Disking in SHIRT SLEEVES

With temperatures nearing 80, I succumbed to the temptation to start early fieldwork. So I hooked up the disk, and cut up some sod for further work later. (Local septic hauler will rent it for disposal for the summer - wants to start soon.) As a kid, I remember lots of springs where my dad would start work in early April, wearing heavy winter clothes. I was wearing a long sleeve shirt, and not even a jacket. THIS IS IN MID-MICHIGAN and MID-MARCH!. The spring peepers were so loud I could hear them over the tractor. Swamps are very low. Usually, there are ponds in the fields, and swamps overflowing. Did make a pass or two in the field septic man used last year, and it is a little wet yet, but the effluent seems to give the soil characteristics of clay for a season or so. Will be a couple weeks before I can comfortably plow it.... WIfe came down and took some pictures, just to proove it. (I"d post them, but everyone"s seen a tractor pulling a disk.)

I"m scared for our fruit crops here in Michigan, as trees are budding out, and we"re sure to get a nasty frost yet - killing the fruit buds.
Hope not, fruit is a big industry here in west Michigan, and the fruit farmers sure don"t need a kick in the knees now.

Yup. Warm here, too. Been working all day in a t-shirt with a long sleeve shirt over it for sun block.

Checked the coastal field yesterday. Coastal is 6 inches high and the rye is just starting to put out seed heads.

We"re pretty much past the point of another freeze, but like you, hope we don"t get a frost that zaps everything.

You must not have got the rain we got the other night. Water standing all over the place. Go out in the field and you can hear the crackling of the water seeping away.
I drilled oats March 31 two years ago,had the manure out of the barns before I started. I'm thinking I might start hauling manure first of the week,but I don't want to cause too much compaction hauling it.
It is warm though. I put the new plastic on the wifes geenhouse today. The heat coming out of that thing would about knock you over. Started getting that sick overheated feeling while I was working on it.

Post the pictures

jimmy

Oh heck,

Wait a few days and we'll have another blizzard. :>)

Allan

81 here in eastern Iowa today.

2 years ago it warmed up fast on east coast and the hay matured 2-3 weeks early. Of course it got rainy so mine got yellow. Watch out for that.

I almost cant believe the weather.
A very mild winter, 20" or snow or so, total.
I hope (and Pray) that the summer is not too hot.

I remember specifically that on 3-16-2002, I got 12" + of snow drifted in my driveway, 10" average snow fall that day. I had to call into work for a sick day. And today, 3-15, I was sweating in 75F heat.

76 here. I spent the day running around the Stockbridge - Williamston area. It is so wet down there, standing water every where. They won"t be near the fields for a while.

Rick