View from the Cab: Thumbs-up
Farmers near and far are finally giving Mother Nature a big thumbs-up after a few nice days last week.
It felt great to actually be outside doing something for a change. Not only has this cooler-than-normal spring prevented us from getting into the fields, but we also haven’t been able to work on equipment outside very easily. That all changed the other day when temperatures approached the 70s thanks to strong southerly winds.
We spent a day moving equipment and doing final preparations for the upcoming spring planting season. At least I spent some time on a tractor last week even though it wasn’t in a field or a big fancy cab. There are always projects to find on the farm no matter what time of year it is or what the weather is like.
Dad and I also did some truck farming last week. What is this you ask? It consists of cruising the countryside and looking at fields from the pickup. This is the perfect way to farm because you don’t have to leave the cab and you are always a short drive away from the local coffee shop. A common quote from yours truly: “That field looks wet.” This seems to be a resounding theme this year.
I just heard a meteorologist say the northern third of Illinois isn’t so wet, but temperatures have been too cool to accelerate drying. The southern part of the state has actually been wetter than us. Another forecaster said we can expect to switch from a cool pattern to summer-like weather in the blink of an eye. I guess this means we won’t experience much of a spring around here.
As you wait to head to the field, please take a moment to help out my buddy Dean Atkins of Atkins Seed Service win money for his local school district. He is a finalist in the “Power to Do More” contest from Resicore herbicide. If Dean wins, the Prairie Central High School track and football field wins $10,000. To vote for Dean and share the information on social media, just visit the website: www.poweroverweeds.com/powertodomore.
(The View from the Cab blog is powered each week by Petersen Chevy-Buick in Fairbury)
