Friday, February 27, 2026
We got word today that Nutrien has completed the first-pass of nitrogen application to the 2026 wheat crop. That is satisfying news… it was beginning to feel ‘urgent’ to me for that to happen. We should be seeing an improvement in plant health and a richer green in a few days. We utilize tissue testing to determine exactly what each field needs in additional micronutrients, and those are precisely added to the liquid N application to fill any nutrition gap. Adding sulfur has become more important in recent years… we simply cannot rely on ‘acid rain’ to provide that essential nutrient.
Our management of wheat has become more intensive (and expensive), but the yield and quality increases are significant. I recall not too long ago of a wheat yield expectation for SRW (Soft red winter) in our region of 50-60 bpa. Now, 110+ has become normal and can be expected most years. It has become more evident that we need the assistance of our consultant Greg to place the wheat fields in a position that those higher yields are possible. Of course, it must be acknowledged that weather patterns are a huge factor that can limit or enhance the result. A late frost, too much or too little rainfall, even a hail or windstorm can knock down your potential. But when the good Lord provides helpful conditions, our wheat crop can do some amazing things!
Brandon and Emily are returning from San Antonio and the Commodity Classic today. Looks like they’ll have a perfect blue-sky day to be flying.
Brandon D has been keeping up with the corn deliveries and with the bin sweeping. He says this morning that we only have corn left here in our bin 10A, which used to be called our ‘big bin’. Our #8 has now surpassed that one in capacity by about 60%. And Brandon just finished sweeping out #8. We are not MT, (empty) but should be before March ends.
The medications I’m on right now have been kicking in. I feel a bit stronger, and my cough, though not completely gone, has cut back considerably. The sunshine streaming in the windows today also gives me a boost. I simply cannot let that pneumonia gain a foothold!
Oh, what a beautiful mornin’….
No, this is not “Oklahoma”… and you’d have to a lot of years on you to know what that means.
John has been preparing our JD R4044 sprayer for the 2026 season. He has serviced it, lubricated it, and even topped off the final drives with the appropriate oil. He is now out there performing an OTA (over-the-air) digital update to the JD operating systems– guidance and documentation. There are normally 2 of these updates a year, one pre-planting season and another pre-fall-harvest. They take 10 minutes to 2 hours each to download, install, and activate. It can be monotonous, but it is essential.
I discussed the repair of the NT550 air drill with Brandon D this morning. We need some warm and dry days to get that done. It sounds like it will be relatively warm here next week, but no dry. That repair job will have to be done outdoors, and we will wait until there is an appropriate window of good weather to tackle those repairs. Last winter’s inspection identified what each row unit needs to be ready for #plant26. The needed parts were ordered and are now here. I’m a firm believer in that inspection/preventative maintenance plan. It makes the ‘busy season’ one that is more productive.
Have a nice weekend.
