Ramsey County

January 21, 2008

Howdy!!!! 

We did have some very nice weather but this last cold spell sure ruined the nice weather we did have.  It is funny how one memory lasting bad thing can take for any fun or good times.  Well no matter the case we live in North Dakota and do expect weather like we are having more the norm.  Just the other night we were visiting with our youngest son and fiancé about wedding plans and thought entered about having groom supper at the lake.  I know it is not difficult to think about water this time of year but then we do live again in North Dakota.  It is hard to imagine that our last family wedding will take place in July and leave mom and dad complete empty nesters.  As I write this column our youngest son and fiancée Missy are on their way to Germany for a short vacation and meet up with some good friends of theirs.  The cost of the plane ride is not bad but rumors I am hearing sounds like fuel is starting to play a major role in plane tickets.  I know input costs for producers are really on the rise and the story is fuel is a major player in the input costs.  One rumor I have heard was Anhydrous is 100 higher just in transportation charges alone.

One last comment before heading into another subject matter; what about these food prices.  We picked up a 50 pound bag of flower for my mother-in-law last week and from a month to the date that bag of bread flower went from $11 to just about $19.  This is to only mention one as other foods have also gone up like milk.  I am a little worried about a 1970’s -1980’s turmoil happening all over again.  If we would get a world weather problem we may or may not have this happen and particularly if we would have a sub par crop production in our area, with input costs like they are, we could have a real wreck here.  Let’s hope that does not happen.   

I attended Lake Region livestock a week ago last Tuesday and even with lower calf prices things still look pretty decent for good quality cattle.  It is hard to figure how some spring calves will weigh 800 plus and yet others in the lower 500’s.  I know pasture conditions can play a large role in this difference and so does creep feed but when the dust settles quality breeding animals play a significant role in the weight difference.  I should also mention that birth dates, I would guess, are significantly different.  Each and every spring I talk to cattle producers that are bull shopping and can’t wait to buy a bull, from a specific herd, but the problem being they usually end up with bulls from the bottom of the sale thinking that these bulls are probably still better than other producer bulls.  Just about without fail bottom bulls produce calves that do not do as good as better bulls.  I am not suggesting buying the top bull in any given sale but if you do a good job of shopping you can find really good bulls at a bargain price and a good bull can easily add an additional 50-100 pounds to your calf crop. 

IMPROVING YOUR APPEARANCE OF YOUR HOME

Even though we are still in the depths of winter, it's time to start thinking about improving the appearance of your home with trees and shrubs. Good landscaping is important for new homes without any plants, as well as for older homes with overgrown or unattractive trees and shrubs.     

There's always a need for planning your landscape on paper before rushing out to buy the trees and shrubs. Remember it's much easier to move a tree on paper than after it has been planted.

All you need to draw a basic plan is a pencil, a sheet of paper and a ruler. An ordinary sheet of typing paper is large enough for a city lot if you use a scale of one inch equal to 16 feet. If you have a larger lot, tape two sheets of paper together. After laying out the lot or establishing the boundaries, locate the house, sidewalks and other yard features according to the scale.  After putting all the existing objects on your landscape plan, it's time to consider what plants to put in and where to locate them. Where to get help? You can visit your local nurseryman and discuss your plan with him or you can call your county extension office for help. You can help yourself by driving around your community to see what other people have used in the landscape.

Calendar!!!

                        February 19                 Ramsey County Crop Improvement annual meeting
                        March     4                   Ramsey County Shooting Sports (Archery)
                        March    17                  Private Pesticide, Starkweather 9-am
                        March    26                  Private Pesticide, Devils Lake 9-am
                        March    26                  Private Pesticide, Devils Lake 6- pm

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

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