Farm News:
 Pioneer Deeply Embedded in Hanson Family of Bethesda, Iowa
John Hanson of Bethesda, Iowa may have studied the pioneers in history class at Stanton school but there's another Pioneer that he's been studying and working with most of his young life. Pioneer Hi-Bred International. John, whose wife, Jill, also works with Pioneer, got his start with the company basically as a child because his dad, Delaine, has been with Pioneer selling seed since the early 1980's. His mother, Evie, has also been instrumental in keeping the business rolling over the years. John and Jill have two children, Emma and Sydney. When John's not working the Pioneer business and farming the family ground with his dad, he's also EMS captain on the Stanton Fire Department. A Pioneer Hi-Bred service area became available a couple of years ago in Page County and John seized the opportunity, selling corn and soybean seed to farmers from his location 5 miles southwest of Clarinda. John also works with Precision Planting, offering seed metering, planter monitors and row shut-offs as well as providing crop insurance to interested producers as well. In other words, work ethic is not an issue with John Hanson. It's something he welcomes and embraces every day. If you'd like to talk with John, give him a call at 712-542-8736.
 How "Sweet" it is for Phil McMartin of Oakland, Iowa
If you love sweet corn you'd love hanging around Phil McMartin of Oakland, Iowa. Phil, along with his wife, Marcy and daughter, Jessica, tend the McMartin Sweet Corn Patch, a labor of love (with an emphasis on labor!) Phil has been working for the last six years or so. Phil, who cash rents his two farms in the Oakland area, has agriculture roots that date back to the 1870's in Pottawattamie County. Marcy (Pontow) McMartin works as a hair stylist in Council Bluffs and is originally from Malvern, Iowa. Phil originally started selling his corn just off Highway Six but found folks are much more willing to slow down and stop right in Oakland, so he's now thankful the people in the Farm Bureau building are willing to let him set up shop in their parking lot adjacent to Highway 59. He plants around one acre of sweet corn every year. With the adverse weather of 2010 Phil is hoping to get at least 2/3rds the size of the abundant crop he enjoyed last year. Phil also enjoys fixing up John Deere lawn tractors and is a ham radio enthusiast as well. So in the next week or so you may see Phil and his good helper, retired Oakland football coach, Marv Thompson, selling delicious white and yellow sweet corn in Oakland. Make sure to wave or better yet stop on by. Just don't forget the salt and butter!
 Saluting our Veterans/Farmers Like Dave Rose of New Market, Iowa
There are many farmers in KMAland who can work on tractors but not too many who can say they've repaired Chinook helicopters. So as we continue to salute our Veterans in anticipation of Independence Day July 4th, we salute Dave Rose, a farmer who also served our country in the Vietnam war. Dave grew up on a farm north of Hamburg, Iowa and worked as a sheet metal repair specialist in the conflict, where he endured and survived involvement it two Tet Offensive military campaigns in Vietnam. His dad, Carl, is still home at the Fremont County farm and going strong at 93! Dave's married to Linda, who grew up in the Clarinda area. Linda has worked at Clarinda Coop for over 35 years. The couple has two children, Melissa and Michael, and five grandchildren. Upon returning from overseas, Dave worked at Eaton Transmission plant in Shenandoah for 30 years. Retiring 8 years ago, Dave and Linda bought a farm near New Market, Iowa and Dave took up one of his other passions from his childhood, farming. Dave says his crops are looking good this year, including many acres devoted to alfalfa production. He particularly enjoys his vintage tractors, like his John Deere 4020 (in photo), Farmall Super M and John Deere A. Dave also has been a devoted hunter safety instructor for many years. So the next time you see Dave Rose, you can thank him for many things, not the least of which is our deep gratitude to him and those like him for serving our country, ensuring that our freedom will continue to endure for generations to come.
 Heart Attack Doesn't Slow Down Bill Braymen
Bill Braymen may have suffered a heart attack in 1996, but he doesn't let that slow him down one bit. With dedication to cardiac rehab three times a week from the good people at the Shenandoah Medical Center, Bill's doing just fine. As a matter of fact the 76-year old 1951 Shenandoah grad is still farming full-time four miles northwest of Coin, Iowa where he and his wife, Shirley make their home. Bill and Shirley have three sons, nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Shirley (Armstrong) Braymen is a 1953 graduate of Coin High School. She enjoys bird watching and gardening. Bill served in the Navy in the mid-fifties and began farming in 1958 with a 1952 H Farmall, a tractor he still owns today and enjoys driving in various parades in KMAland. Bill's rolling hills farm is enjoying a good crop year with abundant rain and now, plenty of sunshine as well. He also has some hay ground and on top of that, still raises Black Angus and Black Brangus cattle. So if you're looking for inspiration from a heart attack survivor to keep going, keep working and keep enjoying life with his great family and beautiful farm, look no further than Bill Braymen of rural Coin, Iowa.
 Whighams Turn Page as Last Grandchild Graduates from High School
Bob Whigham may wonder what he's going to do now that his last grandchild has graduated from high school but chances are his wife, Janet, will find plenty for him to do! Bob and Janet grew up in the College Springs area of Page County, Iowa. They raised four children, Gary, Greg, Phillip and Linda, have seven grandchildren and one great grandchild. One of those kids, Greg, makes his home in Red Oak, Iowa and his four boys have attended Stanton school over the years, including standout student/athlete, Alex, who graduated in May. Alex plans on attending Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, Nebraska where he'll major in physics and play football. Bob and Janet also spend plenty of time in Nebraska City playing with their great-grandson, Asher. Bob is pleased with those who are farming his Page County land, Ted and Mike York along with Terry Carlson. He's also pleased overall with the way his crops look this year, getting plenty of beneficial rains on his rolling hills land and now abundant sunshine to go along with it. As for things to do, something tells us Bob and Janet will get to know highway 2 even better than they do now once Alex suits up for the Prairie Wolves of Nebraska Wesleyan this fall!
 New Balance Commodities Finds Great Business Niche in SW Iowa
Now that ethanol plants are firmly established in Southwest Iowa, New Balance Commodities of Nodaway, Iowa finds itself now firmly established as well as a leader in the distribution of grain co-products to the Midwest. Established in 2006, New Balance Commodities is a custom blending facility, offering nutritionally balanced rations and custom rations to fit specific livestock needs. They blend ground corncobs, soyhull pellets, gluten pellets, dry distillers grains, rolled corn, cottonseed hull pellets, glycerin, condensed corn soluble (syrup) along with other products available upon request. Rob Tucker, (middle in photo) the General Manager, along with fellow employees like Blane Sunderman, (left in photo) and Clint Means (right in photo) are working hard to ensure the young and prosperous business provides for the needs of the customer well into the future; recently they've upgraded their facilities with new blending facilities which includes a new belt system and more overall storage capacity. New faces to New Balance Commodities' sales force include Brady Smith and Shane Irving. For more information on New Balance Commodities of Nodaway, Iowa call Rob at 712-785-3766 or learn more at www.newbalancecommodities.com.
 Celebrating June Dairy Month at Jardon Dairy near Randolph, Iowa
Carl, Joe and Frank Jardon of rural Randolph, Iowa are still getting after it in the Dairy Industry, still operating a successful dairy operation which was started by their father, Bob, way back in 1943. It gets done via a lot of hard work and dedication, milking around 60 head of Holstein cows twice a day; around 4am and 4pm. As we celebrate June Dairy Month, we salute people like Frank, (right in photo) Joe (not pictured) and Carl (left in photo) who provide quality dairy products to a grateful public each day, albeit not without sacrifice and challenges. Carl says the biggest drawback of dairy production these days is the price of milk, which over the last couple of years at times has put the Jardons in a break-even financial situation. He's grateful they're able to raise much of their own feed, which helps minimize input costs to a certain degree. Joe recently has been sidelined by hip surgery, so Frank and Carl are picking up the slack, much like Joe did when Frank had hip surgery last fall. It's definitely a team effort for the Jardons, which provides some flexibility when one brother has some physical challenges, needs to attend a special event or even go on vacation. Our thanks to the Jardons and those like them for providing a quality dairy product every day, 365 days a year as we continue to celebrate our dairy farmers via June Dairy Month.
 From La-Z-Boys to John Deere "B's" Richardson Loves Them All
Steve Richardson is a man of many loves. He loves his family, especially his mother, Dorothy. Steve has been working with Dorothy at J&R Furniture & Carpet in Shenandoah, Iowa for many years, a family business that dates back to 1953. He also loves farming. He works around 600 acres of row crop just east of Shenandoah. The crops are looking great and Steve feels blessed to be able to farm all his ground within a few minutes of where he lives in Page County. He also has a love for God and music, as for the last 13 years Steve has been the main organist at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Shenandoah, an instrument he didn't even take up until he was 27 years old! He also loves old tractors, so it makes sense he was one of the original group that started the Tarkio Valley Antique Tractor Association around 10 years ago, an organization dedicated to folks who love any color of old tractor in any condition. You don't even have to own an old tractor to be a member, you just have to love them and enjoy the company of others with similar old iron interests. Speaking of fun, Steve invites everyone to the Spring Tractor Drive, which takes place June 12th departing from New Market, then off to Villisca for lunch at D& D restaurant and back to New Market at 4:00PM. So as you can see, Steve Richardson enjoys many things in life, an individual who truly appreciates the many blessings he receives every day. For more information on the Tarkio Valley Antique Tractor Association, call 712-246-4561.
 Mincer Orchard the Apple of Marty's Eye for Many Years
When C.E. Mincer started his orchard business in the beautiful Loess Hills of Fremont County in 1914 little did he know that his own grandson, Marty, would be carrying on the tradition of the Mincer Orchard heritage right into the 21st century. Surrounded by the timeless serenity of Waubonsie State Park, today Mincer Orchard is proud to offer (when in season) 37 varieties of apples to the general public via their retail center located just off highway 2. Marty and his staff also produce home made cider in one of the finest cider-making facilities in southwest Iowa. The cider operation continues a 46-year history of offering fresh apple juice to Marty's customers. Marty carries on the family tradition handed down to him from his parents Edna and the late Ed Mincer. When in season they also offer home grown peaches, squash, pumpkins, melons and PYO strawberries. When he's not tending to his crops, Marty is also a world renowned ragtime piano player and manages to have some time to do some trucking on the side as well. For more information about Mincer Orchard of Fremont County, Iowa, go to www.ragpiano.com or call 712-382-1014.
FARM NEWS:
CHICAGO (AP) _ Grains futures advanced Thursday on the Chicago Board of Trade.
Wheat for September delivery jumped 12 cents to $6.275 a bushel, while September corn added 3 cents to $3.7925 a bushel and oats for September delivery rose 4.5 cents to $2.615 a bushel. November soybeans climbed 10 cents to $9.88 a bushel.
Meanwhile, beef futures fell and pork futures traded higher on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
October live cattle lost 0.73 cent to 93.47 cents a pound; August feeder cattle fell 0.8 cent to $1.1372 a pound; October lean hogs gained 1.12 cents to 78.07 cents a pound; and August pork bellies edged up 0.75 cent to $1.035 a pound.
COMMUNITY EVENTS:
Page County Farm Service Agency is starting a "People's Garden" project. The goal is to grow healthy food, people and communities. If you would like to be involved, please contact Chris Irvin, Page County FSA Office at (712) 542-5137.
The Iowa State University Extension will have a Farm Leasing Arrangements meeting on Thursday, July 29th between 10 am and Noon at the Fremont County Extension Office in Sidney. For more information or to register, please call 712-374-2351.
The Iowa State University Extension will have a Farm Leasing Arrangements meeting on Friday, July 30th between 10 am and Noon at the Harrison County Extension Office in Logan. For more information or to register, please call 712-644-2105.
Farmers, ranchers and other agricultural producers are reminded that they may nominate eligible candidates to serve on local Farm Service Agency county committees until Monday, August 2nd. All nomination forms for the 2010 election must be postmarked or received in the local USDA Service Center by close of business on Aug. 2, 2010. Go on-line fsa.usda.gov/elections.com for forms.
A General CRP Sign-Up will begin on August 2nd and end August 27th. To offer land for General Sign-Up 39, producers should contact their local FSA office.
Soil testing is done by private and state labs. Instructions for submitting soil samples to the IA State University Soil and Plant Analysis Lab can be found at www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/ST11.pdf. You may also contact the Cass Co Ext. Office for soil testing bags and info at 712.243.1132.
For gardening questions send e-mail to hortline@iastate.edu.
Shenandoah Chamber & Industry Association Ag Committee is collecting donations for a Shenandoah sponsored Livestock Sign that displays champion and reserve champions at the Page County Fair. For more information, please call the chamber at 712-246-3455.
County Soil and Water Conservation Districts wants to remind all landowners that they can sign up for state cost share funds at any time of the year.
Dollars are available to assist with care of your well. The DNR provides these funds to assist with well testing, closure, & reconstruction. Water test kits and applications are available at your County Public Health Offices.
© Associated Press and KMA Radio. For individual information purposes only.
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