View from the Cab: The planting frenzy
By: Kent Casson
The wheels are turning on our farm as soybean planting is in full force along with corn planting now. Ahh, the benefits of having two planters.
The days with nice long weather windows to get the crops in the ground seem to be long gone as we are often scrambling to get another field finished before Mother Nature decides to rain, or snow, us out again. With so much ground to cover in so little time, no wonder the equipment is as large as it is nowadays. It also makes agronomic sense to put beans in at the same time as corn if the conditions are right.
As of this writing, I am just glad to get another corn field planted ahead of expected rains. Luckily, this should be a warmer rain so those seeds should be alright. The experts say that first drink of water the seed receives is an important one. About four years ago, many farmers were impacted when cold rains came in late April after plenty of corn was already planted.
Technology in the cab is great but just like any computer system, there are occasional blips. These blips can be frustrating since an electrical problem with the planter is not always an easy fix. This often involves the dealership support team coming out to the field to take a look at things. My knees are a little sore from jumping into and out of the cab for the first part of corn planting while diagnosing issues in the field and the planter.
My gourmet tractor cab meals of ham and cheese sandwiches have returned for the season with an occasional apple, bag of chips or candy bar. I’m still eating up that Easter candy but don’t tell the kids! Why do the Snickers eggs taste so much better than the candy bars themselves? The same is true for the Nestle Crunch eggs which I just discovered this year.
Perhaps I will be able to afford a steak dinner at lunch from now on after those skyrocketing corn and soybean prices. Cash corn was actually 233 percent higher than one year ago just the other night. Meanwhile, cash beans were 194 percent higher compared with a year earlier. Everyone says this is a good time for the farmer to make some corn and soybean sales if they are in a position to do so. We are greedy though and will keep waiting for prices to climb even more.
Please remember to practice farm safety as we try to wrap-up this 2021 planting season. Look out for the large machinery on the roads and remember if you can’t see them, they likely cannot see you. Think twice before passing farm equipment and do this only when it is safe to do so.
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