Air June 21, 2000

Thank you Mark, and good morning everyone. Earlier this week I was thinking that I’d have to start this by saying that parts of the county could sure use some more rain. Then Tuesday morning rolled around with really good rains. So now I’m thinking that this month is shaping up really well. I really do enjoy the weather we’ve been having this month. Anytime you can have a high of 90 one day and 78 the next, then follow that right up with overnight lows of 50, and then just when the crops can really use it we get a couple inches of rain, it just sort of helps you remember that you’re in the Great Plains and you are experiencing a continental climate at its best!

How many times do you stick a shovel in the ground and never think about what may be down below. I remember my Dad planting a new apple tree in his orchard several years ago, and his phone suddenly stopped working. Guess what he hit? At a recent county agent training session we were giving one of our coworkers from another county a really bad time. Seems that he was digging some post holes for a new fence. He did more than hit his own phone line - he nailed a fiber optic line. He still won’t talk very much about it. We all depend on these utilities. Electricity, phone, gas - these are all required elements of life anymore. For years we have lost farmers who have ran augers and other items into overhead power lines. Two fellas my own age that I grew up around and was in 4-H with were killed just days apart several years ago when augers went into power lines. So, we put these utilities below ground. Out of sight, out of mind, but not out of danger. New subdivisions in Junction City are now required to have below ground utilities. This makes the matter of knowing what’s below ground before you stick a shovel in it even more pressing. The Kansas One Call Center has an easy phone call to remember. 1-800-DIGSAFE. Sure, it may be a little bit of an inconvenience but then you know you can dig in safety. The next severed underground line may just be your phone line for a bit of an inconvenience. But it may be the whole neighborhoods phone lines shutting down emergency contacts, or it may be a buried power line that could be shutting down your heart. For everyone’s safety, call before you dig!

This is Chuck Otte, Geary County Extension Agent, with Ag Outlook 2000.

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