Ray Brewer of Bluffton returned recently from El Salvador, where he experienced rural life in that country for the past four months under the International Farm Youth Exchange.

Real estate for sale: 65 acres, old-fashioned brick house, $15,000 – Harper Hooten, North Vernon, Ind.

Having decided to quit farming, will sell at Public Auction at the farm located about 10 miles north of Rushville and about 4.5 miles south of Knightstown, 1/2 mile south of Shively’s Corner or Six Points on the southeast road – farm equipment, feed and misc. items. Landon Tice, owner; Joe Kellum and Jim Bradley, auctioneers.

Anderson Sale Barn will feature the following this coming Saturday at the sale: 31 fancy mixed calves, 250-600 pounds; 16 two-year old ewes will lamb Feb. 1; and 20 Suffolk ewes to lamb Feb. 1, bred to Suffolk buck.

Used pickup trucks for sale: 1972 Chevrolet Fleetside, 6-cylinder, standard, 9,000 miles, $2595; 1972 Chevrolet 3/4-ton, V-8, automatic, deluxe, $2395; 1969 Chevrolet 3/4-ton, 4-speed, PS, heavy duty, $2195 – Tom Sibbitt, Greensburg, Ind.

Five corn picker-shellers were kept busy full time as 18 men in the Economy community turned out at the Virgil Oler farm to harvest 104 acres of corn. Oler, who is legally blind, was quite depressed that his corn was still in the fields due to the poor weather conditions. A “threshers’ dinner” was prepared for the farmers helping, by Mrs. Oler and their daughter.

Ward “Butch” Burnette was sworn in as Kentucky’s newest commissioner of agriculture. Burnette was a 12-year state legislator from Fulton County.

The Benton Central FFA team compiled 2,315 of a possible 2,850 points to win the state 4-H/FFA Meats Judging Contest held at Purdue University. Team members consist of Cindy Scherer, Terry Scherer, Deb Schwartz, Bryan Whistler and Coach Lewis Whistler.

Jerlyn Mennen of Logansport in Cass County was crowned the new Indiana Pork Queen at the Pork Conference. Other participants were Donna Kay Berry of Putnam County, Michele Stephens of Montgomery County, Marna Douglass of Clinton County and Sarah Ellen Scott of Hancock County.

Used farm equipment for sale: 2001 Case IH STX325, 650 hours, Accu Steer, 3 pt., PTO, 5 remotes, 18.4R-46, AFS interface, radar, low pressure return, $119,500; 1999 JD 9610, 791/150 hours, 30.5L-32, 4WD, straw chopper and spreader, yield monitor, $89,900; Great Plains 1500 no-till drill 15-foot, $6,500 – Jacobi Sales, Inc, Seymour, Ind.

Kentucky is looking at ways to beef up its agriculture industry, as farmers abandon the state’s traditional cash crop – tobacco. The state is natural for forage, and growing cattle and beef appears to be the future for Kentucky agriculture.

The route for Interstate 69 that Indiana Gov. Frank O’Bannon chose is the most direct route between Indianapolis and Evansville, Ind.; it is also the most expensive route and will chew up more than 4,000 acres of farmland.