Chuck's Chat - Welcome to July 2023!

Spotty rains, scattered showers, and a pop-up thunderstorm or two seem to have been the only occasional recent precipitation here along the Northern Sycamore Urban Boundary. The pasture grass is still green, but gonna be fading fast with the recent heatwave. Wheat harvest is all but done, double crop beans are going in, fescue hay production is pretty much finished, and prairie hay harvest will begin soon. We’ve had a pretty good window to get a lot of agricultural endeavors completed. We need some moisture soon for the corn development, the bean germination and initial growth, and to aid the pastures as well. We need a good ol’ fashioned toad strangler to come through and put some fresh water in the ponds and the creeks. Even the area rivers need a good flushing.

The full Moon in July is called the Buck Moon because the antlers of male deer (bucks) are currently in full-growth mode. Bucks shed and regrow their antlers each year, producing a larger and more impressive set as the years go by. July’s full moon rises after sunset on Monday the 3rd. This is also a supermoon that will appear bigger and brighter than average.

In an effort to reduce accidents by developing "safety-minded" youth, Kansas Farm Bureau has sponsored a Safety Poster Program since 1950. Each year, youth in grades 1 through 6 participate statewide. Posters are judged at the county level with the first place poster from each of the three divisions submitted for judging at the state level.

Congratulations

to Norah Donnelly of Montgomery County, who recently was awarded second place in the contest in the 1st and 2nd grade division.

July typically means fair time is approaching soon. Montgomery County is home to three fairs, with the first two this month. The Cherryvale Youth Fair begins on the 12th and runs through the 15th in Cherryvale’s Logan Park. Montgomery County Farm Bureau representatives will be sponsoring and serving the exhibiters meal beginning at 7pm on the 12th. The Montgomery County 4-H Fair begins with the King and Queen coronation and style review at 7pm at the Wesley Center in Independence. The fair begins at Riverside Park the evening of the 27th and concludes with the annual livestock premium auction at 7pm on the 31st. Montgomery County Farm Bureau board members, as well as devoted staff from the Anna Lawless and Brandon Dahna Farm Bureau Financial Services agencies, will be serving up freezer pops on the 28th beginning at 5:30pm. The annual kiddie pedal tractor pull will be held on Sunday the 30th at 3pm. Kids must wear closed toed shoes! Take a moment to go see the numerous projects tomorrow’s leaders will have on display.

There will be a corn and soybean field tour about controlling weeds and disease at the Parsons Research Center on July 19 from 8am to 11:30am. Call 620-724-8233 to register.

As you commemorate our nation’s independence, please be careful. And above all, maybe take a moment to reflect on why we actually get to celebrate. Be safe out there.

Pray for rain.

Until next month,

Chuck Voelker