Home of the green and gold

Even though Holyoke’s school mascot is green and gold, the Dragons aren’t the only ones proudly sporting those colors this summer. Colorado’s northeastern plains have been dotted with rapidly growing green corn stalks as well as golden wheat fields ready for harvest. Above, a corn field is watered on a hot July day northeast of Holyoke. At top, Andrew Colglazier harvests a wheat field several miles southeast of Holyoke on July 6. According to Perry Campbell of CHS High Plains, the cooperative saw its first load of wheat June 24, and as of July 12, wheat harvest was 95% complete. He said that it’s probably the poorest wheat crop since 2006. “Drought was the major culprit,” he said, noting that the cold weather at the end of May and beginning of June didn’t help, and the hot days in June sealed the deal. Some areas also had hail damage this year. While producers are getting an unusually high price for wheat, they also have high input costs due to price increases for fertilizer, chemicals, repairs, fuel, etc. — Darci Rodriguez | The Holyoke Enterprise