THE LAND — JULY 8/JULY 15, 2022
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
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I learned harvesting chickens takes some pluck There is a first time for Saturday afternoon. This everything (or so the saying was going to be a first for goes) and I experienced a them and they were unsure first last week. I was part of of how much adult help a chicken butchering squad. was going to be needed. I would not say it is the I agreed, knowing that I most fun thing I have ever too at times employ the done, but I also would not help of family members for turn down the opportunity less-than-thrilling jobs. I DEEP ROOTS to do it again. suppose my thought proBy Whitney Nesse cess involved some quid pro Over the years I have heard my parents and quo. They had the use of grandparents tell stories of their another neighbor’s chicken butchering chicken butchering days. What I equipment as well as his expert help. remember them exaggerating most So the four of us, along with some adowas how terribly hot it always seemed lescent helpers, started the process. to be and how plucking the birds was With the help of our seasoned chicktedious and terrible. I also remember en processing neighbor, we set up an my grandma saying how delicious assembly line-style operation. The fresh, never-frozen chicken was. As a kids gathered chickens, one person kid, I sincerely thought I had sorely killed, another scalded and two people missed out on the chicken butchering at the greatest invention since sliced days of old. By the time I came bread: the plucker. around, my grandparents had a friend Had it not been for the chicken from whom they would get homeplucker, I doubt that you would ever grown whole chickens, already prosee me at a butchering exhibition cessed and frozen. For a kid, there was again. It is no wonder the previous no fun in that! generations spoke so loathsome of Well, the Lord had an interesting plucking. Giving a chicken carcass a way of giving me the desires of my ride in the plucker is the most extreme heart — a good old-fashioned chicken wardrobe change in the history of butchering! My brother and his wife wardrobe changes. It goes from looking (who live a stone’s throw away from like a feathered friend to looking more me) asked if I would help them butch- like dinner in a half a minute. er their flock of 30 or so chickens on a
Midsummer garden checklist ALEXANDRIA, Minn. — For gardeners, this year has been particularly challenging. The Extension Horticulture Team has created the following checklist to assist gardeners in caring for their plants. Container care — Don’t let your containers dry out! Water when the soil feels dry at one inch down, this could mean you need to water daily. Fertilize your containers every 2-3 weeks. Maintain your lawn — With our hot soil temperatures, avoid seeding lawns until the weather cools in mid-August. Conserve water by extending the time between waterings. Instead of watering daily, water once a week deeply. This will encourage healthy root growth. Raise your mower height to 4 inches to shade and cool the soil. Avoid spraying herbicides in hot weather — Herbicides containing 2,
I am not sure what exactly my expectations were. I suppose I thought it would be a loud, boisterous, feathery mess — which it really was not. The entire process went along rather quickly and quietly, with minimal amounts of plumage floating about. I quite enjoyed getting to work alongside my brother again, as we had not done so in many years. I also enjoyed the silly banter, kindly teasing and the sense of accomplishment from a job well done. Maybe my youthful thought of missing out — having never butchered chickens — was not too far-fetched. Had I turned down the opportunity, I would not have been able to enjoy the
sense of community I felt when neighbors help one another. No matter how hot or loathsome a job, good hearted, neighborly company makes it tolerable. Some folks of my generation have traded the opportunity to genuinely gather — for any reason at all — for a false sense of community found on a screen. Maybe the older generation had the right idea: even if the job was miserable, they at least had company. I wonder if it’s time for us to start butchering more chickens. Whitney Nesse is a sixth-generation livestock farmer who is deeply rooted in her faith and family. She writes from her central Minnesota farm. v
New features on Market app The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced that additional commodities and features are now available on the free USDA Market News app, which provides instant access to market information about conventional and organic products. Version 2.0 includes access to three additional commodity areas: cotton and tobacco; dairy and specialty crops; as well as the ability to filter searches by commodity area and market type, the ability to add reports to favorites, an improved way to manage subscriptions, and a calendar feature which provides access to previously released reports.
news reports available on the app to nearly 1,500. Users can search for markets based on their location, by state, or by commodity. They also can share reports via text or email, subscribe to reports, and receive real-time notifications when a new report is published. For additional data analysis, the app lets you share the source data behind the reports. The free USDA Market News app is available in both iOS and Android versions and may be downloaded through the Apple and Google Play stores. Search for “USDA Market News Mobile Application” to download the app.
The updated version offers greater This article was submitted by the U.S. 4-D or dicamba can vaporize in hot access to market information by Department of Agriculture. v weather and damage sensitive garden increasing the total number of market plants. Wait until prolonged cool fall weather to spray. Identify insect pests — If you suspect plant damage is from insects, identify that pest prior to spraying insecticide. Once identified, you can select a pestiBEYOND THE HORIZON. cide that targets that particular insect. Consider our tax-efficient strategies when Vegetable care — You may be seeing selling your farm equipment or commodities. blossom end rot in your first tomatoes due to the hot weather we’ve had. Just remove the fruit with symptoms so the RYAN MCKEOWN, CPA, CFP® plant can put its energy into new, DANIELLE MEHIA, CFP® healthy fruit. Garlic scapes (the flower buds) are starting to appear. It’s worth 810 Madison Avenue taking the time to remove the scapes so Mankato, MN 56001 the plant will put its energy into the bulb. (507) 386-1755 wealthenhancement.com This article was submitted by Robin Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, Trott, University of Minnesota a registered investment advisor. Member FINRA/SIPC. Extension. v
