Unique Photo

This is something you don't see every day.In fact I have never seen it.  A corn cob got stuck on top of a cut off corn stalk.  The only way to take the picture was from the ground.

Fall Nitrogen Application

Some producers are starting to apply fall nitrogen.  Whether or not this is a good idea remains a big question.  Iowas State offers some advice on Determining Whether to Apply Fall N.  In Illinois, the recommendation is to use nitrification inhibitors and don't apply south of Route 16.  Also, wait till soil temperatures drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit with little chance to warm.  My advice would be no fall application south of I-72 and no fall application before Veterans Day in any case.  Illinois Soil Temperatures are cooler than I expected according to Illinois Water Survey.  Keep in mind that temperatures on your farm may vary up to 100 degrees depending on conditions.  Check at a depth of 4 inches at 10 AM.  A $5 meat thermometer works fine.  Let it in for at least a minute.

Fall Colors

Weather has been so warm this fall that trees were slow to change colors.  Now with our recent freeze, they seem to be just dropping leaves.  I did find some bright fall colors in a few places even though it was a dull day on Saturday.

In Line Ripper

I spotted this in line ripper 2 weeks ago.  I did not sample the field that it was used on, but it was obvious that there was not as much lifting and shattering action as the rippers with wings have.

Old Silo

I spotted this old silo in Bond County.  It is hard to find one with a metal roof in such good repair.

Ceramic Silo

Soybean Planting Delayed in Brazil

By Eduardo Paim:

Here in Mato Grosso are seeing the very different weather than anything we have seen. At the end of past week (9, 10 and 11) weather was very cold in some cities in the state and this is not normal for this time of year. After the cold ended, it began the very strong heat that made all the farmers keep their machines at home and stop the planting of soybeans. The heat is very strong and early planted soybeans with slightly damp soil are dead and these areas will be planted again. We have few crops planted in soil with low moisture. It is not very important to the damaged soybeans that died. We forecast that the rains should return this weekend, we're three weeks behind a perfect planting to make the second crop with corn planting after harvesting the 1st soybean crops. As the soybean planting is delayed I do not believe that the whole maize crop second crop will be planted. It's been over six years since we had such a strong heat here in Mato Grosso.

Bumper Corn Crop?

We have been hearing reports that corn yield in our area is off 10 to 20%.  The temporary corn storage below is near Tuscola.

Courtesy of Maribeth Rahe

Early Fall Colors

We are start to see a hint of fall in the Monroe County Bluff and in my yard.

Soybean Planting Time

By Eduardo Paim:

Here in Mato Grosso are having a very hot week, the rains that were in  the forecast to begin in early October are not coming. In northern Mato Grosso where there should have been planting they are still stopped by lack of rain and it is getting worrisome. Farmers who we  talked to are concerned; if the rains are delayed another week already we enter the risk area and may compromise planting the second crop of corn.

Farmers wanted to plant in early October soybeans in order to have a good second crop of corn.

We have farms that receive good rain and another nearby farm that has not received any rain.

Corn Harvest May Be Wrapping Up

Corn Harvest seems to be about 80% done, however, soybean harvest is likely to take a while.  All the photos were from today.  You can see that soybeans range from very green to ready to harvest.

Wheat is Growing

I spotted several fields of wheat that are already up today.  Conditions are ideal except we are very much ahead of the Hessian Fly free date.  Hessian Flies may not be a problem but there may be other reasons to delay wheat planting.    I will let Robert Bellm fill you in.  I will also tell you that early planting of wheat can increase yield, but not without risk.  Also consider your crop insurance requirements for planting date.  Prairie Farmer Posted the Fly Free Date by county in this Article.

Emerged Wheat

Saving on Machinery Costs

One of the things I like to do in my blog is show things that you do not see every day.  I recently ran out of gas in my 4 wheeler and had to go to Morrisonville to get gas.  I was truly amazed to spot the New Idea corn picker about 2 miles south of Morrisonville.  This would have been state of the art corn harvesting about 1960. I guess the producer is saving equipment costs.  Just in case you are in doubt, on the way back to the field, I caught the same machinery actually working in the field.

In Line Ripper

One of my goals with this blog is to pass along things that work. A client this week had used an in-line ripper to loosen his soil without burying residue.  This deep vertical tillage can help overcome compaction issues in no-till situations.  I have previously written some about a DMI In-line ripper that I found to be very effective.  The John Deere ripper did not shatter all the way across the row, but from a soil stability standpoint, that may be a good thing.

Ripped Bean Stubble

John Deere in Line Ripper