The Press-Dispatch
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Perry ' s Complete Line of: Air Conditioning, Gas Furnaces, Heat Pumps, Whole-Home Air Cleaners, Humidifiers, Water Heaters and Water Conditioners FARM Down on the Dicamba and pesticide drift numbers By Hans Schmitz Extension Educator Gibson County Purdue Extension Horror stories about di- camba pesticide drift have pervaded the agricultur- al community, but how did the grow- ing season pan out around the Midwest? Spe- cifically, before the 2017 grow- ing season be- gan, the case of farmer-on- farmer violence over drift back in 2016 weighed heavy on agriculture. States were slowly approving products for use on Xtend dicam- ba-tolerant soybeans in the Spring. Cooperatives were stocking up on new dicamba chemical formu- lations hoping the post- plant applications would be minimal and careful. Today, we are through the anticipated dicamba spray period. How many drift complaints were received, and what has come of the first season so far. First, what is a dicam- ba? Dicamba is an herbi- cide that has been used in agriculture since the 1950s, its desirable prop- erties for killing weeds being discovered in the prior decade. For many years, its use as a broad- leaf killer was beneficial, although many stories from farmers in the ar- ea exist where a partic- ular application "picked up" and moved off-site, damaging other sensitive vegetation. Current for- mulations are advertised as less sensitive to drift elsewhere, and compa- nies have performed ex- tensive research and out- reach to provide farmers with information on the appropriate environmen- tal conditions, equipment, and rates to provide the least opportunity for drift to occur. Because dicam- ba kills broadleaf plants, corn is naturally safe. Sen- sitive crops of note this year would be soybeans that do not have the toler- ant technology and most of the specialty crops planted in the area, like grapes, tomatoes, water- melon, and others. Back to the near pres- ent. Arkansas and Mis- souri have banned the use of dicamba after received a flood of complaints. Ar- kansas was first to do so on July 11, banning use and sale of the new prod- ucts for 120 days, and on- ly banning agricultural use. As of last week, al- leged dicamba misuse complaints numbered 845 across mainly the eastern side of the state. Missouri followed suit with a ban on use, sale, and removal on July 13. That ban expires on December 1, and it also only covers agricul- tural uses, al- though special local need per- mits are avail- able for down- load from the Department of Agricul- ture website. Missouri tri- pled the number of pesti- cide complaints from fis- cal year 2016 to 2017, and over 200 of those com- plaints stemmed from dicamba use. Certainly, those two states reacted accordingly to the num- ber of complaints. Tennes- see announced in a simi- lar time frame a few addi- tional restrictions to use of dicamba but far from banned use and sale en- tirely. Indiana has taken a bit of a different approach. Anticipating an increase in drift complaints, the Office of the Indiana State Chemist proposed a rule making all agricul- tural use dicamba prod- ucts (with an exemption for 2, 4-D/dicamba mix- es) restricted use pesti- cides, meaning that only licensed applicators may apply the products. The rule will likely be adopt- ed, as Indiana currently has had individuals from 30 counties submit sam- ples to the Purdue Plant and Pest diagnostic lab to check for dicamba in- jury. Yes, Gibson, Posey, and Knox Counties are on that list. The State Chemist's office has not released updated com- plaint numbers in recent days, but 66 dicamba com- plaints were logged up to July 19 by farmers alleg- ing their crops were dam- aged, according to an arti- cle in Indianapolis Public Radio. As we begin to look towards harvest, keeping in mind the success or lack thereof of practices this year will be impor- tant. For more informa- tion on this or other ag- ronomic topics, contact Hans at the Purdue Ex- tension – Gibson County office via hschmitz@pur- due.edu or 812-385 -3491, ext. 103. UPCOMING DATES • Monday, Sept. 4: Deadline to sign up for Master Gardener Ba- sic Training Classes in Princeton. Contact Hans at 812-385 -3491, ext. 103, for more information. • Monday, Sept. 21: Bee- keepers of Southwest Indi- ana meeting at VU-Fort Branch at 6 p.m. This will be the first meeting of the group that hopes to provide education and organization to bee enthusiasts in South- western Indiana. German American Bancorp, Inc. (GABC) reports strong second quarter earnings German American Ban- corp, Inc. (NASDAQ: GABC) reported that the Company has achieved an- other quarter of strong earnings during the sec- ond quarter of 2017, post- ing net income of $ 9.8 mil- lion, or $ 0.43 per share. On a comparative per share ba- sis, this level of quarterly earnings was a 2.4 percent increase over reported net income of $ 9.6 million, or $ 0.42 per share, in the first quarter of 2017, and was in line with the second quarter 2016 net income of $ 9.8 mil- lion, or $ 0.43 per share. On a year-to-date basis, German American's 2017 net income of $19.4 million, or $ 0.85 per share, was a 25 percent increase over the $14.9 million, or $ 0.68 per share, reported during the first half of 2016. The Com- pany's year-to-date 2016 re- ported net income was inclu- sive of the operations of Riv- er Valley Bancorp, following completion of the merg- er transaction on March 1, 2016, and reflected merg- er related costs totaling ap- proximately $4.1 million, or $2.6 million on an after-tax basis, representing approx- imately $ 0.12 per share. All per share data in this release has been adjusted for and is reflective of the effect of the three-for-two stock split dis- tributed on April 21, 2017. Second quarter 2017 per- formance, relative to the same quarter 2016 results, was enhanced by an in- crease of $142,000 in net in- terest income, driven by ap- proximately $71 million, or 4 percent, in end of period loan growth, measured at June 30, 2017 compared to June 30, 2016. Loan growth during the current quarter, as measured from March 31, 2017 end of period loan balances, was approximate- ly $48 million, or 10 percent on a linked quarter annual- ized basis. In addition, the Compa- ny's second quarter 2017 non-interest income, exclu- sive of securities gains, in- creased by $710,000, or 10 percent, during the second quarter of 2017 as compared with the second quarter of 2016. Items that showed im- provement in non-interest income during the current quarter included increas- es of 32 percent in inter- change fee income, primar- ily from increased custom- er debit card usage, 10 per- cent in trust and investment product fees, and 9 percent in both insurance revenues and from gains on loan sales. Partially offsetting these im- proved areas of non-interest income was a $ 968,000 de- crease in gains on securi- ties sales, as the Company didn't experience any secu- rity sales in the second quar- ter of 2017. Cutest Baby Contest winners announced Winners of the 2017 Pike County 4-H Fair Cutest Baby Contest pose with 2017 Fair royalty. The win- ner was Elliana Barr (left), the 2-year-old daughter of Larry and Tricia Barr, 2nd runner-up was Brantley Craig (middle), 2-year-old son of Shawn and Desiree Craig, and 1st runner-up was Travis Craig (right), 1-year-old son of Shawn and Desiree Craig, all of Petersburg. the premises as a communi- ty center and in accordance with all of the terms and conditions of the aforemen- tioned grant from the State of Indiana to the County of Pike. Periods of short dura- tion shall mean five (5) con- secutive days or less and not more than twenty (20) days to any one person or entity within a calendar year." In May 2016, Dorothy Traylor, then president of Jefferson Township Com- munity Center, Inc., signed a "commercial lease agree- ment" between "Otwell Community Center" and Friends of Otwell Elementa- ry, Ltd., to sublet the facility at a rent of $200 per month for a one-year term starting Aug. 1, 2016, which would automatically renew for an additional year on Aug. 1, 2017. However, according to a letter hand-delivered by Rid- ao to John Gray, the current president of Jefferson Town- ship Community Center, Inc., on June 13, a lease ex- tension agreement between the township and Jefferson Township Community Cen- ter, Inc. – which was signed on May 7, 2002 – actually expired in August 2012 and was never renewed. "Otwell Community Cen- ter, the purposed sub-lessor, is not a legal entity," Ridao's letter states. "You have no lease in which to sublet to the Friends of Otwell Ele- mentary, Ltd." At the time, Ridao said that she learned that the lease had lapsed during a meeting with Pike County Attorney Val Fleig. "You can't sublet a lease that no longer exists," Fleig said. "On a legal basis, ( Jef- ferson Township Communi- ty Center, Inc.) doesn't have the ability to sublease it." During the regular monthly meeting of the Jef- ferson Township Commu- nity Center, Inc., Board of Directors on Monday, Aug. 7, Gray announced that he would not sign the proposed lease agreement, on the ad- vice of legal counsel. "I do not really want to comment on that, but I have got somebody looking in- to it, because (Ridao) put things in there that isn't clear on what we can do and what we can't do," Gray said in a telephone interview on Tuesday, Aug. 8. "The law- yer I contacted said don't sign anything until we get it lined out." However, Gray would not confirm whose legal advice he was acting on. "I don't want to comment on that, because I don't feel like the public needs to know about it," Gray said. "If Cin- dy is going to put something in the paper today or for this week to make us look bad again, it's up to her. She's supposed to give us a lease. She gave us a lease, but she put stuff in that shouldn't have been in there, and I don't like it." Gray said that, as far as he knew, Fleig had assisted Ridao in drawing up the pro- posed lease agreement. "I think she told him what to say, but I don't know," Gray said. "Anyhow, the way it's wrote in the contract, there is a difference in in- terpretation of the way it's wrote, and that's the reason why our attorney advised me not to sign it until we get it lined up, and she is working on it." Ridao said that, as trust- ee, she has a responsibili- ty to ensure that the com- munity center is being used for the purposes outlined in the township's original lease agreement, which was signed in 1976. According to the original lease agreement: "It is expressly under- stood and agreed by the par- ties that the purpose of this lease is to permit the cre- ation of a community cen- ter for nonpartisan gather- ings of citizens, and Lessee shall use the said abandoned schoolhouse and school ground demised herein by operating and managing a community center on the said premises, which said community center shall be for nonpartisan gatherings of citizens of Jefferson Town- ship, County of Pike, State of Indiana, for civic, social and recreational purposes." In June, Ridao noted that, because the community cen- ter's sublease with the Pike County Library Board ex- pires in August, it was im- perative that the township and Jefferson Township Community Center, Inc., en- ter into a new lease arrange- ment. However, she added that she would propose changes to make it more clear what Jefferson Township Commu- nity Center, Inc., could and could not do with the Otwell Community Center. "In the original lease, which was 1976, it specified what the building could be used for," Ridao said. "It didn't expire, but another lease was granted in 1999, and it's less exact. So the new lease should have clear- er terms – and not a lot of room for interpretation." "The Jefferson Township Community Center is a tax- supported entity and, as such, is public," Ridao add- ed. "As Jefferson Township Trustee, I cannot allow the Community Center to be- come an annex of the Ot- well Miller Academy." Ridao said that the town- ship had other options it could consider if it is unable to agree to a new lease with Jefferson Township Commu- nity Center, Inc. "The township can sub- lease to a different non-prof- it, hire someone to manage the Community Center, or the Township Trustee can manage it through the Town- ship office," Ridao said. However, Ridao said that none of those options were being considered "at this time." "However, it is something to think about in the future," Ridao said. "Like all other organizations, membership is getting older." Regardless, Ridao said she was hopeful that the impasse between the town- ship and Jefferson Township Community Center, Inc., will be resolved. "It will require transpar- ency, honesty and the de- sire to cooperate in order to move forward," Ridao said. LEASE Continued from page 2 Armes arrested on OVWI charge last Wednesday By Andy Heuring A Washington man was arrested for drunken driv- ing early Wednesday, Au- gust 2 after a motorist's call to the Pike County 911 sys- tems reported a possible in- toxicated driver on High- way 56. James R. Armes, 43, of Washington, was arrest- ed by Indiana State Troop- er C.J. Boeckman at about 1:30 a.m. Trooper Boeckman said he and Petersburg Police Cpl. Kyle Mills responded to a report of a possible in- toxicated driver going west on Highway 56 in Dubois County. The caller report- ed the vehicle turned north on Highway 257. Boeckman and Mills were in Peters- burg and started toward the area, with Cpl. Mills locat- ing the vehicle on Highway 257. He saw the vehicle drive left of center and stopped it near the Pike-Daviess coun- ty line. Trooper Boeckman said when he approached Armes, he could smell the odor of alcohol and noticed a whiskey flask in the seat next to Armes. Armes failed field sobri- ety tests and was transport- ed to the Pike County Jail, where he tested 0.12 per- cent for blood alcohol con- tent, according to Trooper Boeckman. The legal limit in Indiana is 0.08 percent for driving. Armes was preliminarily charged with operating a ve- hicle while intoxicated.