Thursday, May 30, 2024
On the farm scene, not much progress can be reported. John has ‘caught up’ the spraying over the top of the corn and soybeans. There are a couple corn fields not quite ready for the post-emerge application, and two fields that need burndown for soybeans. But, in surveying all those fields on Tuesday morning, there are still broad expanses of water standing on the fields. I have no expectation to get into those fields and get any more soybeans planted this week.
It will soon be time to get the new JD S780 combine out and hang on the JD header and prepare the cutterbar for wheat harvest. The combine is ‘ready’, but the RD40F header needs the lock-up straps installed, and the sensors connected for off-the-ground harvesting. And, of course, the myriad of ‘calibrations’ will need to be performed before it will operate in the wheat fields. Maybe tomorrow morning, while the air is still a bit cool, we can do that.
It is kinda frustrating that we cannot get the planting done and behind us. Soon, it will be June, and that increases the need to get those about 600 acres of soybeans planted. But we simply cannot go where there remains flooding on the fields. We must wait until the conditions are right.
If you look back on the month of May, I have operated the soybean planter for two days, plus a few hours of one more day to do some re-planting. That just might be the lowest productivity for any month of May I can remember. Still, we have been busy with occasional spraying, delivering some corn to market, and running the bush-hog to mow field borders and roadsides. I think there will be some replanting needed. A small amount for corn, and a little more for soybeans. Just not yet!
Here is the path I drove to replant some soybeans at the Burke farm. 17.9 acres in all.
Our wheat consultants are telling us to be ready for an early harvest, as much as 2 weeks ahead of average. I’m not certain that’s true, but we will be getting the machines fully prepared in case they are correct. Two weeks would put that at about June 6, and what I see is a bit of a green cast to the wheat stalks under the now firmly-yellow heads. Of course, we will see what really unfolds over the next few weeks. The wheat still looks really good, even if there are some small patches that have been flattened by recent storms.
Last Sunday night, there was a EF2 tornado came through southern Knox County. We have friends that had severe damage to their home, and there are countless trees knocked down. Some folks are still without power restored. Our power was out that night for a few seconds, because of our Generac, but the neighborhood had no power for about 4 hours. Please pray for those here that have been displaced from their homes and must work through the aftermath.
I thought this was a kind of a hassle to haul out 3 loads of broken tree limbs. But this was nothing compared to what some people faced in other parts of this community.
Today is a day that my mom would have called ‘Decoration Day’. Several years ago, before Memorial Day was moved to a Monday, it always fell on May 30th. And even more years ago, it was known as Decoration Day… a day to honor your ancestors, by decorating their gravestones. We still do the gravestone thing for my parents and grandparents. I hope my sons will continue that tradition which was held in high regard by my mother, Ruth Carnahan.
Have a good weekend, everyone.
