Friday, May 26, 2023
This morning started out pretty cool at 50ºF (10C), but now it is a pleasant 80ºF (27C).
More heat is coming next week they say.
John is out in the JD 4044R sprayer applying herbicides to some corn fields. The corn plants are now about the ideal size to spray over the top. The weed pressure is not very bad yet, and he is applying a tank-mix of glyphosate to stop johnsongrass and a residual to stop any recently-emerged broadleaf weeds. The residual should hold the weeds back until the corn is big enough to shade the ground, and that ‘canopy’ will also help suppress any weed growth.
Filling up the sprayer from our Demco tender trailer. John has a system which allows him to add the chemicals from mini-bulk totes. He has a system of pumps and a centralized control board. Rarely does he have to use individual packaged ingredients.
This sprayer is equipped with JD’s ExactApply system that makes for a very uniform and accurate application. It behaves as if each of the 97 nozzles is a separate section, and thereby eliminates any overlapping. John sets the pressure to his desired rate according to the weather and spray solution conditions. Then, the ExactApply takes over and pulses to maintain a precise and accurate rate of application.
Herbicide application to corn at the home farm. Yes, we have a few hills in southern Indiana.
It is John’s goal to get all the corn acres covered in the next few days, and then he will turn his attention to spraying the soybean crop. The dry weather has assisted in keeping the weed pressure low in the soybeans. Our main concern in the soybeans for now is the growing rhizome johnsongrass. The seedlings have been controlled, but the rhizome j-grass is thriving. John’s work will stop that noxious weed very soon.
In looking around at the wheat fields today, it appears that the upcoming harvest time is about 3 weeks away. The daytime temperatures next week will be going up into the 90s, and that will bake out the moisture in the wheat heads. After a week of hot and dry, we will surely be asking for a rain! But with the corn and soybeans at their current stage of growth, they should be able to make it through the next week or 10 dry and hot days without much problem. Two weeks of such conditions may begin to show some stress on the corn and soybeans. We shall see.
The wheat on the Leser farm looks like it should be one of our better yielding locations.
My son Ben has asked me to go with him to the Indy 500 on Sunday. I was happy to accept his invitation… it has been 50 years since I last went to a 500. I recall listening to Sid Collins, the “Voice of the 500”, on a little transistor radio when I was a boy. In those days, the race was always on the 30th, unless the 30th fell on Sunday. When that occurred, the race was moved to the following day. So, race day was generally a work day here. My job back then was to take the soybean seed out of the huge burlap sacks and put them in 2-peck buckets so that dad could easily fill his planter seed boxes. I would get the buckets prepared, and then I’d wait in the pickup for his next fill-up. During the slower moments, I’d tune in the race on the little radio. (The pickup did not have a radio in the dash). So, I’m looking forward to this Indy 500 experience!
Pat has prepared some special floral decorations to place on our family’s grave markers. After shopping for some new ones, she decided she could make up these things and have nicer flowers for less money. I think she did a great job.
Pat worked on these in the garage. They turned out very nice!
Have a lovely Memorial Day weekend. This holiday’s original name was ‘Decoration Day’, and that is what my mom always called it. This is why we place flowers on the family’s graves.
Memorial Day is the unofficial start to summer. The temperatures next week will definitely feel like summer!
