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 27th of July and this year, I saw the first tassels on the 19th 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 26th. 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.
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