Monday, April 28, 2014

What a rainy day!  We’ve received 2.4 inches in this rain event so far, and the radar shows more on the way.  The heavy rainfall is a concern, which has caused some localized flooding in some of our fields, and a little water erosion in some others.  The water-and-sediment control basins (WASCoBs) are doing their work well, but a few have been a bit overwhelmed.

In the foreground (at right) you can see that this WASCoB has drained out through the orange stand-pipe… and it is ready to accept the next wave of rainfall.  The slick-looking area around the stand-pipe shows how high the held-back water became.  Farther down the slope, (at left) lower WASCoBs are becoming empty. By catching the water in this valley and carrying it away through underground drainage tile, soil erosion is drastically reduced.

We anticipate several days’ delay to return to planting corn and soybeans.  Once dry weather comes back to us, it will take 3-4 days of warm sunshine to dry the soils sufficiently to start the planters again.

Yes, we’ve had some erosion damage from this heavy springtime rain, but our conservation investments over the past decade+ are helping minimize the problems.

It’s also a little cooler, but not cold.  This warmth will help sprout the newly-planted corn and soybeans.

There will be no more April planting this year.

Please join us in praying for the families in the plains states and the south that have been affected by tornadoes.