Not so rainy

Today was supposed to be real wet, got less then a tenth of an inch so far. I hear SW of me was heavy rains, over the roads, down by Luverne?

Some of my beans from the previous rains were only under water 48 hours or less, and some not even totally submerged, but they looked real dead yesterday. Was just too hot, they boiled in the water, if it were cool they probably would have taken it.

Not a big deal, only 10 acres or so damaged, and a few are hanging on.

Corn is looking pretty good, a little uneven but good.

Think I have some weed issues in the corn and beans, the beans get a shot of Liberty yet to maybe get them cleaned up, the corn is what it is. When I was supposed to go through we had 5 days of 20+mph winds day and night, and then the 10+ inches of rain, I just didn’t get it done right.

My oats looks really nice, only 15 acres but a nice field. It looked real short, but shot up now the past couple days. I sprayed it in patches for the few giant rag weed, I’ll need to get out there with a knife and catch a few I missed in the next week. I didn’t sidedress quite enough N, so it might not be any sort of record yield, but it looks nice. Was a dry cool early spring for a change, favored small grains after 4 horrible springs.

I have a very small patch of barley, I’ve tried barley for the third year now, really only worked once, been so wet and I really don’t know what I’m doing. It looks nice this year, not the biggest heads on it but still looks fairly good. Had the govt phone survey on what I think I’ll yield on small grains, I had to say I don’t have enough experience and no one else around grows any to know what to expect, I couldn’t hazard a guess! She finally took that answer.

No pictures, too hot well more so too humid to do much effort outside.

Paul

Hi Paul

Glad to hear you didn't get washed out with the rain. What type of barley do you grow over there? Here we started back in the 80s with a what is called a six row variety. So the heads have six rows of grain they are like a clenched fist, those varieties have gone now. Currently we grow two row varieties. The heads look tiny with a single row of grain up each side but they yield really well. It is interesting what the plant breeders come up with.

I’m still grappling with what is best here, there are both the 2 and 6 row here. It is a very minor crop in my region, so you kinda buy what you can find. I have Rasmison I believe. I tried something different last year, that was awful but to be fair it was a very tough year for small grains.

I only plant 5-10 acres. A neighbor down the road raises a handful of heritage hogs, and wanted some barley to feed them. Since I do the oats it isn’t much trouble, and my cattle can eat any extra barley I get.

I want mine for feed of course.

Of late the hobby beer brewing craze has hit, and so micro breweries are all excited about small lots of brewing barley. But you need really good controlled flavor on that crop, not easyt at all to do in my wet hot summer climate.

Paul

I just do a small area too. Have a paddock that it works in. Here malt barley has to be low protein so reduce nitrogen. I am not in favour of that as there is also a yield penalty and still no guarantee you will make malt grade. So I just feed it up and go for a higher yield of feed grade barley. It is favoured by some beef feedlots as it a safer grain to feed cattle than wheat.

They say the barley makes a whiter, better fat in hogs, especially the old heritage breeds. Corn can make a more yellow fat.

Paul

Is barley worth anything there ?

Nope.

All for fun and chat with a neighbor.

Well, He’s a diesel mechanic and offered to help with some shop work I have here at the farm, so maybe it will pay off well for me!

Paul

The only advantage I can see to the hot and dry that we're getting is that the corn seems to be rooting down and finding the nitrogen that leached when we got all that rain in May. Mine looks fantastic early in the morning before it starts to curl. It was pretty yellow early on when it was wet. I made a trip yesterday and corn on light ground is fried all the way to the top in places. I saw some hay that had been cut that I wouldn't have wasted fuel on. I don't know how they'll even pick that fine stuff up off the ground.