Table Talk

Once in a while you see something that just stays with you.

This year I attended a college graduation ceremony. For that hour, family and friends were drawn together as one by the hard work of these students who came to fulfill the journey they had been on together as future pharmacists. One of them was our future daughter-in-law.

It had been many years of hard work, long days and nights of studying, difficult exams and internships which took up any free time she may have had — giving up time with friends and loved ones to accomplish this incredible life goal of service.

Once everyone was in place, the event began with the playing of the National Anthem.

There’s just something about hearing the National Anthem before an event. It grounds us and helps us remember there were many American feet on the ground of other countries — feet that never walked again — on American soil or ever; or feet replaced with artificial ones following battles they will think about for the rest of their days. While I usually focus solely on the flag while our anthem plays, this time I let my eyes

TABLE TALK wander for a moment. By Karen Schwaller And that’s when I saw him. An older gentleman stood three rows ahead of me in a full salute while the anthem played. He never moved; his eyes fixed on the flag; and he didn’t relax until the very last note of his country’s beloved anthem had stopped playing. I was a little ashamed I was not as focused on the flag that day; but the sight of that man’s military salute is something I will carry with me always. I was in the presence of someone who had obviously served his country — our country — for me, for you and for everyone in that venue — whether they knew or appreciated it or not. Maybe he had lost friends in

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https://www.research.net/r/100337 battles or fought his own demons during and after his service. Regardless, his deep devotion to — and love for — his country was plain to see.

The last time I remember seeing patriotism that strong was on and after 9/11. And while I would never wish for that to happen again, I do miss the United States of 9/12. We were truly one people in those days and weeks afterwards, and the tremendous loss of life gave us a taste of what many soldiers and their families experienced through two world wars and in the wars and conflicts that have dotted our nation’s history throughout the years.

They say freedom isn’t free, and that it’s only one generation away from extinction. It’s become almost trite. We really do take our freedom for granted, and often forget there were people — whole families we didn’t even know — who sacrificed everything for us. For you; for me. Whether we appreciate it or not. Whether we even think about it or not.

That gentleman thought about it that day. I was honored to have spotted a veteran in such a large crowd, who gave of himself on behalf of every person there that day.

I saw a rerun of an old TV show

which focused for a time on the WWII era and how it affected this Virginia mountain family. One episode detailed the youngest of the family’s four sons signing up for the Air Corps, and at the end of the show the four brothers left together as a group — three in uniform (already serving their country) and the youngest in civilian clothes and carrying a suitcase to join or rejoin their companies as the war trudged on. The rest of their family, filled with sorrow and trepidation, watched as half of their family left — walking into the unknown. As it is in war, there are no promises. The gentleman behind the salute will stay with me every time I stand to respect the flag and our National Anthem. He taught me an important lesson that day — not with words, but through his profound actions. People like him have made all of our free and carefree living possible. The least I can do is respect it, remember, and repay him and all other veterans by living a life that is worthy of the sacrifices they made. Karen Schwaller brings “Table Talk” to The Land from her home near Milford, Iowa. She can be reached at kschwaller@evertek.net. v Keep watch for tar spot in corn

CALEDONIA, Minn. — First identified in the United States in 2015, tar spot is a corn disease which has spread dramatically. Given the relatively recent nature of this disease, there is still a lot to learn. However, given that potential yield losses can range from no losses to 50 bushels an acre, this is a corn disease to watch.

Tar spot is a fungal disease of corn and primarily infects and damages leaves. Symptoms include irregularly shaped black structures on leaf surfaces. The black structures are firm, appear mostly smooth on the surface and the spots do not rub off or break open. Tar spot can also produce fisheye symptoms that have black spots surrounded by tan lesions with dark borders. The easiest way to differentiate tar spot from insect frass or other diseases is to wet the area and then rub vigorously with your fingers. Tar spot should not rub off, whereas other diseases that mimic tar spot should come off onto your hand.

Tar spot prefers relatively cool temperatures and humidity to develop and spread. If we begin to see hot dry weather, tar spot may slow or stop. You should scout fields for tar spot from now until harvest. Pay close attention to those areas which have had tar spot in the past.

When applied at the correct time, rate and combination, fungicides can reduce yield loss impact. Corn hybrids also vary in their susceptibility which will be something to consider when choosing next year’s seed — especially if you have fields with known tar spot populations.

Both crop rotation and tillage only play a minor role in reducing the risk of tar spot in fields. However, with both the length of rotation and the degree of which tillage helps, it is still a relative unknown.

If you suspect you have a field with tar spot, please contact your local County Extension office.

This article was submitted by Katie Drewitz, University of Minnesota Extension. v