Cherokeean/Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 150, No. 46, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 6, 2000 Page: 7 of 12
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CHEROKEEAN/HERALD of Rusk, Texas—Thursday, January 6, 2000—Page 7
Status of agriculture in Cherokee Co. reported
T i <nlor I ires • Cooper Tires • Truck Tires • Cooper Tires
Jack Whit#
By Jack L. Whité
Special to the Cherokeean/Heral o
Estimated gross income
from agricultural enter
prises in Cherokee
County neared the $200 million
mark in 1999. In spite of signifi-
cant improvement from the year
before, producers found them-
selves strug-
gling with low
prices, adverse
weather and a
huge debt load
: from previous
years.
Over a third
of the income,
$82.6 million
dollars came
from the nurs-
ery/green-
house indus-
try. M^jor changes have taken
place in this Held over the past 3-
4 years. Consolidation and expan-
sion have been the key wordB cir-
cling the county. Profit margins
continue to decrease in the nurs-
ery field, however early year
weather conditions proved to be
an advantage for operators. An
important point to note is that in
this industry, weather conditions
in heavily populated areas is the
primary concern. Local weather
conditions are offset by heating,
cooling and watering in controlled
tgrowing environments.
The second most productive in-
dustry in 1999 was timber. Local
harvests of pine and hardwood
trees continue to provide very nice
returns for landowners. There
were some serious concerns in this
enterprise again in 1999 when for
The end
By Thomas Northcutt
Special to the Cherokeean/Herald
The end of the millennium gave
Rusk/PaleBtine State Park its busi-
est year yet. The mild winter
weather had the snowbirds flock-
ing to the park for extended social
calls. Thp
campers were
I i'., • '
not the only
ones to benefit
from the many
different fac-
ets the State
Park has to of-
fer; the local
kids had the
opportunity to
catch a trout
and hunt for
the ever elu-
sive Easter egg.
February hailed the annual
"Kid's Fishing Day" and the stock-
ing of1,500 trout. The Texas Fresh-
water Fisheries Center in Athens
delivered the trout along with a
large holding tank loaded to the
T. Northcutt
the third straight year, replanted
acres found seedling survival dis-
mal at best. Dry conditions during
the last half of the year reduced
growth of established trees and
caused newly planted seedlings to
die. Wildfires again destroyed,
many acres of pine plantations.
During November, pine sawflies
defoliated many pine trees in the
northwestern portion of the county.
A long-standing enterprise for
the county, dairy production, con-
tinued to decline in 1999. Gross
income wbb estimated to be about
$21.6 million dollars. Fluctuating
priceB (mostly too low), high costs,
adverse weather and heavy debt
load has eliminated half of the
dairies in the county over the past
3-4 years. Local producers suf-
fered a stinging setback as Texas
became the first and only south-
ern state to vote not to join the
pending southern dairy compact.
Mcgor revisions in the federal milk
pricing system posed additional
problems for producers, but was
held back due to court action. Per-
haps the brightest spot on the ho-
rizon is acknowledgment in Wash-
ington that the 1996 Farm Bill is
not operating successfully. It ap-
pears that a new farm bill will
emerge from Congress next year;
hopefully one that will provide
needed supply and price controls
for producers in many enterprises.
Beef and forage producers saw a
better year than 1998, with in-
creased income. Optimism was
high during the early months, with
cattle numbers down and improv-
ing prices on the horizon. How-
ever, dry weather conditions set in
just after the first hay cutting and
have not let up by this writing.
Rusk ISD
■ Menus
Monday, Jan. 10
Elementary Breakfast: orange juice,
cereal, toast, jelly, milk
Jr. High, High School Breakfast, same
as above
Elementary Lunch: riam burgers,
french fries, hamburger aalad,
chocolate chip cookies, milk
Jr. High, High School Lunch: BBQ on
bun, potato salad, pickle spears, apple
cobbler, milk
Tuesday, Jan. 11
Elementary Breakfast, orange Juice,
breakfast pizza, milk
Jr. High, High School Breakfast same
as above
Elementary Lunch, spaghetti and meat
sauce, pinto beans, spinach, pear
slices, cornbread, milk
Jr. High, High School Lunch: same as
above
Wednesday, Jan. 12
Elementary Breakfast, orange juice,
sausage, biacult, milk
Jr. High, High School Breakfast, same
as above
Elementary Luncfr. beef enchiladas,
spanish rice, refriad beans, peach
slices, milk
Jr. High, High School Lunch: sama as
above
Thursday, Jan. 13
Elementary Breakfast, orange juice,
cheese toast, milk
Jr. High, High School Breakfast, same
aa above
Elementary Luncfr. chicken pot pie,
stsamed broccoli, fruit salad, loaf
bread, milk
Jr. High, High School Lunch: same as
abovs
Friday, Jan. 14
Elementary Breakfast orange juice,
sausage and pancake on a stick, milk
Jr. High, High School Breakfast, same
ss above
Elementary Lunch pizza, potato
rounds, cole slaw, fresh fruit, milk
Jr. High, High School Lunch: same as
above
Grass in pastures became short,
hay cuttings nonexistent, and win-
ter pastures nonexistent as we
moved from July through Decem-
ber. It is estimated that as many
as 20% of local producers found
conditions financially unbearable
during the past 2-3 years and have
sold out their herds.
Local peach and plum growers
found 1999 to be less than desir-
able in terms of production. This
is not surprising as production this
year is actually based upon growth
of new wood in the year before.
Though most of us would like to
forget the drought of 1998, carry-
over problems, such as with fruits,
reminds us of the long-term ef-
fects of weather in agriculture.
Vegetable producers fared bet-
ter due to their season of growth.
Rainfall amounts were sufficient
to get seeds up and growing before
dry conditions arrived. Fall crops
did not fair as well. As rainfall
patterns change, commercial pro-
ducers are having to add irriga-
tion systems to provide a reliable
water supply for crops. Having to
irrigate crops in an region with
over 44 inches of rainfall annu-
ally, seems unnecessary. But,
when rainfall amounts do not come
at the "right" time, it is either
irrigate or lose the crop.
A growing industry in the county
is broiler production. Expansion
by poultry integrators in the south-
ern end of the county has tripled
the number of broiler houses in
the past 3-4 years. Expectations
are for continued growth and build-
ing of houses in this area.
Three commodity areas that
have been strong producers in the
past include fish, Christmas trees
and exotic animals (emus in par-
ticular). Needless to say, all of
these areas have become much
smaller, or non-existent. Few com-
mercial fish farmers are still in
business and only a handful of
Christmas tree growers remain.
Though emus remain in the county,
more are found along the roadside
than are actually sold.
Overall, agriculture remains a
stabilizing force in the local
economy. It is estimated that over
1,000 people own or operate one or
more farms, and employee an ad-
ditional 4,000 workers. It is fur-
ther estimated that for every per-
son that getB up each morning and
goes to work directly on a farm,
another 3-4 will get up and go to
work in a job that supports agri-
culture.
As we move into the next millen-
nium prospects for agriculture
seem brighter than the past five
years. We expect little decline in
major production areas such as
nursery and timber. We expect
the poultry industry to continue to
grow and the beef and dairy situa-
tions to improve significantly.
Fruits and vegetable production
will improve as more and more
acquire irrigation capabilities.
With profit margins small, and
expected to remain so, much will
depend upon the risk factors af-
fecting production (i.e.. weather
and prices). Increased emphasis
on marketing techniques and op-
portunities may help to reduce the
risk of price fluctuations.
Farming has, and continues to
be, a way of life. But, today it is
much more. It is big business in
Cherokee County.
gives park best year
gills with fiBh eagerly waiting for a
youngsters baited hook. Merchants
from Rusk and the surrounding
area helping to sponsor the event
by donating money, prizes, and
food. We had close to 250 children
fishing with around 400 parents
and grandparents eating the free
lunch. Sixty-five trout were caught
and measured for prizes. The
month also added a new member,
to the team; John Williams was
M"|i 1 I
hired as the new lead ranger trans-
ferring from Mustang Island.
Campers roared into the park
throughout the month of March.
The Texas State Railroad Btarted
running on weekends and we
opened up our tent camping area
for the new season. Ranger Greg
Book started an interpretive out-
reach program beginning with a
lesson on anatomy at a Jackson-
ville 4th grade class.
Brookshire Brothers sponsored
an Easter Egg Hunt here in the
park on April 3 benefiting the local
children as well as the lucky camp-
ers that were in the park for the
day. Rusk East Side Baptist
Church Youth Department put on
its annual sunrise service for the
park. The service was beautiful as
usual and free to the public.
May and June brought longer
days which enticed the fishermen
to frequent the relaxing and tran-
quil 15- acre lake. The campers
continued to take advantage of the
beautiful weather with a full house
every weekend. Ranger Book did
another Bchool program for the
Jacksonville 4th grade on Static
and Current Electricity.
In July we received new
paddleboats and two small bass
fishing boats. The bass boats were
very popular with the fishermen,
while the train riders and guests
used the new paddleboats for re-
laxing and eiyoying the early morn-
ings. The sultry weather put a
damper on the campfires when the
county enforced a fire band. The
thermometer continued to rise in
August, and the flow of campers
ran to a trickle.
September sparked new life with
Labor Day weekend and a greatly
appreciated increase in park visi-
tation. Even though it was hot,
campers came, and day use guests
were everywhere. They were play-
ing volleyball, pitching horseshoes,
swimming in the lake, playing ten-
nis, and taking nature walks.
Ranger Book presented a school
program on Ecosystems and Food
Webs. The children really eryoyed
his programs.
In October we had canoe races
on the lake and Scouts racing the
train on bikes. We had several Boy
and Girl Scout groups throughout
the year camping with us. A pro-
gram on the Solar System and the
Earth's seasons was given by
Ranger Book. The park was at
capacity just about every weekend
during this month. The Arts and
Crafts Fair was held in Rusk and
our park was home to a lot of the
venders.
Finally in November a small
amount of rain blessed the park
and helped to revive the local land-
scape. We were still seeing large
groups of campers, and the locals
were taking advantage of the full
service dinning hall and picnic
pavilion for reunions and birthday
parties. There were even a few
wedding ceremonies held at the
little church here in the park. A
full park accompanied Thanksgiv-
ing holiday turkey, dressing, and
pie.
In December our park will have
a float in the Christmas parade,
and of course it's top secret be-
cause of the stiff competition. This
will be the third year we have
entered in the fun. We will be
decorating our office with Christ-
mas lights and will even have a
tree. Our annual Christmas party
will be held at the Larissa House
in Jacksonville, and we just can't
wait for the snowbirds to «spend
time with us during the Christ-
mas holidays.
The year of 1999 has been a
record year for Rusk State Park,
with the tremendous turnout of
overnight campers and guests that
just came to enjoy a beautiful day.
The park ran smoothly thanks to a
team effort of the staff and support
of the park hosts and volunteers.
The hosts were a great help rent-
ing out paddleboats, selling fire-
wood, and assisting campers to
find the perfect spot. Checking in
campers, answering phones and
responding to questions asked by
customers were also tasks the hosts
and volunteers accomplished. This
was an enormous help to us during
our busy weekends. Rusk/Pales-
tine State Park was grateful for all
of its guests that came to take
advantage of the wonderful park
and all it has to offer. We are
looking forward to serving the pub-
lic into the next millennium.
Classifieds Work!
Cooper
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27.45
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30.45
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35.00
20575R/14
36.45
21575R/14
41.45
20575R/15
40.45
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22575R/15
42.45
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43.45
& Custom Wheels
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101 E 71 h Street Rusk • 1017 5 Jackson. Jacksonville
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GRACE
HEALTHCARE
SERVICES
Home Medical Equipment & Suppli
Bathroom Safety Equipment
Hospital Beds
Bedside Commodes
Oxygen
586-5111
21-4325
24 Honrs
We file all qualifying
Ti
insurance claims including
Medicare and Medicaid.
BlueChoice,
Preferred Provider
For Fast Friendly Service
ALTO BUTANE CO., INC.
At The 4 Way Stop In Alto
Winter is upon us. Get prepared by
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w/ 6 year
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We Now Accept
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Owner
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Office Manager
Attention!
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125 E. 6th • Rusk • 683-6003
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For an appointment call 683-6579
'"Rusk urea only • tOwned and operated by John H. Daly. I.A JSmm
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Whitehead, Marie. Cherokeean/Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 150, No. 46, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 6, 2000, newspaper, January 6, 2000; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth168625/m1/7/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.