Farmers hopeful for better weather

GIBSON CITY – Area farmer Roger Reum would much rather be in his tractor cab planting corn than standing in his shed wondering what happens next.

“There’s no place that is dry now,” Reum said late last week after a strong weather system dumped around four inches of rain on the region.

Reum predicted it would be a week or two if it turns nice before he could get back out into the field and that doesn’t even factor in the new rain forecasted for this week. Reum got some soybeans in the ground before the weather changed.

“We did plant some beans. That was the only field that was dry enough. We got it done, quit that day and haven’t been back in.”

That field near Cropsey was in good shape at the time it was planted. There were a few neighboring farmers running in that area but that was the only place the Reums have worked in the field. After looking over equipment, re-painting and waxing, Reum is finding out you can only do so much to be ready. The late start isn’t bothering him just yet though.

“I have farmed for a long time and I have seen it like this before,” Reum said. “If you can’t do anything about it, there is no need to worry about it.”

Reum believes the spring work will get done although it may not be as much fun as it is when you don’t have to work day and night to get everything finished. It would have to be June before Reum switches corn over to beans.

Yields near Gibson City were good last fall but not record breaking. Once the weather turned wet late in the year, many growers weren’t able to get all of their tillage work done.

“There is going to be a lot of work to do before we can plant to sort of put us behind from the start,” Reum concluded.