Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack, this article seemed in order. It contains good information, especially for those of us who are older than dirt!! Please, take the time to read this, the life you save may be your own!

Let's say it's 4:17 p.m. and you're driving home, (alone of course) after an unusually hard day on the job. Not only was the work load extraordinarily heavy, you also had a disagreement with your boss, and no matter how hard you tried he just wouldn't see your side of the situation. You're really upset and the more you think about it the more up tight you become.

All of a sudden you start experiencing severe pain in your chest that starts to radiate out into your arm and up into your jaw. You are only about five miles from the hospital nearest your home, unfortunately you don't know if you'll be able to make it that far.

What can you do? You've been trained in CPR but the guy that taught the course neglected to tell you how to perform it on yourself.

Without help the person whose heart stops beating properly and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness.

However, these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest. A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two seconds without let up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again. Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims can get to a phone and, between breaths, call for help.

Tell as many other people as possible about this, it could save their lives!

NAWG has announced its support for installation of wheat cleaning facilities within the U.S. grain handling system. This initiative will provide cleaner wheat for various segments of the export market. As stated by NAWG president Jim Stonebrink, "Although not all customers demand a higher grade of U.S. wheat, NAWG and its market development partner, U.S. Wheat Associates, are convinced that the demand is significant enough to benefit U.S. producers."

The Australian Wheat Board provides 0.3% dockage and the Canadian Wheat Board provides 0.2% dockage on all export wheat. Presently, U.S. dockage on Hard Red Wheat (HRW) in the Texas Gulf ranges from 0.7 to 0.8%. In the Pacific Northwest, shipments bound for Japan must meet a requirement of 0. 5% dockage. Due to the lack of high speed cleaning facilities in the Texas Gulf Ports, HRW producers were unable to meet the Japanese Food Agency specifications.

Also, recent U.S. trade teams visiting Latin American customers, verified lost opportunities. It was made clear that, unless we can provide a cleaner product, the U.S. will not be a supplier to this "higher quality" market segment.

Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman announced a task force to look at various solutions to the grain-cleaning problem. NAWG will continue to communicate to USDA its support for meeting the demand of foreign customers.

In a year of record-setting rain, farmers and Oregon State University extension specialists in six eastern Oregon counties are monitoring a developing drought and predicting wholesale crop failures.

Farmers who irrigate crops have a plentiful supply of water from brimming reservoirs fed by a mountain snowpack that is 127 percent of normal. However, dryland farmers who rely solely on rainfall for crop moisture are seeing their fields wither in Umatilla, Grant, Morrow, Sherman and Union and Wasco counties, said Don Wysocki, an OSU extension Soil scientist at the Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center at Pendleton.

"We already have some fields that are complete failures," Wysocki said. "Even if it started raining right now, they wouldn't recover."

"Dryland (crops) are really bad," said Thomas Darnell, a horticulture extension agent in Milton- Freewater. "Green pea yields are terrible. Many fields will not return enough to cover production costs. The wheat crop is out of moisture, and it is one of the worst years in memory for cheat grass, too."

According to the Oregon Climate Service at OSU, figures for the region from Oct. 1 through the end of May indicate that it is 20-25 percent below average, with little precipitation since last winter. In Heppner in Morrow County, 8.8 inches of rain has fallen during what is traditionally the wettest portion of the year, compared to the normal of 11.2 inches. La Grande's eight-month rainfall total ending in May was 10.81 inches, down from the average of 12.35 inches. Moro in Sherman County saw 7.54 inches of rain instead of 9.29 inches. These rainfall totals have greater significance because historically those counties receive most of their annual 12 to 17 inches of rain by early May.

Farmer Chris Rauch, who lives about 30 miles southwest of Hermiston near the small community of Lexington, said he expects his crop of winter wheat to be a near-complete loss. "I've seen some wheat around Ione and Heppner that is dead already, and we have had reports of a couple of farmers plowing their spring wheat up."

Michael Stoltz, a regional director for the OSU Extension Service, said the situation is so bad agriculture officials may need to officially label it a drought. To do that, teams that include representatives from federal and state agencies and the Extension Service must ask Gov.

John Kitzhaber to review their climate and crop information for the six counties and declare a drought emergency. That would clear the way for federal and state loans to defer the expected crop losses.

Kent Willett, executive director of the Umatilla County Farm Service Agency office in Pendleton, said his office soon will send a "flash report" to the state FSA office. Eventually such reports will be forwarded to Kitzhaber, informing him of a drought situation that now appears irreversible. "Even if it rained today," Willett said, "it is too little, and too late. With prices down and no rain, it's been a pretty bleak year."

There are few people in the world who will try harder to please their parents than farm kids, in fact, some of them die trying&emdash;about 300 nationally each year or even be severely injured. "A lot of times, farm parents forget or don't realize that they are asking their children to take responsibility of one of the most dangerous occupations in the country," says Howard J. Doss, Michigan State University Extension safety leader. "The risk of injury or death increases when the amount of risk exceeds the child's level of maturity and many times kids do not have sufficient experience to judge danger." He says that reasonable farm work can help build a child's sense of self-worth, social responsibility and a strong work ethic but the job assigned to them should be age-appropriate. The child must have the maturity and judgement to handle the task safely. He advises parents to talk to each other and think about age-appropriate tasks for their children and ask themselves if they have unrealistic expectations of their children. "Parents should realize that while their kids, particularly older teenagers, can be mature most of the time, they periodically can and do quickly revert to child-like behavior and if they are in a risky situation at the time, an accident is likely." Doss says. Teenagers have a strong desire for social and peer approval, want to be supportive and do adult work, want to practice their skills without being constantly watched, desire to experiment, and seek thrilled but for the most part, their physical development often outstrips their emotional maturity. "Within the context, parents should think about the risks associated with job assignments," Doss says.

"We do not allow a child to drive a car until they are 16 because of potential for an accident do why do we let them operate a tractor which is the most dangerous piece of equipment on the farm which accounts for half of the deaths and injuries that occur on farms each year." In a recent analysis of 460 child-related fatalities on farms in Wisconsin and Indiana, half of them were associated with tractors. "Parents should discuss, periodically review, and enforce farm safety procedures and just as importantly, practice safe farming procedures themselves," Doss says. Children mimic their parents and that's why it's important that parents be good role models." Doss says that for kids 10-13, the biggest risk to them on the farm are animals, machinery and recreational vehicles.

For kids 13-18 the causes of most accidents are slips and falls, power tools and machinery. Parents should take the time to demonstrate proper procedures for working around animals, let kids work with them on machinery and around power tools to demonstrate safe procedures and explain the risk of not taking safe precautions," Doss says. "Be patient and reinforce good behavior with praise." He says that belittling a child because their work performance does not measure a parent's performance does not measure a parent's personal standard and detracts from a kid's self-worth which can contribute to accident risk. "Parents should provide a hands-on, non-threatening environment that will help the child learn about farm hazards and how to cope with them," Doss says. "Ideally, this will take place at the hands of the parent but other resources, such as the local FFA chapter or county 4-H group can also help.

Easing U.S. restrictions on trade with Cuba could immediately open up new markets for American rice, soybeans and wheat, according to Washington Farm Bureau President Steve Appel, who recently visited the island nation with an American Farm Bureau delegation.

"They need protein," Appel said, "and the U.S. would have a huge competitive advantage in meeting those needs."

Appel, one of 10 Farm Bureau presidents on the three-day exploratory trade mission, said Cuba annually imports 250 million tons of rice from Southeast Asia, which must be shipped through the Panama Canal. He said buying from the United States could result in an immediate savings of 30 percent in transportation costs alone.

"They could then buy that much more, and they're anxious to do it," Appel said, adding that the Cuban government now guarantees all 11 million island residents six pounds of rice a month.

The Cuban government buys even more soybeans &endash; 400 million tons &endash; from South America. Appel noted that soybeans grown in the Mississippi Valley could be loaded on oceangoing barges and towed the short distance to Cuba, again at much lower cost.

How much wheat would Cuba buy if the United States eased the trade sanctions that were imposed by President Kennedy in 1962? That's hard to say, Appel noted, since the country doesn't import much wheat now. But, he said, there's almost no wheat for bread products.

Also missing from the Cuban diet are apples. Although the AFBF delegation was fed a lot of fruit, "we never saw a single apple the entire time we were there," Appel said.

He said there's not much likelihood that Cuba would export food to the United States.

It already has markets for its sugar, the only commodity it really has in surplus, and Cuban-grown citrus fruits are such poor quality, in part because Cuban farmers have access to almost no chemical fertilizers or pesticides, that they could never compete with American-grown products, Appel said.

The delegation toured several farms, and Appel said it was obvious "there's been a huge disconnect in agriculture" since Fidel Castro took over. "It's as if everything came unplugged in 1958."

Artery......................The study of paintings.

Benign.....................What you be after you be eight.

Bacteria....................Back door to cafeteria.

Barium.....................What doctors do when patients die.

Cesarean Section........A neighborhood in Rome.

Catscan.....................Searching for Kitty.

Cauterize...................Made eye contact with her.

Colic.........................A sheep dog.

Coma........................A punctuation mark.

D&C.........................Where Washington is.

Dilate........................To live long.

Enema.......................Not a friend.

Fester.......................Quicker than someone else.

Fibula.......................A small lie.

Genital......................Non-Jewish person.

G.I.Series.................World Series of military baseball.

Hangnail....................What you hang your coat on.

Impotent.....................Distinguished, well known.

Direct seeding can improve crop water use, crop productivity, economic returns and reduce wind and water erosion. Over the past few years we followed soil quality changes attributed to direct seeding agriculture in three agroclimatic zones in eastern Washington and northern Idaho. We evaluated soil physical, chemical, and biological properties in cooperating farmers' fields. These fields have been direct seeded from 10 to 25 years. Our research shows that long-term, direct seeding:

* Increases crop water use efficiency

* Improves soil physical and chemical properties

* Increases soil compaction

* Increases water infiltration

We concluded the following principles about the soil chemical, physical, and biological properties for transition from cultivated farming to direct seeding.

* Soil water storage increases under direct seeding systems because water infiltration increases, evaporation decreases, and runoff decreases.

* Cropping options expanded in the low and intermediate rainfall zones&emdash;if we reduce our dependence on fallow, we capture the sunlight for crop production during the fallow period and use more of the water available. Consequently, direct seeding has the potential to expand cropping options by allowing for more spring-grown crops.

* Earthworms increase&emdash;Growers who practice direct seeding systems often observe higher numbers of earthworms because of the lack of destructive tillage and the maintenance of surface residue. Our limited sampling of earthworm populations in the Palouse Region and in long-term plots by Pendleton scientists show higher populations under direct seeding and permanent grass than under conventional tillage.

* Larger and more continuous pores in the soil are promoted under direct seeding because old root channels and earthworm channels are being maintained because of lack of disturbance. In the transition period to direct seeding systems, these channels may not have had time to establish. The soil physical changes that occur over time are a result of lack of disturbance of channels from earthworms and roots. While there is more compaction near the surface of long-term direct seeded fields, these channels extend through the firm soil allowing water and air to pass to the roots.

"Its hard to believe, but if a thief gets hurt while stealing (anhydrous ammonia) from you, you could get sued." That was the message delivered by Portland attorney Jesse Lyon to dealers and growers attending a recent methamphetamine awareness seminar in Moses Lake. Lyon, an agricultural specialist with the law firm of Davis wright Tremaine, warned dealers and growers of their potential liabilities if anhydrous is stolen from them. "Uniess, of course, you can show the court that you took reasonable precautions. But, retailers can be held responsible if the products they sell to the drug dealers are used to make drugs. Any suspicious anhydrous ammonia buyers, or those who can't give a good reason why they want the stuff, should be reported."

Northwest growers and dealers are seeing an increase in thefts of anhydrous ammonia for use in producing illegal methamphetamines. Several Midwest states have already toughened laws to make the theft of even small amounts of anhydrous a felony.

Meth is a powerful central nervous system stimulant with a high potential for abuse and dependence. It is illegally produced and sold in pill form, capsules, powder and chunks. One simple recipe for making meth&emdash;known as the "Nazi" method&emdash;requires commonly available ingredients, including anhydrous ammonia (NH). Since only small amounts of ammonia are needed, the drug can be made in a makeshift "lab," or "cook kitchen," small enough to fit in a suitcase.

NH3 is one of several nitrogen fertilizer products commonly used in Northwest agriculture. It is a basic building block in the manufacture of other nitrogen fertilizers, and is directly applied to some Northwest cropland as a fertilizer.

Lyon advised dealers and growers to develop proactive plans to reduce the diversion of NH3 to illegal drug labs. He suggested monitoring employees with authority to sell and distribute anhydrous, and to document the training they give employees about anhydrous ammonia and meth.

Dealers and growers were encouraged to form cooperative relationships with local law enforcement to curb the sale and theft of anhydrous ammonia for use in producing illegal methamphetamines. New antitheft devices are available, along with improved methods of deterring thefts at dealerships and in the field.

Dealers were urged to:

* Make employees and customers aware of the anhydrous ammonia theft problem.

* Store tanks in well-lit, high-traffic, and secure areas.

* Inspect tanks visually every morning, and particularly after weekends.

* Remove hoses and store them in a secure place.

* Block driveways to tank access areas when possible.

* Place plastic ties or wire seals between the valve handie and the roll cage for easy visual inspection.

* Know your inventory; record nurse tanks by ID number and record the remaining product weight.

* Encourage nighttime patrols by local law enforcement.

* Make sure new buyers have a legitimate agronomic use for anhydrous ammonia.

Growers were urged to:

* Schedule tanks for delivery as close to application time as possible, and avoid leaving tanks unattended.

* When possible, place tanks in a secure, well-lit area, or where suspicious activity can be easily spotted.

* Return tanks to the dealer immediately after use.

* Inspect nurse tanks daily, looking for broken or missing ties or seals. Also watch for items such as duct tape, garden hoses, buckets or coolers&emdash;items commoniy used by thieves.

The Far West Fertilizer & Agrichemicai Association sponsored the seminar, along with the Washington State Narcotics Investigators Association, and members of the Northwest High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.

Sustainability experiments tied to dwindling profits and environmental concerns are planting seeds of change in one of Oregon's largest industries, Oregon State University scientists say.

"We have a lot of big problems in agriculture," said horticulture professor John Luna in a recent issue of Oregon's Agricultural Progress magazine, published by OSU's Agricultural Experiment Station. "There's a lack of profitability. What about losing farm families? What about keeping salmon in our streams (while producing food and fiber)?"

There may be a solution, says OSU soil scientist Richard Dick. "Sustainability is the middle ground that seeks any technology that maximizes yield and profits while maintaining the natural resource base and maintaining environmental quality," he explained.

The article spotlights farmers, researchers and extension agents across the state who are collaborating on experiments with crops that range from vegetables to wine grapes, grain and dairy cattle.

One example: Seven farms, from Corvallis in the south to Mt. Angel in the north, have formed an organization called the Willamette Valley Vegetable Growers' Association and are testing a technique called "strip-till."

Instead of plowing entire fields, they break up the soil only in eight-inch-wide seed beds. The ground in between is covered with the dead remains of a "cover crop" such as wheat or clover planted after the previous harvest.

"The usual practice - what we call conventional tillage - is to use various tools to bury all weeds and crop residues with six to 10 passes through a field," explained Luna, who is working with the vegetable growers.

"We figure this (strip-till) is a one-pass operation," said Carl Hendricks, a second generation grower whose farm is between Stayton and Scio.

According to Luna, the potential benefits of strip-till include:

* Reducing erosion and improving soil fertility while reducing the need for expensive fertilizers.

* Crowding and shading out weeds with the cover crops, reducing the need for expensive herbicides.

* Reducing the need for irrigation water.

* Cutting fuel costs and soil compaction.

Dick and several OSU graduate students and colleagues are collaborating with some of the same farmers. "Basically we're looking at the long-term impact of farming practices on soils with in-depth studies of soil biology," Dick said.

Six farmers "donate" fields and split them in half. On one half they use conventional tillage. Crops grow in the summer, there's some tillage in the fall and the land sits bare in the winter. On the other half of their fields the farmers use self-designed reduced tillage systems in combination with winter cover crops.

"The non-traditional systems should improve soil structure and biology because of less disturbance, cover crop root activity and residue incorporation in the spring," said Dick. "Cover crops capture residual fertilizers in the fall to maintain groundwater quality and add organic matter that provides 'glue' for soils to create more air spaces and improve water penetration and storage.

"Farmers have told us they may be able to irrigate less in the summer after using cover crops," he added, "and they use less fuel because there's less compaction and they can use a higher gear for tillage operations."

Sustainable agriculture experimentation has also reached Oregon's wine industry. Carmo Candolfi-Vasconcelos, a wine grape specialist with the OSU Extension Service, notes that grape growers are experimenting with "integrated production," or IP for short.

"It's a whole-farm concept modeled after a system Europe has had for a number of years," explained Al MacDonald, owner of Seven Springs Vineyards near Salem. "We do allow the use of chemicals but they are restricted. No applications of broad spectrum herbicides or pesticides."

There also are guidelines for fertilization and other practices.

"(The approach) saves growers money, increases quality and is environmentally responsible," said MacDonald, noting that a new marketing program started this year will identify for consumers wines made from grapes grown with IP.

Other examples of sustainable agriculture experiments:

* In Marion County, dairy farmers are using manure to grow feed for their animals while tracking the precise "nutrient flow" on their farms.

* In the Columbia Basin grain growers are testing direct-till, where seeds go into untilled ground that still holds the remains of the previous crop. A major goal is to reduce soil erosion that is chipping away at farming in the relatively dry, windswept basin.

* In the Portland area, nursery plant growers are learning more about biological control agents available for pest problems.

In the future, Oregonians may see "a patchwork of approaches across the landscape," predicts Marion County extension agent Dan McGrath.

"We're talking about what is the right balance of three pillars&emdash;one, economic viability; two, environmental soundness; and three, social equity," McGrath said. "There may be several ways to get at that balance."

A copy of the Spring 1999 issue of Oregon's Agricultural Progress is available at no charge by writing: Oregon's Agricultural Progress, Extension and Station Communications, 422 Kerr Administration, OSU, Corvallis, OR 97331-2119. Phone: 1-800-561-6719. The magazine is on the WWW at http://eesc.orst.edu.

Labor Pain..................Getting hurt at work.

Medical Staff...............A Doctor's cane.

Morbid........................A higher offer than I bid.

Nitrates.......................Cheaper than day rates.

Node...........................I knew it.

Outpatient....................A person who has fainted.

Pap Smear...................A fatherhood test.

Pelvis.........................Second cousin to Elvis.

Post Operative.............A letter carrier.

Recovery Room...........Place to do upholstery.

Rectum.......................Darn near killed him

Secretion....................Hiding something

Seizure.......................Roman emperor

Tablet.........................A small table.

Terminal Illness...........Getting sick at the airport.

Tumor.........................More than one.

Urine..........................Opposite of you're out

Within 25 years, non-food uses for agriculural products are expected to creat 750,000 new jobs, increase farm income by $30 billion per year and contribute $100 billion annually to the economy.

The United States has less than seven percent of the world's farm commodities