Spanky

I worked on the Illinois River Bluffs today overlooking Spanky and int he distance, Hardin.  Weather was not bad for November and soil moisture was OK for sampling.  Last night's rain was still soaking in.  The farm I worked on was about 25 % apple orchard.  The hillside is the picture is fairly long and steep, but showed little erosion because it is no-tilled.  Soils in this area are very deep loess similar to the Palouse region in Oregon. These soils are very productive despite the slopes.  In Illinois, Farming in this rugged terrain is rare.  We had around one half to one inch of rain in the area.  Some areas were graying off this afternoon.  Mostly ridgetops are farmed in this area.  One 46 acre field had a 4.5 mile perimeter.