August 2024

DUANE E. CHICK

Duane E. Chick passed away on August 18th, 2024, at the age of 90, in Salina, Kansas. He was born on August 18th, 1934, at the Horton Hospital in Horton, KS, to Charles and Ruth (Banks) Chick. Duane spent most of his life in Whiting, KS. He went to Banks Country Elementary School in Whiting Township and graduated from Whiting High School. Proud of his family and its legacy, Duane was a lifelong farmer and cattleman, working on the Chick Family Farm. Ever hardworking, Duane also spent years as a Radiographer and Film Reader at Atchison Casting. Duane married his loving wife, Betty M. Larson, on August 21, 1955, and they shared 69 years of marriage.

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ELLEN MAE MILLER HICKMAN

Ellen Mae Miller Hickman, 87 years old, of Loveland, CO, formerly of Good Intent, died Sunday, August 11, 2024. Mass of Christian burial to celebrate Ellen’s life will be Wednesday, August 21, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Joseph Church. A rosary will be on Tuesday evening, Aug. 20th beginning at 6:00 p.m. with visitation to follow until 7:30 p.m. She will be laid to rest at Mt. Calvary Cemetery and a lunch will be served following the burial at St. Joseph Church. Memorials are suggested to Mt. Calvary Cemetery Endowment, St. Benedict Parish, or Dementia Research. Funeral care by the Arensberg-Pruett Funeral Home. Ellen was born on May 4, 1937, in Wathena, KS, the daughter of Charles S. Miller and Edna Mae Fleek Miller. She graduated from St. Louis Grade School in Good Intent and from Mount St. Scholastica Academy in 1955. She worked at F.W. Woolworth and Saunders Manufacturing Company before becoming a homemaker until moving to Boulder, CO, in 1969. She went to work for Ball Aerospace in 1974, working in quality control as an inspector, until her retirement in 1993. She was a member of St. Benedict Parish and the church altar society until she relocated to Loveland, CO, in November of 2018. She and Jack Hickman were married on February 4, 1956, at St. Louis Church. Jack preceded her in death on July 7, 2016. She is also preceded in death by her parents, three brothers, Richard (Dorothy) Miller, Burnace Miller, Melvin Miller; two sisters, Elaine “Sug” (Max) McGuire, Eunice “Dolly” Fesperman; brothers-in-law, HB Keithline, Gene Geisendorf, Kenneth (Maxine) Banks; and sister-in-law, Christina Ganter-Larkin. Ellen is survived by a son, John Lee Hickman, Broomfield, CO; four daughters, Pamela Kay (Dale) Bowman, Holton, KS, Vickie Ann (William) Priest, Goodyear, AZ, Lisa Rae (Dwight) Hickman-Lott, Loveland, CO, May Kim Ameur, Worland, WY; fifteen grandchildren, Kerry Bowman, Erin Merchen, Laura (Drew) Lanter, Christopher (Jamie) Priest, Tracy Bowman, Cassidy (Chri

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SOIL TESTING HAY FIELDS & PASTURES

A number of these columns this summer encouraged post-harvest hay field evaluations. If you’ve done so, I hope they were greening up consistently and looking good. If you have not, it might be a good idea to do so. Some unevenness is starting to show up, and there have been a few reports of some foliage feeders that may not require attention, but should be monitored.

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Managing Early Weaning

“Early” is a relative term, no matter if we are talking about when the daily alarm clock goes off or in the case of this article, weaning calves. There are several factors that point to the possibility of at least looking at the option to wean spring calving calves sooner than what is considered “normal” this year. Even with a recent market dip, calf prices are red hot. Hot summer temps and a drier period have caused rapid forage quality decline, forcing managers to look at options to maintain pasture quality and cow body condition scores. Lower cost of gains in the feedlot setting might mean putting calves on feed sooner. All of these factors make it seem like this might be a timely topic for today.

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PROJECT CONCERN

The Project Concern, Inc. weekly menu is as follows for home delivered and congregate meals. Milk is served with each meal. Menus are subject to change. The Atchison United Way helps to support the Project Concern food program.

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Week of Friday, August, 16

Edwin Conner (88yo) of Effingham, Kansas, reported that someone had damaged his garden. The suspects removed produce (10 watermelon, 10 cantaloupes, and 10 honeydew melon) from his garden and smashed them in various areas nearby. There were also tomato and beet plants pulled from the garden. Possible suspects have been identified and the investigation is ongoing.

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