View from the Cab: Catching Up

We finally had a week of mostly nice weather and could play a game of “catch up” on the farm in recent days.

Prior to the weekend rain, tractors, planters, sprayers and tanks filled the countryside as local growers took advantage of fairly dry conditions to complete some much needed fieldwork. The soybean planting is mainly wrapped-up and let’s hope we don’t have to replant anything. My fingers are crossed for good weather during June.

I’m not sure if some of the corn in the area will be knee-high by the Fourth of July at this rate. Okay, maybe it will be knee-high by then, but it sure is taking a while to grow. It must have been all of that cool, wet weather we experienced early on this spring. I did notice some good looking corn fields the other afternoon south of Gridley. The grower told me he strip tilled the field and used a special starter fertilizer to give the plants a boost. The soybeans around here aren’t too tall either, but they still have plenty of time.

I have been having a blast this spring delivering fried chicken to area farmers in the field along with the folks from Dave’s Supermarket in Fairbury. We have been able to visit with area growers about how the spring is going and have traveled from Chatsworth to El Paso and everywhere in between. So far, all of the farmers have appreciated the warm meal at noon.

As of last week, the National Ag Statistics Service reported corn planted in Illinois has reached 93 percent, slightly behind the five-year average of 96 percent. Soybeans planted have reached 62 percent, compared to the average of 71 percent by this time of year. Corn condition was rated three percent very poor, 12 percent poor, 33 percent fair, 44 percent good and eight percent excellent.

Meanwhile, the winter wheat headed reached 98 percent. Winter wheat condition was rated five percent very poor, 13 percent poor, 31 percent fair, 42 percent good and nine percent excellent.

(The View from the Cab blog is powered each week by Petersen Motors in Fairbury)