View from the Cab: Everywhere a Sign

You may recall the 1970’s song, “Signs” by the Five Man Electrical Band. The chorus goes something like this, “sign, sign, everywhere a sign.”

This could be the theme song for all of the corn and soybean fields around here. You don’t have to travel far to see a sign between the green grass in the ditch and the crops. It seems there are signs for everything these days – from types of seed to what company scouted a particular field. I saw a sign the other day indicating which company insures a farmer’s field. Another one not too far away promoted an online precision agricultural service.

Remember when a sign marked what type of corn stood out best in a local plot? Now there is a sign for everything, much like there seems to be an app for everything in the cell phone world. This is good marketing on behalf of the various agriculture companies when you think about it. They can advertise their product along busy roadsides with little up-front cost. A phone number or website added to the sign can do wonders when it comes to finding potential customers.

It seems prime sign season around here is from the middle of June to late August. Most signs are picked up before harvest so the combines and grain trucks don’t accidentally run them over. I even put up a few signs the other day. You can find some Central Illinois Farm Network logos next to a field near you. Be the first to tell me where you notice the first sign and I may have a prize for you. Happy hunting!

There were a few showers around the region last week and the heat and humidity returned. I spent last Wednesday (which was the hottest day of the week) mowing, hand spraying and trimming around a few trees and buildings. I was drenched in sweat after only a few minutes of outdoor work. It actually felt nice to sit on the riding mower to take in the hot summer breeze for a couple of hours.

Take your pick of attending a county fair this week. Fairs are taking place in DeWitt, Livingston and Iroquois counties. I plan to cover all three and look for my broadcast booth at the Livingston County Ag Fair Wednesday and Thursday.

(The View from the Cab blog is powered by Petersen Motors, Route 24 West in Fairbury)