Business

Spirit Dance, a dance studio located in Lamar, has been around for 10 years as they are currently celebrating their 10th anniversary, and currently growing at a tremendous rate thanks to the addition of competitive dance opportunities for the dozens of dancers who patronize the business.

I don’t have too much to share this week as news is quiet and the markets are quickly getting into holiday mode with very slow trade, low volumes and small trade ranges.

Friday’s USDA World Agricultural Supply & Demand report (WASDE) was pretty much a non-event for all commodities and it was a quiet trading session. The trade was anticipating very few changes.

The corn and wheat markets were down sharply last week and soybeans were back and forth. Many headlines to consider including crop progress/condition reports, weather forecasts around the world, EPA mandates and China’s Zero-Covid policy.

Markets are down to start the week on news of increased Covid cases in China and protests in Shanghai and Beijing over their zero-Covid policy.

This year, U.S. producers were able to get relatively high returns despite a marginally clipped corn yield as some of the increasing input costs are running behind the market rallies. Inputs like seed, rent and machinery tend to rise in a one-year delay.

The November World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates report (WASDE) on Wednesday, November 9th, was the thing to watch last week, but overall turned out to be a fairly boring report across all commodities.

The major headline over the weekend was Russia’s announcement to withdraw from the grain export corridor agreement. Wheat futures shot up overnight with corn and soybean futures following. The trade had been expecting some type of disruption which limited gains. This story will continue to develop and markets will remain volatile as there is a lot of conflicting information. Both the UN and Turkey say that agriculture product shipments will continue but there is still risk premium being added to the market.

On a sunny Saturday afternoon Paul Lucero spent a few hours detailing their family vehicle, just as he does every few weeks. Because Paul and his wife Raina have a blended family which includes 6 kids, mess is inevitable and if not cleaned every few weeks the back half of the vehicle may look more like a science experiment than seating.

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Tori Uhland. After graduating from Eads High School in 2015, I went on to attend college at the University of Denver then to Colorado State University where I studied Journalism & Media Communications.

Cory Alan Forgue graduated from Southern Illinois University in 1990 where he earned a bachelor’s degree in TV and radio broadcasting with an emphasis in public relations. Cory has been in radio and TV for 38 years, since he began working as a DJ in suburban southwest Chicago in 1985.

Deborah (Oswald) Davis along with her husband Glen live in Haswell, Colorado and are the owners and operators of their family farm. Deborah works as a public accountant through the winter months and has worked alongside her husband on the family farm. Deborah has always aspired to be engaged in the community that she lives in as well as those surrounding her.

This Sunday, October 2nd, the Harris Pumpkin Patch located east of Highway 385 in Sheridan Lake will open for their 5th season of fun and adventure!

For the third year Ryan and Teale Hemphill owners of Red Barn Farm of SECO, LLC near McClave, Colorado along with their children and close friends and family have planted nearly two acres of pumpkins which yields a crop of approximately 3500 of the autumn favorite gourd as part of their farm park, Agri-tourism attraction.

For 60 some odd years, Mary’s Market has been the local grocery store serving the people of Kit Carson, Wild Horse, and the outlying rural areas of Cheyenne County. However, recently the doors to the Market have closed leaving the locals as well as anyone who travels through to drive 20+ miles to the nearest grocery store. However, that was before a business plan with the community needs at its forefront was conceived and has evolved to what is now the expanded Kit Carson Mini Mart.

Disclaimer: Information in this UPDATE is pertinent to Kiowa County FSA only. Producers reading this and that do not have FSA interest in Kiowa County are advised to contact their local FSA Office.