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Thirty-nine years is a long time

  • March 25, 2010
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  • 855 Views
My wife and I will soon celebrate our 39th wedding anniversary. I could be mean and say that 39 years seems like a really long time. It has been, but in a good way. Not that our marriage has been all peaches and cream and full of roses. There have been a few thorns along the way. But I won’t presume to tell my wife’s side of the story. Let’s just say we are both human. And I recognize that I...

The ill effects of soda pop consumption in the U.S.

  • March 25, 2010
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  • 493 Views
When you’re thirsty what do you reach for? Any number of soft drinks, or water? According to research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, too many people are reaching for soda and consuming too much of it on a daily basis. One big issue with soda is that it contains almost 17 teaspoons of sugar in every 20-ounce serving. The recommended amount of sugar consumption is five to nine...

NEWS

  • March 25, 2010
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  • 544 Views
“Once again the U.S. Congress went wildly out of control with their attempt to resolve a challenge facing this nation. Just like when Congress overreacted to rising unemployment rates by passing the so-called ‘stimulus’ bill which added no new jobs, Congress passed a bad bill tonight that doesn’t fix our health care system, and adds crippling taxes to families and businesses.“This bill...

A new breed of farmers face uncertain technological future

  • March 25, 2010
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  • 477 Views
“I love the cows,” said Jared Harding, as he moved around the milking parlor at the family farm. “I’ve always been interested in the dairy, and doing farm work, working with my hands.” Harding is 23, part of a new generation of farmers who are the future of America’s agriculture industry. “My dad has always had this place, milking 40 to 60 cows. My grandpa bought this…we are a small...

Serious gardeners know, it's not dirt… it's soil

  • March 25, 2010
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  • 496 Views
A gardener does not have to be a pedologist (scientist who studies soil) to recognize that all soils are not created equal. No self-respecting pedologist would refer to soil as dirt, either. Good soil is gold to anyone who delights in planting seeds and small plants into the earth and watching them reach for the heavens.Soil is the product formed as rock breaks down into very small pieces at the...

How does your garden grow? With seeds, of course

  • March 25, 2010
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  • 523 Views
It happens every winter. On the coldest day of the season, when the winds are howling and winter seems endless, it begins. The very first seed catalog arrives in the mailbox. From there, the trickle of glossy magazines, with the flashy yellows, reds, and greens of the gardening season, quickly turns into a flood. Gardeners pour over pages of new tomato varieties and sweeter sweet corn promises,...

For Kurt Schlegel, farming is about relationships

  • March 25, 2010
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  • 535 Views
To say Kurt Schlegel comes from a farming family would be an understatement. His great-grandfather was a German immigrant who began farming west of Holmesville 100 years ago. His grandfather was a farmer. His father was a farmer. His two brothers are farmers. His oldest son is a farmer. In other words, farming is not just in his blood. It’s in his genes. It’s not that he didn’t have a...

A rainbow of healthy fruit and veggie choices is growing

  • March 25, 2010
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  • 524 Views
Nothing is quite so striking and colorful as a mid-summer basket of garden produce. Brilliant reds, warm yellows, soothing greens, and standout purples all combine to present a rainbow of delicious goodness. In addition to being visually pleasing, the color of a vegetable says a great deal about its nutritional value. Basically, the fruit and vegetable rainbow can be classified into six color...

Tried, tested and proven tips to make your garden grow

  • March 25, 2010
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  • 536 Views
Old-time gardeners knew a lot of gardening tricks and shortcuts that many of today's backyard growers do not know. For your gardening enjoyment and ease, the following are pointers that are either recent discoveries or have stood the test of time.• Borage, planted among tomato plants, stops tomato hornworms.• Mulching is the secret key to great soil, good moisture retention, and healthy...

A child’s garden of senses brings out the child in all of us

  • March 25, 2010
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  • 463 Views
It is said that those who never lose their sense of childlike wonder never truly age. When spring warms the earth and renewal begins, both children and adults alike marvel at the beauty of the new season. This spring, why not plan a garden designed for the child in all of us? Children fully explore their world through all of their five senses: touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. Joining...