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Original Shop Retains Role On Shank Farm

By
Guest Columnist
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Richard Shank
Columnist

A July 2 visit to the Shank farm near New Cambria in Saline County confirmed that Rural America is surviving another wheat harvest. I had planned to write about this year’s harvest, but rains late in June delayed the (Continued on page 4)
(SHANK Continued from page 1) wheat cutting on the Shank farm past the deadline for submitting this week’s column, so here is Plan B.
The farmers I spoke with are reluctant to claim the three-year draught we have been dealing with in north central Kansas is over, but there is plenty of evidence it is subsiding. The corn, milo and soybeans are looking good entering July, the hottest month of the year. We planted a new lawn surrounding the home and may have lucked out doing so.
Sometime ago, and for no reason, it seemed like the time to give the original farm shop a thorough cleaning, and inventory what remains in a building used primarily these days for storage.
The shop saw its origin in the 1930s on another farmstead located one and a half miles north of the Shank farm. Nearly 90 years ago, the building was moved to what is now the Shank farm and, although the structure is showing every bit of its age, it continues to remain, for the most part, upright thanks in part to a new roof that was installed in 2003. As a visitor told me one day, it looks like it just refuses to fall down.
In 2005, I opted for a new and more modern shop; but, five years later had outgrown the 96-square-foot structure. In 2010, a Kansas State Fair vendor’s offer for a 192-square-foot building, with a loft, and free delivery became the deal this part-time farmer could not resist.
If the walls of the old shop could talk, they might report of farmers meeting here to complain about the Secretary of Agriculture and the latest government farm program, the lack of moisture, flooding and then switch to neighborhood gossip. The building had a chimney, making one assume it was once heated, and there is evidence it had been wired for electricity, meaning this outbuilding may have been the 1930s version of high tech.
A long shop table with a vice, is well coated with oil and grease, which is reaffirmation of hours repairing engines or replacing plow shears. The old vice still works like it always did. Beneath the table are several tubs full of bolts, along with a few generators thrown in for good measure.
Several discoveries provided little explanation including a bucket full of nails, a rake with an eight-foot handle, and an axe with a broken handle that had been taped back together, an obvious attempt of my dad getting his money’s worth out of everything. Other discoveries included a tool box from a pull combine, an old fashioned grinder and a bread box.
In some ways, the cleanup was a trip down memory lane including the discovery of an antique cream separator and an assortment of car jacks, all of which seemed to be in working condition, along with the remains of a well-worn pedal tractor. Over the years, the owners had pounded a plentiful supply of nails in the walls for hanging everything from tools to worn out implement belts and combine sprockets. Then there were trucking tags looking as new as the day they were attached to a farm truck, including a 1962 and 1975 tag.
Two heating stoves have been stored in the shop for more than 50 years and both were given new homes, one to a local salvage yard and the other (manufactured in about 1938) was moved to another shed on the farm for safe keeping. From outward appearance, the stove looked like it might still function.
When unexpected noise interrupted the cleanup, it made me aware that some critter had taken up residence in the old shop, and wondering if it might be anything from a snake to a bobcat. To my surprise, a possum, made a quick exit out of the south door and sought refuge in a nearby soybean field.Two humorous stories come to mind about this shop. When a previous owner of the farm purchased a vehicle which was a little longer than the shop, he knocked out a six-foot wide spot on the north wall and built an extension just long enough to house the front of a pickup.
Then, during the 1980s, a tree sprouted up on the north side of the building and my dad wanted to save both; so, he hired a professional moving company to relocate the building six feet south of its original location, where it remains to this day. In those distant times, a little ingenuity solved many problems.
A previous owner placed planks in the beams of the ceiling and placed a multitude of items up there, which to this day, ranks as the only unexplored part of the farm, 63 years after it came under Shank ownership. And, it just may stay that way.
Following my cleanup of the shop, a layer of crushed rock was placed on the dirt floors and the walls were spray washed, releasing several generations of dust and dirt. Currently, there are no plans to return the shop to its original mission; however, with the added space, instead of one implement, two can now be stored inside the building.
The shop provided more food for thought of a simpler time that the old timers call the “Good Old Days.” A short walk from the old to the new shop confirmed there is no reason to turn back the clock.

Insight: Protecting The Herds

By
Guest Columnist
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Greg Doering,
Kansas Farm Bureau

If there’s one constant in the world, it’s every living thing is looking for food while avoiding becoming a meal. Farmers fight weeds, bacteria and fungus from the moment seeds go into the ground until the crop is harvested. Ranchers are on constant alert for predators waiting for the right opportunity to secure an easy meal.
In growing food, there’s a constant battle against pests, both seen and unseen.  One of agriculture’s greatest successes over the past 75 years has come from managing these threats even if they’re not eliminated entirely.
The New World screwworm (NWS) is a parasitic pestilence of fly larvae that burrows into open wounds on livestock causing serious to fatal injury to infected animals. NWS was a scourge in the United States until 1966 when a government program used sterile flies to eradicate the breeding stock.
This biological barrier eventually banished the NWS to the Caribbean and South America, but recent sightings in Central America and Mexico have put the United States on alert. Like any fence, the barrier occasionally develops some weak spots. An outbreak occurred in Texas in 1976 and the NWS cropped up again in the Florida Keys in 2016, affecting wild deer there.
Vigilance is key to halting the most recent migration, and officials are working to reverse the course of NWS before it can reestablish in the United States. While not cheap, these efforts provide enormous economic benefits, with one U.S. government estimate showing an outbreak similar to the one in 1976 could cause nearly $2 billion in losses.
The reemergence of NWS into the public discourse is also an opportunity to highlight how dedicated farmers and ranchers are in caring for their livestock. It’s easy for someone outside of the industry to only see cattle grazing in a pasture as they drive by on the highway and believe the animals are largely on their own.
While this is the time of year cattle are likely to have the least amount of interaction with their caretakers, it’s still substantially more than what a passersby can see from the road. There are regular water checks, replenishment of supplemental mineral and salt in addition to periodic fence checks.
This is in addition to more thorough assessments when rotating cattle to fresh pasture. When I was growing up, moving cattle to a new pasture always involved a stop at the pens to spray the cattle with a mild insecticide to combat flies, ticks and other biting insects. This also offered the chance for close evaluation of the herd.
We’d start the day before sunrise so we could move the cattle when it was coolest, and the observation started as soon as we began guiding them to the pen. We studied the strides looking for any sign of a limp or lethargy that could indicate an illness. Once in the pen, we paid close attention to posture, coat, eyes and mouth for any signs of sickness or distress. Any potentially sick animals would be separated for further evaluation and treatment if necessary.
Catching problems early makes them much easier to solve. Screwworms are still a threat, but through care and vigilance they were spotted early, and mitigation measures are underway to protect all the herds in the United States.
“Insight” is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.

Rain followed by sun; best therapy ever

By
tammiehoeme
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Trent Loos
Columnist

I’m writing about a big win in the central Plains. Up until about three weeks ago, it felt to me like the summer weather patterns would be far too similar to the drought of 2012.
In fact, folks I know who subscribe to a “weather guru” suggested the central Great Plains would indeed experience extreme drought. In our general area, it was so dry that center pivots were running the minute crops were planted. All we could do was share the old adage “plant in the dust and the bins will bust.” Honestly, it is a little early to say the crop is made, but 10 inches of rain in the past two weeks has certainly made the cows happy.
It’s funny how some moisture followed by blue sky and sunshine will give you the boost to take on any project.
Before I go on, I know many parts of the United States still look to the sky every day for a cloud front that might yield a bit of rain. I don’t want to make anybody reading this feel like they are getting left out, but I want to point out that green grass is the best therapy one could sign up for.
Some people in areas of the West are still experiencing the worst drought in their lifetime but, at the same time, a hundred miles down the road folks are in great shape. I am always aware that a pretty large section of the “Corn Belt” is rarely in a drought, but maybe just not getting the normal rainfall on crops for this time of the year.
All of this causes me to wonder how the current weather pattern stacks up with the historical droughts of the U.S. in the past 100 years. I went to a government tracking website called National Integrated Drought Information Systems to learn this: Between 1895 and 2010, on average, around 14% of the United States was experiencing severe to extreme drought (D2–D3) in any given year, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. While recent droughts and heat waves have made news and broken records in some areas of the United States, by the size of the geographical area affected and the length of time that it persisted, the Dust Bowl era of the 1930s is still the most notable drought and extreme heat event in the U.S. historical record.
I know that every part of this country (with the possible exception of southern California) has this quippy little saying, “If you don’t like the weather, wait 10 minutes and it will change.” Clearly that is the case all across the land. I also have no question that weather patterns have continued to change over the years.
In fact, the number of people talking about how the earth’s magnetic pole is shifting and could reverse gives cause for an interesting discussion on the future of how and where land use will change.
I might add, in my opinion, none of this is the result of manmade climate change. You don’t need to be much of a historian to see the continual shift in the harshness of the climate. If you don’t believe me, go check out the Grand Canyon. I reckon that wasn’t a great day to be sitting on the porch drinking coffee.
I am writing this in the glow of the June Strawberry Moon as experts tell us that the full moon is as close to us as it will be until 2043. It is worth mentioning that the June moon was so named because this is the time when the American Indians would find the first batch of wild strawberries for the summer under this moon.
I realize all of us have morphed into the convenience of homes, indoor plumbing and instant communication so we have isolated ourselves from the forces of nature. My critters seem to be more in tune with nature than we humans. Meanwhile we will take on the challenges we face with a clear mind thanks in part to sunny skies and bountiful green grass on the ground.
www.LoosTales.com, or email Trent at [email protected].

Digital Edition 07.09.2025

By
tammiehoeme
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0

Digital Edition 07.09.2025

Protecting your home from wasps

By
Kansas State Research and Extension
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A common problem many homeowners encounter is wasps taking up residence outside their homes. Kansas State University entomologist Raymond Cloyd says, however, not all wasps are harmful.
“Wasps are beneficial and they are part of the ecosystem,” Cloyd said. “They are predators of many caterpillar pests and are docile overall. They will usually only sting if disturbed or agitated.”
Mud daubers and paper wasps are commonly seen around homes and will generally not attack people. However, yellow jackets will actually attack people.
Despite the beneficial role of wasps, many people may want to remove wasp nests to avoid the possibility of getting stung when outdoors. When considering removing wasp nests, Cloyd advises determining whether the nest is new or mature.
“If the home has a history of wasps building nests, such as in late spring or early summer, physically remove the nest when you see the nest being initially built,” Cloyd said.
New nests can be removed with  minimal risk of being stung because there are usually fewer wasps present inside the new nest. Wasps generally do not rebuild nests in the same location, so physically removing the nest will avoid having to deal with nests in the future.
Spraying nests with an insecticide should be done at night when the wasps are inside the nest, Cloyd said.
If the nest is large, mature, and has been around for some time, Cloyd recommends contacting a pest management professional.
“To avoid getting stung, contact a pest management professional,” he said.
Cloyd said that it is important to correctly identify the wasp that is creating the nest. He recommends contacting your local K-State Research and Extension office and either describing the insect over the phone or sending pictures via email.

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