The Missouri Century Farm Program annually recognizes Missouri farms that are still productive and have been in the same family for 100 years or more. The newest additions to the Century Farm were announced Aug. 14, 2003, and include 42 farms in southwest Missouri.

The list of new Century Farms in southwest Missouri includes two in Jasper County: Donald W. Ingle, Jr., Enid, Okla., 160 acres, 1903; and Peter S. Lanyon, Carthage, Mo., 120 acres, 1902.

To qualify as a Missouri Century Farm, farms must have been family owned (direct descendants only) for 100 years or more and have at least 40 acres of the original land still making a financial contribution to the overall farm income.

The Missouri Century Farm Program was launched in 1976 as the Missouri Centennial Farm program at the University of Missouri-Columbia. In that first year, 2,850 Missouri farm owners were recognized as owning a centennial farm. Since that time, an additional 2,300 farms have been added.

To learn more about the Century Farm program visit your local Extension office.

It’s that time a year when the kids are gonna be dartin’ out between cars around the schools. Not just the little ones either. Seems the older kids pay less attention to traffic than the young ones.

Just in case ya encounter one a those stubborn ones that figure you’ll see ‘em and stop no matter what, be on the look out.

‘Course the other problem is folks gettin’ in a hurry and goin’ around a stopped school bus. If ya weren’t aware, if they get your license plate number, the cops will come callin’ to give ya a ticket for messin’ ‘round in a school zone. The traffic guards are trained to turn in any violators.

The best defense is prob’ly to avoid school areas, specially when the buses are haulin’ kids in and out. Take a detour and avoid the rush.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Carthage Printing

THIS IS A HAMMER

By Samantha Mazzotta

Sweaty A/C Unit

Q: We have a 10-year-old ranch home with a crawlspace that slopes from about 2 feet to 4.5 feet with the tall end underground. We have a heat pump with the electric furnace and air handler mounted to the floor joists in the tall end. The main ducts are insulated metal with insulated flex ducts going to each room. The problem is, on humid days when the A/C is on, the air handler and all the ducts sweat so much that water puddles on the plastic covering the ground. I don’t recall this condition in years past, and I was thinking of putting a fan down there to circulate the air. Is this condition normal? If not, do you have any suggestions? — Russ, via e-mail

A: I’d say that since the amount of condensation you’re experiencing is new, it’s not normal. After all, you’ve had humid days in the past without this problem. In this case, I’d say the age of your system has something to do with it. Few air conditioning units (or heat pumps) have warranties past 10 years, and for good reason — the unit’s age can mean more breakdowns or maintenance problems, and parts are harder to come by.

This doesn’t mean that you need to replace your current heating/cooling system. The condensation problem may be a relatively easy fix.

You’re on track regarding air circulation in the crawlspace. Better airflow will reduce humidity, and subsequently reduce the amount of condensation caused by warm, humid air meeting cool metal. Also, your main and flex ducts are insulated, which also reduces condensation and increases cooling (and heating) efficiency. By all means, try running a fan in the crawlspace and see what happens. (Make sure it’s placed in a dry spot, of course.) Some do-it-yourselfers also recommend using a dehumidifier in enclosed spaces.

Two common problems (with just about any A/C unit) are leaking drain pans and clogged drain hoses. An air conditioner removes moisture from the house and condenses it on the refrigeration coils. From there, the water collects in a drain pan and then exits via a drain hose. Scott Meenen of G&S Mechanical Services in Maryland (www.toad.net/~jsmeenen) recommends cleaning the drain hose using a wet/dry vac to suck out debris. The drain pan should be cleaned as well.