It was the Sunday before Halloween and thus began my nightmare. You might remember that it started raining shortly after daybreak and it rained all day, all night, and into the morning the next day. Everyone received 3 plus inches of rain with some reports of 4-5 inches. The rain Read more…
It can be scary out there sometimes. I am not talking about the ghosts and goblins of Halloween. I am talking about how events can unfold which are probably mere coincidences yet we can easily put a different spin on them if we want to. In addition to our documented Read more…
This week’s article will continue the fall harvest theme. Would you bend over to pick up a penny? How about 2 or 3 pennies? If so, would you do it thousands of times? Many soybean fields were harvested this year in mid to late September, several weeks earlier than usual. Read more…
Back in the 1970’s I remember riding my bike to a new subdivision that had been recently built next to my family’s farm to see some friends from school. My mom made sure I wore clean and good, clothes to school, but after school I had to change and put Read more…
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…