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February 28, 1978 Around Adair with Ed Waggener The article below first appeared in the February 28, 1978, Adair County News. It's a winter article about a summer topic--tomatoes. Dad always loved the idea of citizen-industry and work-as-exercise, and devoted many paragraphs to the benefits of both. There's also an argument for another of his favorite causes--more and better sidewalks--at the end. --Pen By Ed Waggener What a switch: Coming here to pick tomatoes! When we were growing up, one of the jobs we knew we could get was to go to Indiana and pick tomatoes. If the grand experiment of County Agent Wayne Livesay, Tri-County Pepper Receiving Station Manager A.L. Sinclair, and Cumberland Farm Co-op Manager Larry Snell is successful, people can be picking tomatoes right in Adair County. A tomato meeting is scheduled tonight (Tuesday) in the County Agent's Office at 7:00 p.m. Dr. C.R. Roberts of UK will also be on hand. Livesay and Sinclair say that Adair County growers could realize as much as $2,000 per acre for the three month crop. Think small is key Both Sinclair and Livesay advise Adair Countians to think small in the tomato business. They say that people who raise a quarter acre to no more than one acre have the best chance of success. What they want is 40-50 or more half-acre growers. If at least 20 acres are set out in Adair County, the tomatoes can be received at Christine, at the Tri- County receiving station. If not, they'll have to be hauled to Monticello. Sinclair says that the crop would be ideal for town gardeners. "They ought to be able to get the garden broken for $10-$20," Sinclair says, "and they should be able to hire someone with a tobacco-setter to set the plants for $20 per acre." For the hardier sort, Sinclair says, a "chug-a-lug" one-man-powered setter, can be used. "It's fast," Sinclair says, "but it takes a lot of work." Sinclair: No equipment necessary Sinclair says that the small tomato grower can actually get into the business with no equipment, possibly not even a hoe. "Last year," he said, "I used chemicals and didn't cultivate or hoe my tomatoes at all." Sinclair raised tomatoes which he sold himself to private buyers. Cumberland Farm products will give this year's growers contracts, which guarantee a market but not a price. Expert advice is available Expert advice is available to the tomato grower. Sinclair and Wayne Livesay are well schooled in raising tomatoes. If a fairly large number of growers are signed up, the expertise in the crop will be available in cafes, service stations, and barber shops. For some, exercise will be worth it For some town growers, having as few as 250 tomato plants to cultivate will mean that much needed exercise can be gotten in a useful, productive way. There is a thing about Adair County that nobody wants to be different. If one Columbian only were to plant tomatoes, he or she would have to live with the hoots of derision which would accompany being different. If several people were to become growers, they won't have to wear a scarlet O for "odd" and life will be much more enjoyable. It's not an economic cure-all Nobody is saying that horticulture projects are the economic panacea for all that ails Adair County. But County Agent Wayne Livesay does say that the biggest growth will come in these labor-intensive, high-return-per-acre produce "truck" farms. Tomatoes are one of the highest profit truck crops. Two crops are compatible Both tomatoes and pepper could be grown by the small farmer. Sinclair recommends one-half acre of tomatoes, divided into one-quarter early and one- quarter later tomatoes, plus one-half acre of pepper. The tomatoes will be harvested in late June and early July. The pepper picking will start in August. Since harvesting is the biggest labor requirement, a family can spread the work out over more of the summer for a maximum return. Too, the gamble will be less than if all the farmer's efforts are on pepper alone. If you've got just a little acreage and need a little extra income now, it would be a good idea to be at the meeting tonight, at 7:00 p.m., in the Extension office. Rental gardens this summer I've heard of one suggestion from a sometimes city dweller that it would be a good idea for some landowner near Columbia to set up a rental garden where town residents and apartment dwellers could put out a small garden plot. The idea was tried by a Louisville bank for a couple of years and the garden renters generally liked the idea. It might not be such a grand idea for Adair County, since a lot of garden space is available. Even so, the hard thing for people around Columbia to get done is mechanical preparation of the ground. If a community garden were developed, the developer could do all the plowing and disking, lay the acreage off in small plots, and the landless gardeners would, theoretically, be happily on their way. All they'd need would be a few garden tools and a wagon or small wheelbarrow to enjoy garden fresh vegetables this summer. I'll have some wood in next winter Now that every one has had a chance to ponder their heating bills, more and more are vowing to have woodstoves as an alternate source of heat. One fellow says he's going to buy up 1,000 ricks at $10 to hold to sell next winter at $25. Not a bad return. Sidewalks should be in city budget The City Council will hold a special meeting Wednesday night, at 6:00 p.m. to discuss the city budget. Every interested citizen should be on hand. One thing I want to see take top priority is more sidewalks. Sidewalks have not been an emotional issue with a lot of people, not like they should have been. But there is a growing concern for the safety and comfort of pedestrians in Columbia. Mary Allender is one of the people who have told me that she thinks it is a shame that Columbia has ignored the need for sidewalks to the Adair County Schools Campus. "Most cities require builders to put sidewalks in before subdivisions are opened," Mrs. Allender said. Frances Johnson, who has just returned from a missionary stint in Rhodesia, plans to live in Columbia this summer. One thing she is worried about is the lack of sidewalks. I agree with them. A few dollars in sidewalks and greater attention to mass transportation would do more to alleviate the traffic problems in Columbia than a bypass. My hope is to one day see sidewalks on every street in town, bike paths, bike and moped parking areas, benches for resting, and public transportation which would end the traffic jams such as we saw this weekend, when traffic was at times backed up to Montgomery Street north of the Jamestown-Russell Road intersection, and south to Dr. Grant's veterinary clinic from the same intersection. It's ridiculous. Because we do have the tools to do something about it. Hey, our big worry is not to keep Detroit working, the Arabs rich, the utilities fat and prosperous, or even to make the coal industry wealthy. Our first concern ought to be keeping our money in Adair County. This story was posted on 2019-07-14 14:22:21
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Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know. More articles from topic Around Adair with Ed Waggener:
October 21, 1977 Around Adair with Ed Waggener July 4, 1980 Around Adair with Ed Waggener January 20, 1978 Around Adair with Ed Waggener August 24, 1977 Around Adair with Ed Waggener October 27, 1977 Around Adair with Ed Waggener May 1978 Around Adair with Ed Waggener September 30, 1977 Around Adair with Ed Waggener May 17, 1978 Around Adair with Ed Waggener April 4, 1978 Around Adair with Ed Waggener April 11, 1978, Around Adair View even more articles in topic Around Adair with Ed Waggener |
 
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