Broadcaster Press 03 July 31, 2012 www.broadcasteronline.com One in a VerMillion Meet Jerimiah Hinz By David Lias david.lias@plaintalk.net Jerimiah Hinz of Newcastle, NE becomes a part of the Vermillion community each week this summer when he sets up a booth and sells his produce at the Vermillion Farmers Market. The market is held each Thursday at the Clay County Fairgrounds, and has proven to be a good place for Jerimiah to do business. He operates Castle Creek Farm with his sister, Jenny Rolfes, who lives in Hartington, NE. “We grow everything chemical- and pesticide-free so we use organic practices, although we are not certified organic,” he said. “We have about seven acres right now that we have planted.” Castle Creek Farm’s potatoes were big sellers Thursday, and Jerimiah did a brisk business with other available produce as well. “We have summer squash, four varieties of potatoes, and four or five different varieties of onions, leeks, cucumbers and zucchini,” he said. “We have a full variety of fall crop coming, and a whole bunch of melons that aren’t ripe yet.” This fall, Jerimiah plans to sell acorn and butternut squash, and other varieties of that produce that aren’t quite as popular. “There will be some watermelons coming out here real soon, and pumpkins, too,” he said. Growing produce on a scale that’s a bit larger than a typical family garden takes some thought and preparation. “Usually in late winter or early spring, I start figuring out what I want to do,” Jerimiah said. “It’s kind of unique. What we’ve done that’s unique is started a CSA program, which is Community Supported Agriculture, and it involves customers purchasing shares at the beginning of the year and then we provide them boxes of produce every week throughout the entire growing season. “We have to do a lot of planning to make sure we have a lot of variety for each box throughout the summer,” he said. “Once I get the orders and once I know how many people I will be growing for essentially, then I start the planning process of what needs to planted, how much, and in what time frame. That way, a good variety is coming in and arriving every week.” Jerimiah is still, essentially, a rookie at this. “This is my second year, is all,” he said. “I grew up with more traditional types of farming, and I thought that this is a unique opportunity to try something different.” This type of farming also poses unique challenges, especially during the summer’s severe drought. “There are a lot of things that I didn’t plan to irrigate that I had to figure out how to irrigate,” Jerimiah said. “I use mostly drip tape for irrigation, so I have to run a lot of drip line. It just ended up taking a lot more labor to Extension: Assessing drought stressed corn Water shortages are critical at any time of plant development but especially at the reproductive stage. They will lead to poorer crop performance and less yield potential, says Mark Rosenberg, SDSU Extension Weeds Field Specialist. Rosenberg explains that each crop has a different period of growth where adequate moisture will be necessary to reproduce. Corn to a degree can be fairly drought tolerant. However the critical time for moisture to be present is during the period two weeks before and after Don’s Dust Control • Horse Arenas • Private Drives • Unpaved Roads • Elevator Access • Free Estimates 605-384-3201 Cell: 605-491-2133 tasseling. "The first sign of moisture stress in corn is when leaf tissue wilts and rolls during the warmer parts of the day. Normally the plant will return to its normal vigor once the day cools off. As dry weather persists and intensifies the corn will not be able to draw sufficient water and will remained stressed both night and day. If the conditions persist for extended periods of time the leaf tissue will begin to die," Rosenberg said. "The first signs of death begin at the leaf tips and margins. This will progress to cover more leaf surface as available moisture decreases. The point at which the plant will not recover is called the permanent wilting point." Research has shown that four consecutive days of visible wilting can reduce yields by 5 to 10 percent. Also the rows of kernels (V6 to V8) and the length of the ear (V10 to V12) are determined prior to tasseling. "If stress occurs in those periods of time the ear will not increase even if rain is received," he said. Rosenberg adds that drought at the early stages of reproduction (silking and tasseling) can cause severe yield reductions. Some estimates suggest possible losses approaching 50 percent when the plant is short of moisture. Poor pollination will result in poor kernel development and unfilled ears, usually at the tip. To gain a better idea of how successful the pollination period was this season, Rosenberg explains an in-field test growers can conduct. "Once pollination has stopped, there is a three day window to walk the field and check random spots. Carefully detach the ear and remove the husk. Then give the exposed ear a shake and observe the silks. If they properly pollinated the ovules (immature kernels) they will drop from the ear. The higher number of silks shedding indicates successful pollination," Rosenberg said. Rosenberg shares another observation growers can make when deciding grain potential. "Look for ovule development about 10 to 14 days after pollination. Look for small water-filled blisters emerging on the cob. These will develop into kernel as the season progresses and moisture is available," he said. "The yield potential shortly after pollination has completed will correspond closely to the success of pollination. If pollination success was low, rainfall after the pollination window will not increase yield potential. If yield potential is highly limited, salvaging the crop as forage should be considered." For more information on this and other agronomic topics, visit iGrow.org. get that done.” His second year at this also differs from the first in the area of pest control. “I’ve noticed there are a lot more bugs this year; with the combination of the heat and the dry, they have really been difficult to manage this year,” he said. Those setbacks are minor, though, when Jerimiah assesses the total experience he is having a co-operator of Castle Creek Farm. “One of the major Coyote men’s golf adds N.D. transfer University of South Dakota head men’s golf coach Nick Hovden announced Thursday that Samuel Matthew has transferred to South Dakota from the University of North Dakota. Matthew will be eligible to play right away for the Coyotes this fall as a sophomore. Matthew, a native of Roseville, MN, completed his freshman season at UND this past year. While there, Matthew made an instant impact on the team as he finished tied To all of the businesses that provided auction items––Thank You! To all of the people who bought auction items and tickets––Thank You! To the Go Figure Band––Thank You! To Pro’s for hosting––Thank You! Sincerely, Gary Madsen, Rick Steenholdt, Lucky Huber, Jim & Dena Brady and Bruce & Kelly Fischbach DEADLINES Classified Ads: Friday at Noon Display Ads: Friday at 11AM 201 W. Cherry, Vermillion, SD 57069 • 605-624-4429 for 10th at the America Sky Conference Championship finishing with a 54-hole score of 230 (76 – 76 – 78), earning him second team allconference honors. For the season, Matthew played 27 rounds in nine tournaments with a 75.6 average. He fired a career-low 71 at the TSU Big Blue Intercollegiate hosted by Tennessee State. Of his 27 rounds, all but two rounds were in the 70s with the other two being an 80 and 84. DAKOTA SENIOR MEALS Served at the Main Street Center and Town Square, “Meals on Wheels.” Please call before 9 a.m. to schedule or cancel a meal at 624-7868. Menus listed below are for the week of July 31-August 6. Menus are subject to change without notice. All menus are served with whole grain bread and 1% milk, unless otherwise noted. Tuesday - Swedish Meatballs, Noodles, Peas, Coleslaw, Mandarin Oranges On behalf of children with life threatening illnesses we would like to thank Vermillion and it’s surrounding communities. The sixth annual Make A Wish dinner, auction and dance was a huge success! Through the efforts of everyone involved children from our area with life threatening illnesses can be granted a wish! reasons that I wanted to this is I enjoy farming and I enjoy doing things outside,” he said. “It also seems there is a growing demand for produce that is locally grown and also people are more concerned about where their getting their produce from, and how it is grown. “We try to be very open about how we do things, and people seem to really respond to that,” he said. Wednesday Mandarin Orange Chicken, Parslied Potatoes, Broccoli, Apple Thursday - Ham Salad on a Bun, Tossed Romaine Salad, Tomato Slices, Pears Friday - Chicken Enchilada Pie, Tomato on Lettuce, Butternut Squash, Tropical Fruit Monday - Turkey Ala King, Biscuit, Mixed Veg, Peaches, Coleslaw •Licensed •Bonded •Insured Wakonda, SD 605-267-2768 LONG REACHOF REACH OR EXCAVAT WITH 65' Give us a call for a quote … Laser Guided Ditching Stock Dam Cleanout Lagoon Cleanout • Bank Stabilization Rip Rap Placement • Demolition A18295