20 August Wetlands ImprovementsThe last couple of weeks the Midwest has seen several 100 plus degree days. We took advantage of this opportunity to groom the new wade-in area that was developed last summer in Henry B. The brush piles and remaining debris were pushed out of both the north and south lake beds. Long term we plan to disc and plant food plots each year, which should greatly enhance the hunting. Millet was planted Saturday, but most likely it's too late to establish a good stand unless we get some rain real soon.
A view from the southeast corner facing northwest. A two year project that could not have been completed without good help and a lot of hard work of which we had both.
A view from the northeast corner facing west.
Mike, our dozer man since 1982
A view from the north facing south. We're looking forward to (after the bull dozer smooths things out) disking the field and planting a crop for the ducks. The field was farmed on a regular basis by the same family from the 1940's to the 1970's when Truman Lake was established. The back water from Truman Lake washed out the area and floodwater slowly created a bog that was impassible by machinery to farm.
A view from the northwest corner facing east. It's amazing to see how mother nature is capable of changing the environment given time.
Kansas CRP - Pheasant & DroughtKansas regions that have 95% of our tall grass pheasant hunting as of August is not heading to a CRP forage release. Plan on a good season.
Under USDA regulations it requires a D4 drought rating to allow CRP release for forage grazing or harvest. Even if Kansas were not to get any rain from now through the season start a D4 rating will be hard to come by and justify a drought release. Several conditions affect this assumption.
Beyond having good rains this year we have a local multi state area abundance of forage. One illustrative example is that small square bales of "good" rated alfalfa that sold for $6.50 last year are bringing as low as $4.00 this year for third cuttings (typically considered better quality than first cutting). Another example is that last year's very good hay prices motivated an above average number of forage acres being harvested, baled and advertised for sale this year. Small round bales commonly called 5x5's running around 900 pounds sold earlier for $35-55/bale are now standing unsold in fields.
At this point in the year, August, the average pasture has run its course and any fall rains that do come in time to rejuvenate cool season pastures have always been considered a bonus. The amount of current baled hay for sale has essentially flooded the market. Tall grass has peaked out and headed well along the way to seed. There is not much that can go wrong at this point baring government intervention to assist drought states outside of our region.
Other Impacts Cool season grass (goes dormant during summer heat) harvest ended for the most part in June. Any late July cuttings were due to farmer time schedules. Second to the year fall cool season grass harvest is only on the very best years as the most common cool season grass, brome, needs 6 inches of height to store sufficient dormant season energy to withstand the winter and make a good stand the subsequent spring. All of us have seen winter brome fields cut shorter than 6 inches and those have been cut that short have typically been by tenant farmers not concerned with long term stand quality. This was a good brome spring/summer with higher than average tonnage per acre and efficient farmers had two cuttings where one is average.
Warm season grasses, mostly the tall grasses we enjoy for pheasant hunting, rely on deep soil moisture more than surface soil moisture during their summer growth. Summer rains have far less impact on tall grass growth than spring deep soil moisture, which we had much of this year. Tall grass has deep running roots that grown down 6 to 9 feet. The local height of the Tall Bluestem on John Wenzel's farm in northeast Kansas is generally 6 feet tall on clay soil ridges (no small point on soil quality and location). Tall grass is not a quality forage and is a forage of last resort as it does not have the nutritional value and consequently dollar value to have any producer profit margin except on the most sever hay shortage years. Those that feed cattle tall grass seek only to maintain their herd and not develop market weight.
The Other SideThe Center for Consumer Freedom, promoting personal responsibility and protecting consumer choice, August 17, 2007. PETA Pals' “Report Cards” Fool (Almost) Everyone. "...This week the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) released its annual “School Lunch Report Cards,” which grade school lunch programs based on how closely they align with vegan dictates. Why vegan? Because -- as we’ve detailed before -- PCRM is a thinly disguised animal rights group with close ties to the radical People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Despite the name, less than 4 percent of PCRM’s members are actual physicians..."
Liberals agree about HSUS, PETA and other animal rights groups: "...A lobbyist who speaks on behalf of food companies agrees with grassroots animal activist groups. They both recognize that organizations like PETA and Humans Society of the United States are corrupt, dangerous and greedy money-making schemes..." The Film Chair, Movie Review, Your Mommy Kills Animals, August 18, 2007.
|
|
|
|
