Ramsey County Ag Column

By Bill Hodous

March 24, 2008

Howdy!!!

Spring is springing all around the county.  Robins are chirping, crows are showing themselves, newborn calves are showing up, geese are making their way back to the northern artic circle for their production of new goslings and most of all our snow is gradually disappearing.  With all of this being said, preparing our equipment for the spring ritual of field work; we need to take every precaution in getting our equipment ready.  We very often get in such a hurry we do not think about that cultivator that is in the air and we are underneath it or that grain bin that is holding our seed and is not flowing to the auger so get in the bin to dislodge that spot and have us trapped.  Another good one is we are busy calving and leave our tractor running in the field to check a cow with birthing problems.  We come back to find out our young child had crawled up in the tractor and started playing with levers.  We always say it will never happen to us but some dumb accident does happen more than we like to admit.  I had a very good friend that lost his 18 year old daughter in an anhydrous accident.  A company pickup was pulling two tanks and crossed an intersection heading either east or west; the young lady was traveling north and hit the two tanks in the middle.  I do not know who was in the wrong but in both cases people were busy thinking of the things they needed to get done for the day and were not paying attention to the little thing of driving.  A loved one was lost and will never be returned in body.

Last week we held a marketing meeting in Edmore for two reasons: one is to set the stage in the formation of a marketing club and secondly to talk about local and worldly marketing humps and valleys.  It is very unfortunate that someone seems to need a failure for some one else to flourish.  Such is the case in commodity marketing.  Shortages somewhere create those marketing opportunities.  There are so many different strategies involved in marketing that we can not get enough information.  The group that met in Edmore decided to form a marketing club.  They will meet April 11^th, 7:30 am at the Farmers Union Insurance building.  If you are interested in being part of this group please be present to learn more and get the club formed.  We have 12 producers that have shown interest to form this club. 

524 4th Ave #5, 2nd Floor Ramsey County Courthouse
Devils Lake  ND  58301
701-662-7027
email - ramsey@ndsuext.nodak.edu