Saturday, June 27, 2020
We had a good week. The wheat harvest was finished on Thursday afternoon, and the double-crop soybean (DCB) planting was completed Friday evening. Yes, the wheat yields were disappointing, but we did have a crop to bring in. Some neighbors abandoned their wheat two or three weeks ago, and just planted soybeans without trying to harvest the crop. So, it could have been worse! Today, the weather is overcast, hazy, and 76ºF (24C). It is a pleasant day to be out, and some rain is predicted for the afternoon/evening. A gentle rain would ‘cap off’ a really good week.
Next week will bring some routine maintenance items. The machines will be cleaned up from the harvest. The last of the wheat will be delivered to market, and roadside mowing will begin again. Brandon will also do some spraying of fences and ditch banks from the Gator. The pressure and urgency of planting and harvest is now passed. We will clean up the air drill, but leave it connected for several days, just in case some replanting might become necessary. It will be a happy thing when we can take it down to the Huey farm to place it into storage.
Here are some scenes of the week:
The view of wheat harvest from the seat of the combine.
The new grain cart worked well.
John sprayed the wheat stubble with herbicide ahead of planting the DCB.
This particular hill field is one of our steepest to manage. No-till planting of the DCB helps to protect the soil.
The main field at the Lett farm was the final location for #plant20
Hutson, Inc. has brought us a demonstrator JD R4038 sprayer to use for a few days. We are considering replacing/upgrading our current sprayer (a JD 4730) and this demonstrator will allow us to evaluate the new technology that is available in the R4 series.
The R4038 sprayer. A ‘demonstrator’ to use for a couple days.
The Weather Channel has been reporting the “Sahara Dust” cloud that is coming to the Midwest. We think we may be seeing some of that this morning. It has no odor, but the sky and atmosphere is unusually ‘hazy’ .
On this overcast Saturday morning, it seems that the haze is more than a typical summer day. Could this be the “Sahara Dust’?
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone. God is good.
