Wednesday, July 15, 2020
Boy, oh boy! The calendar pages flip over pretty fast. Here we are in the middle of July already. The pace of work here has finally slowed, if just a little bit. John has ‘caught up’ with the spraying of soybeans. He has the fungicide and herbicide applications up-to-date, and he should not have to return to the sprayer for at least 2-3 weeks. Brandon is away this week on his honeymoon trip. I have not been able to return to using the bush hog on the roadsides, for the replacement alternator for the JD 7130 tractor has not arrived.
We had a cool(er) weekend, but as we go through the week each day gets a little hotter. The rain over the weekend was very welcome, adding .7 to 1.0″ (depending on the exact location) to our growing corn and soybeans. The crops look pretty healthy, not showing signs of moisture stress, even as the days heat up again. Rain is predicted for tonight, and another inch will be a happy occurrence.
Routine tasks like mowing the yard can occupy our days. There is a lot to mow here: between 6 and 7 acres get the mower each week…and this is besides our yards at home! To keep the lane and all around the buildings and bins neatly mowed is a priority.
Just a view as I mowed the yard on Monday.
I finished the paperwork with the crop insurance adjuster this morning. We had some claims for replanted acres on both corn and soybeans, plus a ‘prevent plant’ claim in some soybeans. The adjuster was very polite, but we had to do these claims without personal contact. We used technology in a new way to work with the adjuster this year. To direct her to the fields, we used Google Maps, rather than drive together in the pickup to each field. We used email and pdf files to share documents. Today, I even used my mouse to ‘sign” the claims! Of course, I’d prefer to sit down in the office with the adjuster to go through the process, but in these COVID-19 days, we had to do our work in a new manner. With some patience on each of our parts, we got the job done.
The double-crop soybeans (DCB) are off to a good start. I had some concern about how good the ‘stand’ would be, but two rain events have helped them get going. Planted June 24, 25, and 26, they are now beginning to turn the field from the straw’s golden color to a healthy soybean green.
A pretty good stand of DCB, quickly turning the field a handsome green.
The countryside is even more picturesque these days. As the corn has tasseled out and the soybeans are growing well, it makes the neighborhood look even nicer. Plus, the pollination from the corn tassels lends a sweet and pleasant aroma to the air.
Sunset at Carnahan & Sons this week.
Rain clouds were coming in last Saturday evening
Looking west from IN 550, the neighborhood is certainly green.
The JD 9520R tractor is clean and shiny. Brandon does a good job washing up the machines.
The Gator is calling me…I need to spray the Harry farm roadsides this afternoon.
Enjoy your day.
