The Press-Dispatch

Front Wednesday, April 26, 2023 The Press-Dispatch A-2 National Library Week April 23-29 The pike County public library will be celebrating each day by doing something different corresponding with national library week! From national library Workers day, to a library themed food carry-in. We are busy plan- ning summer reading, along with our 100th birthday cele- bration! We are also currently accepting any donations that can go towards our summer reading program. For more information on donating, please contact Carly Tegmey- Everyone had a fun day on Saturday, April 15, as Tegmeyer read Kite Day, followed by coloring and building kites to fly! Each registered child was able to color, build, and fly their own kite on the library yard. (Pictured Left is Shawn Whiting, and on the right is Amanda Daniel) Both are working to have the kites take flight! steering committee, followed by the rest of the students. The students then strolled along a stone-look pathway zig-zagging across the High school gym that led them to the Middle school gym as parents, grandparents and other family members admir- ingly watched the procession. The night then proceed- ed with a dinner of alfredo, fried chicken, mac-n-cheese, corn, salad, bread and a table of a variety of desserts. The prince and princess, addy russell and Cobey McKinney, were announced and then the King and Queen, lillian Thompson and Josh amach- er, which was then followed by the dance which lasted until 11:30 p.m. post prom began at 12:30 a.m. lasting until 3:30 a.m. Both M.s. and H.s. gymnasiums and cafeterias were set up with different ac- tivities including inflatables, a mechanical bull, ping pong, an escape room, pickleball, corn hole, various board games and a money machine. students could win tickets for prizes playing black-jack, rou- lette, and poker. snacks, God- father's pizza, chicken wraps, a variety of cupcakes, cookies and dirt pudding were served during the night. prizes were given through- out the night including gift cards to many different local businesses, donated items and many varieties of can- dies. all juniors and seniors in attendance also received ten pieces of paper with their names on them to put in a number of different raffles that were held at the end of the night. among the raffle prizes were sunglasses, wire- less earbuds, microwaves, mini-fridges, small T V's, Car- dinals baseball tickets, Holi- day World tickets, Walmart gift cards and the very last raffle as two $200 amazon gift cards. For any family members that might have missed the Grand March evening the video is posted on the pCHs's youTube channel under live and labeled as Grand March 2023. Or visit the direct link at https://www.youtube. com/live/vt5cFus6Bmy?fea- ture=share PC Junior Owen Longest and Annabella Matteson take their turn through the archways during Pike Cen- tral's Prom Grand March, on Saturday, April 22. PROM Continued from page 1 Lane Restrictions planned for State Road 56 piKe COUnT y, ind. – The indiana department of Trans- portation announces lane re- strictions for state road 56 near Bowman. Beginning on or around Wednesday, May 3, crews will begin restricting traffic on state road 56 over Conger Creek for bridge con- struction. One lane of traffic will be open during work. a 10 -foot width restriction is in place. Traffic will be managed by a temporary traffic light. during construction crews will perform a bridge deck overlay. Hoosier Farmers Protect Land for Future Generations (indianapolis) – april 20, 2023 — Farmers feed, shelter and power the world, and they take seriously the responsibility that comes with that critical role. To celebrate earth day, indiana Farm Bureau, the state's largest general farm organization, hon- ors our land and everything Hoo- sier farmers do to protect and preserve the natural resources entrusted to them. "Farmers are the original stewards of the land," said inFB president randy Kron. "We pro- tect the land because it has given so much to us, and we want it to be around for future genera- tions." sustainability and efficiency go hand-in-hand whether you are a row crop farmer producing corn and soybeans using cover crops or no-tillage, a livestock farmer who is handling manure responsibly or a forester who is actively managing the woods. according to the environ- mental protection agency, agri- culture is responsible for 10% of america's greenhouse gas emis- sions, much lower than trans- portation, electricity generation and industry. But farmers are continuously taking active steps to reduce their carbon footprint. inFB spoke to Hoosier farmers about their view of sustainability in agriculture and how they im- plement climate-friendly prac- tices in their day-to-day work on the farm. Jake smoker, an inFB mem- ber from laporte County, is a fourth-generation farmer producing corn, soybeans and wheat, as well as cattle. The farm has been in his family since 1944. "day to day, we look at the op- eration as a holistic approach," explained smoker. "you need livestock to grow the row crop production and provide a nutri- ent cycle throughout the farming process. you can't have one with- out the rest." Farmers are committed to properly handling the manure that is produced on the farm. Manure is not a waste to be dis- posed of, but a nutrient-rich, nat- ural fertilizer that allows farmers to be less reliant on commercial- ly based fertilizers. livestock farms are highly regulated by the indiana depart- ment of environmental Manage- ment which ensures land appli- cation of manure only occurs during appropriate ground con- ditions and only at agronomic rates so that it can be properly utilized as fertilizer by a crop. if a farm does not abide by these prescribed rates, it is subject to penalties. "inputs and fertilizer are expensive," said smoker. "The more we can be good stewards by being prescriptive with ma - nure and nutrient management, as well as using variable rate ap- plication, the more we are help- ing both the environment and our business." david McGaughey, an inFB member from putnam County, is a fourth-generation corn and soybean farmer. The farm sits between two watersheds at the top of a hill, meaning the rolling property is prone to excessive runoff. "almost all of our farm is classified as highly erodible ground," McGaughey explained. "The bottom of the hill gets a lot of erosion anytime we have rain or snow melt. The water runs off and takes the soil with it, which is why we use grass waterways." McGaughey Farms has more than 100 acres of grass waterways designed to move water across fields and reduce the negative effects of flow on croplands. This practice, which is part of the U.s. department of agriculture's Conservation reserve program, uses grass as a natural filter, trapping vital nu- trients that would otherwise be washed away. McGaughey also plants filter strips, 40 -foot-wide to 80 -foot- wide grass sections, which run alongside creeks and naturally collect the eroded soil from get- ting into the waterways, causing contamination. McGaughey also practices no-till and plants cov- er crops. "These conservation practic- es have been a big part of the operation over the past 10 to 20 years, and we have increased profitability because of it," said McGaughey. "i'd like to leave the ground better than it was when we got it for whoever has it next." nick Wenning, decatur Coun- ty Farm Bureau president, is no stranger to conservation and sustainability on his row crop farm. His family farm produces corn, soybeans and wheat. The farm has been 100% no-tillage for over 20 years, meaning they nev- er till or plow the soil so nutri- ents stay locked in. no-till farm- ing decreases the amount of soil erosion tillage causes in certain soils. Wenning also plants cover crops to replenish nutrients and hold down topsoil. "We use variable rate tech- nology to make sure we don't over-apply fertilizer," explained Wenning. "But if we do, that is the beauty of cover crops – they will absorb the fertilizer to elim- inate any chance of runoff into waterways. By doing right by the ground, i get better crops. i get phenomenal yields for what i farm." according to the indiana state department of agricul- ture's 2022 Conservation sur- vey, Hoosier farmers planted cover crops and small grains on 1.5 million acres of farmland in late 2021, matching a record amount set in 2020. Because of those cover crops, it is estimated that 2.1 million tons of sediment was prevented from entering indiana's waterways, which is enough sediment to fill more than 597 Olympic-size swim - ming pools. additionally, the 1.5 million acres of cover crops planted sequestered an amount of soil organic carbon that is the equivalent of 819,941 tons. sequestering carbon in the soil helps to offset greenhouse gas emissions, such as the car- bon dioxide emitted by cars, power plants and other burning of fossil fuels. The Usda natural resources Conservation service reports expected carbon seques- tration of 0.37 metric tons/acre/ year for cover crops for most re- gions of the U.s. assuming this sequestration rate, current cov- er crop adoption sequesters 5.5 million metric tons of carbon per year. This is equivalent to taking 1.2 million passenger vehicles off the road each year, according to purdue University's Center for Commercial agriculture. another natural practice of se- questering carbon is done in the forestry sector. Trees sequester carbon via photosynthesis and provide oxygen producing clean air. Woods that are harvested, or actively managed, with trees of varying ages will sequester car- bon the best. Wood is a carbon sink because it lasts for years as a standing tree and takes years to break down after the tree dies. Jeff page, an inFB member from Johnson County, is a for- ester and timber buyer with Tri-state Timber in southern in- diana. He works with landown- ers and mill owners to procure, assess and harvest timber. "Trees are truly a naturally renewable resource," explained page. "When actively managing woods, we use activities such as invasive species control, crop tree release, and most common, timber harvest. active forest management maintains healthy vigorous woods and provides many tangible wood products, as well as other benefits such as carbon sequestration, disease removal, wildlife habitat and im- proved water quality." The hardwood industry is a sector of ag that makes a big economic impact. it consistently ranks in the top industries in the state. according to isda, indi- ana's hardwood industry has an annual economic impact of over $10 billion and supports 70,000 jobs, producing products such as furniture, buildings, cabinets and countertops. "Forest management is a continuous process," said page. "There are few things in life where you can have your cake and eat it too, and forestry is one of them. Timber harvests pro- vide a great product that filters into our state economy, yet the woods remain, regenerate and continue to grow again for future generations. To thrive in this in- dustry, you have to think about what you are leaving for the next generation and be committed to stewardship." Throughout a variety of ag sectors, farmers are doing more with less thanks to innovation and technology, and they are continuously looking for ways to do more. in fact, inFB is a founding member of the Food and agriculture Climate alli - ance, which is composed of orga- nizations representing farmers, ranchers, forest owners, the food sector, state governments and environmental advocates all working together to define and promote shared climate policy priorities. indiana producers remind consumers there is a lot of sci- ence and conscious thought that goes into everything they do on the land. "nothing is random and hap- hazard when it comes to farmers working on the land," smoker said. "i want to make sure that the ground is able to produce for my son's and daughter's genera- tion. stewardship is instilled in farmers. if we don't take care of the ground, it doesn't take care of us, so we are precise and pur- poseful in how we care for it." about indiana Farm Bureau: For more than 100 years, indi- ana Farm Bureau (inFB) has protected and enhanced the fu- ture of agriculture and our com- munities. as the state's largest general farm organization, inFB works diligently to cultivate a thriving agricultural ecosystem to strengthen the viability of in- diana agriculture. learn more at inFB.org. Help support PCHS Greenhouse The Pike Central High School greenhouse was off to a great start last week as they opened the doors to the community to help raise money. "We're hop- ing to earn enough mon- ey to fix our Germination Chamber," Darryl Klue- mper, FFA sponsor, said. "That's how we start our seeds and it's malfunc- tioning right now, so we weren't able to grow some of our annual plants be- cause of it." The sale con- tinues from sunrise to sunset until all plants are sold. Kluemper can be reached at dkluemper@ pcsc.k12.in.us for more details.

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