Air December 22, 1999

Thank you Mark, and good morning everyone. Twas the week before Christmas and all through the Extension Office... No, wait, that’s not how that story goes. I know that everyone is very busy with the final rush to Christmas, so I’m not going to lay anything real heavy on you this morning. A few odds and ends, a little philosophy and a few holiday thoughts. Starting right shortly after the first of the year we will be heading into a very busy meeting schedule. Look for information in your mailbox, right here on the radio, in the newspaper, call our office, or check out or web site.

Cold weather the past couple of days makes us realize that winter is here, as of today. Watch those livestock feeding rations and adjust weekly or even daily, as needed, to make up for the weather. We are seeing a lot of variation in hay quality, depending on when it was cut. I’m going to have some hard numbers for you in the near future and you may be stunned. In the meantime, never assume any hay is average and consider testing each and every cutting.

A lot of talk still about Y2K. I think the best advice is to simply head into New Year’s Eve like their was a big winter storm approaching that may lay you up for a couple days. And then it’ll be like most winter storms and nothing will materialize... But at least you were prepared! No, I don’t think that the roll over to the year 2000 is going to cause the world to stop spinning. I don’t even expect much of a hiccup - an occasional burp here and there, but I fully expect to be watching a lot of football games come New Year’s Day.

Finally this morning - a few holiday wishes. I have come to realize over the years that I’m an incurable romantic, a sentimental old sap and a bit of a traditionalist. I like Christmas and the meaning of Christmas and I listen to Christmas carols much longer than most people. I also realize how lucky I’ve been and how lucky I am to be in this community today with the job that I have. I hope that sometime in the coming days you can take a few minutes to yourself and contemplate all the wonder in the season around us and the work and faith that have gotten us here today. This is Chuck Otte, Geary County Extension Agent, with Ag Outlook ’99 wishing everyone a very merry Christmas.

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