Phlox in Bloom

I always think of my mother when i see phlox in bloom.  When I was still in elementary school we were driving home from Sunday School when my mom saw some phlox in bllom.  She decided to stop and dig some up an plant it in the yard. Dad told her i would not grow in the yard because it was a woodland plant.  It is still growing to this day.  It even survived the flood of 1993.

More Corn Planting News

i went to Pike County today and there are still a lot of planters in the field.  I even saw one guy still applying Anhydrous.  The later the better really.  THere was also a lot f tillage equipment.

Corn Planting

With all the machinery below sitting idle today, I got the idea that corn planting was done in Farmersville area.  Later in the day, i did see planters in the field.  I would estimate 75% planted in that area.

Are you using the Right Sprayer Nozzles?

You have probably already used your sprayer this spring, but did you check your nozzles before yo started?  Are you using the correct nozzle for your material.  Nozzle are not expensive, so replace them as needed.  No-Till Farmer posted this article on picking the right sprayer nozzles.

Corn Emerging

If you click to enlarge, you can see the corn is just starting to come up near Portage Des Sioux, MO.

Corn Emerging

Lots of Corn Planted

Thursday, we were in Logan County and corn planting was just getting started.  Today there was lots of corn planted between Hillsboro and Middletown.  It seemed every planter available was in the field today.  There was also lots of spraying and tillage work being done.  I would estimate 30 to 40 percent planted.

Soybean Harvest wrapping up in Brazil

By Eduardo Paim:

Here in Brazil we have 97% of the harvested soybeans, will certainly be a reduction in soybean production, the Brazilian government is saying that we will produce 100 million tons of soy, I do not believe and most producers do not believe! In the states of Bahi, Maranhão, Tocantins, Piaui and northern Mato Grosso drought was very strong and had a lot of productivity reduction. In the state of Piaui reduction comes at 70% for soybeans and 80% for the corn crop. I believe the truth is that Brazil will produce 97 million to 98 million tons of soybeans. For the second crop corn we are having good weather in Brazil and by the time the producers think they will have a normal production on average of 90 bags of maize per hectare.

Planting Progress

We saw lots of planted fields in Pike County Yesterday.  Several customers there will be finishing with corn this weekend.  Several Fields in Morgan County were planted.  Planted fields in Sangamon, Logan and Montgomery were more scattered, but you can see below that there was a lot of field activity.

Black Cutworms

The Illinois Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey is predicting a black cutworn outbreak on May 13 based on moths caught in traps.  According to Kelly Estes, Christian County is likely to have a significant outbreak.  Check out her map.

Economic Considerations in Managing your Corn

Prairie Farmer's 10 Best ways to Spend Money on Corn is well written and gives good advice on managing corn acres.  Things like Soil testing and Weed control  may be even more critical when dealing in narrow margins.  I have written on many of the topics in this article in the past.  Most of these things can still be implemented in this growing season. The advice is good for next year or any year.  They chose excellent agronomists to interview.

Road Trip To Pella Iowa

We made  a trip to see family in Pella Iowa this weekend.  We saw a number of planted fields in Illinois, and some in Missouri.  In Iowa, very little ground was even prepared for planting.  When things dry out this week, I expect to see a good bit of corn planted in our area.

Near Agency Iowa.  

Barn to House

I spotted this barn converted to a house off the beaten path in Coles County a few weeks ago.

Be careful out there

A man was electrocuted when his sprayer got into power lines.  I knew someone who did this with a combine, but survived because he kept driving till the power line broke.  Be careful out there. Big equipment is easy to lose track of, especially if you are in a hurry.

Control Marestail

Marestail has gone from a nuisance weed to a serious problem because of herbicide resistance.  University of Tennessee has some suggestions for control in soybeans.  

Corn Planting Underway

I worked in West Alton area today.  There was a good bit of corn planted between Hamel and Bethalto.  Several planters were in the field in St. Charles County.  Other activities were Anhydrous application and spraying.

Cover Crop survey

I did not realize how long it has been since I posted.  We are putting the finishing touches on winter work.  Planning to head to the field tomorrow.

No-Till Farmer is trying to get people to complete a cover crops survey.