By MADELINE REIDA

Staff writer

Both sides of a garage sale find a thrill in haggling for items.

“Are you sure you only want one?” a seller asks as a buyer approaches with half of a pair of miniature shopping carts. “Those two have been together forever. I’ll take $2 off if you take both.”

Goessel has hosted a citywide garage sale every year for roughly 40 years, prompting residents to put old clothing, toys, equipment, and other memorabilia out on the grass.

This year, the sale was Saturday, taking advantage of traffic for Mennonite Heritage Museum’s annual car show.

A map was available online but it proved inaccurate, as many sale hosts didn’t plan to have a sale until after they saw the number of potential buyers browsing the streets.

Leann Toews, 77, wasn’t even supposed to be in Kansas during the sale.

“I was supposed to be in Pennsylvania,” she said. “But I’ve got a nice shady spot here in the yard, and people are coming. It’s a bit of a hassle to get everything out and priced, but other people were doing it, so I might as well.”

Jadlyn O’Neill, 42, had a similar lack of planning.

“I don’t usually have a garage sale,” she said, “but I have a lot of shhh — stuff.”

A neighbor came by to look at baby shoes that no longer fit O’Neill’s elementary-grade children. O’Neill asked coyly whether the neighbor was trying to tell her she was expecting, which the neighbor denied with a laugh.

The sales prompted plenty of neighbor interaction, spring cleaning, and treasure hunts. A bit of extra pocket money and a few more names learned made it worth it for sellers.

“I might do it again next year,” O’Neill said.

HARVEST

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they have been and are giving area farmers reason for hope.

“It’s an outstanding price,” said Dan O’Brien, a professor of agricultural economics with Kansas State University

The U.S. average for wheat on June 10 was higher at $6.50, but last year’s price was $5.05. The year before it was $4.58.

“It’s quite an opportunity for people who get a good crop in,” O’Brien said. “My thought is that prices have been so volatile, and there are so many factors that could drive it up or down it seems good to take advantage of a good wheat price when you have it.

Vogel said the county’s wet spring forced him to spray fungicide to control disease. He has seen test weights “ranging from 50 to 70 bushels an acre.

John Ottensmeier, manager at Cooperative Grain and Supply, Marion said test weights were averaging about 58.

Early moisture and sudden heat ripened the crop fast, said Chuck Knight, location manager at Mid-Kansas Co-op, Peabody.

“I had some tell me they’ve never cut as dry a wheat with as green as the straw as what the straw was,” he said, adding that test weights were 59 to 60.

Greg Oborny was helping father David Oborny harvest north of Marion, but said the fields were still pretty wet Saturday.

David Oborny said test weights were “about average,” ranging from 53 to 60 bushels an acre.

“Nothing spectacular,” he said. “Last year was better than this year. It’s pretty good if the price will hang in there, but we’ll take what we can get.”

The state’s wheat crop was rated 9% poor, 23% fair, 52% good, and 11% excellent, by the National Agriculture Statistics Service.

“There has been a lot of yield variability this year; some of it has been really great,” The late heat damaged some yields and wheat proteins are testing lower this year, but that creates an opportunity for farmers who turn up with a good crop to be paid a premium price.

“If they are fortunate enough to have a crop with good protein value, it will be really jealously owned by anybody who could take advantage of that.”

Many grain elevators will blend higher protein wheat with other grains to offset low protein loads.

A tight corn crop might provide another market for wheat.

“They are not far from major feed lots,” O’Brien said. “If corn supplies or really tight it could create cash support for central Kansas wheat until fall feed grain becomes available.”

The price of corn is 11% or 12% above wheat which provides part of the incentive, he said.

“The wheat may not be made into bread if supplies of corn are so tight wheat may become feed,” he said. “It would be another factor to give support to the wheat market. Lots will need to secure supplies of grain to feed livestock.”

Area farmers maintain cautious optimism about the markets.

“It’s been nice to have prices a little higher,” Vogel said. “They are certainly higher than they have been in five years, but costs have risen for fuel and fertilizer as well.”

Vogel already is looking nervously at the row crops and hoping this week will bring needed moisture.

“If we don’t get some rain these next few weeks, we could see some serious damage there,” he said.

Hot, dry weather is expected to last until this weekend with more triple-digit heat in store Thursday, according to Andy Kleinsasser, a forecaster with the National Weather Service.

A cold front will move in Friday night, bringing a 60% to 70% percent chance of rain.

“There is enough moisture and instability that some strong or severe thunderstorms are possible,” he said. “Aside from any severe weather that pops up, there is a potential for heavy rainfall.”

CRASH

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She apparently was the only passenger in the car which may have become airborne before leaving the roadway.

Monitored radio transmissions indicated that law enforcement on the scene suspected she was intoxicated.

CAMPER

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iff’s deputy already were performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation when ambulance crews arrived about nine minutes after they were dispatched.