The Holidays Are Approaching

As your family and friends gather for the holidays, you’ll want to have on hand all the essentials for entertaining and preparing memorable meals. Save big at Amazon.com on thousands of products for your kitchen and home in Holiday Markdowns. Also, you can start browsing the Kitchen & Home Gift Guide for everyone on your list, from the master chef to the entertainer.

Hard Freeze Predicted

According to local weather reports, we will be getting our first hard frost tonight. My spinach & broccoli will be okay, but I'm going to cover my red lettuce plants with plastic pots & my row of buttercrunch lettuce with a plastic tarp. I already have an arched metal frame over the rows so all I have to do is lay the tarp on top.

Frost cloth is best, but if you are like me why spend the money when you can use a variety of household items for covers. Cut the bottom off of milk jugs or 2 liter soda bottles. You can also use newspaper, large trash bags, old sheets or blankets. When the temperature warms enoughduring the day you have to take these off or you will heat the ground too much and throw your plants into active growing which could damage them later on. For your milk jugs and soda bottles just take the caps off during the day and pop them back on at night.

The Webs Are Back!!!

Yuck! These gross worm-filled webs appear every spring on my apple tree. After doing some research, I found that these critters are tent caterpillars. The adults are actually moths that lay eggs on the branches in the summer. The eggs overwinter and in early spring the little buggers hatch. The spin a silk tent for protection and only leave at night to feed on my poor tree. After about 5-8 weeks they migrate down the trunk where they pupate in the leaf litter.

Okay, now that I know the life cycle of the tent caterpillar how the heck do I get rid of 'em? I could use a pesticide. Nope, don't want to do that. So my only other option is to be brave and knock 'em out of there. I used the handle of a rake to break open the webs. Since the webs were so sticky I had to wind it around the handle and pull most of it down. Then my kids and I stomped the life right out of 'em. Any caterpillars that were left were snacks for the birds. Not the neatest way, but quite effective.

Please post if you have had experience with these nasty critters. How do you get rid of them?

Acerage Reporting Time is Here

Mark your calendar.

For crops other than NAP (noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program) crops, acerage reports are to certified by May 30, 2008 on small grains. For spring-seeded crops the deadline is June 30, 2008 and for tobacco, CRP, grain sorghum and soybeans the deadline is July 15, 2008.

Acreage reports on crops for which NAP assistance may be paid are due in the county office by the earlier of April 15, 2008 for strawberries, July 1, 2008 for forage crops, and August 1, 2008 for pumpkins, or 15 calendar days before the onset of harvest or grazing of the specific crop acreage being reported

Beware of Crop Insurance Rebating Schemes

This article comes straight from our Farm Service Agency newsletter. Farmers beware....

With the spring sales closing date for many Federal crop insurance policies right around the corner, crop insurance agents have stepped up their marketing efforts. The Risk Management Agency (RMA) has received reports from producers and agents that some aggressive marketers have been approaching producers with rebate offerts. These schemes promise lower insurance premiums, refunds, dividends, or itmes of value tied to crop insurance purchases. Most of these activities are illegal.

RMA reminds all Federal crop insurance program participants that it is now coordinating with state regulators to take appropriate regulatory action against all those who are found to promote or participate in such schemes. Producers who are found to participate in illegal rebating activities will not only lose their crop insurance coverage but will also lose elgibility in all USDA programs. Producers and agents can report suspicions of illegal rebating to the OIG Hotline: 1-800-424-9121.

Energy Wasters

Did you know that when you turn off some appliances they are still using electricity? Yep! That’s right. Most of them continue to drain power even in standby mode like your set-top DVR set to record your favorite shows or a rechargeable toothbrush in its base. To put a stop to the drain, which account for eight percent of your electric bill, get a power strip that lets you shut them off completely. Here are some devices to take note of along with their kilowatt-hour consumption.

Rechargeable toothbrush: 12.3
Radio: 13.1
LCD monitor: 22.8
Cordless phone base station: 28.9
Convection microwave: 35
DVD player: 78.8
VCR: 92
DVR: 111.7
Laser printer: 113
Laptop: 144.5
Game console: 233.9
Computer: 311
Plasma TV: 1,452.4

Wow! Eye Opening! With the ever rising gas prices, looks like I will be purchasing a few power strips.

Cute Overload

This litter is snuggling up to keep warm. Just too cute!

Here A Pig, There A Pig, Everywhere A Pig.....

Woohoo! The piggies have been busy! We have litters being born just about everyday. This one is a record for us. She had 15 piglets! And I think my two drive me crazy sometimes!

Tax Season! What To Keep...?

It is upon us once again. Tax season. What do you keep? How long do you keep it? What can be thrown out? Here's some information that will help with the confusion.

Keep for Seven Years

• W-2 AND 1099 forms
• Year-end statemens from credit-card companies
• Canceled checks & receipts/statements for annual mortagage interest & property taxes
• Deductible business expenses
• Child-care bills
• Out-of-pocket medical costs
• Other tax-deductible expenses

Keep Indefinitely

• Your annual tax returns
• Confirmation slips that list the purchase price of any invenstments
• Home-improvement records
• Receipts for major purchases where replacement cost exceeds the deductible on your homeowner's or renter's insurance policy
• Beneficiary designations

Bored Of Walking?

Even with all the chores that farm life brings, I still need to find time to work out. I like to walk but sometimes it can be a bit boring. Don’t you agree? Let me share a few tips I have found to break up the ho-hum walking workout.

Get off the treadmill. Get outside and walk. Now with the days getting longer, as soon as I get home I change into my sneakers and take walks along the edge of the fields. Don’t live on a farm? No problem. How about the park, or track. Too cold? Head out to the mall and walk some laps.

Watch TV. Instead of keeping your eyes on the treadmill timer, watch your favorite show. You’ll become so engrossed and viola, 30 minutes have flown by!

Change is good. Got stairs? Try walking up and down your stairs, then the treadmill, jumping rope, walk around your house, back on the treadmill or whatever you can think of. Mix the varied activities over 30 minutes. Don’t forget to stretch before and cool down after.

Listen to music. Get out your mp3 players and listen to your favorite tunes that make you want to get moving. You’ll be so distracted by the music that your workout will be over in no time!

Got The Gardening Itch?

What can you do in the garden in the middle of winter? Now is the perfect time to take soil samples.

To do this you can either purchase a soil test kit from you local garden center or you can contact your local extension agent. The store bought kits run about $15 and will give you a good idea of what your soil needs but it is not as accurate as your extension agency. To find your local agent look in the government pages of your phone book or go to the USDA website . Your local agent will provide you with a Soil Sample Information Sheet and a Soil Sample Box free of charge but expect to pay for the analysis. Around here I pay $8.50.

They will test your soil for the following major nutrients P (phosphorus); K (potassium); Mg (Magnesium); Ca (Calcium); and five micronutrients. The test will also determine your soil pH and make recommendations on how to raise or lower pH.

When testing is complete, they will mail you their findings. On the report they explain everything even technical terms and provide extra details on fertilizer application schedules and rates. If you have any questions about the report contact your Extension Agent, they are always glad to help.

Very Blustery Day!

As Pooh would say..."it's a very blustery day!" With a cold front moving in we had wind gusts of up to 40-50 mph. Kids are having fun letting the wind hold them up!

Ready For A Pet?

Okay, you've decided your ready for a pet, now what kind. Cat or dog? Large or small? Active or passive? Check out petside.com for answers. Let their Breed Match tools pair you with the perfect pet to match your lifestyle. Even though I already have pets, I still enjoyed reading about the different breeds. You will find all kinds of advice, tips, and care for your pet.

Let me know what you decided on.

First Snow!

We received our first snow on January 20. I know it's not much. We only got about an inch, but we don't see that much of the white stuff around these parts.

Sharing With His New Friend...

Our oldest dog knows how to play nice.

New Puppy!

Believe it or not, this little tike was a stray. She showed up in December a few weeks before Christmas. My kids told this me this is just what they wanted for Christmas. She is such a cutie how could I say no!