View from the Cab: Planting is done

By Kent Casson

Pop open the champagne bottle – we are done with the 2026 planting season! Hopefully.

The crops are in the ground and let’s hope we won’t have to go out and replant anything this year. Overall, it was a smooth planting season that was somewhat drawn out by a few rain delays and up and down temperatures but we did it.

Hard to believe there were drought concerns heading into the spring season then the rains came which returned moisture to the soil and brought many extreme drought areas off of the weekly drought monitor. Those brief rain delays were worth it as we replenished the soils to possibly get us through some extreme heat and dryness in the coming months.

We are fortunate to have two planters so we can put our corn and soybeans into the ground at the same time. This is important if there are weather delays causing a shorter window to work. We really can cover quite a few acres in a day.

Time in the tractor cab seemed to fly by as usual. That radio blaring your favorite music tends to help. My tractor radio was always tuned to the brand new 93.7 FM (there’s a plug) Route 24 Radio for the latest local information, weather updates, ag reports and more. Radio has always been a big part of my farming life and continues to be.

Another important part of farming is family riding along. Unfortunately, our kids were so busy with activities this spring ranging from high school track to travel softball that we didn’t get much time in the cab together. It was nice to have Kasen with me the other day as we brought the tractor and planter home from the last farm.

These days, he kicks me out of the driver’s seat as he sits down to drive the tractor. He brought it all the way home from the farm which was several miles away and did great. It was good practice for stopping at intersections, looking both ways twice and pulling over when meeting another vehicle. I can’t believe this same kid has his driving permit and turns 16 in November. Where does the time go?

Mowing has taken over our lives recently as we keep up with the yard and field ditches. The abundance of moisture and cool days has led to growing grass and weeds. It is the time of year when mowing could occur every other day.

Our kids are almost to the finish line for school and we are looking forward to a busy and fun summer.