Car Wreck Modesto Saw and Knife—OpenSkyMedia (Flickr.com)

Keep up Your Car Insurance
Accidents Can Happen

Allstate is raising car insurance rates by a small amounty for about half its customers in Illinois. This is a sign the insurance giant is moderating the increases of recent years as a move retain their customer base.
Northbrook-based Allstate, the second-largest auto insurer in Illinois, is boosting rates by about 1 percent beginning May 16 for customers of its largest car insurance unit here, Allstate Fire & Casualty Insurance Co., according to a filing with the Illinois Department of Insurance.
Allstate Fire & Casualty covers about half all the auto liability premiums for Allstate in Illinois. 2011 is the most recent year for which data is available.
For customers of its other units, Allstate plans to keep rates steady.

I just switched my coverage to Allstate and I am saving money. My old company called and said they can match the rates I got at Allstate for my car insurance, but I told them that they should have charged me less before and I wouldn’t have bon shopping.
Read more: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20130508/NEWS01/130509766/allstate-moderating-illinois-car-insurance-rate-hikes#ixzz2T3AUVEM5

If you’ve been looking at your bills and wondering where you can cut costs, start with getting your car insurance policy re-quoted or changing the coverage. However, shopping only by price can be tricky because the quotes may not reflect the same coverage.

make sure your current policy reflects your current needs. Many folks put their auto insurance in place when they buy a new car and then forget about it. But there are many situations that could mean you no longer have a policy that reflects your current needs.

Don’t Skimp on Car Insurance

Don’t skimp on uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. This coverage protects you from being stuck with a repair bill for your car and potentially your medical expenses if you are hit by a driver who is not insured or doesn’t have adequate car insurance. Dropping this coverage or skimping on it is a slippery slope because even a seemingly minor fender bender could cost thousands in repairs that you would be entirely responsible for.

Read more: http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2013/05/10/five-shopping-do-and-donts-car-insurance/#ixzz2T3Emq9Ra

It may be a good idea to get a few quotes from competing insurance companies every now and then, just to keep them honest. It seems that the only people that get a brake are the new customers. They never seem to volunteer to lower rates on car insurance.

Anyway I am happy with the lower rates, but Ii think I may still shop around and see who whats to sell me the same car insurance coverage for less money.

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29.84% Tall Fescue, Fawn – Tall Fescue is a cool season, dense, bunching grass that grows well in shady areas and is very heat and drought tolerant. It was brought to the US in the early 1800′s for pastures, but is now used as both a pasture and turf, with many varieties being most adapted to one or the other purpose. Fawn Tall Fescue can be used for both turf and pasture or forage purposes as it does not contain Endophytes (which are harmful to animals). Tall Fescue is fairly slow to establish, but very long-lived under a wide range of difficult conditions once fully done so.
18.50% Orchardgrass Palute – This cool season, shade tolerant grass is well suited as a forage crop for arid pasturelands. It also has good potential for erosion control, fire breaks and critical area treatment. Paiute has been shown to be preferred by livestock, big game and rabbits over crested and intermediate wheatgrass. Additionally, it greens up 7 to 10 days earlier in the spring, remains green longer and has better fall regrowth. It does not; however, outperform crested or intermediate wheatgrass in areas receiving less than 16 inches of annual precipitation.

17.8% Orchardgrass Potomac - Orchardgrass is a cool-season, long-lived, perennial bunchgrass. It is native to Europe and was first introduced to the United States in the late 1700′s, preferring areas that are well-drained with moderately fertile to rich soils. It is one of the more useful introduced pasture grasses, especially on irrigated pastures, and rangelands where precipitation is 18 inches annually or more. Under dryland conditions, it usually develops distinct clumps 15 to 18 inches tall, when grown under irrigation or in moist conditions, the plants grow much larger and in a more closed stand. It is one of the earliest species to initiate growth in the Spring and makes tremendous growth during cool conditions. With deep roots, it is also capable of strong Summer growth when it is dry but still somewhat cool. Under extremely hot conditions, it will suffer a temporary production slump. Orchardgrass may be injured in areas with dry, cold winters and no snow cover. It does not tolerate extended periods of drought, and will not tolerate soils saturated for extended periods of time. Orchardgrass cures well and is sometimes mixed with alfalfa or other legumes to provide very high quality hay. It also provides excellent pasture and has the ability to remain green and continue growing while being grazed, so it can recover very quickly after a grazing or harvest. It is excellent forage in a young growth stage for livestock and wildlife, and is especially relished by deer. Orchardgrass responds well to nitrogen fertilizer and irrigation. Because of its dense network of non-rhizomatous roots, it provides good erosion control. A clean, firm, weed-free seedbed is recommended. Dryland and erosion control seedings should be made in the late Fall or very early Spring. Irrigated seedings should be made in early to mid Spring. Do not seed after the Spring rains have passed, or the establishment may fail because of dry seedbed conditions and hotter temperatures. Under dryland conditions the new planting should not be grazed until late Summer or the Fall of the second growing season. Periodically the grass should be allowed to mature and produce seed to rejuvenate the stand. Orchardgrass does not spread vegetatively and is therefore much less invasive than many other introduced grasses.

Potomac is a productive, persistent, rust-resistant variety that produces good early yields. This variety should be used where early maturity is needed and as a single species for hay.

13.50%  Orchardgrass Exend – FSG Extend Orchardgrass 

• Superior yield
• Late maturity
• Stem Rust resistance
• Great palatability
• Perfect for alfalfa or clover mixes
• Increased stand persistence
• Excellent plant vigor
• Responds to irrigation

Fertilization: Nitrogen should be applied in split applications during early spring and fall, and after first cutting. Adequate phosphorus and potassium are also necessary for top production.

Hay Cutting Schedule: First cutting in spring should be done before head emergence (Boot Stage). Later cuttings can be made at 4 to 6 week intervals, depending on conditions.

Grazing: Rotational grazing is preferred for best production, persistence and quality. Fields should be grazed heavily and frequently (every 10 to 12 days) during the rapid spring growth period, but overgrazing should be avoided. Leave a 3 to 4 inch stubble for quickest recovery. Extend mixes well with other species adapted to intensive grazing.

Seeding Rate: 15-20 lbs. Acre/Alone 3-6 lbs. Acre/Mixture

9.93% Medow Bromegrass, Fleet – Meadow bromegrassis a long-lived perennial offering promise for non-irrigated or irrigated pasture. Meadow bromegrass can extend the grazing season and increase total forage production. Forage yields in meadow brome are higher than smooth brome, it recovers from grazing much more rapidly, and its fall regrowth is better. Meadow brome can be distinguished from smooth brome by the presence of awns, hairy leaves and stems, and lack of aggressive rhizomes.

As a hay species, meadow brome is less aggressive than smooth brome and retains a better balance in hay fields planted with legumes. Meadow bromegrass is palatable and is a source of early spring forage since it begins spring growth earlier than most grasses. One major advantage over smooth brome is its quick regrowth after cutting, though animals should not be allowed to graze meadow brome until the forage is 8-12 inched high; the animals should be removed when the forage is grazed to a stubble height of 3-4 inches. A typical rest period of 3-4 weeks is required for maximum forage and the health of the stand. In the fall the stand should not be grazed to less than approximately 6 inches before going into winter.

FLEETmeadow brome has good winter hardiness and stand development – exhibiting good early development -spreading growth over the entire growing season making it an excellent choice for pasture mixes and incorporating into alfalfa stands. Excellent productivity in early spring and late fall.

MACBETHmeadow brome is a good dual-purpose grass hay or pasture with yield, rapid re-growth, forage quality and color retention. Grows earlier in the spring and continues growing longer into the fall. MACBETHhas narrower leaves and will not take over alfalfa or other pasture mixtures. MACBETHis a more bunch-type growth habit, leafier and more palatable than smooth brome with similar forage yield to Regar, Fleet and Paddock, with a slight yield advantage in Montana dry-land trials.

Meadow brome establishes roots very slowly and plants may be severely damaged by grazing too soon. The plants may be severely damaged or pulled out by overgrazing especially in the seedling year due to poorly rooted seedlings. Harvesting for hay during the establishment year will be most beneficial to eliminate grazing damage. Do not graze in the spring until forage is 8 -12 inches high and remove animals from pasture when 3-4 inch stubble height remains. A 3-4 week rest period between grazing is recommended. This plant responds well to rotational grazing systems. To maintain long-lived stands, the grass should be allowed to periodically mature and produce seed for continuation of the stand. Apply fertilizer based on soil tests.

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I am Ken Toulou, and I will be posting information about some of the things I do for fun and extra income. From time to time I will offer my regular readers gifts and prizes. (I just said that to keep you coming back to my website.)

I seem to have an organizational problem when it comes to working on my own web sites, so I am going to try to organize things a little bit better this time.

It’s time to throw out the old and start again with a new approach that works for me. I hope the new format works for you to…

I will be adding new topics and content when I get a chance, but you don’t want to hold your breath between posts. It could be hazardous to your health.

Music Interests

I have to tell you that I am a blues fan, but I listen to a lot of Country Music. It seems that there is a lot of the Blues finding its way into Country Music Lately.. (Have you Noticed..)

Worms

I have a history of raising worms and I am working on some ways to grow them in the cold weather here in Utah.

There’s a lot of extra work involved to keep the little buggers from freezing in the winter.

I heard they make good survival food in case the economy goes belly up!

Websites

I work on a bunch of web sites for other peoples businesses, but I am going to try something new this year. I am planing to build websites that I can resell when they start making a profit.  You can expect to see more on this venture in the near future…

I will not be showing the URL’s to the websites that I am working on, but I will discuss what is working for me when there is information that I think you might be interested in.

..Ken

Worm Pics by: Jarsyl

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