billonthefarm
Member
- Location
- Farmington IL
We did get started. Weather guessers were saying 3 or more inches of rain for saturday. We had some corn we didnt think would still be standing after that so we got underway first thing friday morning.
So heres the deal, it was a long hot dry summer. The worst since at least 88 maybe longer. In July we had 4 tenths of an inch of rain, the temp was over 100F 6 days and the daily high temp was less that 90 only 4 days all month. The crops are some good, some bad, some ugly and lots of suprises. This field was no suprise. Flat, black prarie soil four feet deep, all the fertility in the world and on the 25th of June I thought we had a chance for the best crop we ever had. Things changed quickly.
This is the first round. Cliff and Nick getting things going. The first day is alot of tweaking it always seems.
This field has been corn for 7 years. Its a Pioneer triple stack variety planted at 35K plants per acre with full rate Aztec insecticide. The Dekalb corn next to it is no better really. It was fall ripped, NH3 and fertilizer applied, one pass with a cultivator in the spring and planted the last week of April in the best conditions I have EVER seen. Can you count the ears in that picture?
Not many ears but wow, is it really dirty.
The kind of dirty that looks like something is on fire from a couple miles away.
There is some corn out there. Cliff says the yield monitor jumps around from 0, obviously, up to the 160's. Moisture is 21%. This is a 108 day hybrid and its dead and not really mature. It would appear to making one side or the other of 60 bpa. Worst corn I have ever grown.
Just a picture of it going up into the bin. We are lucky compared to many this year. Our corn acres that are not continuously growing corn look amazingly good for the summer we have had and the prospects for the soybeans arent terrible. Many farmers not far south of us have absolutley nothing but the hope for another year.
Spent much of friday in the tractor reading farm papers and listening to weather updates on Issac. We recieved over 3 inches of much appreciated rain and with the 6 inches or so of rain we had in august the pastures are turning green, the yard needs mowed and for now at least the creeks are running again.
Over the years many people have asked me what I had for a camera. Well, here it is. Lots of dings and scratches. Battery door is broke and it started to act up, so it is now retired and has been replaced. A new 18 mega pixel Sony is now on the job. Lets hope it holds up as well as the Nikon did!
Sunday afternoon chores its normally just me and wrigley. We usually do them early and if we can slip in the house and put our feet up. Today, we did and are watching Tombstone.
Alot has changed since the 1936 drought my great grandad talked about but after watching our crops wither away this July, I think I understand the look in his eyes when he talked of 1936.
bill
So heres the deal, it was a long hot dry summer. The worst since at least 88 maybe longer. In July we had 4 tenths of an inch of rain, the temp was over 100F 6 days and the daily high temp was less that 90 only 4 days all month. The crops are some good, some bad, some ugly and lots of suprises. This field was no suprise. Flat, black prarie soil four feet deep, all the fertility in the world and on the 25th of June I thought we had a chance for the best crop we ever had. Things changed quickly.
This is the first round. Cliff and Nick getting things going. The first day is alot of tweaking it always seems.
This field has been corn for 7 years. Its a Pioneer triple stack variety planted at 35K plants per acre with full rate Aztec insecticide. The Dekalb corn next to it is no better really. It was fall ripped, NH3 and fertilizer applied, one pass with a cultivator in the spring and planted the last week of April in the best conditions I have EVER seen. Can you count the ears in that picture?
Not many ears but wow, is it really dirty.
The kind of dirty that looks like something is on fire from a couple miles away.
There is some corn out there. Cliff says the yield monitor jumps around from 0, obviously, up to the 160's. Moisture is 21%. This is a 108 day hybrid and its dead and not really mature. It would appear to making one side or the other of 60 bpa. Worst corn I have ever grown.
Just a picture of it going up into the bin. We are lucky compared to many this year. Our corn acres that are not continuously growing corn look amazingly good for the summer we have had and the prospects for the soybeans arent terrible. Many farmers not far south of us have absolutley nothing but the hope for another year.
Spent much of friday in the tractor reading farm papers and listening to weather updates on Issac. We recieved over 3 inches of much appreciated rain and with the 6 inches or so of rain we had in august the pastures are turning green, the yard needs mowed and for now at least the creeks are running again.
Over the years many people have asked me what I had for a camera. Well, here it is. Lots of dings and scratches. Battery door is broke and it started to act up, so it is now retired and has been replaced. A new 18 mega pixel Sony is now on the job. Lets hope it holds up as well as the Nikon did!
Sunday afternoon chores its normally just me and wrigley. We usually do them early and if we can slip in the house and put our feet up. Today, we did and are watching Tombstone.
Alot has changed since the 1936 drought my great grandad talked about but after watching our crops wither away this July, I think I understand the look in his eyes when he talked of 1936.
bill
