Friday, May 24, 2013
After checking fields again this morning, there is no place dry enough to go plant. So, we will turn our attention to some maintenance items. Brandon is out on the JD 7130 with the “Bush-Hog”, cutting the grass and weeds along roadsides. Also, Ben is hooking up the old Hahn sprayer tank to the AC D-15 tractor… a combo he calls the “suntan machine”. This spraying set-up is good for hand spraying of ditchbanks. The new Burke farm is high on the list for it does show some signs of neglect… woody sprouts are growing in Kessinger Ditch on the farm’s west border. That needs attention ASAP. Ben has done a good job over the years with this ditch maintenance task. So, just light touch-ups will be needed in most ditches, but this new one may require 2 or 3 applications this summer to get it under control. This is not a glamorous job, but necessary.
Ben prepares the suntan machine for the task of hand-spraying the ditch banks of summer.
It may be Tuesday before I can go back to planting soybeans. And rain is predicted for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Let’s hope the rain holds off this time…
Local high school graduation is tomorrow at noon. This will make the 16th graduating class since I’ve been on the South Knox School Board. Another milestone for these graduates, and for me, too.
Ross is gone for the weekend to West Virginia to a horse show.
We had lunch today with some dear friends. In from Denver was Rick Hofmann, together with his son Chris from Chicago, and his sister-in-law Ginni Rothrock from Nashville. These folks are the heirs and current owners of the Klingensmith farm on the White River along US 50 in Knox and Daviess Counties. Dad rented that place from Mr. Willy Klingensmith back in 1962, and we have had a good relationship with them all these years. The farm was placed in permanent Wetland Reserve in 2004, so we no longer plant crops for the family. Even so, we benefit from a close relationship with them. It was a joy to see them again, on their annual summer visit to the area.
L to R. Chris Hofmann, Chicago. Ginni Rothrock, Nashville. Rick Hofmann, Denver.
Philip came in last night from Portland, Oregon for a weekend back here in Indiana. He’s attending the Indy 500 with John on Sunday, and then Sunday evening will go see the Pacers-Heat game with Ben.
Sunshine welcome here….
