G
reetings, I hope your 2018 is off to a good start. Here at Valley Coop, we are still at the peak of feed season. In another month or so, feed demand should be back to normal and it will be time for us to turn our focus on getting ready for the next wheat harvest. This winter has been a dry one, with periods of extremes in warm and cold weather that can make problems for our livestock producers. Before we know it, things will be consistently warming up and beginning to thaw back out from the winter.
Monitoring the grain demand, Russia has been flooding the world market with cheap wheat, which has kept the wheat prices depressed. Forty-four percent of the U.S. Wheat acres are under moderate drought conditions, which has stabilized prices from falling further. South America has been also experiencing drought and combined with strong Chinese soybean demand, has kept prices firm and on a more upward trend. Hopefully as we transition seasons, we will be blessed with spring rains to bring us out of these dry conditions.
The feedmills at Hackney and Kellogg have had a very busy feed season. Hackney has seen a good increase in feed demand and has kept our employees busy. Kellogg keeps setting records in feed cube production, often turning out around 1,300 tons per week. We have been fortunate not to have had many major breakdowns this year, and will keep our fingers crossed as we near the end of the season.
As we near our fiscal year end March 31st, we have set our Annual Meeting date. This year’s Annual Meeting will be held May 31st at Baden Square in Winfield. We will celebrate 100 years of being a cooperative as our Hackney location started as the Hackney Cooperative in 1918. It is a great accomplishment to have been in business for 100 years and reason to celebrate and look forward to the future, as Valley Coop will continue to serve our members for many more years. If you have any historical information and pictures that you would like to share about the history of the cooperatives that make up Valley Coop, please let the main office know, as we would like to share this at our annual meeting.
A key reason that our Cooperative has been around for 100 years is because of the dedication of our employees. Two long serving employees will take retirement in the next two months. First, Katherine Grow will be retiring as bookkeeper at the Atlanta location at the end of February. Katherine has been employed with the coop for 32 years and has been a great asset, familiar face and key to keeping the location running smoothly at the Atlanta branch. Katherine, you will be missed. About a month later, Donnie Roths, the current Location Manager at the Kellogg branch will be retiring at the end of March. Donnie has been with the coop for 38 years and has been a cornerstone of the coop and trusted farmer advisor. Donnie, you have left some big shoes to fill. It is amazing to have employees with this many years of service that they have given to the farmer members. Staying at a job for that many years takes much dedication of the individual and proven value to the company. Donnie and Katherine, thank you for all of your years of service and I wish you a well-deserved retirement. I hope that you, the members, will be able to visit Katherine and Donnie’s retirement receptions that are planned before their last day.
I thank you for your business and loyalty to Valley Coop as we near our fiscal year end. It has been a blessing to serve as the General Manager and I look forward to continue working with you in the next year.
Cooperatively Yours,
James L. Jirak
General Manager
SOYBEANS
Early spring (before April) is critical time for effective marestail (Conyzacanadensis(L.) Cronq.)control. Once this weed bolts it becomes almost impossible to manage. I don’t recommend spending big dollars on herbicide applications early because a quality preemerge herbicide is needed later at planting. That said, if you are looking for a place to spend your wad I would be happy to accommodate you.
For fields going to soybeans, the mix above is my general recommendation. Of course, there is no one-size-fits-all herbicide recommendation, so I encourage you to stop in and consult with me or your farms agronomist about your specific needs. If you decide to run this mix, or one like it, don’t expect miracles. I chose it because in my opinion it provides the most bang for the buck. Through Valley Coop this herbicide mix including application will cost about $15/ac depending on rates. Don’t expect it to keep your field perfectly clean until planting. That’s a tall order regardless of what herbicide(s) you apply, especially if we have decent precipitation this spring. What you should expect is for this application to set you up for weed management success at planting. Forego this early spring application and you will likely have a jungle on your hands come planting time. Trying to control “the jungle” two weeks before planting is not only expensive but an unrealistic expectation.
CORN & SORGHUM
If no fall herbicide application was made, an early spring application is an important management step for no-till operations. Many of the comments made above in regard to early spring applications on ground going to soybean also applies here so I won’t bother repeating myself.
Although Atrazine degradation is a real issue across the United States it is still and effective weed control product at an economical price. In my opinion, a little bit of atrazine mixed with dicamba early will go a long way in making your weed situation manageable at planting time. If you’ve got grassy weeds out there, consider adding glyphosate to the tank mix, but be aware, atrazine and glyphosate antagonize each other. You will want to keep the glyphosate rate up and run an AMS adjuvant to get a good kill.
WHEAT
Due to late planting, many wheat acres have fewer tillers than normal for this time of year. For many, spring tillers will be a significant yield determining factor. Additionally, the reduced fall wheat growth could give weeds a foothold. If you are applying herbicides when topdressing your wheat this spring be careful to avoid 2,4-D as it would likely further inhibit tiller development. It’s safer to use an MCPA like Sword. It’s a good idea have a residual product like Finessein the mix as well to hold weeds back until good coverage is achieved. Dicamba products could be applied in lieu of or in addition to MCPA as long as it is prior to jointing. Visit with me or consult with your farm’s agronomist about what is best in your specific situation. Now is a great time for this application!
Katherine Grow will be retiring from Valley Co-op on February 28, 2018. She started with Winfield Co-op on December 15, 1985. She celebrates just over 32 years of dedicated co-op employment ending at Valley Co-op, Inc. Valley Co-op will be hosting a “Come and Go Reception” at the Atlanta location on February 28 from 2 to 4 pm. Please stop by to wish her well in her retirement!
Donnie Rothswill be retiring from Valley Co-op on March 31, 2018. He started with Kellogg Co-op on June 9, 1980. He celebrates almost 38 years of dedicated co-op employment ending at Valley Co-op, Inc. Valley Co-op will be hosting a “Come and Go Reception” at the Kellogg location on March 15 from 2 to 4 pm. Please stop by to wish her well in his retirement!
There is a change in the wind. After being employed by Kellogg/Valley Coop for 37 years and 10 months, I am retiring March 31st of this year. A former colleague of mine once said that if I ever looked for another job and had to provide a resume’ it would be a pretty boring one. But the truth is it would be more like a history lesson. The way things have changed since I started on June 9th, 1980 is quite amazing. When I started, there were no custom applications of liquid or dry fertilizers. The feed mill was producing maybe 150 ton of feed per week. The elevator had one inside leg and wheat was king. Wheat harvest would easily last 2-4 weeks. A little milo was grown for feed, soybeans were an experiment, corn was something they grew up north and cotton was what our jeans were made of. Today we have 1 dry and 2 liquid applicators, a 500,000 gallon liquid storage tank, a feed mill that produces over 200 ton of feed per day and an elevator that handles four major crops and operates 9 months out of the year. Boring to some but this has been my lively hood. I would like to thank everyone who has done their business with me and the coop over these years. It has let me provide for my family and gave me a career that I am proud of.
Through the course of time I have had the opportunity to work with a lot of great people and provide our services to you the customers. The people will be what I miss most. Coworkers have become more like family and my customers are like friends. In the words of Bob Hope, “Thanks for the memories.”
Donnie Roths
Kellogg Branch Manager
In other news we have had another stellar year in the feed mill. We had a record breaking week of 1350 ton of pellets produced in a week; the old record was 1240 ton. We have been running an average of 1100 ton per week. I want to thank everyone for their patience and cooperation when turning in their feed orders. There were times when we were a week out before we had an opening. I really appreciate the advanced orders. It drives me nuts when we are out longer than four days but we are doing the best we can do working two 10 hour shifts. A big thanks to the employees for their diligence and dedication on getting the job done.
I would like to welcome the newest member to our crew, Josh Evans. Josh is a Sumner County native and joined us this fall. He has been working the 2nd shift in the feed mill. On a sad note, we lost an exceptional employee and a good friend Tony Harris on September 8th, 2017 to stomach cancer. He had been an employee for 14 years. He is truly missed by all.
As always, thanks for your business,
Donnie and the Kellogg Crew: Mark, Ingrid, Roger, Larry, Logan, Ryan, Derek, Scott, Terril, Chris and Josh.
We are cold, we are dry, and we are ready for spring. Kinda feels like that today, but I know that won’t last. With it being dry, it’s hard to make a decision on top dressing your wheat. But come in and get on the list today before the list gets too, long. Now is also a good time to think about pre-burndowns for your corn and beans.
We also offer other services. Call us for your tire needs. We have plenty of steel products for your fence building needs. As those new calves are being born, don’t forget we carry a good supply of animal health products.
As some of you may have heard, after 32 plus years of service to our patrons, Katherine has decided to retire. Please stop by and thank her for her service and wish her well.
The Atlanta Crew,
Darren, Katherine, Andy, Terri, Jimmy, Paul and Justin
HAVE YOU HEARD THIS ONE?
Q: Why shouldn’t you tell a secret on a farm?
A: Because the potatoes have eyes and the corn has ears.
David Leonard and Emily Wright were married January 19, 2018 at the Holy Cross Catholic Church in Hutchinson, KS. David is our Grain Accountant and also handles the Accounts Payable in the Main Office. Congratulations to David and Emily!
Barbeque Meatballs
Recipe Submitted by Judy Ray
3 lbs. ground meat (I use 2# deer or beef with a pound of pork)
2 cups quick oatmeal
1 cup chopped onionSAUCE:
1 tsp. salt2 cups catsup
2 tsp. chili powder2 Tbsp. liquid smoke
2 eggs1/2 cup onion
1 large can evaporated milk2 cups brown sugar
1/4 tsp. garlic powder1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
Stir together and mix well meatball ingredients. Shape into balls the size of a walnut. Place in a flat pan in a single layer.
Mix together sauce ingredients and stir until dissolved and pour over meatballs. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.
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