July 9, 2012
Yesterday evening, about 7pm, we received some rain again. When I checked the guage this morning, it read at .24″ (6mm). I am not sure it came in time to rescue the second planting of DCB… I will tour those fields again today to inspect for sprouting soybeans. Those may have suffered the same fate as the first planting of DCB in early June…. sprout and die. It was SO very hot last week, it was the longest stretch of 100+ days I can ever remember — 11 days in a row! The .71″ of rain on last Sunday got me engaged to replant, but it may have been a foolish move. The severe heat may have burned away that moisture too fast to support the little bean spouts; again, it probably lasted just long enough to swell up the seeds, crack the seed coat, and send out a little root. Then, the soil dried out around that tiny spout, letting them expire in the dusty soil. We’ll know for sure in a day or two.
I have heard one of our older friends, Barney Dunn, speak about the heat wave of 1936, when his family slept outdoors rather than in their house. I think the 1936 records were broken on two of our eleven 100+ days. But, to our relief, it’s cooler this morning, and only 90F is predicted for this afternoon!
John and I are meeting with bankers today, one who wants us to be his customer, and our current banker, Steve Blinn, from Old National Bank. We will take a drive around the fields this afternoon with Steve, and survey the current crop situation. The crop conditions this summer will not be as beautiful as it has been some other years. We will see some corn that has died from the heat and drought.
Ross is in Florida for a few days. Maybe he went there to escape the heat!
We will be doing some mowing of the farmstead today, and we will also send Philip out with the bush-hog to mow some roadsides. We want the fields around Wheatland to look especially well-groomed because of the WheatFest taking place there this coming weekend.
Tomorrow, John and I will be traveling to Purdue to participate in a panel presentation at the annual Top Farmer Workshop. The host of our part on the program will be one of John’s teachers, Dr. Craig Dobbins. He also hosted our part in last year’s Indiana Farm Management Tour. We have to return immediately after the program, for John will be going to a Farm Bureau meeting and I’ll be at at Farmers Home Insurance meeting Tuesday evening.
It’s a busy week!
