The Official Newspaper for Foster County
The Official Newspaper for Foster County
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 coldest December on record.
Temperatures did not rise above zero for seven consecutive days. We had three consecutive nights during that stretch when lows dropped to minus 25 degrees or colder.
January has been a lot better. Now, we’re waiting to see what February will bring.
The National Weather Service’s 30-day forecast suggests we should expect below normal temperatures in February and above average precipitation.
The average high temperature in Carrington on Feb. 1 is 20 degrees. The average low is minus one.
We typically receive 0.4 inches of precipitation in February, which is equivalent to four to five inches of snow.
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The Foster County Ag. Improvement Association will have their annual meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at the Carrington REC. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m.
Jory Hansen of Lighthouse Commodities will be the main speaker at the meeting. Mike Ostlie will provide an update from the Carrington REC
An election will be held during the meeting to select the Foster County representative to the North Dakota Dry Pea and Lentil Council.
Any person who qualifies as a participating producer can vote and be a candidate.
Foster County’s representatives to the grain commodity organizations will provide brief reports during the Ag. Improvement meeting.
Current representatives to the commodity boards are Jeremiah Blahna, North Dakota Soybean Council; Tysen Rosenau, North Dakota Corn Utilization Council; Lee Greger, North Dakota Wheat Commission; Jeff Edland, North Dakota Barley Council; Kevin Wolsky, North Dakota Dry Pea and Lentil Council; and Caylor Rosenau, North Dakota Canola Board.
Foster County currently has no representative on the North Dakota Oilseed (sunflower) Board.
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Private applicator pesticide training will be offered on two dates in Foster County this spring.
The first training will begin at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 13. The second training will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 24.
Both trainings will be held at the Carrington REC.
The goal of the three-and-a-half-hour training is to provide educational information about the safe and effective use of pesticides.
Participants will learn about the importance of following pesticide labels, changes in pesticide regulations in North Dakota and new tools that are useful for handling pesticides.
Producers who complete the training will maintain their certification to purchase and use restricted-use pesticides.
Notifications will be mailed to producers who need to recertify this year.
If you have any questions about the recertification process, please contact us in the Extension office (652-2581.)
