News

Editor’s note: This is the first of two stories about a proposal to eliminate or substantially reduce the expenditures associated with the Swift County program. This story focuses on the reasons why the elimination or significant reduction of the program was proposed. Next week we will publish a story on the testimony at the meeting.

So far, July has brought less than a half of inch of rain to the area and no one is complaining.
After 9.27 inches of rain in June and a record 19.78 inches of precipitation between April 1 and June 30, the Chippewa River had overflowed its banks in some places along its course through Swift County. Low lying areas of farm fields had turned into lakes and numerous basements were flooded.
But now the fields are drying out, leaving large bare dirt spots where crops should be growing. The Chippewa River has fallen below 11 feet at the U.S. Highway 12 bridge, down 3.5 feet from its near record height of 14.61 feet June 20.
The one “crop” that is thriving is the mosquito population. The abundance of breeding places for the pests was unlimited in June and still plentiful. The City of Benson is spraying for mosquitoes, but having a hard time keeping up with the booming population.

The Swift County Historical Society invites everyone to join them at the museum in Benson at 1 p.m., Thursday, July 10 for the Thursday Gathering.  The topic will be “Water, Water Everywhere”.  The event will include talk about the importance of water in all of our lives and the fact that there is water in so many things that we don’t even realize or think about very often.
Guests will be invited to share in the discussion.  The program is free and refreshments will be served.

Despite 9.27 inches of rain falling in June, the month will only go down as the fourth wettest on record.  June 1952 saw the most rain with 12.5 inches followed by 1952 with 10.45 and 9.35 in 1983.
However, the area has now seen the wettest first six months of the year and the wettest April through June period.
Benson saw 19.78 inches of precipitation between April 1 and June 30, shattering the 1953 record for the three-month period of 16.79 inches by nearly 3 inches.
The city has now seen 21.98 inches of precipitation through the first half of the year, which beat the old record for the January to June period of 21.85 inches. That old record was also from 1953.

The Swift County Sheriff’s Office has received several calls regarding a common scam.  In this scam, people are receiving phone calls with the caller telling them that they have won a new car and all they have to do is pay them $500 to receive it. 
This is a scam - so do not send or give the caller any information, the sheriff’s office strongly advises.   The caller will even go as far as saying he is going to meet you at the bank, but he never shows.  Unfortunately, with the phone number cannot be traced.  Trying to call the number on your caller ID back is fruitless.
Another scam the sheriff’s office is the “Grandparent or Family Member Scam.”  This is when a caller tells you your grandchild or child is in trouble in another country and you need to wire money to them to help them out. 

Two men face felony charges after being arrested Thursday in an action that involved both the Swift County and Pope County sheriffs offices as well as the West Central SWAT team.
Just before 7:30 Thursday morning, June 26, the Swift County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from a residence just across the Pope County line on the east side Minnesota Highway 29 north.
The caller told the dispatcher that her step grandson, as well as others at her house, had said they had just robbed a place and had taken guns. Swift County dispatch transferred the call to Pope County Sheriff’s Office. The West Central SWAT Team was called as law enforcement prepared to enter the property at  
33576 St Hwy 29 N, Benson. There are two farm homes located close to each other on the property.

Benson is set to celebrate its annual Kid Day the weekend of Saturday, July 19.  The theme of this year’s Kid Day is “Imagine Benson”.
Kid Day King and Queen Selection Night took place Sunday at the First Evangelical Free Church in Benson.  At that time, five girls and one boy were selected for the new 2014 Kid Day Royalty and will reign over this year’s Kid Day celebration.
This year’s Kid Day royalty includes Jy West, Elizabeth Skarsten, Arianna Nagler, Alissa Maurer, Abbey Brown, and Isabella Alsaker.
Outgoing royalty from 2013 include Allie Mitteness, Mariah Ahrndt, Kaitlyn Berreau, and Blake Nagler.
Kid Day royalty was open to all kids ages 8-12, and the royalty members take part in several area parades to promote Benson’s Kid Day.

Despite 9.27 inches of rain falling in June, the month will only go down as the fourth wettest on record.  June 1952 saw the most rain with 12.5 inches followed by 1952 with 10.45 and 9.35 in 1983.
However, the area has now seen the wettest first six months of the year and the wettest April through June period.
Benson saw 19.78 inches of precipitation between April 1 and June 30, shattering the 1953 record for the three-month period of 16.79 inches by nearly 3 inches.
The city has now seen 21.98 inches of precipitation through the first half of the year, which beat the old record for the January to June period of 21.85 inches. That old record was also from 1953.

Weather Watchers Day Camp set for July 8 at Ambush
A fun filled day is planned for Tuesday, July 8th for youth who have just completed grades 3-6. Camp will be held at Ambush Park in Benson from 9:00am-3:00pm. The event is sponsored by Swift County 4-H. All area youth are encouraged to attend even if they are not a 4-H member.
Activities planned for the day include making creative crafts, playing fun games, and many more activities. The cost of the day camp is $5 per person for materials and snack. The youth are also asked to bring a sack lunch for the day.
Pre-registration is required and will be taken at the University of Minnesota Extension Office, Swift County at 843-3796 before noon on July 3rd 2014.

By Kent Thiesse
Farm Management Analyst & Vice President MinnStar Bank Lake Crystal

Large portions of Southern Minnesota, Northern Iowa, and Eastern South Dakota have been affected by severe storms and have received excessive rainfall during the week of June 14 to 20.
This has caused some property damage from strong winds, and caused considerable crop damage due to wind, hail, and standing water in fields. Most of the affected region received 3 to 5 inches of rain during the week, with several locations receiving 5 to 8 inches or more during the past week.
In some areas of central Minnesota, farm operators had not completed their 2014 corn and soybean planting prior to the heavy rainfall events in mid-June.