Rain Rain Rain

Ok. most years I like a lot of rain. This year too. But this is fricken ridiculous. took me almost a month to pick wheat when there were only 8 picking days involved. I have not gotten the first soybean planted with the insurance deadline on July 15th. On the flip side, got the largest corn crop by far on the way barring a hurricane. Got some scary yields popping up on my yield calculator but I can't wrap my mind around those numbers and except them. It is above and beyond the normal bumper crop for this area. I guess I will just believe it when I see it. Just wish I could get the beans in.

We have had close to 10 inches in 3 weeks. Today could bump it to 12. the ground has reached complete saturation. it is unbelievable. I got to see how much water an excellent corn crop can pull from the ground this year. I have seen it rain 2 inches and be dry in 2 days in the corn while the old wheat fields stay wet but even the corn is not keeping up now. It is ending its high water usage stage now and we just keep getting rains.

Farmers are having a rough time this year with something that is usually a good thing for our area. There has not been a similar year to this one in about 30 years. Just excessively wet. South of me, the best Potato crop in years is rotting in the field. There are still hundreds of acres of wheat and sage to be picked. Wheat has began to sprout in the heads and is damaging. Both causing huge deductions at elevators. I have never seen anything like this. Usually begging for rain.

Was down your way this week. Saw lots of water damage. Corn and tobacco looking good though. Saw some farmers trying to get beans in the ground. Also saw some of your buddies munching on beans. Hopefully mother nature will give you a break.

Strange winter, strangely mild... Spring never came, then summer slathered us up with rain. Weird year... Hope you get those beans in the ground and the corn off the stalk .

I was wondering how you were doing with all this rain. I've had a lot in Norfolk, cutting the grass about every fourth day. Hope we don't have a tropical system any time soon or at all. With the ground saturated like it is would lead to a lot of flooding and downed trees every where.

Interesting to hear about the rain from a farmers perspective. I can sure do without all these rain cells.

South Carolina is drenched as well. I finally bought a rain gauge and put it out Monday afternoon. As of 7 PM today (Sunday) I have had 7" or rain in one week. I only have a small garden but my squash has rotted in the ground.
Feel for all the farmers dealing with this.

We have one tractor that will go pretty much no matter how wet it is. We broke it out yesterday to break a field with a 30 foot disk harrow. turning wheat straw under which is something we did not want to do. we either wanted to no till beans in the straw or burn the straw off to air the ground out and no till that way. It has been too wet to burn the dang straw off.

The field bottoms had huge areas of water standing up to 3 inches deep. Water just squishing out from underneath the tractor tires. We cut 35 acres yesterday afternoon to air it out. It was drying out nicely until last night. We got over a half inch of rain last night and now those areas we just cut are soup. Never seen anything like this. all we need is a 10% chance of rain right now and we get a gully washer. Got a friend who has cotton across the Sound from me that has had water standing in his cotton fields since the week he planted them back in early May. I've got another friend who has a very limited form of insurance that has had to replant beans and some of the replanted beans need replanting. He is in a very grim situation with his crops. I may be taking the insurance route now as it is getting just too dang late to get a yield that would beat an insurance payment that I bought coverage at. working it on paper says I'm an idiot if I plant now but My natural instincts tell me I am supposed to be planting. That something is supposed to grow in those fields. I have that argument going on inside my head all day long along with the the big booming voice of clarity that keeps coming in and clearing the argument out...... You Can't do anything about this! Don't worry about it! Mother nature is making this decision for You! You can't get in the field anyway!

I probably could have gone fishing some with all the rainy days but with no bean crop planted and decisions to make, just don't have the urge to go right now. On top of all that I got to buy My Daughter something to drive in just a couple more weeks. When You don't know if Your going to have a lean year or a strong year, You don't know how to budget for something like that. I usually don't have to worry about this kind of crap until winter time.CF

Dang Ed, feast or famine. Make me glad all rain does to me is move things to the next day, or the the next day after, of course that always end up being Saturday!

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Originally Posted by SeaRay

South Carolina is drenched as well. I finally bought a rain gauge and put it out Monday afternoon. As of 7 PM today (Sunday) I have had 7" or rain in one week. I only have a small garden but my squash has rotted in the ground.
Feel for all the farmers dealing with this.

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I have gone from checking inches in my gauge to just counting how many times I dump the thing out when it is running over. At that point it does not matter. It is all running off and filling up the ditches again.CF

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Originally Posted by Boscoe

Dang Ed, feast or famine. Make me glad all rain does to me is move things to the next day, or the the next day after, of course that always end up being Saturday!

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On the feast side of things, I was talking to our local Elevator manager today about the ramifications of this coming monstrosity of a corn crop.

I had to wait in line for 2 1/2 hours to dump one load of wheat. Everyone was getting close to 100 bushels to the acre which is a bumper crop. I asked him and it was already on his mind what is it going to be like when everyone is bringing in 200 bushel corn? He shook his head and told me that we would all be in for a very long August and September. In other words, I better be prepared to wait in long lasting lines for a period of time twice as long as wheat. Barring a hurricane, it will be a long season. If a storm fires up, It will be Katy bar the Door at the elevator as everyone will be picking as hard as they can. Sounds Like Fun!!!CF

CF,
I know what you mean about all the rain. The boys around the house finally got wheat picked about 2 weeks ago. Some of it they got a chance to burn, some of it they didn't. Seems if you didn't burn it and hour after you finished picking it, you lost your chance. Been seeing a lot of beans being replanted and cotton fields with big bare spots where the water is standing. The corn, though, is 10 feet tall and bulletproof right now. One thing's for sure, as soon as it gets ready, you better roll with it. You would almost be better off hiring a couple of truckers with an 18 wheeler to haul it for you. Let them wait in line while you keep rolling in the combine.

I have spent the last month or more trying to get all-stars and travel ball finished up. Tournament in windsor took a couple of extra days to finish but the one in Jamesville took like three extra days because of the rain. Got two more weekends of it and then I should be done for a little while anyway. You decide you want to go catch a white perch or crappie, let me know. I have slipped in a couple of trips to the water between games and rain.

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Originally Posted by tootsieroll

CF,
I know what you mean about all the rain. The boys around the house finally got wheat picked about 2 weeks ago. Some of it they got a chance to burn, some of it they didn't. Seems if you didn't burn it and hour after you finished picking it, you lost your chance. Been seeing a lot of beans being replanted and cotton fields with big bare spots where the water is standing. The corn, though, is 10 feet tall and bulletproof right now. One thing's for sure, as soon as it gets ready, you better roll with it. You would almost be better off hiring a couple of truckers with an 18 wheeler to haul it for you. Let them wait in line while you keep rolling in the combine.

I have spent the last month or more trying to get all-stars and travel ball finished up. Tournament in windsor took a couple of extra days to finish but the one in Jamesville took like three extra days because of the rain. Got two more weekends of it and then I should be done for a little while anyway. You decide you want to go catch a white perch or crappie, let me know. I have slipped in a couple of trips to the water between games and rain.

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yeah, I have seen plenty of replants some 3 times and still not up with water standing on them. They won't see them. Thats one reason we have not planted. Water has been standing in the fields since before we finished picking wheat. last hundred acres was a mud fest. Tore the fields all to pieces and you could catch crappie in the ruts now. We have protocols to follow, developed for wet fields but You have to be able to get in the fields some to get that done. it is too late now for planting beans and making anything on them. We filed on crop insurance today for preventive planting. Now have to get adjuster out to the field to get the final say. Should be no problem as we have a neighbor filing too. It has been ridiculous. It got wet last year on us and we were still able to finish by July 4th. Now its this late and we have not planted the first seed and have 485 acres to plant. Just threw in the towel with the half inch we got Tuesday evening when we had a 20% chance of rain. Calling for rain from Sunday on through the middle of next week. we would only get less than half planted if we could go today, planting in rotten soil. With that rain, it would not come up or would start out stunted. At this point, insurance would pay off more than a crop would. Just drives me crazy cause it goes against my nature. We are supposed to have everything green and growing. Just don't feel right and leaves You with uncertainty. I don't like that.

On the corn, I can keep up with 120 bushel corn, after that, I have to call in back up. I will have 1 or 2 other trucks helping to haul depending on the lines. Probably 2 more trucks. They will be dumping on the ground some too so that will help speed things up at the pit. Still going to be a mess at the scales though.

I might holler at ya on an excursion. see how things are going here. My schedule has been so screwed up this year so far, I don't know when I will be able to go fishing. Every plan I have made this year has been blown up by weather and sometimes by the next day One good thing, I won't have to hammer down on deer this summer like I have had to in the past. I hope they all starve. Just have to wait until next year. suits me fine. I'm wore out and need to rest up before corn is ready. Wife wants me to go to Busch Gardens this weekend and then a camping trip. would rather be beat in the head with a baseball bat than go to Busch Gardens right now. Just ain't got the mindset to enjoy it. Too many irons in the fire. Camping I could do!

I can imagine that baseball has been a nightmare with the rains this year. Most the years my Son was playing and I was coaching, it was dry. That made it easy as far as schedule goes. Maybe soon You can catch a break. Let me know how You do if You go. Maybe we can get out a time or two before I get into corn.CF

Down your way again this week. Saw a couple scarecrows out in the beans waving a white flag holding a sign saying ENOUGH. Some of the fields not looking good. But i have seen some of the prettiest corn fields i have ever seen. Man it's got to be tough.

Thar scarecrow needs to strawman up like this feller.

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Originally Posted by crappie 11

Down your way again this week. Saw a couple scarecrows out in the beans waving a white flag holding a sign saying ENOUGH. Some of the fields not looking good. But i have seen some of the prettiest corn fields i have ever seen. Man it's got to be tough.

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been doing yield calculations on corn and I don't believe the numbers. I will wait for the combine to pick and count bushels before I get excited. My formula on yield has been pretty close ever since I have used it. Just never seen anything like the numbers I am getting on it right now. Won't get excited anyway until we get picking good with no tropical systems in site. If one of those pops up it will be Katy bar the door at the elevator. Gonna be one heck of an interesting harvest. Track record on tropical systems so far is not looking good with one system in June and in July. Hope September is a bummer for tropical development but if June/July any indication, September is going to suck. All we need is for that tropical feed to come back in here like it has several times this summer and things will be a mess.CF

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Originally Posted by Chasing Ghosts

Thar scarecrow needs to strawman up like this feller.

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I wonder why those fellas are even used anymore? Now if he could be rigged with a rotating body and a rifle with a remote scope so I could sit in air condition and plug deer all afternoon, then We would be in business. I.d have about 20 of them jewels.CF