Hot County fairs
and 4-State Farm Show
summer Home visits
ounty fairs and the arrival of hot and humid weather in July are as predictable as an atomic clock! An important part of county fairs is the awarding of ribbons for various 4-H and open class exhibits; a duty fulfilled by a fair judge. This duty has fallen upon me a number of times over the years; this year I’ve judged 4-H and open class exhibits (primarily horticulture, floriculture, and field crops) at the Bourbon, Cherokee and Wilson county fairs. The number of exhibits seems to be up this year over other recent years. And I can’t complain too much about the weather because some of the judging I did was inside air-conditioned buildings (thank goodness)!
Another July event, along with county fairs, was the 4-State Farm Show held on July 21 – 23. I have been told that the farm show usually coincides with the hottest days of the summer; this year was no exception. We as Wildcat District agents took turns meeting and greeting the farm show visitors at booth 280; I was scheduled to be there on Saturday, July 22, from 11:15 a.m. to closing time.
My partners at the booth were Christina Holmes and Julie Thomas from the Cherokee County Extension office. HerscheI George, watershed specialist for southeast Kansas, was also at the booth displaying his solar-powered water pump suitable for farm pond use. A good many folks stopped by the booth to visit with Herschel about his gadget; he’s very well-known by a number of land owners across SE Kansas. However, I too was surprised and pleased to have some folks stop by the booth specifically wanting to visit with me about their gardening concerns!
My routine activities during the month include radio show appearances, home visits, phone calls, office visits, etc. One of the recurring questions I have had this month was identifying poison ivy. Other concerns included Japanese beetles, emerald ash borer (none found), ticks, tomato problems, tree issues, etc.; all-over-the-board questions are normal during the summer!
I also mailed out Master Gardener application forms to about thirty individuals; so far, I have received nine applications back. Fifteen applications are needed for the program to proceed; I am hopeful that we’ll get the necessary number of applications by early September. In addition to the other activities I took a few days off to see a couple of grandkids and their parents in St. Louis.
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Identifying poison ivy was a popular request this month.
Photo Source: K-State Research and Extension