The Official Newspaper for Foster County
The Official Newspaper for Foster County
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Do you need to replant? That was one of the questions I asked ten youths who recently attended Junior Crop Scout School at the Carrington Research Extension Center (REC). The young men and women had just completed an exercise in which they were asked to determine plant populations in corn and soybean fields. Now, I was asking them to share their results. “We found 141,000 plants per acre in the soybean plot,” said one of the participants. “That’s good. There’s no need to replant.” Stand asses...
The old saying “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes and it will change” has been applied to many places, and it was certainly true in Foster County during the week of the fair. Temperatures reached 95 degrees as 4-H’ers gathered at the fairgrounds to enter their static exhibits on Tuesday. Wind gusts above 30 miles per hour added to the discomfort of the day. Thankfully, temperatures were much cooler when livestock began arriving the following morning. Mild temperatures continued th...
My African friend taught me a lesson last year about the proper way to water a garden. I was going down a row of green beans late one afternoon with a watering wand in hand. It was a hot day, and I thought the plants must be enjoying their shower. My friend came over and stopped me. “Don’t wet the leaves and blossoms,” he said. “Keep the wand low and near the surface of the soil.” I knew immediately that he was right. Wetting the foliage provides an opportunity for disease to get started....
Several of us were visiting about the weather last week, when the man next to me said, “The onion forecast predicts we’ll have a wet July.” Thinking that I hadn’t heard clearly, I asked the man to repeat the name of the forecast. “The onion forecast,” he said before spelling it out. “O-n-i-o-n.” The man then explained to me how he used an onion and salt on New Year’s Eve to forecast the weather of the following year. I put little stock in the man’s forecast method. What I do know is that temper...
Foster County gardeners have a great opportunity this summer to get rid of pesticide bottles and packets that are lining the shelves of our garages and garden sheds. Project Safe Send will be collecting unwanted pesticides free of charge in Carrington on Tuesday, July 11. Homeowners, farmers and ranchers are all eligible to participate in this program. Herbicides, insecticides, rodenticides and fungicides will be accepted. Project Safe Send will not accept fertilizer, paint or oil. Other means...
“How is seeding going?” I asked the farmer. “Not bad” was his reply. “We’re about done with the fields where conditions are good. But now, all the remaining fields are wet.” Too much water has been the major challenge facing Foster County farmers as they worked to get their crops into the fields this spring. After record-breaking snowfall this winter, the topsoil was drying out and it seemed that field work was about to begin. But then it rained. The Carrington REC received 2.6 inches betwee...
"Is this Ag Day?" a student asked as I passed down a hallway at the elementary school recently. I had a poster display slung over my shoulder and a tray of large plants in my hands. "Yes, we're here for Ag in the Gym," I replied. "I'll see you later this morning." Each spring NDSU Extension agents from Foster, Eddy, and Wells counties present Ag in the Gym to elementary students in Carrington, Harvey, Fessenden and New Rockford. The purpose of the program is to teach students the importance of...
The National Weather Service got it right in January when they forecast a cold, wet spring in our region. Daily temperatures in Carrington averaged 13 degrees below normal in March and April, including a streak of 58 consecutive days when we failed to reach our normal daily high. Total precipitation during the last two months was 50 percent above normal. If you are wondering what to expect during the next three months, long-range models aren’t indicating any clear trends. From now through July,...
Are you interested in gardening, but don’t have a suitable site? Do you already have a garden, but need additional space for corn, squash, melons or some other crop? If you answered yes to either of these questions, then perhaps you should consider reserving a plot in the Carrington Community Garden, located just east of the parking lot at Bethel Chapel. Twelve gardeners utilized the community garden plots last year, the first year that the plots were offered. The gardeners grew a variety of c...
"There was a blizzard in early May 1950," recalled my friend Melvin Schramm. "Nothing had been done in the fields when I arrived home on May 23 to help with planting." The Schramm farm was located near Cathay, N.D. Schramm told me that there was so much water in the fields after the blizzard that the townships dug out around the road culverts to increase drainage. Bridge planks were put down so that vehicles could cross the newly formed gaps in the road. "Of course, every vehicle was...
During a miserable stretch of weather several winters ago, I asked my friend Earl Hepworth if he thought spring would ever arrive. Ninety-three-year-old Earl looked at me and said, “Well, it always has.” My friend’s words encourage me that spring will come, even if it’s not as soon as I would like. But as temperatures warm, conditions are likely to remain challenging. Satellite images indicate that the snowpack in Foster County contains the equivalent of three inches of liquid water. As the sno...
I enjoyed looking through my favorite seed catalogue last month, making a list of vegetable varieties that sounded promising. After comparing my list to NDSU’s publication “Vegetable Cultivars for North Dakota 2023,” I made my final selections and then placed my online order. The shipment of seeds arrived five days later. Wouldn’t you know, it was the coldest day of the month. It was eight degrees below zero when I arrived home after work, and the box of seeds had been sitting outside all aft...
“We’ve nothing in Iowa that compares with your Research Extension Center (REC),” said my new acquaintance. “I was amazed by what I saw last summer.” This conversation took place several weeks ago, while I was attending the annual conference of Practical Farmers of Iowa. On the final day of the conference, I introduced myself to a group of people at a round-table discussion about haskaps, a blueberry-like fruit that is attracting interest from an increasing number of fruit growers on the Great...
It seems that just yesterday we turned over our calendars and began the new year. Now Valentine’s Day is upon us, and our thoughts turn to cards, chocolate and of course, flowers. Last year, 22 percent of American’s bought fresh flowers or plants as gifts on Valentine’s Day. Red roses were the most popular choice, followed by pink roses and then white ones. Although roses are the traditional flower to give at Valentine’s Day, there are other good options which will surely please any recipient. M...
More than a month has passed since bad weather forced many of us to adjust our plans to celebrate Christmas. The snow piles that surround us are a daily reminder of the challenging conditions that we experienced in December. Foster County experienced its snowiest December in 128 years, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information. A volunteer weather observer near Cathay reported a total of 41 inches of snow during the month. The weather was cold too – the twenty-seventh c...
My mother-in-law moved into assisted living about ten years ago. The move required significant downsizing. That’s never an easy task. So many memories are associated with certain pieces of furniture and other household items. We want to keep those things in the family. The question is who will get them. My wife, Melissa, and her three siblings discussed the situation in advance. They decided that the oldest among them would get first choice and could choose one item. The second oldest would choo...
I asked friends at the Carrington Senior Citizen Center if they had ever experienced a four-day-long snowstorm like the one we had Dec. 13 – 16. “Yes,” one person answered, “but never this time of year. Our worst storms have always been in the spring.” That started a conversation about the March blizzard of 1966. “That was way worse than this past storm,” said one man. “Many cattle died in 1966. Their noses and mouths were covered with snow and ice. They couldn’t breathe.” Our recent storm ma...
Last summer I worked with several Extension staff to offer a program called “Junior Beef Producer” to teenagers interested in the livestock industry. The day-long program provided young cattle enthusiasts with opportunities to learn about beef nutrition, reproduction, herd evaluation and manure management. The feedback at the end of the program was positive. “I wish it [the program] was longer,” commented one participant. We’re offering another opportunity for young people (ages 13 to 18) to le...
“You gave this to me one Christmas,” said my mom, pointing toward a terra cotta flower pot wrapped in woven wicker. “Do you remember?” she asked. More than 40 years have passed, but yes, I still remember seeing the pot on the store shelf, knowing immediately that my mom would like it. Buying a gift for her has never been difficult. She’s an avid gardener and houseplant enthusiast. So any gift related to those interests is sure to be well received. As Christmas approaches many of us are in se...
The onlookers held their breath and watched as the marble spiraled toward the opening at the bottom of the funnel. It was the first step in a chain-reaction machine built by five Foster County 4-H’ers last winter and spring. The assignment was to build an overly complicated machine that would water a plant. The 4-H’ers showcased their creative solution as part of the Engineering Design Challenge at the state fair in July. We watched as the marble finally dropped through the bottom of the fun...
Combines were moving through the fields of Foster County throughout October and into early November. Soybeans were harvested first, and then the attention turned to corn. Some farmers had to wait for the grain moisture content of their corn to come down. For the most part, however, this fall’s work seemed to go fairly smoothly. Yields varied significantly across the county. Some fields received rain in August that other fields did not get. Soil type also significantly affected harvest r...
Perhaps you saw the announcement that NDSU Extension will offer the Master Gardener Program again this winter. If the possibility of becoming a certified Master Gardener interests you, don’t wait any longer to sign-up. The application deadline is this Tuesday, Oct. 25. Applicants must complete two steps to become a certified Master Gardener. The first step is to complete a 40-hour training course online. The training covers a wide variety of topics related to lawns, gardens and to a lesser e...
This summer (June – August) was the 14th driest on record in Foster County, and the dry weather has continued into fall. The NDAWN stations near Carrington and McHenry received 0.6 and 0.7 inches of rain, respectively, during September. That’s about 35 percent of normal. About half the state, including Foster County, is currently classified as an area of “moderate drought” by the U.S. Drought Monitor. The 30-day outlook indicates that we can expect warmer than normal temperatures during October...
Our trees and shrubs need some care as winter approaches. If conditions remain dry, then it’s recommended to thoroughly water evergreens before the ground freezes. By filling the needles with water, we can protect them from wind. Now is also the time to reinstall white tree guards around the trunks of young trees. The guards will prevent cracking and protect against wildlife. Linden, mountain ash, maple and fruit trees are especially sensitive and should be protected for at least five w...
Highly productive. Disease resistant. Cold tolerant. This may sound like a description of a new corn variety, but it’s not. It’s actually a list of desirable traits that Jamestown resident Megan Mahoney hopes to see among our nation’s honey bees. To achieve her goal, Mahoney is using advanced techniques to produce high quality and genetically consistent queen bees that will be sold to commercial producers. That’s important for us who live in our nation’s number one honey-producing state. In...
