GUEST OPINIONS

What's the Deal with "Knee High by the Fourth of July?"

“Knee high by the Fourth of July” is an old adage used by corn farmers near and far to measure the success of their crops come Independence Day.

Recently, farmers across the U.S. celebrated the fourth in the same spirit as generations before them, but when they looked to their crops, did they see the same knee-high cornstalks as their predecessors?

Years ago, knee-high corn in early July was thought to indicate high yields for the year. However, fast forward to present day, and knee-high stalks in late June and early July signal trouble to farmers.

With significant advances in agricultural technol-

By BASF Ag Solutions

ogy, genetics and improved plant health, today’s farmers can expect corn to reach far higher than the knee come Independence Day. According to the Iowa Corn Growers Association, under good conditions, corn plants typically reach a height of eight feet by midsummer.

Corn as high as an elephant’s eye In some areas across the U.S., farmers have turned to Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical Oklahoma! for a new adage. Since knee-high is no longer as relevant, corn should be “as high as an elephant’s eye by the Fourth of July.”

The saying comes from the Oklahoma! song “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning,” in which the main characters marvel at the height of the corn singing, “There’s a bright golden haze on the meadow. The corn is as high as an elephant’s eye, an’ it looks like it’s climbin’ clear up to the sky.”

“Knee high by the Fourth of July” may be in the past, but thanks to its catchy nature and once practical use in predicting yields, the phrase has transformed into a tradition for many. For others, the new Oklahoma! inspired tradition has also taken hold.

Regardless, the Fourth of July remains a milestone in the growing season and a time when many farmers look to their crops for indication of a plentiful harvest come fall.

“Either way one looks at it, farmers ultimately measure their success after harvest,” said Paula Halabicki, BASF Ag Solutions Technical Marketing Manager. “To this end, it is critical for farmers to maintain healthy crops throughout the growing season.”

With increased disease control, growth efficiency and stress tolerance, corn has begun to reach new heights and new yields. Hopefully, this Independence Day – traditions aside – farmers across the country turned to their crops to see everything really is going their way.

This article was originally published by BASF Ag Solutions and can be found at agriculture.basf.us

Horse racing bettors win big

As the country celebrated Independence Day weekend, lady luck shined upon four fortunate Wyoming residents, who brought home more than $382,596 after playing at various Horse Palace locations around the state.

A Rock Springs resident started the winning streak with a $10,089 win on June 29 at the Rock Springs Horse Palace, while a woman from Sheridan County then hit the $308,546 jackpot at the Sheridan Horse Palace on June 30.

Those wins were joined by a $44,642 jackpot and a $19,319 hit on July 1, both at Cheyenne Horse Palace locations.

“Wyoming Horse Racing is elated for our latest jackpot winners,” said Wyoming Horse Racing General Manager Steve Jimenez. “It is always a thrill to congratulate our Wyoming Horse Palace players.”

These lucky strikes follow a number of big Wyoming Horse Palace jackpots over the past year, including a $798,549 jackpot won in Evanston last July, a $313,840 jackpot in Cheyenne in December and a $206,216 win in Gillette in April.

Wyoming, Colorado sign MOU

The state of Wyoming and state of Colorado announced they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) regarding direct air capture (DAC) activity and development.

The bipartisan interstate agreement will focus on the DAC industry’s potential to complement existing and emerging industries and increase jobs and economic development in both states, while simultaneously reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Govs. Mark Gordon and Jared Polis announced the news during the Western Governors’ Association meeting in Boulder, Colo.

DAC is a method of carbon dioxide removal in which CO2 is removed from the air and then sequestered and stored to produce high-quality carbon removal credits or used for industrial applications, such as enhanced oil recovery or as a chemical feedstock for other products.

The federal government has established several significant incentives and competitive grant opportunities to test and scale DAC technologies and projects.

The Mountain West is uniquely positioned to lead on these efforts, and this bipartisan agreement represents the first such multistate partnership in the county.

This agreement builds on further regional collaboration between Wyoming and Colorado with Utah and New Mexico to develop the Western Interstates Hydrogen Hub. This existing partnership will mobilize billions of dollars of investment in clean hydrogen infrastructure, another emerging technology to reduce pollution and continue the West’s leadership on global energy solutions.