Monday, May 20, 2024

Today we were able to do a little bit of work in a few of our fields.  John is spraying over the top of corn, the first and final post-emerge herbicide application.  Unless something unforeseen occurs, where John worked today is now ‘laid by’.  Because of the weather forecast, we also hired Nutrien to post-spray some soybean fields.   That pass should hold those soybean fields for 30-40 days.   One hiccup:  I had to go to the Waldo field this afternoon to pull the sprayer out of soft spot in the field.  John got stuck right on top of one of the new terraces that were built last fall at Waldo.  That was totally unexpected, but we got him pulled with no damage to the sprayer.  The tractor tires, however, mashed some boot-top-high corn as we drove out there to pull on the sprayer.  We tried to keep that to a minimum!

Nutrien applies a herbicide over-the-top of these soybeans.

This morning, I toured the 4 remaining fields where I need to plant soybeans.  No way are they near dry enough to think about planting them yet.  So, we busy ourselves with other tasks until the fields are ready for us.  Mowed the yard today.  I think I’ll hook up the bush hog tomorrow and mow some roadsides.

It’s beginning to feel urgent about those remaining fields, but we must be patient for them to get dry enough to do a good job planting them.

The forecast says we will have 90ºF tomorrow, with stiff winds.  But beginning tomorrow night, the forecast shows rain is likely for the following 7 consecutive days!  That will likely put us into June to complete the planting.

Because of the recent rainy spell, there will be some acres of corn and soybeans that have drowned… not whole fields, but spots where we will drive across those areas and “spot in” some replant corn or soybeans.  I’m not sure when those spots will be dry enough to do that, but we will monitor the situation and use every opportunity we have.  So far, it’s a handful of acres (<25), not dozens or hundreds.

White River is slightly above flood stage for a few days, and although the direct flooding is minimal, the high water level retards the soils’ ability in nearby fields to dry down.

Patience is needed.  Some days that is easier than others!

Have  good week.