How long can this warm, dry weather last? Many farmers are capitalizing on the extension of summer-like weather to harvest corn and soybeans. It was this time last year that we were also very dry. I can only remember 3 wet spells in the last 15 months. A very heavy, Read more…
As another farm year winds down and I finally find myself driving for hours on end in the field, my body can rest but the brain still works. I have multiple thoughts in my head. Well, here goes with many random musings. I remember about 8-10 years ago (exact date Read more…
Is it time to retire? Can I afford to retire? Would I enjoy retirement? Or should I admit that I am stuck in my ways and they will someday pry my cold dead fingers from the steering wheel of a tractor or find me lifeless in a hayloft? I sure Read more…
For many, summer is over. School is back and the fair and Labor Day weekend have passed. The crops in most of the fields are on a downhill slide to harvest and the end of the season. Just like the Chicago Cubs. As a White Sox fan, I could not Read more…
What would you do if you went to work and later that day when you came home your lawn was missing? Not stolen per se, but the grass was all stripped and eaten away. Such a scenario may actually be possible. Not long ago I wrote that armyworms were chewing/eating Read more…
Recent events confirm that my work as a writer to educate the masses about agriculture may never be done, or perhaps I am not doing a good job. Last week I wrote about how as a child, I knew not to try to eat field corn off the plant, something Read more…
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…