Monday, April 29, 2024
The planters are not rolling today; rain has threatened all morning, and is certain for the early afternoon. There have been some limits on the sprayer’s work because of windy days. Now, the fields that remain to be sprayed have some other limitations…the recent river flooding and heavy rains of a couple weeks ago have created some expansive areas that have water standing or are at least very wet. It will take some more dry (and warmer) days to dry out those areas and allow the sprayer to do its job properly. The soybean planter is now ‘caught up to’ the sprayed acres. There are still 2 corn fields that are sprayed and unplanted… and Brandon can get to them as soon as practical.
It’s pretty certain that there’s a rain coming in those clouds.
We had a pretty good and productive week of planting from last Monday (the 22nd) to Saturday night (the 27th). Another week like that could see the end of planting, but with the wet spots, it will cause us to hunt around more to find fields that are ready. If we get that week’s worth of work in over the next 15 days, that will be good. We are grateful for every acre that has been planted already, and that the seeds went into the ground in very good soil conditions. A little rain today will be an okay thing, too. The predictions have changed frequently over the past 24-hours. Depending on when you checked “Weather Underground”, it showed that we’d receive .3 to 1.7 inches of rain (8 to 44mm). We will have to wait and see what really comes.
Saturday evening, I needed some more soybean seed for the air cart, so John brought the Volvo and trailer. The air cart was able to hold all the remaining seed from the trailer. He brought with him a couple really sweet helpers, and it was a treat to see them! It’s time to refill the Volvo and trailer with soybean seed. I’ll probably go over to Nutrien tomorrow to get it loaded with our Asgrow AG35XF1 seeds. We’ve already planted the 3.0s and 3.3s.
Loading the air cart with soybean seed.
Granddaughters make the best team to help load grandpa’s soybean planter!
John arranged for our forklift to get some mechanical attention. During this short pause in planting, he got the mechanics from Wiese in Terre Haute to come and re-build all the hydraulic cylinders with new seals. Now, there should not be any greasy spots on the floor under the machine!
Two mechanics came to our shop and made quick work of the repair.
We ran out of fuel here late last week, and the transport trailers from Keystone Co-op are due here today. Our fuel is stored in a secure, covered and diked building to protect from the weather and from a spill or leaky tank. I’ll be able to refuel my tractor this evening and be ready for the next day in the field!
As the semi-load of highway diesel fuel pumps into our storage, the trailer load of farm diesel fuel waits its turn. It is a very unusual thing to have both fuel tanks run dry a the same time. This is an expensive day…
Brandon scouted the earliest corn fields this morning, and discovered that we have one field of corn emerged! It always feels good to see those little green spikes poking out of the ground. I usually don’t return to check the soybean fields until at least two weeks post-planting, and we’re just one week out today. Corn does better if the seeds emerge quickly; the soybeans can be a bit more forgiving of cooler or slightly wetter conditions and still emerge and thrive.
The little corn spikes are a-comin’ through!
We are praying for the families in Iowa and Nebraska that were hit by the tornadoes this week. The pictures show such great destruction. The stories of the storms were sobering, but the stories of how the communities band together and how many folks come to their aid are heart-warming, too.
Have a great week.
