The
Pittsfield Police Department will be hosting their annual National
Night Out Event at Drake Field on Tuesday, August 7th, from 6PM-8PM.
Come down and meet the new members of the department, meet with
local organizations, view emergency response vehicles and grab a
free hot dog or slice of pizza.
The
South Pittsfield Friends Church will be open on Sunday, August
5th with Rev. Nancy Talbott as the speaker. Services begin at 1:00
pm and all are welcome.
The
church will also hold services on Aug. 12th with Rev. Henry Frost as
speaker and also August 26th with Pastor Harold Muzzey as the
speaker. All are welcome. All services begin at 1:00 pm.
From The Farm - Flies Aren't Mere Pests;
They Can
Be Calf Killers!
Submitted By Carole Soule
Soren, a Scottish Highlaner Working Steer with flies on his face
A still-wet new-born Scottish Highlander calf
The
flies buzzed and bit as husband Bruce, and I rolled out barrels of
tasty fruit and vegetable scraps for the cattle. One of the most
beleaguered was Creamer. Her nose was black with houseflies, and
huge horseflies clung to her neck. A swish of her tail and toss of
her head dislodged them for a few seconds, then the bloodsuckers
settled in again. It was time to douse the herd with bug spray.
On our
farm flies are more of a danger than ticks will ever be.
Cattle, unlike horses, people, and dogs, do not contract Lyme
disease from ticks. When covered with ticks, cattle can become
anemic, but tick danger is small compared to fly danger. The risk is
highest when a calf is born, and flies are abundant. Good mother
cows lick their newborn calves to dry them, but even if the calf is
dry, at night when dew falls, the calf will get wet.
Newborn
calves, used to the constant 98-degree womb, also have difficulty
warming up. Flies lay their eggs on the wet, cold calf, which is a
perfect home for maggots, a condition called “flystrike.” In days,
sometimes just hours, the larvae will destroy skin and burrow into
the calf, depositing their toxic waste in the calf's bloodstream. If
caught soon enough, the calf can be saved by clipping off the hair,
then washing the calf and scraping off the maggots. In our joy at
rescuing one particular calf from flystrike, we giddily named him
“Marty McFly.” But if left untreated, flystrike is no joke; the calf
will die.
Flies
not only pester calves, but they can also cause weight-loss in
cattle. Cows covered in flies spend so much of their energy swinging
heads, and swishing tails to get rid of the pests they neglect their
grazing.
One way
to control flies is pasture management. The flies need hosts to
thrive and will establish themselves in fields with livestock. Take
the cows away, and the flies leave, too. Moving cattle every seven
to 10 days to a new pasture will break the fly-cycle and reduce
their numbers.
Another
way to control the pests is fly spray. We pour repellant on the
backs of our cattle every four to six weeks. I put the liquid in a
plastic bottle attached to a long pole. The pole allows me to get
close to skittish animals, and the bottle allows me to apply the
correct dose. And while ticks are not as dangerous or annoying as
flies, the repellant discourages ticks as well.
The
pole method works but takes time and planning, so I'm thinking of
getting a “rubbing station,” which provides on-demand repellant. The
station has a pan containing tasty minerals. As the cows reach into
the pan, they rub their heads against a curtain soaked with
repellant. The station has a scratching bar, also soaked in
repellant, which works as a back-rubber for cows with an itch. It's
near the top of my must-have list, but they are pricey.
In any
case, the best remedy for the summer plague of flies is a
bitter-cold New Hampshire winter. My Highland cattle are a breed
that hails from Scotland, where summer is not much more than a
rumor. Cold weather perks them right up, and freedom from flies is
their favorite part!
Carole
Soule is co-owner of Miles Smith Farm, in Loudon, NH. She can be
reached at [email protected].
Our
TOPS chapter recently recognized two members for maintaining their
weight goal for Keeping Off Pounds Sensibly(KOPS). Pictured at Left-
Sandy Gilmore has been a KOPS for 2 years and at Right- Pat Smith,
has been a KOPS for 16 1/2 years. Both ladies are an
inspiration to all and are active as leaders and in doing many
things for the chapter. Congratulations!. If you having been
thinking about joining TOPS, we would enjoy a visit from you.
We meet on Tuesdays 6:30 at The Joy Church, 55 Barnstead Rd.
Pittsfield. If you have questions, call Pat 435-5333 or Beth
435-7397.
Letter To The Editor
Select
Board Meeting 7/24/2018
PD
update from Chief Joe Collins; they’re holding their own and
continue to fill positions. They have a way to go yet, but Mr.
Collins seems confident their situation improves daily.
Second
hearing on the Washington House lot had little comment. The
board must decide by next meeting on the Historical Society’s
request for the property for a new headquarters.
Library
trustees recommended approving Clayton Woods' volunteer
revitalization of the barn. A new roadblock is insurance
coverage for volunteers working on the building which we’re going to
try to remedy.
The CDC
received our blessing to move forward with negotiations for a solar
farm to be located on town property off Dowboro Rd. Lots of
work remains but we’re hopeful they’ll succeed in bringing a
promising revenue generator to Pittsfield.
The tax
sale of 3 lots on Rt. 107 were purchased by the previous owner.
The town was made whole again for all outstanding taxes and
penalties.
A
generous donation was accepted for the Harvey A. Marston Memorial
Scholarship. Harvey has been gone 35 years on Aug. 27 and is
still missed every day by those of us who had the honor of knowing
one of Pittsfield’s best. Wise, humble, devoted, hard-working
friend to all- our town was a better place with Harvey in it.
It was
decided the proceeds from the recent sale of timber from town land
should go into the general fund not the conservation committee
account.
Three
junkyards were reported in compliance and 2018 licenses were issued.
The
Special Town Meeting warrant to consider the AFT union contract was
approved. The deliberative session is August 9 and the actual
vote will be September 11. We all agree that we’ve got the
best deal for all involved and encourage voters to support the
contract.
Carl
Anderson
On Sunday July 22nd, Don Bergeron from the Suncook Valley
Area Lions Club gladly presented Mary Jo Powelson, Director of the
Infant and Toddler Diaper Pantry with a $200.00 donation to benefit
its mission.
Josiah Carpenter Library August News
Libraries Rock! the summer reading program for children is beginning
to wrap up. Please remember to bring your reading logs to the
library by August 17th! The children have had a lively summer
exploring music and rhythm; it’s been wonderful to be outside
enjoying Drake Field, Dustin Park and the Town Pool. It’s
really ideal that Pittsfield has delightful spaces for outdoor
activities. The end of summer reading celebrations will be
held the week of August 20th.
The
Teen Book Worms will gather on Tuesday August 14th at 6:30pm; they
will enjoy a light supper and discuss The Red Queen by Victoria
Aveyard. The Pittsfield Writer’s Circle will meet at the
library on Tuesday the 28th at 6:30pm. The adult book club
will meet to discuss Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig at 10:30 am on
Tuesday August 28th at the Pittsfield Senior Center. Everyone
is welcome to join our ongoing activities at any time.
On
Monday July 11th at 2:00pm the Chichester-Epsom-Pittsfield Libraries
Memory Café will enjoy summer refreshments, readings, and possibly
some croquet at the Epsom Public Library. Local caregivers and
folks living with memory loss are invited to come and visit with
each other in a comfortable setting.
As you
savor summer, stop by the library to borrow the perfect book to
enjoy on your porch, deck or hammock!
Letter
To my
Pittsfield neighbors,
The
June school funding forum conducted by Andru Volinsky and John
Tobin, lawyers in the Claremont cases, has generated a number of
letters in The Sun further explaining why property taxes in
property-poor towns will only continue to go higher. Another
describes how the Legislature has "thumbed its nose at the Supreme
Court in the Claremont case" by providing only $3,636/student in
funding when average cost in the state is $18,216/student.
This
writer, Ronald P. Blais, call on readers "to VOTE in November!"
This
echoes sentiments expressed at the forum by one attendee who said
that we need to stop voting for representatives who don't vote in
our best interests.
Fortunately for voters of Pittsfield, Epsom and Allenstown, your
Representative Carol McGuire, in a letter to The Sun last week,
begins to address the issue, noting that education funding is
"complicated." (Who does that sound like?)
While
identifying some of the intertwined issues, she offers no solutions,
but she does tip her hand in one important way. She writes, "My
personal preference is to expand school choice so that more students
can find the education best for them."
The
alert reader will ask where the money to "expand school choice" will
come from. It will come from your public school budgets, leaving a
hole that must be filled by - guess what - higher property taxes.
Because
she and her husband are "Free Staters," no one should be surprised
by this. But all of you should keep this in mind when you "VOTE in
November!" as Mr. Blais urges you to do.
Tom
Chase
just
over the line in Northwood
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