Fourth of July Safety

This post has a double meaning: food safety and fire safety.

 While we all know that July is in the heat (literally) of the summer and is the perfect time for grilling and fireworks, we need to be mindful of two points.

1. Remember to use a food thermometer when you're grilling. Sure, it's hot and you want to get the meat off the grill and onto your plate. But you could be in another kind of rush later on if  you don't make sure that your foods have been cooked to proper temperatures to kill any bacteria that may exist. Here are the proper cooking temps for your 4th of July activities:

      Ground beef/pork/lamb - safe and savory at 160 °F
      Ground turkey/chicken -  165 °F

      Steak - Medium - Rare 145 °F
                  Medium - 155 °F
                  Medium - Well 165 °F
                  Well Done 170 °F - I included this for reference sake, but it hurts to do so!

       Poultry - Chicken & Turkey, Whole 180 °F
                  Breast Meat 170 °F
                  Thighs, Wings & Legs 180 °F
                   **Salmonella is killed at 165 °F

       Pork - roasts, tenderloins and chops - 145 °F  (no higher; nobody likes dry pork)! 

2. Fireworks are awesome. I'm actually a pyromaniac and am one of the first people to buy fireworks on the day the stands open. But we're in a drought now and we all know that fire + dry pastures/hay fields = horrible fast-spreading disaster. If you are in a county with a burn ban in place, consider driving to a neighboring county and watching a sponsored fireworks show. I'm likely going to the Wamego, KS show (it's one of the best in the state). One night of fun shooting off bottle rockets and roman candles isn't worth the devastation of charred fields.

With these safety steps in mind - have a great holiday! And as always, remember the true reason for the season. We are a free country thanks to those who have gone before us and those who continue to fight for our freedoms.

Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~

Fire Update

Remember the post back in April about a fire in the rural area surrounding my hometown of Satanta, KS? Well, if you didn't catch it you can go back and read it here.

I thought you might like to see an update of the ground that was involved in the fire. Months later, the fire occurred April 3rd actually, much of the 9600 acres burnt up has received little to no measurable amounts of rain. The only thing farmers have been able to combat the blowing dust and lack of growth with is irrigation in areas that are lucky enough to have those sources.

Pasture ground near Satanta, KS that was burnt by the April 3rd fire.

Picture taken on July 27, 2011.

Much of the grassland that burnt was pasture usually used to feed cattle in the area. Ranchers can utilize natural grasses to allow cattle to graze during spring, summer and into fall months. Due to the fire and then subsequent lack of moisture, the grass has not grown back. It's a struggle that agriculturists in the area must deal with for years to come on ground that has been in their families for generations.

Another view of the dry, burnt land near Satanta, KS.

It won't be making headlines that I am concerned about the severe drought my part of the state is currently experiencing. It's rough out there and I just hope the tides will change one of these days.

Kansas lawmakers are concerned about what is going on as well and have dedicated time, energy and resources to help the people affected by the drought. The Kansas economy depends heavily on what is produced by agriculturists across the state and whether these farmers and ranchers tend to the land out west, in the center or on the east side -they are working hard to put food on the table and I am proud to be from the center of the United States!

All my best,

Tera Rooney

Burnt Crisp

A farmer discs up ground near Satanta, KS on April 3, 2011. Photo by Kelvin Heitmann

A fire near my hometown threatened people, animals, farmground, structures and grassland this past Sunday. The town of 1200 was evacuated for safety reasons as the out of control grass fire approached.

Fire departments from nearby (up to 45 miles away) sent back up to assist our small town's volunteer emergency services. Another great example of volunteers came from local farmers who hooked up their tractors and began discing the ground close to town to turn the dry grass under and expose dirt that is less likely to burn.

Two cattle feeding lots, with capacities of over 126,000 head of cattle, were in danger during the fire, but were spared. Around 9,600 acres of ground including farm ground, pastures, CRP grasslands and golf course grasses were burnt. Three families lost their homes and thankfully no injuries have been reported.

The town of Satanta was very lucky considering the damage that could have been done from such a large fire that was so out of control. Many people have misconceptions about agricultural-related fires and I thought this would be a good time to bring those up!

In our part of the state, people DO NOT participate in elective burning of pasture ground. It is too dry and we can't afford to lose precious top soil to wind erosion. Many parts of Kansas do participate in such burning and that was talked about in this post. There are also some great photos and a description of pasture burning in the Flint Hills from a Kansas rancher, Debbie Lyons-Blythe, here! The exact cause of the fires that raged through Haskell County this past Sunday is unknown, but dry conditions and high wind speeds fueled it.

The battle farmers and ranchers from the Satanta area will be fighting in the months to come is all of the open ground that was exposed during the fire. Without grass and crops covering a large area of ground, when the wind blows it will erode the soil and make conditions much worse. The biggest thing we need right now is rain and a whole lot of it! As many of you already know, you can rebuild structures and replace things, but you can't restore the precious top soil that will be lost.