Chuck's Chat - Welcome to September 2026

Clumps of brown drift to the ground on a steady summer breeze.

Trees are trying to keep from dying by shedding excess leaves.

The crispy lawn will soon be gone without some precipitation.

Lord hear our plea, we trust in Thee, to help our situation.

This has been and continues to be one hot, dry summer. I’m hearing some farmers are considering baling soybeans as a way to salvage low to no grain production as forage. There’s a lot of hay in the country, but the quality might be suspect if it wasn’t harvested timely. This will be an ideal year to test your bales to know how much supplemental assistance your herd might need. I highly suggest partnering with your local extension office for assistance.

September 22 is the first day of fall. We will lose approximately 70 minutes of daylight this month. Folks, it’s bound to cool off sometime.

The annual Montgomery County Farm Bureau meeting will be held on Tuesday October 6 at 6:30pm at St. Andrew Catholic Church gym in Independence at 210 N Fourth Street. This year will mark our 9th annual silent auction, and the recipient is Chuck and Julie Voelker. Chuck was diagnosed with cancer this summer and has been receiving chemotherapy and radiation treatments since July 29. Proceeds will go towards helping offset those and other expenses. If you’d like to donate an item or monetary contribution, please contact Kathy O’Brien at 620-331-0826.

This year’s National Farm Safety and Health Week runs September 21-25, 2026, and shines a spotlight on health and safety issues that are hugely important to farmers and farm families. According to 2022 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, farming remains the most dangerous job in America, with 417 fatalities recorded that year. Follow our Facebook page for daily updates.

Stay hydrated my friends!

Until next time,

Chuck