It is 9:00 p.m. Wednesday. How many random tidbits of agriculture can I include in a 500-word article in the next hour? Do you know how many ears of corn a corn plant usually produces? The Will County Fair is fast approaching. About 20 years ago at the county fair, Read more…
What is the difference between a puppy and John Kiefner? A farmer probably can always complain about something: too hot, too dry, broken machinery, or rogue animals, too wet, too cold, low prices/yields. Each day or season brings its own success and failure. We are in the “dog days of Read more…
A Chinese proverb says, “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” Would you like to save some farmland and open space in Will County? Or would you like to pave and develop the entire county into shopping centers, subdivisions, truck Read more…
7-10 days is the answer. Do you know what the question is? On my farm in Manhattan we received almost as much rain in the last 11 days than the previous 4 months. Seven straight days of measurable rain ended our current drought. It sure is amazing how we can Read more…
I have worked late too many nights in a row to pen a witty and funny article so I will go with my default of random thoughts on multiple topics. I see something in the cornfields that I had never noticed before. The outer rows of most fields are only Read more…
It is hay season on farms all across the Midwest. It is a lot easier making hay during a dry spell versus a wet spell. With the recent shortage of rain locally, many farmers are seeing some reduced yields in their hay fields. The weather has been quite variable across Read more…
By now, anyone with a lawn that is not being watered regularly has noticed that it is brown and hardly growing. I have often stated, “If your lawn is lush and green, farmers are happy.” Even a recent weather forecast confirmed that the first week of June was one of Read more…
The following words may contain hearsay. My definition of hearsay is information or gossip, usually told third hand that cannot be confirmed, and/or was not verified. I am about to pass on some hearsay to the readers of this paper. I was stacking hay on a trailer in my barn Read more…
Many would consider spring over with the conclusion of the Memorial Day holiday. I usually view spring as being a quagmire of wet weather and muddy fields. With the absence of April showers this year, did we deserve May flowers? Many also think of spring cleaning, and that definitely occurred Read more…
Do you receive too many emails? I remember being excited to get an email. Now I get too many. It takes time to sort through the junk and pertinent mail, especially when the workday is long. However, some emails also contain enjoyable tidbits. I enjoy my emails from the Forest Read more…