Another rainy Friday

Posted on June 13, 2025 by casifarm

Friday, June 13, 2025

Friday the 13th?  And rain is coming down, and predicted to last all day.   We were nearly finished with planting, but now there will be some replanting needed.  White River is above flood stage, just not nearly as big as early April.  There will be some patches of corn that will not survive, maybe 5-8% of the acres planted down there.  If the water goes away and it ground dries out soon enough (by July 5) we will plant soybeans where the corn is gone.  In our opinion it’s too late to plant corn and expect reasonable success here in SWIN.

The wheat is not maturing as rapidly as in most years.  The weather has been unusually wet and mostly cool, so that is delaying the first day of wheat harvest.  We often begin on my mother’s birthday, June 20 (she would be 110 this year), but it looks like it may be a few days after that.

The two Brandons have the corn planter shined up and put away.  Hutson, Inc. was offering a free planter inspection, and that occurred this week, too.  The 8R340 tractor was cleaned by Brandon D and it looks like new.  That’s just the way we want it!

Here, Brandon D pressure washes our JD 1775NT corn planter.

Brandon D has this tractor gleaming. Well, it should because we use #Andyclean soap!  JD 8R340.

The combines and headers are fully prepared for wheat harvest.  We merely have to pull them out of storage and hang the headers on the combines.   It’s a good feeling to have them ready.  Typically, it’s very hot (in the 90F+) when the wheat is ready.  We haven’t had days quite that hot yet.

 

Special lock-up bolts must be installed under the cutterbar to make the knife rigid during wheat harvest. There are special feelers that are lowered under the header that control the height-regulating system during wheat harvest. Those things are all ready!

It hasn’t rained a lot so far today, but it is predicted to last all day and bring us about an inch overall.  I wish that would delay until mid-July, and again in August!

Have a lovely Fathers’ Day weekend!  It is my son Ben’s first FD as a dad!  A very special occasion.

 

 

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Clean up

Posted on June 10, 2025 by casifarm

Tuesday, June 10, ,2025

Well, this is the date we have decided that we will no longer replant any corn.  If we haven’t gotten it done by today, we think it is now too late.  Yes there are a few acres that need to be replanted, but most of those spots have rain water or river flood water on them today.  So, the clean-out and clean up of the corn planter is underway.

Brandon cleans out the seed boxes on each row.

Brandon D begins the wash process.

This John Deere 1775NT planter will shine like new when they’re done.  And after the planter is done, the JD 8R340 tractor to will be shined up.

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More preparation

Posted on June 9, 2025 by casifarm

Monday, June 9, 2025

It was a very rainy weekend.  And we received a bit more in the wee hours this morning.  So, no fieldwork.  John is getting concerned about doing some spraying in the corn fields and soybean fields. Plus, the White River is a bit above flood stage.  We start to get significant damage at a 19-foot river, and it will crest at 18.5′ on Wednesday at Edwardsport.  Our fields along US 50 are about a day behind Edwardsport.  The soggy parts of 2025 continue.

The guys are using this day to prepare the headers for wheat harvest…now about 2 weeks away.  Each one needs a few sections and other adjustments made to be ready to cut wheat.  It’s not a hard job, and it won’t take them long to get this done.  They’re working on the MacDon now, next will come the JD RD40F. 

Brandon D replaces some sections on this MacDon header.

Guess I’ll mow the yard, now that I have the daily bookkeeping done.

Have a nice week.

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Rain again

Posted on June 5, 2025 by casifarm

Thursday, June 5, 2025

We awoke during the night (130 am) to thunder.  The lightning show was significant!  When we got up, it was still raining, and it’s still coming through in wave after wave.  Since midnight, we’ve received 1.73″ (44mm). There are stories around Knox County today of rainfall in excess of 3″!  All the typical places in our fields that experience spots of ponding are showing water on the surface.  If that can drain away in <24 hours, the submerged crops should be okay.  Longer than that?  Not what we would prefer…

We were hoping for a rain, just not this heavy.  A nice half-inch would have been welcome.  But there is someone greater in charge of all this, and He just wants us to trust Him.  That we will do.

We only have about 15 acres of soybeans that remain unplanted, but after this rain event, that is delayed for another week or more.

The wheat crop continues to turn from green to gold.  A couple weeks off now is my best estimate.  The combines are prepared for wheat.  There is a lot of spraying that needs to be accomplished before the wheat comes off.  We may need to hire Nutrien to do a small amount of it, in order to be in the best window of opportunity. One way or another, it will all work out.

 

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Replant

Posted on June 4, 2025 by casifarm

Wednesday, June 4, 2025

I went down to the Burke farm this morning to do some replanting of soybeans.  There were spots scattered along the south edge of the main field that had been lost to excess water after planting.  On my way there with the tractor and air drill, I stopped off at Nutrien and they put in 15 units of Group 3.3 soybean seed.  I drove down to Burke and did the replanting.  There were 10.5 acres in all there to re-do.  Just a bit more than I anticipated, but much less that in many other years.   The seeds went into the soil very well today, the soil surface was dry, but there was moisture just beneath the surface.  Almost ideal conditions for today, I’d say.  In reality, it took longer to travel there and back than it did to do the replant!

Here is a screenshot of Operations Center Mobile, showing where I did some replant at Burke. They bright yellow streaks show where the soybeans went in today.

Devon from Sloan Implement is here today to install a PIP (Product Improvement Program) on the JD 6145R tractor.  He is replacing one of pressure lines on the air conditioner pump, then recharging the system with freon.  Because it’s a PIP, there will be no repair bill for this one!

Devon works on the 6145R tractor. That A/C must work!

The skies are hazy again today, and the wind is pretty strong.  Smoke from Manitoba they say.  John says he should be spraying again early next week, when the growing soybeans and corn reach the proper growth stage for that application of herbicide.

Brandon examined the Commer field, where he had to drive around some water.  Those wet spots still have water on them, so it now appears unlikely that he will be able to go back and get those spots planted before our cut-off date of June 10.  Either way, he will be able to clean up the corn planter after next Tuesday.  It will be nice to get that shining again and get it put away.

Brandon D has been doing some roadside mowing and also ditch-bank spraying.  He is doing well at both.

Pat and I worked again at VBS last evening.  The number of kids increased a tiny bit, and the program went well.  Everyone was supposed to dress up to look like a construction crew.  Pat did it up quite well!

VBS Construction worker Pat

They say rain is coming tonight, tomorrow, and Friday.  We will see.

 

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Small jobs

Posted on June 3, 2025 by casifarm

Tuesday, June 3, 2025

Today, Brandon D is out in the JD 6145R tractor, mowing ditch bank levees.  I have used it some at the fields near Wheatland.  We did a small repair on the soybean drill this morning, replacing one of the closing wheel arms.  Brandon D also mowed the farmstead this morning, making the place look pretty good.

Brandon D on his way out to do some mowing

A repair guy came this morning from Sloan Implement to work on an electronic problem on the R4044 sprayer.  After a while, he finally identified an electric ‘actuator’ that had some kind of internal misfire.  Even though it would operate, it would not connect to the brains of the sprayer system, and it threw an error code.  As soon as the part arrives, a quick switch-out will fix that one!

The skies are hazy today here in SWIN.  They tell us it is the remnants of the smoky fires in Manitoba that have made their way here.  It is certainly noticeable, but I cannot perceive any smoky odor.   Rain is predicted for tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday… that should clear the smoke away!

We helped at the first evening of VBS yesterday.  We had a fine turnout of kids, and plenty of helpers to take care of them!   We even welcomed helpers from one of the other churches in Wheatland, the One Foundation Church (formerly Wheatland Methodist).   I think everyone had a great time, and the kids learned a lot.

I have a tiny bit of soybeans to replant tomorrow.  Probably <10 acres, but it’s at the far-away Burke farm location. It’ll probably take me longer to drive there and back than it will to do the replant!

I noticed today the wheat here at home… the heads are just beginning to curl down.  My guess is 15-20 days until harvest.

Waves of grain… just not quite amber yet…

Have a good remainder of your week.

 

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A little replant corn

Posted on May 30, 2025 by casifarm

Friday, May 30, 2025

Brandon went up to the Dunn farm yesterday and did some replant in the flat field next to the Roberson Ditch.  In one (or more) of the flood events we’ve had this spring, that field was covered for too long, and resulted in a need for some replanting.  He planted again 27 of the 70 acres in that field.  He remarked that the JD AutoPath feature helped him with this task.  Again, we found another reason to like AutoPath!

I fully expect that there will be patches (not necessarily whole fields) of soybeans that will also need replanted.

The corn planter is parked indoors. Now that Brandon has done the replant, it may be finished for the year! We will make that call on June 10, the last day we will replant corn.

 

I have started with roadside mowing.  I did a bit at home and at Shake, and then at the Pond location.  It looks much better in the “after” pictures!  The rain prevents me from continuing today… I wanted to mow at the fields near Wheatland.  That will be next week now.

Before…

…and after

John has sprayed the first post-emerge herbicide treatment on the April-planted corn and soybeans.  The corn also received a light fungicide, in our attempt to manage Tar Spot.  Here he is, loading the sprayer, using the sprayer support trailer mixing system he developed a few years ago.  It works very well.

We received another rain event overnight.  We got 0.94″ (24mm) in this one.  Yes, it has been a remarkably wet spring, but not quite as wet as spring of 2024.  We were able to plant corn and soybeans this spring for 2 days in April, and we got finished (well, essentially so)  in late May.  As I write this at 10 am this morning, it is pouring down rain again.

The April-planted crops look pretty good.  I would not say “excellent”, but pretty good.  There are areas where the emergence of the corn and soybeans have not been uniform, but still, under the cool and wet conditions, we are grateful for what has been done.

Some April-planted soybeans…. not bad!

Next week, we will be working VBS at church.  It is a great pleasure and privilege to work with the talented people to serve those kids.  But, at the end of the week, we will all be pretty tired!  But it’s a good kind of tired, knowing you helped the youngsters grow a little closer to Jesus.

Have a beautiful weekend.

 

 

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End of #plant25 in sight… sort of

Posted on May 27, 2025 by casifarm

Tuesday, May 27, 2025

Yes, we can see the end of spring planting.  I was in the last field of soybeans yesterday, but I was only able to plant 75 of the 88 acres in the creek-bottom field at the Cox farm.  The part I drove around had water still standing on it!  There are a few spots like that in some of the corn fields down in the White River bottomlands too.  But, as of Saturday, Brandon finished planting all he could get done of the corn crop… excepting the maybe 25 acres of water he had to maneuver around in the 5 fields of corn near White River.

The JD 9R540 and air drill are parked at home awaiting the final spots of fields to dry out for the remainder of #plan25

 

We fully expect that there will be replanting to do.   One corn field in particular at the Dunn farm along Roberson ditch has already been identified as needing replant from some flooding.  I also expect some of the soybeans I planted into spots that were a bit too wet will need replanted.  But, right now, it feels pretty good to have the bulk of the planting done.  Many of the fields of corn and soybeans have emerged and look okay.  We like to give a freshly-planted field at least two weeks (or more) before we start to evaluate the ‘stand’.

Brandon has been out checking fields to see if he can replant any corn… not looking favorable yet…too wet.  Brandon D is out there using the Gator to spray ditch banks for woody sprouts.  Brandon and Hudson are getting the JD R15 bush hog hooked up to the JD 6145R so that I can start mowing roadsides… those are looking a bit ragged.

The bush hog (JD calls it a ‘rotary cutter) is getting serviced and prepared for mowing season.

Hudson helps his dad get the bush hog serviced.

John, today, is beginning his first pass of post-emerge herbicides on the earliest-planted corn.  He will have to switch over his sprayer soon to do some post-emerge on soybeans.  Switching is a bit cumbersome, takes about 3 hours for him to be satisfied with the clean-out of his sprayer.  He is quite thorough!  He mentioned again today how much he appreciates JD’s AutoPath feature when he is spraying corn.

John begins spraying corn post-emerge at the VanVleet farm. He is applying herbicide and a fungicide.

He had to stop and clean out a plugged nozzle

He folds in his boom to a more narrow width for first pass around this field.  After that, he unfolds to the full 120-foot width.  Can you see the pulses of the ExactApply nozzles?  There are 97 of them across this sprayer boom.

So, as #plant25 hopefully wraps up, we turn our attention to other tasks and look ahead to wheat harvest.  You can really see the wheat crop beginning to turn from deep green to gold.  In about 4 weeks we will be in the thick of harvest!  That will last 6-10 days, depending on the weather, of course.  Plus, the DCB (double-crop soybeans) will be planted into the wheat stubble ASAP.  The month of May this year has been unusually cool, and not as wet as May of 2024.  That helps improve our optimism for the wheat crop.

Now that school is out, we are into T-ball and softball with the granddaughters.   It is really neat to watch them do their thing.  This is 5-year-old Kate’s first organized sport experience.  She’s catching on.

Kate is now into sports!

We are sponsoring Molly’s softball team this summer

Ben took Pat to the Indy 500 last weekend.  They had a great time, but it was uncharacteristically chilly for the event.  Usually, it is a hot and sticky day, but not so this year.  Ben takes his headsets and they listen to the drivers communicate with their teams.   The traditions and pre-race pageantry are amazing, and we all get sentimental when we hear Jim Cornelison sing “Back Home Again in Indiana”.

Pat and Ben at the 500

June will be here soon. Next week is VBS week at church.  That is a wonderful event and leaves us happy and tired when it’s done!  For those of you who read this and have worked a VBS, you know what I mean!

Pat had the last picking of her strawberry crop yesterday.  She put in a big day of work, picking, cleaning, and making cupcakes and freezer jam.  Yum Yum!  We are grateful for the abundant crop of berries she had this year.

 

 

 

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A productive few days

Posted on May 22, 2025 by casifarm

Thursday, May 22, 2025

We had a productive five days until the rain came on Monday night.   We have mixed feelings about the recent rain…it was probably helpful for the acres we had planted in less-than-perfect conditions, but it delays planting a few more days.  We may be able to return to planting tomorrow or Saturday.  I need about 2 days to finish off the soybean planting, Brandon also needs 2 to get through with the corn.

In good news, during the recent dry days, the guys were able to get applied all the remaining fields of pre-plant nitrogen (anhydrous ammonia) as well as the preplant herbicide applications for corn and soybeans!  So, check those two things off the list!

First, the Unverferth Renegade NH3 applicator is washed to be put away…

 

…then the 9520R gets washed, too.

I was planting away at the Huey farm last Monday… and the conditions were very favorable!   The soil surface was dry, with moisture for the seeds just underneath.  I’d call the fields that day “ideal conditions”.   It was a productive day for me with over 320 acres of soybeans going in at the Huey farm flat fields that day.  I should be able to wrap up the Huey farm location on the next planting day, but the final field at the Cox farm location still has water on it!  It may be June before that one gets done!

Planting soybeans at the Huey Flat R field

Spring of ’25 has been challenging, but each year has a personality of its own…no two are alike.  We are finally looking at the end of planting season soon, and it will be good to get those crops in the ground.  It is time to move on to the next steps of crop season.

John has begun his scouting of the fields with growing crops, and next week will be beginning his first post-emerge herbicide applications.   He will have to switch back and forth between corn and soybean fields, and when he does, it requires about a 3-hour clean-out to switch the sprayer to a different chemistry for a different crop.

If you take a close look today, you can begin to see the wheat fields ‘turning’ or ripening!  That harvest is about a month away.  The week that we harvest wheat is always packed with demands, and this year will be no different.

As I was driving around looking for a dry field this morning, I encountered a neighbor and his son examining their fields, too.  We visited a bit, and discussed what we’ve experienced this spring.  That particular neighbor is known for the high quality of the work they do, and perhaps I learned some things from him today.

Pat’s strawberries have been producing bountifully!

The peonies planted just last fall are blooming beautifully at the farm office. The peony is the state flower of Indiana

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Rainy Monday

Posted on May 12, 2025 by casifarm

Monday, May 12, 2025

Another rainy morning in SWIN.  It’s getting to the point where the novelty of the rain is wearing thin!   We had hoped to have a big week this week, running the planters… but several periods of rain have come through this morning, and those plans are pushed back again.  In between showers, we were able to top off the seed tanks of the JD 1910 air cart.  Brandon D is refilling the seed tender truck over at the nearby Nutrien plant.

Hasn’t rained a lot, but enough to stop us for today.

In good news, I found one field last Saturday that was dry enough for planting!  I went to the Holscher farm down southeast of Wheatland, and planted those 70 acres in soybeans.  It was fun.  The beans went into the soil quite nicely, and with the higher temperatures predicted for later this week, they should pop out of the ground relatively quickly.  As I was planting I observed a problem with the ‘blockage monitor’ in the air drill.  Three of the eight main runs (towers) on the air cart were not showing up on the screen, and I was not able to monitor their performance.  I checked the fuses, and found no problem there.  So, I called Hutson and John sent tech Brian to the field to help me.  He found some water in a few wiring harness connections, and he got those cleared out with compressed air.  After Brian’s visit, the blockage monitor and the drill worked without a hitch.  Saturday was a beautiful, sunny, and warm day.

Blockage monitor is all fixed. You can see that all 8 of  the main runs are working.  Thanks, Brian!

We had a wonderful Mothers’ Day.  In the evening, we gathered at our church, Wheatland Christian Church, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of its founding. According the records, a group of believers met in the home of Jemimah Ridgeway on May 11, 1875 to organize and establish a new congregation.  They met in houses of members for 13 years, until in 1888, a white frame church building was built.  That building was upgraded in 1925 with red brick veneer and ornate stained-glass windows.  Later, in 1976, that same building was enlarged with the addition of a fellowship hall.   In 2002, in an effort to grow, it was determined that it was not feasible to enlarge the facility at its location.  The congregation voted to move to a new location and build a larger and more functional building.  That building opened on June 15, 2003 to much excitement and enthusiasm.  Those lovely, now 100-year-old, stained glass windows were moved into the new building.  Plus, the old building was sold to the Wesleyan congregation in town, and they moved in on the same Sunday we moved out of it!  That building, with its beginnings in 1888, is still in service today.

The anniversary celebration was well-attended, even on the evening of Mothers Day.  We had a wonderful meal together, and afterwards, gathered in the main room of the church to sing old hymns of the 1875-era.  Our oldest member (87 yo) gave her memories of her Sunday School teachers, and the preachers she recalled.  She reported on her observations of how the church had changed over the years.  Others spoke of their memories.  My sister Sheila came all the way across the state from SEIN and she spoke, too, of how she had been affected by the ministry of WCC in her growing-up years.   It was a sweet, sweet evening of fellowship, sharing memories, and praise for all God had done to keep our church going… for 150 years now!

I hope you had a wonderful Mothers’ Day.  If you still have your mom around, I hope you made her feel special.  For those of us who have to remember mom, those memories grow more precious as the years go by.

Have a great week.

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