If you ever wanted to learn how to shoot a bow and arrow, your chance is coming as Colorado Parks and Wildlife hosts a free archery clinic for all ages August 17.

CPW officers will provide the equipment and expertise, at the session scheduled 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Friday, August 17.  This event will be held at the agency Work Station in Buena Vista, at the corner of U.S. Highway 24 and DePaul Street on the south side of Buena Vista.

Colorado’s millet producers should watch their mailboxes for a millet check-off ballot. Ballots were mailed August 9 and voting is open until August 31. Ballots must be postmarked on or before August 31 to be counted.

Producers not receiving a ballot by August 16 should contact Glenda Mostek at the Colorado Department of Agriculture at (303) 869-9173 or e-mail glenda.mostek@state.co.us, and a ballot will be sent via first-class mail.

After several weeks of frequent rain and thunderstorms, drought conditions across southeast Colorado began to show substantial improvement.

Extreme drought, which has covered much of the southern third of the state this year, moved out of Prowers and Baca counties. Extreme conditions also gave way to severe drought for large portions of Las Animas, Bent, Otero, and Pueblo counties, as well as smaller portions of neighboring counties.

A remaining pocket of exceptional drought in Pueblo, Crowley, Kiowa, Bent and Otero counties dropped to extreme drought. 

Colorado Highlights

Based on August 1 conditions, corn production in Colorado is forecast at 178.22 million bushels, according to the August 1 Agricultural Yield Survey conducted by the Mountain Regional Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA. This forecast is down 4 percent from last year’s 185.90 million bushels. The 1.34 million acres expected to be harvested for grain this year is unchanged from the June estimate and 40,000 acres above the 1.30 million acres harvested a year ago.

Breakfast

August 13: French toast, sausage link, apple juice, V8, milk, fruit

August 14: Biscuits and gravy, grape juice, V8, milk, fruit

August 15: Waffles, sausage patty, orange juice, V8, milk, fruit

August 16: Muffins, yogurt, apple juice, V8, milk, fruit

Lunch

August 13: Hoagie Sandwich, macaroni salad, apple, ice cream cup, milk, fruit and veggie bar

August 14: Ham chef salad, watermelon, crackers, milk, fruit and veggie bar

I urge my fellow Colorado millet producers to vote yes for a Colorado Millet Marketing Order in a referendum being conducted by the Commissioner of Agriculture August 13-31, 2018.  We can grow it – we must promote it!

We need to look out for our own industry since we can’t rely on public funding for vital market development and research.  The millet market is highly volatile since the major use is bird feed and seed, so we must invest in key marketing, education and research programs to:  

Just two years after Colorado voters overwhelmingly rejected a costly, unworkable universal health care ballot measure, Rep. Jared Polis, the Democrat candidate for governor, is sidling up with the same kooky progressives who brought us the failed ColoradoCare proposal by touting “Medicare for all.”

Coloradans should be skeptical that the $387 Million Man really means, “Medicare for you – but not for me.”  After all, he can buy his way out of a lousy government health care system after he wrecks health care for the rest of us.

This week at Lamar Theatre

Dear Dietitian,

I am confused about whole grains. Some information tells me to eat lots of whole grains, but others say it is fiber that is important in a healthy diet. Which is it?
--Ray

Dear Ray,

This is a good question. I recently bought a loaf of bread that advertised “20 g of whole grains per serving” and “a good source of fiber.”  Keep in mind that this is advertising. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a whole grain must contain all the components of a grain kernel: the bran, germ, and endosperm.

Memorial Services - Jimmie Don Patterson

March 31, 1971 - August 06, 2018

A service celebrating the life of Jimmie Don Patterson will be held Sunday August 12, 2018, at 4:00 p.m. at the Kiowa County Community Building in Eads.  Memorial contributions can be made to the Eads Golf and Country Club.  Mr. Patterson died unexpectedly at his home near Eads.