View from the Cab: Spring Fever
Spring planting isn’t too far off even though the calendar says it’s still February.
The nice weather as of late gets anyone in the mood for fieldwork. You cannot beat 60 degrees and sunshine for Central Illinois in the heart of winter. I just don’t want planting season to get here too quickly because I have a lot of work to get done until then.
While traveling to a meeting in Watseka the other day, I saw several anhydrous tanks being pulled on the road and one farmer was even moving a field cultivator. Rumor has it that a few guys near Decatur were even applying some NH3 to fields and kicking up dust while they were at it.
We will soon start to see more growers open up those shed doors and start to prepare equipment, if they haven’t already, for the 2017 planting season. Planting preparation goes far beyond the physical outdoor work these days. Computer software must be updated to the latest version so we can properly track and control our planters through iPads and monitors in the cab. Dad and I will be attending an informational planter meeting this week to learn about the latest technology available for the coming year.
I wonder when we can start operating these machines from our cell phones. I bet someone out there is working on this concept as we speak. I would like to know what ag technology will look like when my son grows up. Maybe he’ll be planting the back 80 while sitting in front of his computer at the office.
It was a beautiful weekend for the annual Pontiac FFA dinner and auction and it was great seeing so many folks show up for the event. You can catch me at this weekend’s Prairie Central FFA Farm and Home Show in Forrest. I will be on site Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Central Illinois Farm Network booth inside the Prairie Central Upper Elementary School. Karen promised to bake a few tasty treats for me so you’ll want to stop by to see what the mother-in-law cooked up!
Bank of Pontiac held a very informative ag outlook meeting last week. Kent Stutzman of Advance Trading made an excellent point when he recommended getting a plan in place to protect yourself if the market drops. He also hit it on the head when he said no one has a clue where prices will go. That same day, soybean cash prices just about hit $10.00.
(The View from the Cab blog is powered each week by Petersen Motors along Route 24 in Fairbury)
