POSTAL CUSTOMER
PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit #36 OMAHA, NE
November 27, 2014 Volume 18 Issue 22
Ag, Water Leader Mercer Learned About Crops, Cattle, Conservation From the Ground Up
Check out our Agstuff Classifieds Pages B18-20
Nebraska Power Farming Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A7-11 FFA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1-17 Weather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A2
Dick Mercer pictured in front with, starting on the left, son, Scott; grandson, Chad; grandson, Karl; and son, Steve.
Country Living House Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Quilt Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3
The Lighter Side Lee Pitts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4
Lori Potter, The Kearney Hub KEARNEY — Dick Mercer learned on the job how to grow crops and feed cattle and was educated about Nebraska’s complex water issues while serving on local, state and national natural resources boards. With all that accumulated knowledge came another skill, according to people who knew him. Leadership “When he had something to say, people listened,” said Jim Bendfeldt of Kearney, who served with Mercer on the Central Platte Natural Resources District Board of Directors. “... With a true leader, when he stands up to speak, the whole room goes quiet, and that was my friend Dick Mercer.”
Mercer, 87, died Saturday, November 22 at CHI Health Good Samaritan. His funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Holy Cross Lutheran Church. A full death notice is on page 6A. As he announced Mercer’s death Monday morning at the Nebraska Water Resources Association and Nebraska State Irrigation Association joint conference, Kearney Mayor Stan Clouse said, “He was a great man ... He did so much for the ag sector and served on the (state) Natural Resources Commission and the NRD.” Mercer never imagined being remembered in that way as a young man. He followed in his father’s footsteps as a Debus bread truck driver after graduating in 1945 from
For daily agriculture news, updates and local happenings, visit the Heartland Express website at www.myfarmandranch.com
Kearney High School and then served in the U.S. Army in 19461947. In a March 2013 interview as the recipient of a Kearney Hub Freedom Award for agriculture, Mercer joked that his ag career depended on meeting and marrying a “goodlooking blonde,” Eileen Crawford. She was two years behind him in high school. They started farming only after her father, who worked for the railroad, bought 80 acres as an investment and offered to rent it to them. “I’d never been on a farm in my life. Never drove a tractor. Never milked a cow,” Mercer told the Hub.
Markets Grain/Livestock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5
Ag Management Stakeholders Still Needed to Assist with LLNRD Integrated Water Management Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . A6
Livestock News Heartland Cattleman. . . . . . . . . . . A4
Production News Republican Compact Agreement Extends Full Credit for NE’s Augmentation Projects . . . . . . . . . .A4
Classifieds Continued on page 2
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B18-20
MARKET GLANCE Livestock and Products, Weekly Average
Crops, Daily Spot Prices Year Ago 4 Wks Ago 11/21/14
Nebraska Slaughter Steers, 35-65% Choice, Live Weight . . . .* Nebraska Feeder Steers, Med. & Large Frame, 550-600 lb . . .* Nebraska Feeder Steers, Med. & Large Frame 750-800 lb . . . .* Choice Boxed Beef, 600-750 lb. Carcass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .* Western Corn Belt Base Hog Price Carcass, Negotiated . . . . . .* Pork Carcass Cutout, 185 lb. Carcass 51-52% Lean . . . . . . . . .* Slaughter Lambs, Ch. & Pr., Heavy, Wooled, South Dakota, Direct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .* National Carcass Lamb Cutout FOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .*
170.00 283.74 241.72 249.50 90.60 101.91
173.96 285.97 244.27 254.79 85.67 93.55
163.50 378.40
142.00 384.89
Wheat, No. 1, H.W. Imperial, bu.` . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .* Corn, No. 2, Yellow Nebraska City, bu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .* Soybeans, No. 1, Yellow Nebraska City, bu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .* Grain Sorghum, No.2, Yellow Dorchester, cwt. . . . . . . . . . . . . .* Oats, No. 2, Heavy Minneapolis, Mn, bu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .*
5.21 3.05 9.08 5.86 3.46
5.41 3.40 9.84 6.57 3.55
197.50 85.00 85.00 120.00 43.00
194.00 85.00 70.00 120.50 45.50
Hay (per ton) Alfalfa, Large Square Bales, Good to Premium, RFV 160-185 Northeast Nebraska, ton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .* Alfalfa, Large Rounds, Good Platte Valley, ton . . . . . . . . . . . . . .* Grass Hay, Large Rounds, Good Nebraska, ton . . . . . . . . . . . . .* Dried Distillers Grains, 10% Moisture Nebraska Average . . . . . .* Wet Distillers Grains, 65-70% Moisture Nebraska Average . . . .* * No market.
Can a Val6 Radiant Heater/EconoDri Combo Make Grain Drying Sense for YOU?
VAL6 plus ECONODRI equals
NOW! More Val6 Capacity with Propane Too! www.AgHeaters.com
The Affordable Portable Combo
Ag & Industrial Equipment
EconoDri Tab Visit www.AgHeaters.com or Call 1.800.846.5157 to Find a Representative Near You
FAQ’s Your New Option for Grain Drying -And More- Starts HERE!
See us Dec. 9-11 at the Nebraska Power Farming Show, Booth 1068, Pavilion 1. Lincoln, NE
55381