Rain, again.

Posted on June 25, 2026 by casifarm

Thursday, June 25, 2026

Doggone it.  Rain again this morning.

.4″ (10mm) so far.

The forecast last night showed us having a mostly-clear day today.  If that had happened, we probably would have finished with wheat harvest.   We are down to the last farm, and there is only about 112 acres left there to cut.  But that will have to wait for another day.  Seems like two days a week are all we get to cut wheat.

We had a good day cutting yesterday.  We got done at the Waldo and Shake farms.  Yields were surprisingly a bit better at Waldo, and surprisingly a bit worse at Shake.  From there, we moved to the Harry farm, and it yielded okay so far.   I hope that today and tomorrow’s rain does not keep us very long from being done with #wheatharvest26.  It turns out that this one has been a marathon, not a sprint.

Shadows lengthen as we harvest in the evenings and into the night.

Wednesday’s sunset was quite nice

Since I’ve only planted two small fields of double-crop soybeans, almost all the DCB remain to be planted when the fields dry down enough to do so.  The soil surface needs to be dry for the beans to plant ideally.  The weather forecast next week is more favorable.

Apparently, we have missed the worst of the flooding on White River, the crest at both Edwardsport and Petersburg were slightly below the prediction… and that’s a good thing!  I should not have to replant any acres in those fields due to another flood event!   Look on the bright side, huh?

Another task looming on the horizon is running the sprayer in the earliest-planted soybeans.  They will need another pass of herbicide, and if the timing is right, a tank-mix with fungicide included.  We will also be observing the corn crop tasseling progress, and that will require the airplane to fly on a fungicide treatment at the exact appropriate time.  Our consultant Greg will be advising us on the timing of all those treatments.

Tassels are emerging!

The guys are sending wheat to market in Newburgh on this rainy day.  Larry and Brandon D are on their way.  At least we can do that!

 

 

 

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Wheat again

Posted on June 24, 2026 by casifarm

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

We went back to the wheat field yesterday about 2pm.  The fields were soft in some spots, but better than I expected after the Sunday night 3″ rain.  We were able to run later in evening and got along better than expected.  One field was mostly flat, and that showed up in the reduced yield for the wheat. This is very apparent this year; wheat does not like ‘wet feet’.  But up on the slopes of the hillsides, we are grateful for the yields… not great, but okay.  The grain was wet enough that it all ran through the dryer.  One concern is the test weight, or a measure of the grain’s density.  Normal TW for SRW is 60 pounds, but this year, the number is diminished, running 56 to 58.  With each rain event, the TW goes down.   That can create a situation for a dockage in price at the market.  It is urgent that we get this wheat in bin asap.

 

This big flat area of the Roberson farm saw the yield impacted by the wet weather.

Here, we are opening the field at Waldo late Tuesday afternoon.  Yields were not-so-bad on this hilly field. 

As it turned out, harvest progress on Tuesday was better than we expected Tuesday morning.  We will be back at it again today… more rain is predicted for Thursday night.  If we have a very good and productive day today and tomorrow, we could get the wheat harvest completed ahead of this next rain event.  Let’s hope so!

After wheat harvest, next will come the planting of double-crop soybeans (DCB).   We don’t have enough manpower to do that while harvesting, so it waits for the combines to finish and then we plant DCB.  Right now, though, the fields are too soft and wet to plant into.  We will need some sunny days to dry the soil surface and allow the beans to plant properly.   They are predicting high 90s temps next week, and some extended dry days.  That should give us the window we need to plant our DCB.

The weather this work week has been beautiful!

 

 

 

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Big Sunday night rain

Posted on June 22, 2026 by casifarm

Monday, June 22, 2026

Last night, we received another big rain, and this one came with severe storms all around us.  There were tornadoes that went through northern Knox County, and also through Gibson County… so, both north and south of us.  We did get some wind, but nothing too strong.  But the rain was 3 inches! (76mm).  This will hold off the wheat harvest until at least Wednesday.  The soil must firm up enough to hold the combines without making bad ruts.  We have 55% of our wheat acres harvested so far.  It won’t take long to finish, but we need bigger windows of opportunity to do so.

We had a good and productive Friday and Saturday, our only wheat harvest days so far without rain.  We did four special yield tests on Saturday.  Our main consultant Greg did the acre measures, the weighing, and the sample evaluations.  We were pleased with the test results, even if the overall composite yields of wheat are disappointing.  Too much wet weather in May hurt the wheat.  If there is a flat area in any field, whether it has a tile system in it or not, the yield of wheat is cut back significantly.   But the yield tests were on hillsides that did not allow the wheat to have ‘wet feet’.  So, for 2026, the results are a mixed bag and overall, not like we had hoped.  With these extended rainy periods, the quality of the wheat will be diminished, too.  We will get back at it as soon as possible.  We had hoped to cut this wheat crop without using the grain dryer, but we will do whatever it takes now to get that wheat in the bin soon.

Wheat is going to market today.  We just left the last 3 semi-loads from Saturday night on the trucks.  Those are being delivered this morning.  Late Saturday afternoon, we got into some wheat that had moisture <13%… a happy result.  Many loads we cut on Friday and Saturday morning had to be run through our dryer before they could be moved into our storage bins.

It’s pretty wheat dropping into the truck from our #3 load-out bin

The Pete is loaded and ready to hit the road.

Larry is headed out with another trip to ADM in Newburgh, Indiana

White River at Edwardsport is predicted to rise to 15.9′, so that should not cause us big problems at our fields near where the river goes under US 50.  Flooding on White River may be a problem at our Freddie farm location; it is just upriver from where the East Fork joins near Petersburg, and there will be a 19+foot river there.  We will just wait and see.

As typical, it could have been worse.  Whenever a storm passes through, it is in our human nature to come out to view the aftermath and see only the damage… we rarely think about what remains.   This again reminds me to “count your blessings”.

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Live, in-field demo

Posted on June 20, 2026 by casifarm

Saturday, June 20, 2026

Yesterday, we were able to demonstrate a new grain cart.  It is an “Elmer’s” brand, manufactured in Manitoba.  The Elmer’s company has 6 of these carts traveling around the US this summer and fall to allow farmers to get acquainted with their construction and features.  We became aware of this brand at the Commodity Classic ’25 in Denver and that sparked our interest.  At that time, there was no dealer network in the Midwest, so it was essentially unavailable to us.  Now, Elmer’s is growing their dealer network and have recently connected to H&R Agri-Power, who has many dealers in Indiana, with one particularly in nearby Washington.

Ben from Iowa and Noah from Manitoba were here bright and early at the Huey farm.  They gave us a walk-around tour explaining the features, then they hooked it up to our JD 9520R tractor.  Ben rode with Brandon D for quite a while helping him become accustomed to the operation.  Brandon commented that he was very appreciative of the way the cart unloads on the right side.

Ben and Noah

Hooking up from their low-boy trailer

Unloading into the Elmer’s “Haulmaster” on-the-go

The guys REALLY liked the RH unload

Sign on the side the Elmer’s Peterbilt.

 

We thought the tracks were well-made, the low profile made it easier to load, and the frame was very durable.   The drivelines were sturdy and the gearboxes robust.   The big windows gave a good view.   The weights were contained in a iPad, and a single hydraulic outlet powered the folding/fill gate with a single joystick.   Each part was well thought out… and it was as if they had interviewed us for our ideas of the ideal grain cart… and then built just that.

We very much liked the cart, so much so that we decided that when we need a new cart, we will be shopping for an Elmer’s!

We were able use this cart all day, and Ben and Noah are taking the cart today to another farmer up in central Indiana.

 

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Back at it.

Posted on June 19, 2026 by casifarm

Friday, June 19, 2026

Well, the weatherman is predicting good weather for today and tomorrow.  Maybe more rain coming Sunday. We are going to go late this morning to get going again on wheat harvesting.  Yes, it’ll have to go through the dryer, but it is becoming urgent to get that crop done.  So, we will be back at it soon.

Yesterday morning, I checked on the progress of the replanted soybeans at Grubb and Freddie.  They are looking very nice now.  The once-dead areas are filling in again.

You can see replanted soybeans in the foreground, and bigger flood survivors in the background.

Have a great weekend.

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Scenes from Wheat Harvest 2026

Posted on June 18, 2026 by casifarm

Thursday morning, June 18, 2026

Wheat harvest is stopped again this morning.  We got a light rain yesterday at 4pm that drove us out of the wheat field.  This was in addition to a light rain at 4pm on Tuesday that drove us out of the field.   Between 2 and 3 am today, we received 1.15 inches (29mm) of wind-driven rain.  So, our wheat harvest is not marching right along on blistering hot days.  The wheat is standing well yet, but we have concerns what this rain is doing to the test weight and other quality factors.  We had to start up the dryer again yesterday; the wheat moisture content was too high to put directly into storage or to take to market.  It was running 16-18%.   It needs to be 13%.   The test weight (a measure of density) is already a bit low at around 57-58 pounds.  That needs to be 60+.  The process of drying wheat can sometimes improve the test weight.  So, this wheat harvest has been challenging, no doubt.   It makes me p0nder if it was a prudent decision to increase wheat acres by over 50% this year!

I will include some pictures of our limited days in wheat harvest.  When we can go, it has gone fairly well.

Wednesday afternoon

It was going well on Wednesday afternoon

The wheat is beautiful piling up in the cart

At 4pm, the rain caused us to shut down the harvesting.

Larry and Brandon D unloading at the home farm.

 

I used a couple hours Wednesday morning, while we were waiting for the wheat to dry a bit from the rain and heavy dew to plant two small, nearby fields to double-crop soybeans (DCB).  I must say the beans went into the soil very well.  Although it is a tiny fraction of the DCB that must be planted, at least it’s a start!  The soil surface will need to dry in order to plant more DCB.

Wednesday morning

Both Brandons are on the road today, taking wheat to ADM in Newburgh, Indiana.  After they get back there will only be 55 more loads to go there!

I’ll go check on the wheat fields to see if it is too muddy to begin again this afternoon.

Please pray for favorable weather for this harvest time…

 

 

 

 

 

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Wheat today.

Posted on June 15, 2026 by casifarm

Monday, June 15, 2026

9am.

The combines are out of the shed.  The headers are prepared.  The trucks are ready to go.  The grain cart is all set.   Now, we wait for the dew to burn off in order to go cut some wheat.  We are hoping for dry grain when we start, but the dryer is prepared if it is too wet to go into storage or to market (13%).   We have waited a bit longer than some neighbors, hoping that when we do get going today, we will find the wheat dry.   We will know soon.

The first fields are only about 2 miles away, over on Robinson Road near US 50.  If the wheat is too soggy, then moving back home should be no big deal.  But I am hopeful we will find it <15%, and we can continue through the day.   We will take one machine to start, then both will run if the wheat moisture level is what we desire.

We are eager to get going on wheat harvest.  We planted many more acres for this year, and it will take us a few more days than typical to get through it.

And… Larry is coming today to help.  He planted the crop, and now he will help us bring it in.

Have a great week!

This JD S780 combine has been brought out of the new building, and it ready to go to the field, as soon as the dew burns off.

RD40F header parked in front of the shop to get it ready for today’s work.

On the backside of the main header frame, these connectors activate the off-the-ground header height sensors. That will make harvesting this short wheat even easier.

 

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Some welcome rain

Posted on June 12, 2026 by casifarm

Friday, June 12, 2026

It is a pleasant morning today, after we received .4″ (10mm) of rain early this morning.  That matched the same amount we received in the wee hours of Thursday morning.   That rainfall is certainly welcome.  I checked on the replanted soybeans at Grubb this morning and saw that many of them are popping through the soil.  That makes me hopeful that no further replanting will be needed… at least as far as we know now… White River has come back up a bit but is not out in the fields…yet.

Soybeans replanted on June 5 are beginning to emerge. It’s always a relief to see those little cotyledons come out to the sunshine.

White River is rising, but should not be a threat to the replanted soybeans

The guys are hooking up the grain cart to the JD 9520R tractor… one of the last steps before wheat harvest.  They did some repair to the horizontal auger a few weeks ago, and now it is fully prepared for operation once again.

Servicing the grain cart driveshafts and tracks today in preparation of wheat harvest next week. Demco 1322

The temperature is more comfortable this morning at 72ºF (22C), with a high predicted this afternoon of 85F (29C).   Even cooler highs are predicted for next week, with some days in the 70s!   The heat and humidity of this week have felt like wheat harvesting weather, but the wheat is not quite ready.  We expect to begin on Monday.

More comfortable this morning… 72 degrees and .42″ of rain earlier today

We will see what the days bring.  We are eager to get going on this summer’s harvest.  We are hopeful for decent yields for the wheat.

Corn is growing rapidly, like it always does in June.

I think we have surpassed the “knee high by the 4th of July” old saying…

Have a lovely weekend.

 

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The wheat crop is not far off…

Posted on June 10, 2026 by casifarm

Wednesday, June 10, 2026

After doing multiple field checks, we have decided to wait until Monday to start wheat harvest.  We’ve heard reports from other farmers in the area that tell us of wheat running 14.8 to 30+% moisture.  It is our goal this year to harvest wheat dry enough to sell or store, which means at or very near 13% moisture.  We are not expecting record yields, but the wheat does look quite good so far.  It will take us more days this year to cut the wheat crop, for we increased our acres planted by 60+%.

Wheat at Huey Farm.

Also at Huey, a little closer view.

One indicator of ‘readiness’ that I watch for in the wheat crop is the curling down of the heads.  Along the edges of the fields, the heads are curled down like the handle of an umbrella, but out in the body of the field, the heads are only beginning to show a curve.  Once they all look like a ‘hook’, the wheat is ready for the combines.

Wheat at Holscher farm.

Wheat at the Waldo farm.
These pictures make us encouraged about the potential yield this summer.

It feels like wheat harvesting weather today, with temps in the low 90s and humidity to match!  There is a chance of rain in the forecast each day, but not a very high percentage probability.  In fact, a good inch of rain would be very welcome.   We did receive .1″ to .5″ (2.5 to 13mm) on Monday, but today, there are only a few “Andy’s room”* clouds in the sky.

This is the weather station report screen in the farm office at about 330 this afternoon. With the temp of 90.3ºF (32C), and humidity of 69%, it lists the ‘feels like’ temp of 102.7ºF (39C).

I was able to ‘catch up’ the soybean replanting on Saturday.   I did some small areas of replant a week ago today, and then Friday, I put in a really big day.  That made it possible to get “done” on Saturday.   “Done” means that we got all replanted that was dry enough to do.  There remain small areas in each field that still have water on it, but if I don’t’ get back there to finish it off, it won’t be a great concern.  We will make that call when the double-crop soybeans are all planted.  If those areas have dried, then I might go back and run in some seeds in those areas.

Replanting soybeans… I had to drive over all the acres, but I was able to lift the drill in areas where there was sufficient ‘stand’ of beans.  Notice, there is a such a small green patch just ahead in this picture.   For example, I replanted 188 of the 298 acres at the Freddie farm

Brandon has been out with the JD 6145R tractor and R15 rotary cutter (generically called a bush-hog), mowing roadsides in many of our farm locations.  We made a change today, when we replaced the blades on the R15… the new ones really highlighted how worn out the old blades were.  I’m certain it will cut more evenly now!

New blades are looking very good

Out goes Brandon to make some more field borders look great.

Keep cool out there.  The steamy heat makes me want to stay in the A/C!

 

*Andy’s room clouds here refer to the look of the wallpaper in the room of the boy Andy in the Toy Story movies.

 

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A little replant today, and some spraying

Posted on June 2, 2026 by casifarm

Tuesday afternoon, June 2, 2026

After checking the soybean fields for replant possibilities yesterday, I could go and do a little bit today.  I replanted soybeans in drowned-out spots on the Steen and Steimel and Dunn farms.  I estimated about 20 acres, ended up planting 27.2.  With the 80ºF (27C) temperatures this week, those should be peeking up out of the soil by Saturday.  The JD 9540R tractor (with the air drill) is a little bulky to get around narrow Knox County roads, but most drivers are very cooperative to get past me.

Other fields near the White River are still too wet to get back there to replant.  The river has not entirely receded, and after it does, it still takes some warm and dry days to get the soil properly dry enough to plant into it.  I’m estimating Monday the 8th to return to Freddie, Nellie, Commer, and Grubb.  There could be 350-390 acres across those 4 locations that will need the air drill once again… Freddie will be for the 3rd time!  I’m sincerely praying I can get the replant done before it’s time to run the combines for wheat harvest!

John was able to use the JD R4044 sprayer yesterday to apply some post-emerge herbicide to some more of the soybean fields.  The wind was favorable in speed and direction, and he found some fields dry enough to drive across.  He’s hoping to do more, and to get ‘caught up’ through the soybeans by Friday night.  We will see.

John spraying across soybeans near Wheatland on Monday. Stopping johnsongrass and some marestail and waterhemp.

Brandon K is out on his 4-wheeler spot spraying some ditch banks.  There is a relatively new weed called hemlock that seems to be taking over in this area.  Unseen here until about 3 years ago, it is increasing rapidly.  Ditch banks and roadsides are seeing more and more of it.  It seems to be displacing even the thistles.

Brandon D did some roadside mowing yesterday, and today he assisted the guys from Montgomery Welding who are replacing the conveyor chain in our big unload pit.   He will also help keep the sprayer support trailer ready as John needs it.  He will run the bush hog as it fits around his other tasks.

Pat and I are working VBS this week, Monday through Thursday evenings.  It is very interesting, and fun to interact with kids from age 3 through 5th grade.  Turnout numbers are pretty good, but not overwhelming.   Our Children’s Director at WCC, Jennifer, wrote the curriculum–based on stories about Daniel.   She has plenty of volunteers and it is great to see how everyone pulls together to make VBS meaningful and fun.  But I have to admit, when we return home in the evening, Pat and I both say, “Whew!”

The days are drawing to a close for any replanting of corn.   More of it survived the flooding than we anticipated, and it won’t amount to very many acres, probably <20.  But if we cannot return there by June 15, we will not replant and just accept it as it is.

This day is a beauty… 80 degrees and clear blue sky and a gentle breeze.  I don’t know who the famous guy was that said it, but he was correct when he said, “There is nothing more rare than a day in June”.    This one, in particular, is lovely.

Wheat is about 10 days to 2 weeks off.  It’s golden on top, but peering down into the crop canopy, it is still pretty sappy and green.

May you have a great first week of June.

 

 

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