Section a 4-27-11:Broadsheet

Sports Hardy County Slips in Rain, Rain Go Away, Mail or Online Delivery State Health Ranking Teams Have Come to Bub Subscribe Today! Page 3 Riggleman Tourney to Play! Call (304) 530-6397 Page 1B ESTABLISHED 1845 MOOREFIELD EXAMINER and Hardy County News USPS 362-300 www.moorefieldexaminer.com VOLUME 120 - NUMBER 17 MOOREFIELD, HARDY COUNTY, W.VA., WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011 TWO SECTIONS - 16 PAGES 94¢ Sheriff Says Clerks are Paid More Than Deputies By Jean a. Flanagan commission requesting a pay scale Ferrell also reminded the com- Moorefield Examiner equitable to neighboring counties. mission that the department has two In addition, the sheriff’s depart- older vehicles that need repairs Hardy County Sheriff Robert ment has lost several deputies be- monthly. “I budgeted $66,000 for two Ferrell came to the County Commis- cause other jurisdictions offer better new cars and you brought it down to sion last week to ask why the commis- pay. zero,” he said. sioners reduced the amount he had “In the past, we have been a train- The commissioners didn’t explain budgeted for raises for his deputies. ing facility,” Commission President J. their reduction in the budget for The commission met in regular Michael Teets agreed. “We want to sheriff’s cars, but there was consider- session on Tuesday, April 19. bring the department up to par. able discussion on the quality of vari- “I requested $6,000 for each There is a strong possibility that we ous law enforcement vehicles. deputy to bring them up to what will have enough carry over to make Ferrell also asked the commission deputies in other jurisdictions and that happen. But we wanted to wait to split the cost of eight new laptop other counties are making, and you until June.” computers for the deputies. In re- cut it back to $4,000,” he said. June 30 is the end of the fiscal turn, the County Clerk’s office will “That still put the salaries below year and Teets is expecting the coun- receive the old laptops. The commis- other counties. ty to have a surplus. His intention is sioners asked the County Clerk to get “I’ve found out that secretaries to allocate some of that surplus to the specific pricing. and clerks here at the courthouse Sheriff’s Department for salary in- make more than my deputies and creases. Laying of the Levy they’re not putting their lives on the “Our plan is to give them the ad- The commissioners voted to ap- line every day.” ditional $2,000 at the end of June,” prove the FY 2012 levy as follows: He also reminded the commis- he said. For Class I Property the rate is sion that two deputies were days “It’s an ongoing battle,” Ferrell $14.30 per $100 of assessed value. away from graduating from the State told the Examiner. “I put a request in For Class II Property the rate is Photo by Jean Flanagan Police academy and he didn’t want to every year, and it gets dropped back. $28.60 per $100 of assessed value. The Hardy County Commission honored retiring Magistrate Dan Poling for his 22 years of service to lose them to another jurisdiction. I asked for an increase to bring them For Class III Property, the rate is the county. Pictured are County Commissioners JR Keplinger, Mike Teets, Poling and his wife, Debbie, Over the past year, sheriff’s up to scale and they dropped it $57.20 per $100 of assessed value. and County Commissioner A. J. Wade. deputies have come to the county back.” Continued on page 8 Mathias Turkey Farmer Tries Hydroponic Gardening By Jean A. Flanagan magnesium sulfate, potassium sulfate they would produce fruit was a chal- Moorefield Examiner and other ingredients, was formulat- lenge. At first Barb used a “Petal ed specifically to work with Barb’s Tickler,” and electric device that Sheldon Barb is harvesting toma- water. would stimulate the flowers. Then toes at a time when most of us are Tomato seeds were planted the technical support people at Crop just beginning to think of planting. around the first of December in per- King told him about bees. So every Located just up the hill from his lite, a porous medium. Barb uses the six weeks, UPS delivers a box of bees turkey houses outside Mathias, Barb Dutch Bucket system. Each plant from a company in Michigan. They has constructed a commercial green- grows in a one-foot-square container. fly around the greenhouse, pollinat- house which contains 870 tomato and The food is pumped into the buckets ing the flowers. “They don’t bother 20 cucumber plants. He is harvesting via hydraulic lines and any excess us and we don’t bother them,” Barb his first crop as you read this. drains off at the bottom. said. While Barb’s looks like a stan- “They don’t have any roots to “I’ll put in a plug for Crop King. dard commercial greenhouse from speak of,” Barb said. “They don’t They have been outstanding to work the outside, it is anything but on the need any. They get what they need with. Their technical support is inside. There are no flats with tiny from the water, no more, no less. It’s tremendous and their horticulturist is seedlings or long tables of pots filled all about pH and electric conductivi- top notch. I just pick up the phone if with dirt. Barb’s greenhouse is hydro- ty. When you get those things right, I have a question and they’re there to ponic. “I’ve always been fascinated you get perfect plants.” help.” with hydroponics,” he said. Barb and Wilkins spend about 25 The system is not cheap. Barb Hydroponics is growing plants hours a week pruning and stabilizing said he spent close to $100,000 and without soil and has been done for the plants. The single stem plants did most of the construction work centuries. The Hanging Gardens of grow along guide wires hung from himself. Babylon and the Floating Gardens of the greenhouse frame. “We pull off He selected tomatoes because China are ancient examples of hydro- the suckers - other branches that they will hopefully bring the biggest ponic gardening. grow from the main stalk - because return on his investment. The greenhouse itself is 30-ft. x they suck nutrients from the main “I’ve just started getting enough 136-ft., double layer plastic on a steel stem and the fruit,” Barb said. crop to sell,” he said. “I’m in the frame. A pocket of air between the The heating, cooling and humidi- process of locating market outlets.” plastic layers creates the insulation. ty are controlled with a computer. Barb’s tomatoes and cucumbers Photos by Jean Flanagan “We keep the inside between 65 and The monitor is located in the middle are available at Kerr’s in War- Above: Jeff Wilkins and Sheldon Barb show off their first crop of hydroponic tomatoes. 70 degrees,” Barb said. of the greenhouse, in the midst of the densville and are being used at N & S Below: The Barb’s greenhouse is 136 ft. long and full of healthy tomato plants. Barb started construction of the tomato plants. Every now and then a Restaurant in Mathias. greenhouse last spring and it took rush of air circulates through the Barb’s greenhouse and his first him most of the summer to build it. house. Since plants “breathe” carbon tomato and cucumber harvest are an That was in between his regular job dioxide and expel oxygen, the air mix- immense source of pride for him and of growing turkeys for Cargill and ture must be regulated. “This is all his family. It is evident in the organi- making hay. very closely climate controlled,” Barb zation and cleanliness of the opera- He had some help from his son- said. tion. But that’s no surprise to anyone in-law, Brad Short and neighbor Jeff Pollinating the tomato plants so Continued on page 8 Wilkins. “I saw him working over here one day and came over to see what he was doing,” Wilkins said. “I’ve been back ever since.” The steel frame is set in the concrete floor. Under the concrete are geothermal pipes that heat and cool the building. Before Barb could plant anything, he sent a sample of his well water to Clemson University. Scientists there analyzed it and sent the information to Crop King, a commercial hydroponic gardening company. Their horticulturist formulated the food. Wilkins said Barb chose Crop King out of dozens of hydroponic companies because they listed their prices on their website. Barb’s tomatoes grow in one-gallon buckets and get their nutrition The plant food, a mixture of calci- from the water. um nitrate, potassium nitrate, iron, Spring Concerts at 9 a.m., and the Moorefield Middle by calling 304-822-5174. The public is Absentee Ballots To find out more, please call 304-728- The Moorefield Middle School School, large group instruction room invited to attend. Applications are now being ac- 8330 or go on-line at www.baacs.org. Bands and Chorus will perform their 13 at 7 p.m. Please phone 304-530- cepted for absentee ballots for the 6355 to register for the class you are annual Spring Concert on Thursday, Parent Night June 7 Moorefield Municipal Gener- planning to attend. Dead Animals April 28 at 6:30 p.m. at the Moore- The Hardy County Healthy Fam- al Election. Applications will be ac- ilies Coalition will sponsor a Parent The West Virginia Division of field Middle School.

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