Air November 27, 2002

Thank you Gary, and good morning everyone. I started seeing a little bit of minor wheat foliar disease earlier this week. This was in larger wheat and was not at all unexpected given the growing conditions we’ve had. Now that we’re seeing temperatures down into the teens though, we can start to expect a lot more leaf burn as those plants start to move into winter dormancy. We haven’t had any temperatures cold enough to cause concern though.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. A lot of folks are going to be on the road or traveling via public transportation. It is very very helpful if everyone learns to plan for extra time. It is better to arrive early and have to wait then to never arrive at all. Many of you will do no more traveling than a few miles on local roads. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t slow down, drive defensively and look at for the other guy. Plan ahead for unexpected surprises and leave in plenty of time where you don’t feel rushed. You don’t need to drive faster, you just need to get a little more organized and leave earlier. We don’t want any tragedies to mar this long weekend. I really enjoy this week. I probably wish everyone I see a happy Thanksgiving every time I run into them. And some people probably get tired of it. I don’t care. We need to take time this week to realize how much we have to be thankful for. In the early 17th century, when the pilgrims observed the first Thanksgiving, what was it that they were celebrating? They were celebrating being alive and surviving. And they used the feast to invite their guests, the native Americans who had helped them survive. How far we’ve come from that day. We’ll wolf down mounds of food and then sprawl around in the living room and watch a football game or some other mindless drivel on TV. We’ll all be thankful for not having to work, well, most of us won’t have to work anyway, but will we really take the time to be thankful for the wonderful meal we had and will we be thankful for the wonderful country we live in. Or will be spend our Thursday pouring over the sale ads for shopping on Friday? Thanksgiving day needs to be a time of quiet reflection where we think about how truly blessed we are and how we have so much food and so many wonderful things. Please take time tomorrow to give thanks in your own way for this wonderful country we live in and the blessing we receive on a daily basis.

This is Chuck Otte, Geary County Extension Agent, with Ag Outlook 2002, wishing everyone a very happy Thanksgiving!

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