View from the Cab: The final stretch

By: Kent Casson

Another planting season is almost in the books for us.

We almost have all of the corn in the ground and just a few days to finish up our soybeans then we can put the season to bed. Hopefully. I shouldn’t say that or I may jinx it and we will have to replant. It is always good to just plant something one time if you can help it.

Replanting is never fun but it usually needs to be done in those areas which often experience ponding of water or in fields where, for whatever reason, crops didn’t emerge correctly. Mother Nature tends to throw us all a curve ball every now and then.

Some growers have been done with soybeans for a while now and are finishing-up their corn planting. Others still prefer to put corn in the ground first before switching the planter over to do beans. Whatever way you do it – we all have the same end goal in mind of raising a successful crop.

Planting progress numbers have jumped during the past two weeks – especially for soybeans which are above average for planting this time of year. Corn planting is slightly behind normal but expect that to catch up in the coming days and weeks. Anymore it seems farmers are putting soybeans in the ground well before corn.

This spring planting season sure has flown by. Even with short and choppy weather windows to work in, we always manage to get it done. The shorter the weather window, the harder farmers work to put their crops in. I noticed tractor headlights in several fields the other night, well after dark.

This time of the year is a good reminder to watch out for the big equipment out on the roads. Please allow some extra time to get to your destination should you encounter something on the roadway and give the farmer plenty of room, making sure he or she sees you. It is especially important to watch for indications of a turn as equipment may be turning left or right off the road and you may not realize it right away.

The grass is sure nice and green from all of the recent rainfall. Get ready to spend some time on the lawn mower if you haven’t already. I mowed a few of our farms the other day for the first time but I’ve mowed our house yard a few times now.

Hard to believe May is here. The long-range forecasters say we will like the weather this month. Let’s hope they are right.