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MANAGER’S DESK
Jerald Kemmerer-CEO/GM
I hope your summer is going well. We have had quite a mixture of summer weather with some moisture then back to the summer heat. I hope that between the subsoil moisture and amount of rain we have received this summer, it will be enough to produce a fairly good fall crop. We will need to continue to receive more moisture to finish off the crop over the next couple of months. Our Wheat harvest receipts were about 82 % of last year and 85% of our average crop. This year’s wheat crop had fairly good
THIRD QUARTER 2018
test weights and good protein but so did the whole state of Kansas. Earlier rains would have been needed for better stand and larger yields. The later rains prior to wheat harvest did help the berry fill prior to harvest and gave us a good start on the fall crops. We completed harvest without any major down times and are still seeing the benefits of the capital projects we have completed the last few years plus the current ones. The Howell project is almost complete with only the inbound scale left to be installed. The Ensign project is in the process of pouring concrete at the time of this letter for more storage. The Montezuma outbound scale is
scheduled to be finish soon. Not only are these projects very helpful to you the member/owner but it also helps the team of employees with operation planning and etc. Thank you to those who were able to attend and celebrate your coop’s 103rd anniversary this past May. I thought Mitch Holthus, the voice of the Kansas City Chiefs, did a great job with his speech. Each year, as a team of employees, we meet to see how we can improve on the annual meeting. If you attended the annual meeting we apologize if you did not receive a steak or a complete meal. We have addressed that and plan on next year to give out meal tickets to those
Inside This Issue 2 Safety 3 Ace Hardware - Grain 4 Feed 5 Agronomy - Turf 6 Agronomy - Turf 7 AV Energy - Board of Directors
who RSVP. We will also order extra steaks and have extra tickets at the door during check in for those who are able to attend at the last minute so we make sure we have enough food for everyone. I do appreciate the employees stepping out of the food line this year and eating later meals that we ordered for them to enjoy. But thanks, for everyone who was able to attend this year’s annual meeting. Your cooperative had a good year last year and we are off to even a better start this year. We were excited about not only handing out respectable patronage checks but also paying back another year of deferred equity, keeping us 8 years left to be paid currently on the books. With the wheat crop put away, the teams of employees are hard at work getting grain in position to make room for what hopes to be at least an average or better fall crop. They are also busy making the necessary repairs/maintenance plus finishing up the capital projects in time for fall harvest go as smoothly as possible. You know summer is starting to wind down when you get through with the county fairs. Congratulations to all the youth that participated in 4-H and FFA with their fair projects this year. Pride Ag Resources is proud to be represented in the eight counties that we serve. It was exciting to see the accomplishments by our
youth especially in the ones that our team of employees were able to help provide service for. I hope you are able to enjoy the rest of your summer with your family before school starts up again. We are looking forward to helping you with your fall harvest. Thanks for your business. It is always a pleasure for the team of employees to help you succeed in production agriculture.
Safety Division
Skyler Hayes Safety Director
SAFETY ON THE FARM Through the years I have written more than thirty articles about safety on many topics. Following are some suggestions for general safety on the farm. Use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Taking the time to put on the proper PPE can go a long way toward keeping you safe when performing certain tasks. Non-vented or indirectly vented goggles and PVC gloves when working with anhydrous ammonia will help to prevent painful burns to your hands and can save
your eyes in case of an accident. Some pesticide labels require the wearing of respiratory protection when handling the pesticides. Dust masks when working in environments with dust such as from grain, animal manure, hay or rodent feces and dried urine are a good way to keep the bad stuff out of your lungs. Goggles should always be worn when grinding or cutting metal. Leather gloves will help protect your hands from cuts, nicks and bruises, and work boots will protect your feet better than tennis shoes, sandals or flip flops. Make certain that guards are in place on all machinery. If you remove a guard when servicing or repairing machinery, make certain that you put the guard back on before operating the machine. Some older or homemade machines may not have guards at all, and you may want to fabricate guards to protect workers from the moving machine parts. Locking and tagging out machinery when servicing or repairing, long a standard in commercial industry, is increasingly being utilized on farms as a great way to prevent injury to workers from the accidental startup of machinery. ROPS (Roll Over Protective Structure) will help to protect a tractor driver in case of a roll over, the leading cause of death to tractor drivers. It is estimated that there are approximately 15,000 collisions involving farm 2
vehicles on U.S. roadways each year. Make certain that your flashers are on when you are on a public roadway with a farm vehicle and that you display a Slow Moving Vehicle (SMV) symbol on your equipment. No matter what type of vehicle you are driving on a roadway, make certain that you are not distracted while driving, whether it is from eating, using your cell phone, or anything else that takes your eyes, mind or hands away from the task of driving. Cell phones are often the biggest distractions. I would suggest that you simply do not use a cell phone while performing any task, whether it is on the road or off. Because most farming chores are done outside during the day, make certain to protect yourself from overexposure to the sun. Skin cancer is at epidemic proportions over that last few years, due mostly to overexposure to the sun. Find an old photograph of farm workers, and you are likely to see people with straw hats, gloves and long sleeve pants and shirts. Our grandparents knew the importance of sun protection. At least apply a high SPF sunscreen if you are not going to wear clothing that will protect you from the sun. I have written several articles for this publication about bin entry safety. During this calendar year it is estimated that more than a dozen farm workers will be killed during bin entry. For information on bin safety you can access the
quarterly newsletter archives for past articles. All-Terrain Vehicles (ATV) are becoming more and more commonplace. They are a great tool around the farm, but they have their own hazards. It is a good idea to have any workers or family members who drive ATVs to take a course on safe ATV operation. Some county extension agents offer classes on ATV safety.
damage in a short time. Stop by your Ace store and pick up some spinosad spray to treat for bag worms it works well for spider mites and most chewing insects. As always thanks for your business. GRAIN DIVISION
ACE HARDWARE Mike Schmidt Grains - Operations Manager
Jack Lane, ACE Manager
Come by your Ace stores and look at the full line of Stihl products. We have a pretty impressive line of Stihl power washers that are one of the best in the industry. They include a RB 200 for 469.00 a RB 400 for 599.99 a RB 600 for 899.99 and a RB 800 for 1299.99. We have a size to fit everyone’s needs. We also have a full line of Stihl trimmers, blowers and chain saws. Your Ace locations also do repair on the Stihl line of products. Bag worms and spider mites have become a huge problem in people’s tree rows and ornamentals. They are causing a huge amount of
Another wheat harvest has come and gone. It’s great to say that for most of the locations and for most producers, it was a pleasant surprise. After a long dry spell we finally received some very timely rains. The wheat produced a lot better yields than we all expected anywhere from 10 to 20 bushel per acre better yields. All your locations at Pride Ag Resources were ready for the crop. We were able to get it all put in the bins and prepare it for later delivery. All of us at Pride Ag would like to take this time to say thank you for your business and for allowing us to handle all your grain needs.
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Now the price for wheat is a whole other story. We saw basis at the end of May at -.60 move to even basis at the end of June this was a very unusual move right in the middle of harvest time but with the basis gain and futures moving up it gave us some very good opportunities to price wheat. We had a closing price on June 12th of $5.34 as compared to middle of July a price of $4.75. With all the trade wars and export tariffs our export demand is very slow and the mills are getting filled up in the short term. This makes for a very difficult chance for markets to go higher. As we see futures run higher, it is a selling opportunity and needs to be sold. If you have any questions on any types of contracts that we offer please call the main office to discuss which one of them would be a good fit for you. With that in mind, fall harvest is right around the corner and maybe it is time to get some corn, milo, or beans contracted before prices fall too low.
Date Wheat Corn 4/6/18 4.42 3.61 5/4/18 4.91 3.76 5/21/18 4.67 3.78 6/15/18 5.10 3.41 Last Year –Aug. 2017 AVG. 3.49 3.39
Milo 3.34 3.51 3.48 3.11
Soybean 9.14 9.12 9.00 7.96
2.81 8.32
We have finished the work at our Howell facility for this year except for the new inbound scale, which should completed by fall harvest. The new 20,000 bushel an hour leg, new receiving pit and new drags really made for faster dumping and hopefully the increased capacity made dumping there a
very enjoyable experience. At our Ensign facility we are building two 525,000 bushel McPherson concrete bins. These will not be ready for fall harvest but we have started on the cone bottoms and the walls should start going up in the next few weeks. This will be a very good asset for your coop. The added space will allow us to handle corn during harvest time and have more elevator room to handle the milo at the same time without having to pile it on the ground. We are putting in a new inbound scale at the Ensign facility as well. This scale will speed things up and should eliminate the confusion on where you need to go and weigh. Our last improvement for the year is at Montezuma, where we are also adding a new outbound scale. This will be completed by fall harvest and will speed up weighing times at the elevator. Truck flow will be much more consistent than today, and the most important thing is that it will be much safer getting you back onto the highway. Again the employees at Pride Ag Resources would like to thank everyone for your business and hope we can be your business of choice in the future. Fall harvest is rapidly approaching so please call with anything we can do to make your experience better.
FEED DIVISION Did you know that just a few adult flies can quickly populate to 4,000 flies or more per animal? Pesky horn flies can become prolific in spring. However, earlyseason planning can help keep fly
populations under season long.
control
all
Here are four steps to help you beat the horn fly buzz: 1.
Consider a feed-through fly control One way to effectively combat horn flies is to use a feed-through fly control that can be found in select cattle minerals. Cattle need both fly control and mineral, so delivering the two in one package can be a convenient option. Additionally, a feed through form doesn’t require extra cattle handling or hassle beyond regular mineral feeder maintenance. Once a cow consumes fly control mineral, it functions through the manure the cow excretes. Insect growth regulator (IGR) passes through the cow and into the manure where horn flies lay their eggs. IGR breaks the horn fly life 2. Follow the 30/30 rule Feed fly control mineral 30 days before the frost in the spring and 30 days after the first frost in the fall. This rule of thumb ensures cows have access to fly control mineral before horn flies appear in the early spring and provides coverage through summer and fall. Feeding fly control mineral for 30 days after the first frost in fall is critical to help prevent horn flies from overwintering on the pupal stage, which can jump-start adult populations in the spring. If fly control mineral is not provided during this time frame and temperatures bounce back after the first frost, you may be allowing additional fly generations to develop. 3. Manage your fly control mineral Fly control mineral can only work if cattle are consuming it. Make sure you’re providing a quality mineral that is consumed at the targeted intake levels. It is also critical that you monitor cattle mineral feeders on a regular basis. An empty feeder or feeders that are set and forgotten will not provide the same results as a well-managed mineral feeder. Use one feeder for 4
every 15 to 20 animals, and place the feeders near watering holes or loafing areas. Monitor consumption and adjust the number of feeders or feed locations as necessary to encourage or reduce consumption. Cows should be consuming 4 ounces of mineral per day to get consistent fly control in manure piles. 4. Plan for the long haul Watch for organophosphates and pyrethroids, which are active ingredients used in many horn fly control products. These ingredients are known to cause resistant flies. A feed-through ingredient, like(S)methoprene, copies the horn fly’s own biochemical properties and has no known resistance issues. As a result, you can use fly control mineral as a long-term solution, versus having to switch products each year. Fly control mineral can also provide benefits that last the full length of the fly season compared to other cattle fly control product options that need reapplication. Ear tags, animal sprays, and pour-ons require additional cattle handling and often multiple rounds of handling to cover the full fly season. No matter which fly control method you use, make sure you have a plan in place well before flies emerge. Waiting until flies are present can impact cattle performance and productivity. Aside from fly control, keep these cattle mineral supplement considerations in mind to help your cattle achieve greatness.
Ted Perry, Lead Nutritionist, Beef Technical Solutions
AGRONOMY
Jordan R. Jones Agronomist I am pleased to introduce myself. My name is Jordan Jones, the new agronomist for Pride Ag Resources. I am a recent graduate of Oklahoma Panhandle State University with a degree in Agronomy, but a local girl from Jetmore, KS. I will be located in the western territory, but I will be available to all areas as needed. Growing up in Southwest Kansas I understand the urgency for rain and no till farming practices. Pride Ag Resources allows producers to look at various options for weed management. Reaching out to producers has given light to recent goals I personally have developed for Pride Ag Resources. Availability and communication is extremely important in this business; we are here to serve you, the producer. It is that time of year again, summer crops are finishing and we look forward towards the fall cropping season. Pride Ag Resources will again offer a deferred billing program for 2019 Wheat applied fertilizer. Fall applications can be a smart practice for producers. It can give a grower the financial and operational piece of mind in the fall cropping season. Having applied fertilizer in the fall allows more focus for spring planting. Looking towards the fall crop fertilizer applications, Pride Ag Resources’ goal is to outline the 4R’s. The right source, right rate, right time, and right place providing a basic outline to achieve growers’ soil fertility goals. One of the most important aspects of a growing season is understanding nutrition needs
for the various crops grown in Southwestern Kansas. Soil sampling is a resource a producer always has available to evaluate the nutrients a crop has tied up throughout its lifecycle. Under different soilwater and temperature conditions, nutrient levels may change dramatically in short periods of time. At Pride Ag Resources, we are dedicated to increase crop production, grower ease, and long-lasting relationships. Please ask your area agronomist/branch locations for more information about the deferred program today. As agronomists, we understand the challenges producers face daily out in the field. Give us a call anytime questions arise without hesitation! “Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals, and happiness.” - Thomas Jefferson
Pride Ag Resources“Pride Turf”
“Turf Talk” Ryan Bourne rbourne@prideag.com
What an interesting grass growing season we have had? From golf courses to home lawns, I must say grass growing this year has been a roller coaster for many people. The year never really got started on the right foot with the very cold 5
and dry conditions everyone faced this winter/spring to a summer where we saw drought and we saw some beneficial rains that also brought humidity! I was just out in SW KS for 3 days and I might say that it has been a long time when I could say there was very little wind? The lack of wind and the higher humidity levels definitely brought on a variety of turf diseases as well. I have been sent pictures of Dollar Spot, Brown Patch and also slime mold to name a few! So between winterkill, weeds, and disease I feel we just about covered everything that we don’t want to see again anytime soon! Looking forward….We are fast approaching optimum fertilizer and seeding times of the year for all of the cool season grasses. Make sure you stop in at one of our Pride Ag Ace Hardware’s to pick up all of your fall lawn supplies! A quick recap of our versatile product line allows you to adjust to different dates of when you want to apply a fertilizer. We are certain to have the right combination of products to suit what you want and what your soil needs! Stop in at the Feed Mill, any of the Pride Ag Ace Hardware stores or any local branches around where you are to get the right product for your specific need! For any Warm Season grass growers (Bermuda, Buffalo, and Zoysia grass) you are reaching the end of your fertility season. If you haven’t applied anything in June or July, I would highly recommend a quicker released type fertilizer so the plant is able to build its storage up for dormancy. I really like the Kickstarter, but
the product does need to be watered in with a boost of Ammonium Sulfate, there is a chance to burn if left not watered in. Timing a rain is always helpful as well. For Cool-season grass growers (Fescue, Bluegrass) we are scheduled for 2 applications of fertilizer to finish out the season, the first one being our fall application to be applied around Labor Day. We have built this one to be a versatile application. If you have kept up with the weeds this summer and your lawn just needs a fall boost, and a good shot of our Non-Staining Iron… I would highly recommend the “Maintainer”. If you need an even extra boost to the lawn, the “Kickstarter” will do just that! What’s the difference between the 2 fall products? The Maintainer has slow release Nitrogen added and the Kickstarter is a quick feed and contains no slow release Nitrogen but does have the nonstaining iron in the blend! Mentioned above, both of these products need to be watered in! If the summer brought in dandelions, spurge or other broadleaf weeds into your yard, you might consider using the “Weed and Feed +” instead of the Maintainer/Kickstarter application. Studies have shown that a fall application of herbicide will greatly reduce spring weed populations as the product is taken all the way into the root system. One key element to combat future weed infestations is to build a good thick turf stand of grass to out compete many of the weeds! For those that plan to over seed, Do Not apply the “Weed and Feed+” as the herbicide will damage the new seedlings. If your plan is to
over seed your lawn, choose a good seed variety that does well in our area, try to get good seed to soil contact by slicing and or aerifying and keep it watered well to get as many of the seedlings to thrive. I would highly recommend our “Starter” fertilizer to go down at that time to get the grass started on the right path! I would also recommend a separate application of Gypsum during this time if possible. We then conclude the season with our winter application to be applied around Daylight Savings/Halloween. This application of our “Winterizer” will allow the turf to get ready for dormancy and also provide a quicker wake-up in the spring! The Winterizer is built to provide good turf growth on many levels with a 51-2 ratio, building a better, stronger turf grass stand for the next season. One key note….The fall and early winter months are THE MOST Important applications you can do for your lawn. All of our stores and branches of Pride Ag Resources will have these products in stock and remember we build our products “in Kansas for Kansas” soils!! We also have many other products including Gypsum, Triple 13, Quick Iron and many more to choose from that are all blended in our Ensign Turf Facility. So make sure to stop in and see our selections. We also do many custom blends in bulk quantities to service anyone in the Turf industry. Last but not least and I know I might be well ahead of myself but I am excited to be prepared for the upcoming winter months with our two blends of Ice Melt. We will 6
have both blends ready to go prior to any winter storm this upcoming winter!! If you know a city, school district, lawn service, or business owner that might benefit from these blends send them our way! As always, please send me questions or comments as I would be glad to answer anything you might have, if I don’t have the perfect answer, I will at least route you in the right direction! You can reach me via email at Rbourne@prideag.com. Thanks and have a great Fall Season, Ryan Bourne (rbourne@prideag.com)
AV Energy
Chris Klein AV Energy, LLC O. (800)752-1580 O. (620)225-4994
Wow, where does the time go! It’s hard to believe that August is already here and school will be starting shortly. Please remember to be careful around school zones and to watch out for all the young drivers. PROPANE Propane contracts were mailed in early July and as of this newsletter we have had a great response. Contract Prices are $1.40 for 100% prepay, $1.45
for fixed and $1.55 for budget. If you have not sent in your contract please do so as these prices are subject to change. If you are not a current propane customer and would like to be please give us a call and we would be happy to talk to you about your propane needs.
warranty protection for all your equipment. Thanks, and have a great fall!
Understand your equipment warranty If you’ve been buying oil from your equipment dealer because you thought your warranty required you to use a certain brand of lubricants, check your owner’s manual. You’ll be happy to learn that you do not need to use lubricants from your equipment manufacturer – you just need to select products that meet the required grade specifications. We offer a full line of premium Cenex® lubricants to meet the grade specifications for your equipment. These are premium quality products, uniquely formulated to withstand the intense challenges of today’s high-tech engines. Speaking of warranties, when you use Cenex lubricants along with your Cenex® Ruby Fieldmaster® premium diesel fuel, you can also enroll your farm equipment in the Cenex® Total Protection Plan® warranty for up to 10 years or 10,000 hours (8 years or 8,000 hours on used equipment). This is unparalleled coverage that goes above and beyond your equipment manufacturer’s warranty. When you have a couple of free minutes, visit cenex.com to see testimonials from farmers that have received valuable coverage from the Cenex warranty. Then give us a call. Our energy team will help you find the right lubricants and
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Scott Mac Nair ........................ Chairman Tony Bleumer………..... . Vice-Chairman Clint Hamilton ......... Secretary-Treasurer Butch Irsik ................................. Director Toby Whipple ............................ Director Jacob Tarman ........................... Director Weston Vogel ............................ Director Brian Pinkney.…........Associate Director Phillip Woods …..…..Associate Director Jerald Kemmerer………………CEO/GM Debby Kennedy….......Newsletter Editor
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Pride Ag Resources
Published quarterly by the
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE
Pride Ag Resources
PAID
3rd Quarter 2018
710 West Trail, Dodge City, KS 67801
DODGE CITY, KS PERMIT #399
(620) 225-4193
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