Friday, April 22, 2016
After a small rain Wednesday night, and a bigger one Thursday night (.9″, or 23mm), planting progress has stopped. It could be early next week before we begin again. The weather forecast for next week is for some days of rain, starting Monday. So, we wait patiently for time back in the field.
As an alternate activity, the two planting tractors, the CIH MX290 and the JD9330 both require an engine oil change today. That’ll keep the morning occupied. Long gone are the days when we poured out the used oil on the driveway to suppress dust… now it is placed back in barrels and gets recycled!
Brandon begins the process of draining the engine oil on the MX290
The 9330 takes its turn in the shop for an oil change
The first-planted soybeans have started putting out their primary root, and those cotyledons will be pushing through the soil in a couple days. It is a milestone of satisfaction (and sometimes a relief!) when you see those little plants emerge from the soil. There are many factors that affect the speed at which you see soybeans emerge from the soil, but moisture and temperature are the primary ones.
Here in my palm is a soybean showing its progress toward sprouting
Scrape back the soil just a little and you see this soybean pushing its way to emerge. It is < 1/2 inch under the soil surface. A couple more warm days, and it’ll be out!
We feel pretty good about what has been planted so far. The calendar tells us we need to make progress, but the field conditions show we have done all we can up to this moment. White River continues above flood stage, so our fields down there will have to wait. Better a flood in April than one between June and September!
We had a visitor from Greene County, Indiana this morning…fellow farmer Ralph Harris stopped by to say hello, and he shared his thoughts on his readership of this website. He had many stories to tell about his farm experience. Thanks, Ralph, for your visit. It was great to spend some time with you.
Have a blessed weekend.
