. The amount of GDUs needed to finish a corn crop in our area (assuming a corn variety rated around 89 days) is 2100 GDUs. At this rate, we should easily be able to harvest corn in October!

Albin news July 26, 2010

Albin News Readers,

It's wheat harvest time! Because of this, the ag news is front and center this week. Growing up here, I didn't realized what an incredible thing the wheat production on the great plains is. As it turns out, we live on the western edge of the world's most reliably productive piece of farm ground. If we actually missed a crop, it would send shock waves throughout the entire world. While on an agricultural tour of Spain last winter with the Wyoming LEADs class, we got to visit what was considered to be a large grain coop in Spain. It was a storage and seed cleaning facility similar in size to the one at the Mattson Ranch between Pine Bluffs and Albin. This was the storage and cleaning facility for hundreds of micro-farmers. When we asked them how they set the price of wheat, they responded that they pay their farmers based on the wheat futures price at the Chicago Board of Trade. In other words, they considered the wheat price in the US to be the best indication of what wheat should be worth in Spain. While Spain is typically not known for it's small grain production, the whole experience made me realize how important our wheat harvest is to the World.

Watching the harvest phenomenon happen again, I couldn't help but be amazed and proud at how well the whole process works. The very day the wheat it dry, the area is crawling with combine crews from Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas as well as local crews. The farmers are all motivated to action by the thought of the great white combine. All it takes is a few minutes to lose an entire year's work! The wheat rolls into the elevators and on-farm bins on the order of millions of bushels, and is quickly tested for moisture, test weight, and protein content. In 2009, the wheat production for Laramie and Banner Counties was about 3 million and 1.5 million bushels. It's a process that has evolved to the point that it seems as effortless as breathing. We depend on it about as much as breathing too!

Talking to several harvest crews in the area, dryland wheat yields have been excellent this year. Many are surpassing the 60 bu/ac mark on their best fields. Almost all have some fields that were all or partially hailed out.

The GDUs for 2009 and 2010 from May 15 to July 26 (baseline 50 deg F) are 1024.5 and 1146.5. We are still leading 2009 in heat units by quite a bit and the corn shows it. Last year, my corn started tasseling the 27^th of July and this year, I saw the first tassels on the 19^th of July. Looking at the most recent crop progress report from National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), it looks like Nebraska and the northern corn belt is ahead of the last five years' average for corn maturity and the southern corn belt tends to be at or behind the last five years.

In community news, Robyn Whitehead recently trained for and participated in the Cheyenne Sprint Triathlon along with her daughter Shawn from Flagstaff, AZ. The two have been training together since February of this year. The event consists of a 500 meter swim (either in a lake or pool), a 13 mile bike ride, and a 5k run (3.1 miles). There were over 200 participants and Shawn placed first in her age group. Robyn had a leg injury that kept her from running but was able to complete the swimming and biking phases.

Thirty four kids in the area recently completed swimming lessons at the Albin Community Center. Robyn Whitehead, Heather Lerwick and Bethany Malm were instrumental in setting up and teaching the classes. This is the second year that swimming lessons have been available to the Albin community and they have been a great success. So far the lessons have been given for kids age 4-12 but may be available to teens and adults next year. If anyone is interested in learning how to swim, you may contact the Albin Community Center at 307-246-3386.

Ron and Bette Lu Lerwick drove to Hythe in northern Alberta to spend a few days with their son Devin Lerwick. Devin rode back with them and will be in the area through the month of August.

Also, Dixie Malm has been doing a great job of faithfully posting updates on Tim at the website caringbridge.org. You can find Dixie's updates as well as leave notes for the family by going to caringbridge.org and searching “timmalm.” For those of you who aren't able to connect to the internet, this is the latest update from Dixie Malm from Monday July 26^th. Don't forget the chuck wagon benefit dinner for the Malm family on Saturday August 28 at the Albin community center.

Eph 2:10...For you are God's own handiwork, recreated in Christ Jesus that you may do good works that God predestined...that you should live the good life which He prearranged.  One of today's devotional readings that I read to Tim was this one.  It also mentioned that Ps 139 says that He knew you before you were formed in your mother's womb and he has given unique gifts, abilities, & talents--God has a special plan for your life.  You are the person who God says you are!  Tim had a good afternoon session with the therapists with some additional neck muscle stretching and holding up on his own!  He didn't have a quiet night--he moaned quite a bit they said so they are moving us to a different room tomorrow (Rm 217) to be able to be alone.  We are praying that our moans and groans turn into words so we can communicate rather then guess as to what he needs and wants.  Please pray that his voice and words come soon, that if there is any pain that it will subside, a good, comfortable night's rest for Tim, and for continued weight gain for strength.  Above all, we continue, as we know many of you do also, to pray and plead in Jesus' name for His miraculous total healing and restoration soon!  

Master Gardner Ann Sanchez had this great tip for area gardners:

This week in the garden I’ve been planting cover crops. I plant them where other crops have finished their live cycle and in-between rows. Every type of soil can benefit from these crops. Here are a few benefits. First manure crops improve soil structure by adding organic matter. The organic matter will separate clay soil particles and allow air, water, and roots to penetrate better. They also act as an insulating blanket over the soil encouraging earthworms to continue working longer into the season. Legumes that are used as a manure crop replenish nitrogen that is removed when growing vegetables. Finally a fast growing manure crop can be living mulch that discourages germination of weed seeds and protects against wind erosive.

Seed catalogs usually have a section on cover crops. Two of the best catalogs that I have found are Johnny’s Seeds and Territorial Seed Company.

Albin news July 19, 2010

Albin News Readers,

Once again, we have big news in the small town of Albin. News about the oil play in the Niobrara shale is making headlines in the Cheyenne paper as well as taking up space in little periodicals such as the Wall Street Journal. Also, one of the Albin community members, John Eklund, is running for a seat in the Wyoming House of Representatives. Because of this, I apologize for being skimpy on the social news items. Rest assured that the Sorensons, Andersons, Malms, Lerwicks, Petersons, and others are carrying on as usual. More details to follow!

Also, for whatever political clout it's worth, I am announcing my official endorsement of Mr. John Eklund for our representative in the Wyoming legislature. I've known John all of my life and consider him a knowledgeable, kind, and selfless person. The only reason that I mention that here is that I feel it takes quite a bit of courage to run for public office and represent a district. If we want our representatives to stand up for us, the least we can do is voice our support for them. Too often the most qualified candidates don't run for office because they can become targets of ridicule. I say good luck to all candidates and may the best one win.

There has been more action on the part of larger mineral extraction companies buying up leases in the area. Rex Energy announced to it's shareholders that it leased another 18,700 net acres of mineral rights near the Silo Field (about 15 miles east of Cheyenne) for $1,000/ac. Also, a state auction of state owned minerals in Laramie and Goshen counties grossed $42 million. Lease rates per acres ranged from nothing to $3200/ac for some ground in Goshen county. This seems to suggest that a lot of research has been done and mineral companies are confident in their predictions about where the best spots to drill are. Many are comparing this oil play to the Bakken formation in North Dakota where horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracture technologies have been very effective in increasing the production capacity of a similar shale formation. Most of the area's mineral rights have been leased at this point and many many companies are moving towards getting drilling permits and actually drilling. There are currently 47 horizontal drill permits in Laramie county and 12 in Goshen county. This is up from 33 in Laramie county and nine in Goshen county when I reported on this subject over a month ago. Most of the 47 horizontal drilling permits currently in place are concentrated in a rectangular area West of Albin running approximately from Carpenter to Midway to Cheyenne (includes the Silo Field). This number will likely keep increasing as landmen in the county courthouses are able to finish their research. According to the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (WOGCC) website, the companies who have drilling permits for horizontal wells in Laramie County include EOG Resources, Jonah Gas Company, Noble Energy, Duncan Oil, Anadarko E and P, MBI Oil and Gas, Rex Energy, and SM Energy. The company with the most permits so far is Jonah Gas Company. Many companies have drilled or are in the the process of drilling horizontal wells in the Niobrara shale formation. For more detailed information on the current drilling status on many of these companies, you can go to oilshalegas.com/niobrarashale.html. Once the production records become public, you can find all of the Wyoming information at WOGCC website wogcc.state.wy.us. This is a great website for finding more official information about everything from permitting to oil production records. Mineral extraction is the largest part of Wyoming's economy and has a big effect on our future and quality of life here. Now that it's a little closer to home, it would do us all some good to become somewhat aquainted with how this extraction takes place.

Speaking of extraction, that's exactly what needs to happen to the John Deere 400E excavator that was demolishing the old Albin High School this week. Apparrently, the operator was unaware of the underlying floor plan and nearly lost his machine to the old boiler room and bathrooms. The back of the excavator sunk completely below the ground level and the cab was crunched in bad enough that the operator had to exit via the escape hatch on the top of the cab. It looks like it was a hairy ride for a few seconds. The excavator will need to be excavated before work can continue.

Also in community news, you are invited to attend the 50th Wedding Anniversary Celebration for Curt & Darlene Kenzy on July 24, 2010 at the Albin Community Center, Albin, WY. Come and celebrate with them from 2 pm to 5 pm.

A chuck wagon benefit dinner and silent auction for Malm family will be from 5-10 pm on August 28 at the Albin Community Center. Everyone is invited to attend and give their support to the Malm family.

John Eklund of the Albin community has announced his candidacy for Representative of House District 10. This seat is currently held by Rodney “Pete” Anderson and covers Eastern Laramie County and some areas along the eastern and southern sides of Cheyenne. Pete is retiring from public service this year. Other candidates currently in the race are Donn Edmunds, a Republican of Cheyenne and Gary Roadifer, Democrat of Cheyenne. Voters are encouraged to vote in the primary August 17^th. By doing this, voters will be automatically registered to vote in the final election on Tuesday, November 2nd.

When asked why he is running, John said that he had unexpectedly gained an appreciation for shaping policy on local issues while serving on the Laramie County Conservation District board. He found the experience enjoyable and rewarding and since has become interested in serving in other public positions. John has lived, worked, and raised a family in eastern Laramie County. He currently owns and operates a farming and ranching business near the intersection of Hwy 85 and Hwy 216. Recently, his daughter and son-in-law expressed an interest in moving back to the operation. This development has afforded John the opportunity to bring his lifelong experience and knowledge of living and working in eastern Laramie County to the Wyoming legislature while helping pass his operation down to the next generation.

When asked what issues were most important to him, John said he would like to introduce new ideas about education. John feels the current public education system is extremely expensive and stuck in a rut of accepting mediocrity. Without new legislation to allow different forms of public education, John feels the current trend will only continue.

When asked what he feels his role is as a representative with an agricultural backgroud, John responded that he feels a strong connection to most people, urban and rural. He sees a trend in the United States of people wanting to re-connect with their agricultural roots and that is evidence that the gap between ag people and non-ag people is not as large as some may think. John's wife, Suzie, was raised in coastal California and has adapted well to this area. John said they have learned a lot from each other, but their thinking on most matters was not that different.

When asked if he felt he had Pete Anderson's support, John said Pete has been a great help to him so far and had spent quite a bit of time mentoring John through the election process.

To show your support for John Eklund, call John and Suzie at 307-246-3251 and ask about obtaining a yard or vehicle sign.

In ag news, a jump in wheat prices came just as wheat harvest has began. Many farmers have been holding 2009 wheat all year waiting for a break in dismal prices while knowing a big 2010 crop was on the way. When wheat took an unexpected $1.00/bu jump last week, a lot of local wheat farmers took the opportunity to clean out bins.

The Jessen Wheat Company (JWC) was combining south of Albin and reported yields to be good, bad, and ugly. The best wheat (60-70 bu) was grown on ground just out of the CRP program. The worst was completely hailed out. Jessen Wheat Company is 100% organic and uses no fungicides for control of stripe rust or insecticides for grasshopper control. Clint Jessen, manager of JWC, said despite the stripe rust, test weights have been good (above 60 pounds/bu). Excepting the fields that have been hailed on, wheat yields have been well above average.

Grasshoppers in the area are reaching maturity. As Ann Sanchez mentioned a few weeks ago, farmers and gardeners can keep the pests out of their crops by keeping grass mowed down and spraying insecticides around the perimeter of the production area.

The jump in wheat prices was based on droughts in France, China, and Russia, and lower than expected in-stocks. Some of the drop in wheat stocks was due to 2009 wheat being used for animal feed. Many farmers simply had to make room for the next crop. The moral of the story is fear of a food shortage can quickly spike commodity prices even in the middle of a wheat glut.

Corn prices also rallied about $0.40 - $0.50 per bushel in sympathy with the wheat price.

The GDUs for May 15 – July 19, baseline 50 deg F, 2009 and 2010 are 878.0 and 994.5. This puts us 116.5 GDUs ahead of last year!

Albin news July 12, 2010

Albin news readers,

As the previous news writer, Norma Jean did a great job of calling and visiting with the folks around Albin to get the inside scoop on societal matters. I've tried to add important community news of this sort, but not to the extent that Norma Jean did. Since I'm a farmer/rancher, I run in different circles then Norma Jean and that effects what gets reported. The fact of the matter is, need a little help in this area. If you have news that normally would've gotten reported by Norma Jean, I hope you will be brave enough to call or email the new Albin news reporter with the scoop! Now for the news.

This week in Albin there were two funerals, two weddings, and now two births! The two funerals were for long time residents Maxine Boyce and Wilma Moore. Maxine's funeral was at the Albin Community Center and was well attended. It was officiated by Pastor Anderson and Pastor Blomberg. Anderson is Maxine's nephew from Kimball, NE.

Wilma Moore's service was held at the Albin Baptist church with Pastor Don Blomberg officiating. Donna Peters, Don Blomberg, Dean Anderson, and Duane Anderson sang a quartet with Nancy Blomberg on piano. Also, a hymn medley was played by Daniel Hyatt. Danial is the husband of Rebecca (Moore) Hyatt.

David and Mary Forrester's daughter Tiffany married Brian Erickson Saturday morning in Cheyenne. A reception was help at the Kiwanis community house in Lion's Park. Brian got a bachelor's degree in horticulture from the University of Wyoming and is currently working in Fort Collins, CO selling hydroponic equipment.

Val and Sherry Eklund's daughter Jenna married Josh Enabolden Saturday evening in La Porte, Colorado. The weather was perfect for an outdoor wedding. The reception was immediately after the wedding. Josh and Jenna plan to live in Kimball, NE where Josh hopes to start an insurance business. Jenna plans to continue teaching at Burns High School.

Dianne Lerwick, wife of Michael Lerwick, gave birth to healthy twins Tuesday, July 6 at the Cheyenne hospital. Anna Marie, and Kenneth Andrew were just over six pounds. They are the fourth and fifth children in Michael and Diane's family after Stewart, Justin and Hattie.

Finally, I need to correct myself from last week's column. Tim Malm is currently in the Craig Hospital in Denver, CO. Not the Memorial hospital in Craig, CO. Craig hospital is an award winning rehabilitation hospital that specializes in traumatic spinal cord and brain injury. Cards and letters may be sent to Tim at the following address:

Tim Malm

c/o Craig Hospital

3425 South Clarkson St

Englewood, CO 80113

Also, the best visiting hours are from 4-9 pm on week days. A good way to follow Tim's recovery is to go to this link: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=123687394337958&ref=ts. You can also search “Prayers for Tim Malm” in facebook. Cassady, Tim's sister, has been doing a great job of posting updates on Tim's condition.

In Ag news, the fourth of July was full of fireworks for area farmers. A long storm front coming from the West passed over and dumped about two inches of rain. The storm included significant amounts of thunder, lightning, and hail. For the third time this year, many of the county roads were washed out. Part of this is due to the abnormal amounts of moisture, and part of it is due to the amount of CRP that has been plowed up in the last two years. Rain water cannot percolate into plowed soil as fast as it can into an old grass stand. Between the flooding and the hail, more area crops were damaged or destroyed. If we can just get a few more of these storms to clean up the remaining crop, then we can rent a bus and all head up to the mountains for some fishing!

Many who have damaged wheat stands have chosen to make the remaining crop into wheat hay. Given the wheat glut that we currently have, this seems to be a good option.

If you are looking for winter cow hay, now is the time to stock up. The wheat hay combined with extra dryland grass hay has created an excess of good forage.

The current GDUs for April 15 – July 5, baseline 50 degrees F, for 2010 and 2009 are 737.0 and 681.5. In other words, this year has been 0.7 deg F hotter than the same time period last year. For corn growers who saw corn struggle to mature last year, this is welcome news. It helps make up for some of the delays that the hail has caused.

Albin news July 5, 2010

Albin news readers,

I apologize for last weeks lapse in Albin news. I wrote the news as usual, then forgot to attach it to the email I sent in to the Pine Bluffs Post. Efforts to reach me failed and that's about the sum of it. The Pine Pluffs Post suggested we print both weeks news this week.

Albin News 7/5/2010 (last week's news)

As the previous news writer, Norma Jean did a great job of calling and visiting with the folks around Albin to get the inside scoop on societal matters. I've tried to add important community news of this sort, but not to the extent that Norma Jean did. Since I'm a farmer/rancher, I run in different circles then Norma Jean and that effects what gets reported. The fact of the matter is, need a little help in this area. If you have news that normally would've gotten reported by Norma Jean, I hope you will be brave enough to call or email the new Albin news reporter with the scoop! Now for the news.

This week in Albin there were two funerals, two weddings, and now two births! The two funerals were for long time residents Maxine Boyce and Wilma Moore. Maxine's funeral was at the Albin Community Center and was well attended. It was officiated by Pastor Anderson and Pastor Blomberg. Anderson is Maxine's nephew from Kimball, NE.

Wilma Moore's service was held at the Albin Baptist church with Pastor Don Blomberg officiating. Donna Peters, Don Blomberg, Dean Anderson, and Duane Anderson sang a quartet with Nancy Blomberg on piano. Also, a hymn medley was played by Daniel Hyatt. Danial is the husband of Rebecca (Moore) Hyatt.

David and Mary Forrester's daughter Tiffany married Brian Erickson Saturday morning in Cheyenne. A reception was help at the Kiwanis community house in Lion's Park. Brian got a bachelor's degree in horticulture from the University of Wyoming and is currently working in Fort Collins, CO selling hydroponic equipment.

Val and Sherry Eklund's daughter Jenna married Josh Enabolden Saturday evening in La Porte, Colorado. The weather was perfect for an outdoor wedding. The reception was immediately after the wedding. Josh and Jenna plan to live in Kimball, NE where Josh hopes to start an insurance business. Jenna plans to continue teaching at Burns High School.

Dianne Lerwick, wife of Michael Lerwick, gave birth to healthy twins Tuesday, July 6 at the Cheyenne hospital. Anna Marie, and Kenneth Andrew were just over six pounds. They are the fourth and fifth children in Michael and Diane's family after Stewart, Justin and Hattie.

Finally, I need to correct myself from last week's column. Tim Malm is currently in the Craig Hospital in Denver, CO. Not the Memorial hospital in Craig, CO. Craig hospital is an award winning rehabilitation hospital that specializes in traumatic spinal cord and brain injury. Cards and letters may be sent to Tim at the following address:

Tim Malm

c/o Craig Hospital

3425 South Clarkson St

Englewood, CO 80113

Also, the best visiting hours are from 4-9 pm on week days. A good way to follow Tim's recovery is to go to this link: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=123687394337958&ref=ts. You can also search “Prayers for Tim Malm” in facebook. Cassady, Tim's sister, has been doing a great job of posting updates on Tim's condition.

In Ag news, the fourth of July was full of fireworks for area farmers. A long storm front coming from the West passed over and dumped about two inches of rain. The storm included significant amounts of thunder, lightning, and hail. For the third time this year, many of the county roads were washed out. Part of this is due to the abnormal amounts of moisture, and part of it is due to the amount of CRP that has been plowed up in the last two years. Rain water cannot percolate into plowed soil as fast as it can into an old grass stand. Between the flooding and the hail, more area crops were damaged or destroyed. If we can just get a few more of these storms to clean up the remaining crop, then we can rent a bus and all head up to the mountains for some fishing!

Many who have damaged wheat stands have chosen to make the remaining crop into wheat hay. Given the wheat glut that we currently have, this seems to be a good option.

If you are looking for winter cow hay, now is the time to stock up. The wheat hay combined with extra dryland grass hay has created an excess of good forage.

The current GDUs for April 15 – July 5, baseline 50 degrees F, for 2010 and 2009 are 737.0 and 681.5. In other words, this year has been 0.7 deg F hotter than the same time period last year. For corn growers who saw corn struggle to mature last year, this is welcome news. It helps make up for some of the delays that the hail has caused.

Albin news June 28, 2010

Albin News Readers,

Thank you to those who have taken the time to comment on this column. It's suprising to me who reads the Albin News. I'm glad to see there are a few of us who still like to read a newspaper! I've come to relish a fifteen minute break with a cup of coffee and a newspaper. It's a like a little vacation. This time of year the real vacations, at least for those in agriculture or road construction, are limited to the occasional Sunday afternoon. Speaking of vacations, I came within a half mile of getting the summer off this week. After watching the hail storms zinging by on every side, a small but deadly storm cell chewed it's way East along county road 14 in Banner County and through the North end of some of my fields. Many of the crops along county road 14 going east from the state line into Banner County were badly damaged if not completely destroyed. Even some of the more hail-resistant crops like alfalfa and corn were mowed down. Thank you Ann for adding some tips on how to handle hail on a garden!

In community news, two long-standing community members passed away this week. Wilma Moore died died Sunday evening at about 8:00 and Maxine Boyce died the next morning. These are two women who meant much to many and will be greatly missed. Maxine's funeral will be Thursday at 1:00 pm at the Albin Community Center. For details on Wilma's funeral you can contact Jon Moore at (307)246-3228 or the Albin Baptist Church at (307)-246-3254.

The Sorenson family had a family reunion at the Albin Community Center in honor of Jack and Naida Sorenson's 40^th wedding anniversary. In attendance were Grandma Doris Sorenson and children Jack, Mike, Sherree, and Kathy. Ron was busy driving truck with Larry but wife Judy was able to make it. Jack and Naida's three kids, Gina, Pam and Tyler attended. Pam and husband Shad Ballard brought their children Reagan, Riley and Britton. Sheree's daughter Jenny and husband Brian Sciciluna attended with their children Braylee and Trevor. Ray and Kathy attended along with children Travis, Cody and Lori. Travis and wife wife Natalie brought their children Karston and Braidee. Cody and wife Jaimie brought their child Brynlee. Lori brought her fiance Ty Trevillyan. Also in attendance was the Marv and Dana Mirich family. They had dinner at the community center in Albin, and enjoyed playing games and visiting.

Tim Malm has been transferred from the ICU at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center to the Memorial Hospital in Craig Colorado. The Memorial Hospital has a unit that specializes in rehabilitating patients with tramatic brain and spinal cord injuries. As of Monday evening, Tim was showing improvement in the level of response to different sensory stimuli but still had not regained full conciousness. It is still too soon to say what the eventual outcome will be. In the mean time, thank you again to those who have found a way to help out.

Now for some helpful and timely garden tips from our local Master Gardner Ann Sanchez...

Hail Damage and the Vegetable Garden

Each summer hail makes its unpleasant appearance around our area. For the gardeners that have adequate warning that hail is likely, keep a light weight plastic tarp handy and with a partner spread the tarp over the part of the garden that you want to protect. Anchor the tarp with rocks or landscape timbers. Don’t give up hope for the damaged parts of your garden. Most plants will usually regenerate. Trim any broken stems and continue to fertilize and water regularly.

Protecting Your Garden from Grasshoppers

Many experts are predicting a large population of grasshoppers this summer. Vegetable crops favored by grasshoppers are lettuce, carrots, beans, sweet corn, and onions. Natural ways to deter grasshoppers from your garden are to keep the grass and weeds trimmed around the garden area, add a bird bath to attract hungry birds, and allow the family’s chickens or ducks to free range in the garden. There is a trade off with poultry because of some of the damage they cause with their scratching and eating of young plants. Repellents generally are not effective in deterring grasshoppers. Protective covering such as cheesecloth or screen have been used with limited success.

Insecticides used to control grasshoppers in gardens include: nosema locustae which is a biological control; Sevin and Permethrin. Sevin is available in a spray, dust or bait.

I’ll be looking at my resident robin family with a whole new appreciation when I see them visiting my garden each day.

In Ag news, we've continued to have hot dry days with low humidity. It has been hay drying, wheat maturing weather and has the pivots making their slow circles. Wheat harvest is moving north at a rapid pace. By the time you read this, the latest Grain Stocks and Acreage reports will have been released by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Many are wondering if the wheat crop is indeed as large as all the predictions. In the Albin area, a promising winter wheat crop has been tempered by hail, stripe rust, and now grass hoppers. Much of the wheat in the area, even though it may have been sprayed with a fungicide, has lost its flag leaves to stripe rust. Since the wheat is now in the critical stage of filling the heads, this will certainly affect wheat yields. The only question is how much. It will be interesting to see how the 2010 crop predictions stack up against the actual harvest so far.

Many farmers are also putting up their first cutting of hay. One of the challenges with putting up high quality alfalfa and alfalfa mix hay is trying to bale the hay in the right “dew window.” For those of you not familiar with a dew window, it's a window of time that begins when the alfalfa leaves have just enough moisture to keep them from turning to powder and dropping out of the baler. The dew window ends when the hay gets to wet to bale. It's always a challenge for the baler man to know when to start baling and when to stop. Thus the time honored tradition of sleeping on a pickup seat and groggily staggering out every few hours to see if the conditions are right yet. If you're lucky, you'll wake up at the right time and get the job done before the hay is wringing wet. If you're unlucky (or just dog tired) you'll blunder out at 4 am to find the hay either bone dry or dew rolling off the truck hood.

I was recently conversing with my good friend Matt Durstine about the follies of dew windows. Matt commented that he hates putting up hay this time of year because he'll often spend all night checking the hay for a dew window that never comes. It got me thinking – there's got to be a better way to reliably put up that beautiful hay in the perfect dew window. I started digging into relative humidity, ambient air temperature, air pressure, and how it all related to putting up high quality hay. This is what I found out.

For several years now, Dad and I have been using online weather predictions to try to predict when the dew windows will occur. If you know the humidity of the air at a given temperature, you can find the dew point by looking it up in a table. Also, if the humidity is above 50%, you can use this equation to find the dew point within +/- one degree F. Dew point = Temp – (100 - humidity)/2.778. In other words, all you need to know is the temperature and humidity and you can quickly figure the dew point. Dad and I would just look it up online and would set our alarms for when the temp was predicted to be about 10 degree F above the dew point. Where this didn't work is if their was a sudden change in air pressure. Unfotunately, every time the temperature changes and the wind blows, the air pressure changes and so does the dew point. Also, once a breeze starts moving, pockets of fog or higher moisture air move into or out of an area pretty quickly.

Because of all these complicated factors, I decided that an actual humidity measurement at the hay field would be a nice compliment to the online predictions. I wondered if their was a simple device that would measure humidity at the hay field, and set off an alarm when the conditions are right. This would allow hay baler to sleep soundly without having to constantly keep checking the hay. Better yet would be a device that would call a phone so the hay baler could have the luxury of sleeping in a bed! Using Google, I found such a device in just a few minutes. You hay farmers can check it out at this link. http://www.omega.com/ppt/pptsc.asp?ref=OM-THA2

I hope this help. Happy haying!

Albin news June 21, 2010

Albin News Readers,

This is week five of writing the Albin news and I still seem to have rock-solid job security. I've been gone most of the week so haven't accumulated much news. Once again, I'll do my best again add a few things that hopefully are of interest to you. Thank you very much to those of you who took the time to call or email me. Please continue to do so and encourage others to do the same. Like I've said before – I ain't no Norma Jean!

In community news, the Albin Alumni banquet and Albin day are fast approaching. The alumni banquet will be held on the evening of Fri the 9^th of July. This is a nice event as is worth attending. As always, it is the Friday before Albin day and all alumni are invited. Invitations are being sent out to all of the alumni members with more details. Donna Peters is the Chair this year so specific questions may be directed to her. Pre-paid admission is $13/person and admission at the door will be $16/person. To pre-pay you may send your payment to Bill Rabou at 3101 Rd 160, Albin, WY 82050. If you have questions, call Bill at (307)246-3424. Checks can be made out to the Albin Alumni Association. The Albin Day parade starts Saturday mng at 9:30.

If you are an Albin alumni and haven't been receiving an invitation in the mail, it is probably because you need to update your mailing address in the database. To do this, email Joan Cole at Cole4Comm@aol.com or send her your address at 8210 Bobcat Road, Cheyenne, WY 82009.

On Thursday Richard and Louis Pearson along with Janet Johnson went to Greybull, WY to visit Brent , Becky, MaKaela, Jayce, and Payton Sorenson. They rolled on to Raiston, WY for Mule Days on Friday before returning home on Sunday.

In gardening news, Ann Sanchez and friend Jarrene Randall had this to share this week...

Some may remember that the late Dorothy Miller was a master gardener in our community. She and Grandma Chloe Miller grew huge gardens from which they shared the bounty with their friends, family and neighbors. The two of them were creative in finding ways to use homemade products to encourage healthier and  more productive plants. I thought of this recipe that they used to green up yellowed plants. Perhaps the Albin News readers may find this usefull.

PLANT FOOD

by Dorothy Miller

1 gallon of water

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon Creme of Tartar

1 teaspoon Epson Salt

1 teasppon Salt Petre

1/2 teaspoon household ammonia

Mix all ingredients in a gallon container and let set for 2 hours. Water plants with solution as usual. Repeat at 3 week intervals.

NOTE: You may purchase the Salt Petre at a Pharmacy.

In Ag news, we had another warm week with little moisture. With the exception of some millet, all spring crops have emerged and are off to the races. There have been spotty reports of hail and grasshopper damage but so far nothing significant. The May 15 – June 22 GDUs (base temp 50 deg F) for 2010 and 2009 are 450.5 and 364.5. That is 86 GDUs ahead of 2009 which is about where we were last week. At this rate the corn will be knee high well before the 4th of July. Also, after my doom and gloom price outlook for 2010 July wheat from last week, wheat has jumped $0.20/bu and is now $0.34/bu higher than corn at the Kimball elevator. Farmers are still being strongly encouraged to store their wheat on farm as shown by the -$1.50/bu basis at the FVC elevator in Pine Bluffs. As in 2009, the elevators won't be able to accept corn if they can't sell wheat between July and October.

Finally, Bette Lu Lerwick will be riding her bike in and around Albin this summer and wishes to give this safety announcement on behalf of all pedestrians and cyclists.

If you happen to see, and we hope you do before it's too late, a neon streak along the highway, it is Bette Lu Lerwick training for a two day bicycle ride along the rails to trails Mikkelson Trail in South Dakota. To keep things going on the trail, a couple of safety suggestion for the summer. It seems to be the rite of summer for all farmers/ranchers to critique and assess all living things as they drive along the highway. No crop, cow, goat or gal escapes their constant vigil. Since they pay taxes on both sides of the roadway, they seem to think it is OK to make full use of their tax dollars as they assess. Fortunately, there isn't a lot of traffic around here to interrupt that process, but keep an eye out for the summer outdoor exercise enthusiasts whether it be a walker, biker, or jogger. Now I know you farmers/ranchers think it quite useless to expend so much energy without accomplishing anything – you may think “if they want to walk, there's plenty of rye to be pulled, and if they want to lift weights, there's plenty of bales to be turned and loaded as well as fallen stacks to put back up!” As senseless as it may seem, we will still be out along the roadways walking, biking, or running.

Next, remember your butt is bigger than the brim of your hat. In other words, whatever you are pulling (horse trailer, implement, etc) is often wider than the vehicle you are driving. Please be aware of this as you are passing.

If you are the one walking, biking, or jogging, always wear clothing that is highly visible with reflective material if at all possible. Bikers are obligated to go with the flow of traffic, but joggers and walkers can go with or against. It is generally considered that walkers and joggers are safer going against the flow of traffic so they can see oncoming vehicles. Be defensive and keep to the side of the road. Thank you for your consideration and have a great summer!

Albin news June 14, 2010

Albin News Readers,

This week, there is ground shaking news. Seismic survey crews were in and around Albin all week stringing cable and black boxes in grid-like patterns. Since this is the biggest news to hit Albin in a long time, I wanted to dig into it a little further. As some of you know, we are sitting over a strata of minerals called the Niobrara oil shale formation. This is an oil-prone, mature-source rock formation that many have tried to tap for years using traditional vertical drilling. More recently, a Texas mineral exploration company called EOG drilled a more expensive horizontal well in Weld County, CO and reported 1,770 barrels/day of oil production. For perspective, the total 2009 oil production from the Golden Prairie oil field was just under 157,000 barrels or about 430 barrels/day average for the 13 producing vertical wells. As you can imagine, this new approach to drilling the Niobrara raised eyebrows and caused landmen to flood into the Laramie and Weld county offices to research who owns the once worthless mineral rights in this area. Many landowners including myself have been approached by mineral exploration companies trying to make a “play” for the minerals in this area. The game is to lease a large enough area at a low enough price that if there indeed are minerals in the area, the extraction companies can make a good profit mining them. At this point, I would guess most if not all of the area landowners have been approached by companies seeking to lease their mineral rights. If you are a land owner and haven't leased your mineral rights, I would suggest you find out if any of your friends or neighbors are in the same boat and try to put together a large block of land that can be shopped around to the myriad of profit hungry mineral companies in the area. It seems like the larger the block, the more attractive it will be to the potential buyers.

Because these companies need to research who actually owns the mineral rights, the Laramie County clerk's office has become a bottleneck. In the meantime, bigger companies have moved into the area and have purchased or traded with the smaller companies who have done all of the leg work. One company, Rex Energy Corp out of PA, just announced to its shareholders that it has leased or farmed-in 20,000 acres in Weld and Laramie County. They announced that they paid an average of $215/ac for these acres which made them “pleased to be able to provide our investors with exposure to this exciting new exploration play at minimal cost.” It sounds like they feel $4.3 million was a steal! If you leased your land out for less than this, don't be kicking yourself - just try to remember where you were a year ago and count your blessings. Devon Energy has also announced that it plans to make a play on the Wyoming side of the Niobrara formation.

Once companies have secured their mineral rights, they can start seismic testing to zero-in on their drilling location and applying for drilling permits.

A website containing lots of information about oil and gas permitting, drilling, and production is wogcc.state.wy.us. This website reports that as of June 14, 2010 there were 33 horizontal drilling permits in Laramie County and nine in Goshen County. I would expect to see seismic testing to continue in the area through the summer and fall. For the local businesses, this will mean a nice extra source of revenue. For those lucky enough to own mineral rights, there's no telling what will happen. It could be the early bird who gets the worm, or the second mouse that gets the cheese.

In community news, Tim Malm is still in the Cheyenne Regional Medical Center ICU. He is stable and breathing on his own, but hasn't regained full consciousness. Howard and Dixie Malm once again wish to extend their thanks for all the prayers, concerns, and acts of kindness.

A reminder from Mary Kay Romsa to the American Legion Auxiliary members of Albin: the Auxiliary will have a bake sale on Albin Day morning as usual. The bake sale will be held at the Fire Station and members are encouraged to have their baked goods there by 9 am if possible. There will be a meeting during the bake sale as well.

For many, there will be a new way to pass the long winter months next year. Pam Weaver is having a new 32' x 24' quilting studio built on her property in Albin. There is a lot of work to be done yet, but Pam hopes to have the shop completed and ready for use by January of 2011. Her vision is for people to bring their ideas and quilting projects to a place where the coffee is on and all are welcome. Pam has over ten years of quilting experience and had her own custom quilting service in Texas. She has done everything from making new quilts to restoring old quilts. The oldest quilt that she has restored was an antique quilt from the civil war era. She is currently retrofitting her Gammill Vision quilting machine with the latest quilting technology to enable her to perform a higher quality of work. Anyone interested in learning about a Gammill Vision machine can check out this link: www.gammill.com. You can also contact Pam at (307) 246-3457.

Many of you were probably unaware that we have a certified Master Gardner in our community. For you gardeners, Ann Sanchez has generously agreed to give a few gardening tips for the Albin news. Here's what Ann had to say this week...

After the wonderful rain, I’m looking forward to seeing my vegetable garden burst with new growth. I’m sure the weeds will be a part of the growth. Have you tried using a scuffle or stirrup hoe to cut small weeds off and loosen the top ½ inch of soil? This lighter weight hoe has double edged blades that cut on both a push and pull motion.

Do you anticipate having extra garden produce this summer? Pine Bluffs will be having a Farmers’ Market starting July 31^st and continuing through October 2^nd. It will be held at the south end of the City Park from 7:30 am to 11:00 am The cost for vendors will be $5 per market or $40 for the season. Contact Lisa Hancock 245-3905 for further information.

In Ag news, just when the wheat had headed out and began to fill, it got a much needed soaker. Many of the area farmers also noticed a heavy dose of rust moving into the wheat and invested in a fungicide application. With the local wheat price below $3.25/bu, it was a tough call to make. With the recent rain, it may be that the yield potential warrants the extra protection.

The University of Wyoming had a walk-through of their Albin-Pine Bluffs wheat trials this week. All of the wheat had rust on the flag leaves but some of the varieties that showed more resistance were Pronghorn, Good Streak, and Buckskin. I'll try to publish a more detailed report on this later.

The rain was also timely for the emerging sunflowers, beans, millet, and other recently planted crops. Unlike the other recent rain storms, it didn't come all at once with hail included. It was just a nice gentle two day rain.

Although the rain was very welcome, it also brought cooler temperatures. In keeping with last weeks subject of Growing Degree Units, the GDUs for May 15 through June 13 for 2009 and 2010 are 239.0 and 324.0 respectively. Apparently it was cold this time last year as well because last week we were 36.5 GDUs ahead of 2009 and this week we are 85 GDUs ahead. This is good news for all crops including pasture ground.

Now that I've pointed out what a great start we've had to our growing season, I had better explain why you may see the occasional farmer frown. There are two numbers that determine the majority of a farmer's income. The first is the yield and second is the price received for the commodity produced. While the former is looking promising, the latter isn't. It's the old supply and demand thing again. When farmers have a good year, it tends to bring the price down. The National Ag Statistics Survey's June 10 crop production report continued to confirm the large wheat crop that is nearing harvest. After record wheat prices in 2008 and very good growing conditions in 2009, the US had nearly 50% of its predicted 2010 consumption as carryover from 2009. The June 10 report had 2010 winter wheat acres down 7.8% from 2009 but average production/ac up 5.4%. All told, their current wheat production prediction is only about 3% lower than the over-production year we had last year. Some people are already saying that wheat produced this year will be so cheap that it will be used as livestock feed. In other words, there's so much of it that we humans can't eat it all! Normally, the price of wheat is at least $1.50/bu more than the corn. If you were to haul a load of wheat and a load of corn to the Kimball elevator today, you would only receive $0.14/bu more for the wheat! Now that's hard to smile about.