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Of dogs and the spirit of competition

A dog’s eye view of Saturday's 4-H Dog Show

[JULY 30, 2001]  The dogs were ready at 8, when the show was supposed to begin, but the owners were not so relaxed. Each trainer glanced nervously from one side to the other, checking out the opposition, sizing them up. These trainers, all of them young children with exceptionally trained dogs, had come from across the county, every one of them hoping to take home a trophy for proud display on their fireplace mantels. They sulked across the dirt space in front of the arena where the judging would take place, watching, praying that their dogs might perform a cut above the rest.

Without any warning, the show began with the silent entry of the lone Dog Care class contestant. This magnificent animal stood there, completely docile, while the judge meticulously checked that the dog had been well cared for: a clean, unmatted coat, trimmed nails, clean ears and clear eyes. When the examination was finished, he announced only two things that led to points being deducted: a few fly bites on the ears and a bit of tartar growth on the teeth. Other than that, the creature seemed to be exceptionally well taken care of, and the grinning boy was given his award to much applause.

Fifteen minutes had passed since the show began, and the masses had become restless. The crowd was hungry for real meat. Without a doubt, it was time for the Obedience class to show what they could do.

The 14 dogs, followed by their respective trainers, filed into the arena, where they were given lengthy instructions on what they were to do when it their turn arrived. From what I could hear, the instructions had a faintly militant tone to them: sit, stand, heel, about face, slow, run, walk. The trainers understood what they were told, but the dogs were clearly not so easy to reach — maybe it was the heat. The dogs bore the same expression in their eyes, as if questioning the reasons for their presence there: OK, you want me to do what? Sit, walk forward, heel, turn left, walk, then run, then turn around, and walk back? Got it. I can play the bagpipes as well. Would you like me to play the bagpipes for you? Maybe I can prepare you a spot of tea while I’m at it?

 

Of course, the dogs’ mocking glances toward the judge were nothing compared to their harsh comments towards their trainers: Ouch, stop pulling on my chain, boss! Keep that up, and I might just sit down and never get up again! Oh, you want to test me? I’m sitting down, I’m going to do it, and I mean it this time, I will! Come on, all I want is some attention! Do I really need to act like this in order for you to love me?

 

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To those watching the dogs perform, it was evident that they all did want to please their masters. They would plod along merrily, heeling and sitting when instructed. Occasionally, when they were to walk around two men in a figure eight, they would start sniffing at the dog hair smell on one of the men chosen to play the posts.

 

Clay Glover, show supervisor and trainer, told me that with the way some of the dogs had behaved during the first days of training — some hyper to the point of needing Valium — their performance at the show was amazing. I had to agree, even though I had not seen them during their training. While some of the dogs seemed a trifle high-strung at times, all of them very clearly belonged at the show.

Four hours and 14 individual performances later, the contestants were divided into two groups of seven. Each group was to perform a long sit, for one minute, and a long lay, for three minutes. Some of the dogs had no problem with these exercises: OK, I’ll stay. Hey, this is actually pretty decent! No parading around, getting hot and tired. Just sit here and wait. No problem. Others, however, were less eager and promptly disobeyed their masters’ commands: Don’t leave me! I’m sorry about not sitting still earlier! I’ll be a good doggie, but please don’t leave me! That dog over there is giving me dirty looks! Help!

After all was said and done, nearly five hours after the start of the show, the dogs came into the arena one last time, as a group, each of them on equal footing, knowing that they had done their best. Only one winner is chosen from each of four classes. For each, as they heard their number called, trainer and dog proudly stepped forward, the camera flashed, and they were the winners in the Logan County 2001 4-H Dog Show this Saturday, Aug. 28.

[Jonathan Cook]

[Click here to see results of the 4-H Dog Show]


Logan County crops — a varied picture

[JULY 26, 2001]  Logan County has become a varied picture in agriculture over the past few weeks. With critical timing from the first week of July to date for corn, much-needed rainfall fell in some areas. Other areas were virtually shut out. Pictured below is an ear of corn with poor pollination due to heat stress at a critical time.

Also noticeable in area cornfields was the firing of lower leaves due to the heat and moisture stress, as plants protected themselves and continued filling kernels on the ear.

Insect damage was also seen, with rootworm beetles causing some silk clipping and corn borers riddling some stalks.

 

Soybeans have a critical point approaching as they start the pod-fill period. They continue to bloom, set pods and begin to make the seeds grow.

 

 

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Many insects, such as bean leaf beetles and grasshoppers, have caused some minor defoliation in the soybean leaves.

 

For the horticulturalist in us, we have seen the wilt virus transmitted by beetles in the cucurbits, such as pumpkins and cucumbers.

 

And lastly we have a problem we can take care of. That is damage by potato leafhoppers. It is indicated by a brown or black "V" at the tip of leaves. A simple spray treatment of diazinon or carbaryl will prevent further damage. This picture happens to be a rose.

 

Not all is bad, but it does make for some more dramatic pictures. If weather could be custom-ordered, it would involve about an inch of rain a week (and more than a tenth or two at a time would be nice), high temperatures of about 85 degrees and lots of sun.

The next items coming to Lincoln Daily News from the Extension office will be fair photos. The Logan County Fair will officially open on July 31 and will run through Aug. 5. The 4-H shows have already begun, with foods and clothing exhibited before the fair. Dogs will show on the Saturday before the fair, and most project divisions will be shown on the Monday before the fair. Hope to see you there!

[John Fulton]


New techniques keep streams
from carrying away farmland

[JULY 24, 2001]  "Ninety-three percent of Logan County is farmland, and 97 percent of that farmland is prime land that’s as good as you get," says Bill Dickerson. Preserving that prime black soil is a high priority for a group of local and national organizations.

[Click here for more photos]

A field day sponsored recently by the Logan County Soil and Water Conservation District and the Land of Lincoln Soil Savers gave area farmers a look at a new stream stabilization technique, one way to control soil erosion. These two groups, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Illinois Department of Agriculture are working on projects to prevent Logan County’s waterways from carrying away its farmland.

"With three good-sized creeks in the county Salt, Kickapoo and Sugar Creeks it’s a never-ending job," Dickerson says. As a district conservationist for the NRCS, Dickerson works closely with Logan County’s Soil and Water Conservation District.

On Thursday he took a group of area farmers to a Kickapoo Creek site southeast of Atlanta, on farm ground owned by Dave Evans and Dan Koons, to explain a new technique called the stream barb system.

 


[These three rock projections are a new stream stabilization technique called barbs.  Pointing upstream, they work together to redirect the water in Kickapoo Creek toward the middle of the creek and keep it from undercutting the stream bank.]

What the farmers saw were three projections of large stone riprap jutting out into the creek, angling upstream, at a point where the creek had been cutting away the bank. The barb-shaped stone projections work together to catch the current and redirect it to the middle of the stream, away from the bank which is being eroded.

The project was completed in December of last year, and, according to the landowners, is working just as predicted.

"A few weeks ago, when the water was higher, I could see it working. I could actually see water turn and go back into the channel," Koons said.

Before the barbs were put in, he added, the bank went straight down, because it was being undercut by the creek at the rate of at least a foot a year. Now the stream bank slopes, maintaining the angle it was given by the construction crew that put in the new stabilization system. The bank is also being held in place by the natural vegetation that is beginning to grow there.

The new stream barb system is protecting about 600 feet of the bank of Kickapoo Creek, Dickerson says, preventing the loss of about one-half ton of soil per foot per year. That means 300 tons of prime topsoil is no longer washing down the creek, eventually ending up somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico.

 

It is the nature of streams and rivers to meander, traveling in a series of S-curves, as they slow down and broaden out their flood plains, Dickerson explains. Formerly, engineers tried to keep streams from eroding the land around them by straightening them out, a process called channelizing. Kickapoo Creek was channelized on the Koons-Evans farm in the mid-1970s, when the land belonged to a different owner.

But the channelizing couldn’t prevent the creek from reverting to its natural tendency to meander, and it soon began cutting into the land again. (It’s now against federal law to straighten a stream.)

Today the idea is to work with nature, allowing the stream to meander but preventing it from meandering too much, Dickerson explains. "Moving water is one of the strongest forces on earth. We are now going with the natural force of the stream, rather than fighting it."

 

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Although it’s the newest technique, the stream barb system on the Koons-Evans farm isn’t the only system on Kickapoo Creek that is keeping Logan County soil in Logan County. Two different projects upstream, called bendway weirs and similar to the barb system, are on land owned by Rodney Alberts and Jerry Cisco. They were also installed with the help of Dickerson and the Soil and Water Conservation District.

These stream stabilization systems not only save soil, they also contribute to better water quality. They prevent streams from filling up with sediment and also prevent agricultural chemicals and nutrients from draining into waterways. Dickerson says the weirs and barbs are also good for wildlife. A degrading stream is sterile, providing little or no natural habitat. Rock bars, however, make good aquatic habitats, places for fish to hide or breed.

Dickerson explained the process of constructing the stream barb system to the group of about 30 farmers who came to the site, pointing out that the average cost of installing such a system on a Logan County farm would be about $11,000. However, the Illinois Department of Agriculture has a $1 million program in place this fiscal year (July 1, 2001 to June 30, 2002) to help fund stream stabilization, and farmers who put in an approved system can get as much as 75 percent of the cost reimbursed.

 

Several construction firms in the area do the work, Dickerson said, and the NRCS is ready to help farmers do the paperwork. A steam stabilization project usually takes about a year from start to finish because of the permits required -- from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

The NRCS has been doing stream stabilization projects for the past 10 years, along with a number of other conservation programs. These include no-till farming, which according to Dickerson has contributed more to soil erosion control than any other program, and the Conservation Reserve Program, the USDA’s most popular conservation program. CRP allows landowners to take cropland out of production for as much as 15 years, getting payments of as high as $192 an acre for the idle land. The land can be put in grass for erosion control or planted with trees. Most land in CRP is already environmentally sensitive, Dickerson says, often located on a flood plain or on sloping ground.

After viewing the stream barb system, the farmers adjourned to the Atlanta Park shelter, where they heard a program by Howard Brown, agronomist with Growmark of Bloomington. Brown walks the fields, looks at crops for indications of insects, fungus and other plant diseases, and gives farmers an update on how the season is progressing and what to look for when making decisions for next year’s planting.

Brown said the yield potential for area crops this year looks good "if the weather is good from here on out."

Anyone interested in more information about stream stabilization or other conservation practices may call the Soil and Water Conservation District office at (217) 732-2010, Ext. 3.

[Joan Crabb]


Food, fashions and more

4-H’ers participate in local showings

[JULY 20, 2001]  The Logan County 4-H Food and Nutrition Show was on Tuesday, July 17, at the Extension Building on the fairgrounds. Approximately 70 youth participated in the event. The Logan County 4-H Home and Family Show was the same day. Approximately 35 youth participated in that event. Illinois State Fair delegates and alternates were chosen in several categories.

Foods

Delegates

Chris Ackerman, Lincoln; Food Preservation

Emily Bakken, Lincoln; Dairy Foods, Breads and Cereals, and International Foods

Elizabeth Carter, Lincoln; Food Preservation

Abby Coers, Chestnut; Fruits & Vegetables

Natalie Coers, Emden; International Foods, and Breads and Cereals

 


[Foods delegates chosen to represent Logan County 4-H at the Illinois State Fair are (back row, L to R) Elizabeth Carter, Chris Ackerman, Jennifer Schahl, Krista Ubbenga, Angela Cunningham and Natalie Coers; (front row, L to R) Jill Patrick, Jenna Opperman, Kim Turner, Emily Bakken and Abby Sasse. Not pictured: Laura Schahl and Abby Coers.]

Angela Cunningham, Elkhart; Breads and Cereals

Jenna Opperman, Lincoln; You Learn to Bake

Jill Patrick, New Holland; Sports Nutrition, Food Demonstration

Abrigail Sasse, Beason; Breads and Cereals, Fruits and Vegetables, and International Foods

Jennifer Schahl, Lincoln; International Foods

Laura Schahl; Lincoln, Let’s Start Cooking

Kim Turner, Atlanta; International Foods

Krista Ubbenga, Hartsburg; Breads and Cereals, Food Preservation, and Fruits and Vegetables

Alternates

Benjamin Buse, Beason; Exploring Food Heritage

Elizabeth Carter, Lincoln; Exploring Food Heritage

Susan Cochran, Mount Pulaski; Fruits and Vegetables

Jonathon Davis, New Holland; Tricks for Treats I

Amanda Davison, Beason; Dairy Foods

Holly Ingram, Lincoln; Fruits and Vegetables

Allicent Pech, Lincoln; Sports Nutrition

 


[Foods category alternates chosen are (L to R) Holly Ingram, Allicent Pech, Elizabeth Carter, Amanda Davison and Susan Cochran.  Not pictured:  Jonathon Davis and Benjamin Buse.]

Top Foods 4-H’ers in Logan County

The following 4-H’ers were chosen as top individuals in Foods. These 4-H’ers will compete for an overall county award which will be presented at the 4-H Achievement Night in November.

Chris Ackerman, Lincoln; Food Preservation

Emily Bakken, Lincoln; Dairy Foods, Breads and Cereals, and International Foods

Elizabeth Carter, Lincoln; Food Preservation

Abby Coers, Chestnut; Fruits and Vegetables

Natalie Coers, Emden; International Foods, and Breads and Cereals

Angela Cunningham, Elkhart; Breads and Cereals

Jenna Opperman, Lincoln; You Learn to Bake

Jill Patrick, New Holland; Sports Nutrition, and Food Demonstration

Abrigail Sasse, Beason; Breads and Cereals, Fruits and Vegetables, and International Foods

Jennifer Schahl, Lincoln; International Foods

Laura Schahl, Lincoln; Let’s Start Cooking

Kim Turner, Atlanta; International Foods

Krista Ubbenga, Hartsburg; Breads and Cereals, Food Preservation, and Fruits and Vegetables

Click here for complete results of the 4-H Food and Nutrition Show.

 

 

 

 

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Home and Family Show

At the Home and Family Show, a number of 4-H’ers were chosen as award winners and to go on to the Illinois State Fair. These individuals are listed below.

Bethany Furman, Waynesville — Sewing and Textiles I Construction Award

Allicent Pech, Lincoln — Sewing and Textiles II Construction Award

Krista Ubbenga, Hartsburg — Sewing and Textiles III Construction Award

Leila Ballinger, Atlanta — 4-H Fashion Revue Award

Nichole Benz, Lincoln — Special Sewing and Textiles Award

Colleen Pech, Lincoln — Special Sewing and Textiles Award

Sewing and Textiles

Delegates

Leila Ballinger, Sewing and Textiles III

Bethany Furman, Sewing and Textiles I

Leanna Gleason, Sewing and Textiles II

Allicent Pech, Sewing and Textiles II

Abrigail Sasse, Sewing and Textiles III

Krista Ubbenga, Sewing and Textiles III

Marjorie White, Sewing and Textiles II

 


[Clothing and Textiles delegates are (L to R) Allicent Pech, Leila Ballinger, Bethany Furman, Krista Ubbenga, Marjorie White, Abby Sasse and Leanna Gleason.]

Alternates

Emily Bakken, Sewing and Textiles III

Katelyn Beavers, Sewing and Textiles II

Abby Coers, Sewing and Textiles II

Amanda Davison, Sewing and Textiles III

Rachael Jones, Sewing and Textiles I

Kim Turner, Sewing and Textiles II

 


[Clothing and Textiles alternates are (L to R) Amanda Davison, Rachael Jones, Katelyn Beavers, Emily Bakken, Kim Turner and Abby Coers.]

Fashion Revue

Delegates

Emily Bakken, Lincoln

Leila Ballinger, Atlanta

Katelyn Beavers, Broadwell

Krista Ubbenga, Hartsburg

Alternates

Leanna Gleason, Elkhart

Allicent Pech, Lincoln

Marjorie White, Beason

Interior Design

Delegates

Bethany Furman, Waynesville; Beginning

Sarah Moore, Elkhart, Beginning

Jenna Opperman, Lincoln; Beginning

 


[Interior Design delegates are (L to R) Bethany Furman, Sarah Moore and Jenna Opperman.]

Child Care

Delegates

Mary Healy, Middletown; Child Development III

Michelle Johnson, Latham; Child Development II

Krista Ubbenga, Hartsburg, Child Development II


[Child Development delegates are (L to R) Mary Healy and Krista Ubbenga. Not pictured: Michelle Johnson.]

Click here for complete results of the Logan County 4-H Home and Family Show.


Soybeans 101

[JULY 2, 2001]  After the short course on corn, it is only fitting to provide a brief description of soybeans. Most people know what a soybean seed looks like. It is round and has two halves. These halves will later become the cotyledons (seed leaves). The hilum is the seed scar where the seed was attached to the pod, much like a pea. The embryo of the plant is attached between the two seed halves.

The germination process is triggered when adequate moisture is available to swell the seed and the temperatures are generally over 60 degrees in the soil. The soybean is quite different than corn in that the cotyledons (seed halves) are actually raised out of the soil by the shoot as it grows longer. The cotyledons provide food for the young plant until leaves provide food through photosynthesis.

After the cotyledons, a pair of unifoliate leaves comes out. The growing point of the soybean plant is the top part of the plant and always exposed. After the unifoliate leaves, the trifoliate leaves begin to emerge. These are the leaves that have the regular three leaflets that will make the food for the plant and seed for the remainder of the growing season.

Soybeans bloom based on the length of the night. This means that the earlier varieties begin in late June and the other varieties commonly grown in our area will follow within the next 10 days or so. Most soybeans grown in the Midwest are of the indeterminate variety, which means they will continue to bloom and add leaves until they begin to die.

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Many of our soybean fields will have only about 25 percent of the flowers actually develop into pods and produce seed. Most plants in a field will have 30 to 100 pods on them, with two to three seeds per pod. One way we estimate yield is to figure four bean seeds per square foot equals a bushel.

Soybean plants normally ripen in the months of September and October, depending on the maturity of the plants used. Most maturities in our area are either Group 2 or Group 3 varieties. Normal yields are from 40 to 60 bushels per acre, depending on variety, fertility, management and weather. The weather is the big factor each year in determining yields.

[John Fulton]


Honors & Awards

4-H Dog Show results

[JULY 30, 2001]  The 4-H Dog show was at 8 a.m. Saturday, July 28, at the Logan County Fairgrounds. Results are listed below.

Dog, Junior Showmanship

Greg Harmon, Lincoln

Beginner I Award

Samantha Nichols, Mount Pulaski

Beginner II Award

Seth Goodman, Lincoln

Graduate Beginner-Graduate Novice

Meredith Laurence, Lincoln

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

State fair delegates

Greg Harmon — Junior Dog Showmanship

Adrienne Hildebrandt — Dog, Beginner I

Brook Wibben — Dog, Beginner I

Seth Goodman — Dog, Beginner II

Meredith Laurence — Dog, Graduate Beginner

Showmanship
Blue Award winners

Dustin Aylesworth

Elizabeth Carter

Caleb Crawford

Elizabeth Fanning

Greg Harmon

Hanna Laramie

Hannah Wagner

Brook Wibben

Brian Willmert

Dog Care
Blue Award

Dustin Aylesworth

Beginner I Class
Blue Award Winners

Elizabeth Carter

Caleb Crawford

Elizabeth Fanning

Greg Harmon

Emily Hauter

Adrienne Hildebrandt

Hanna Laramie

Samantha Nichols

Hannah Wagner

Brook Wibben

Brian Willmert

Beginner II Class
Blue Awards

Dustin Aylesworth

Seth Goodman

Graduate Beginner Class
Blue Award

Meredith Laurence

 

 


Results of 2001 Logan County 4-H shows

[JULY 20, 2001]  Listed below are the results of Logan County 4-H shows on Tuesday, July 17, at the Extension Building on the fairgrounds.

4-H Food and Nutrition Show

Tricks for Treats I

Blue Awards

Courtney Akers

Kristine Apel

Jamie Bobell

Kelli Brooks

Maxwell Buse

Jonathon Davis

Sarah Deal

Katie Gosda

Devin Pegram

Hannah Sheley

Esther Tomlinson

Hannah Wagner

Karolyn White

Tricks for Treats II

Blue Awards

Benjamin Beavers

Michelle Boyer

John Brooks

Kelly Gosda

Holly Ingram

Michelle Johnson

Let’s Start Cooking

Blue Awards

Nichole Benz

Emily Bobell

Maxwell Buse

Rebekah Crider

Kelly Gosda

Greg Harmon

Emily Hauter

Zack Huffer

Jenna Opperman

Devin Pegram

Laura Schahl

Katrina Schreiner

You Learn to Bake

Blue Awards

Jessica Allen

Lorraine Allen

Nichole Benz

Kristin Bishop

Michelle Boyer

John Brooks

Emma Cross

Jonathon Davis

Hollie Dollinger

Jenna Opperman

Kathryn Opperman

Katrina Schreiner

Hannah Sheley

Katie Turner

Krista Ubbenga

Hannah Wagner

Caiti Wunderlin

Red Award

Elizabeth Fanning

Sports Nutrition

Blue Awards

Katelyn Beavers

Benjamin Buse

Abby Coers

Katie Gosda

Jill Patrick

Allicent Pech

Dairy Foods

Blue Awards

Emily Bakken

Jackie Bakken

Angela Cunningham

Amanda Davison

Krista Ubbenga

Exploring Food Heritage

Blue Awards

Benjamin Buse

Elizabeth Carter

Kelly Cross

Megan Johnson

Jill Patrick

Krista Ubbenga

Exploring Outdoor Eating

Blue Awards

Timothy Carter

Foods with International Flavor

Blue Awards

Emily Bakken

Jackie Bakken

Elizabeth Brooks

Natalie Coers

Amanda Davison

Sarah Deal

Holly Ingram

Ashley Lamb

Abrigail Sasse

Jennifer Schahl

Kimberly Turner

Krista Ubbenga

Marjorie White

 

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Breads and Cereals

Blue Awards

Emily Bakken

Jackie Bakken

Katelyn Beavers

Abby Coers

Natalie Coers

Angela Cunningham

Amanda Davison

Mary Healy

Ruth Healy

Holly Ingram

Jessica Lindgren

Abrigail Sasse

Krista Ubbenga

Fruits and Vegetables

Blue Awards

Chris Ackerman

Emily Bakken

Elizabeth Brooks

Susan Cochran

Abby Coers

Natalie Coers

Amanda Davison

Mary Healy

Holly Ingram

Jill Patrick

Abrigail Sasse

Krista Ubbenga

Food Preservation

Blue Awards

Chris Ackerman

Elizabeth Carter

Mary Healy

Abrigail Sasse

Krista Ubbenga

Food Demonstration

Blue Award

Jill Patrick

Cake Decorating

Blue Awards

Elizabeth Carter

Krista Ubbenga

 

4-H Home and Family Show

Design Decisions/Beginning

Blue Awards

Bethany Furman

Sarah Moore

Jenna Opperman

Child Development II

Blue Awards

Michelle Johnson

Krista Ubbenga

Red Award

Marjorie White

Child Development III

Blue Award

Mary Healy

Health II

Red Award

Camillia Bone

Sewing and Textiles I

Blue Awards

Nichole Benz

Kristin Bishop

Bethany Furman

Rachael Jones

Kathryn Opperman

Colleen Pech

Katrina Schreiner

Katie Turner

Hannah Wagner

Sewing and Textiles II

Blue Awards

Katelyn Beavers

Abby Coers

Leanna Gleason

Allicent Pech

Kimberly Turner

Marjorie White

Sewing and Textiles II

Red Awards

Elizabeth Carter

Jennifer Schahl

Sewing and Textiles III

Blue Awards

Emily Bakken

Leila Ballinger

Amanda Davison

Abrigail Sasse

Krista Ubbenga


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