Wednesday, April 15, 2025
As I drove up onto US 50 out of the Commer field yesterday evening to head towards home with the JD 9R540 tractor, the 1910 air cart, and N550 NT drill, the planting of 2026 soybeans was complete. And because Brandon had finished the corn planting the previous Saturday night (the 11th), all spring planting is now complete. This is not the earliest finish in the history of Carnahan & Sons. That distinction rests on 2012, when all planting was complete on April 13. This spring has some similarities to that year, but we certainly do not desire a repeat of that particular year… known across the Midwest at the Great Drought year. The weather is the topic of conversation here and always a comparison to 2012. Let’s pray that the weather pattern changes. A little rain is predicted for Saturday, but only about .3″ (8mm). As always, we will take what He sends us and we will be grateful.
Brandon planting corn. He worked diligently to get it done in a very timely way.
I make my way towards home on Tuesday evening. This is westbound US 5o, west of Wheatland, near Marchino Road
Our soybeans that were planted on April 1 are now emerging from the soil. Yes, that seems early. No corn has emerged yet from our earliest-planted fields. We wait patiently for that to happen. It is always a relief to see the tiny plants come springing out of the soil. You don’t really consider your planting to be successful until that happens.
Baby beans are coming up! PTL!
John has removed the 9R540 from the drill today, and it will get washed and stored away in the new building (built in 2024, it still seems new). The drill will remain outdoors until time to plant DCB after wheat harvest in late June. It could also be called back into service sooner, if we determine that some soybean fields or portions of fields need to be re-planted. But for now, the tractor will go back into the new building to be kept out of the baking sun. We prefer our machines to be indoors out of the rain, and especially out of the sun which over time can fade the paint.
Unhooked from the 9R540 tractor, this drill and air cart will stay here until DCB or possible replant time.
The 9R540 in the shop on this windy day, waiting to be made #Andyclean.
In many ways, it feels good to have #plant26 behind us. By finishing this early in the season, there is greater potential for good yields and earlier harvest, especially for soybeans. There is a lot of the story of the 2026 crop yet to be written, and we will have to wait patiently to see how it all unfolds.
I received a report from Greg, our wheat consultant at Nutrien, that one variety of our wheat crop is beginning to develop heads… this is called the “boot stage”. It will soon require another over-the-top application of a fungicide! That should finish the wheat crop off until harvest begins in mid-to-late June, typically starting on the 20th, (my mom’s birthday… she would be 111 this year). Let’s hope the winds die down a bit… this has been a severely limiting factor this spring… strong winds stop the use of the sprayer.
We have started to receive the property tax bills in the mail. I catalog each one into a special proprietary spreadsheet and make a comparison to previous years. Looks like for bare farmland, the assessed value has decreased this year, the tax rate is up a little bit, and resulting the tax bill decreased a 3-4%.
Farm office work today. It’s a good thing I don’t mind to do it, for there seems to be a never-ending need for it to be done!
Have a beautiful week.
