The scurs allowed the Weather Eye to get steamy once again before cooling down Sunday night into Monday. Will we see more fall-like temperatures or will August come in with other ideas? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the upper 50’s. Thursday, mostly sunny with highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the low 60’s. Partly sunny on Friday with a modest chance of evening showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Saturday, mostly sunny with a modest chance of evening showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low 80’s with lows in the low 60’s. Mostly sunny on Sunday with highs in the upper 70’s and lows in the low 60’s. Monday, mostly sunny with a modest chance of an evening thunderstorm. Highs in the low 80’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Partly sunny for Tuesday with a better possibility of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the upper 50’s. On August 4th we’ll slip below 14 hours and 30 minutes of daylight for the first time since back on May 8th. The normal high for August 4th is 81 and the normal low is 61. The scurs will be taking in the sights at the Freeborn Coounty Fair and checking out Auntie Mar Mar’s baking exhibits. If you notice bites have been taken out of them, you’ll know why.
Last week was spent assessing damage to the corn from the July 20th storm. Being in Canada that weekend one could only imagine what was happening based on the radar images. In reality some of it was snapped, some of it was goose-necked, some was both and some of it escaped relatively unscathed. A lot of variables came into play including hybrid, planting date, position on the landscape, row direction, etc. As is normally the case, wind speed and amount of down draft isn’t necessarily consistent across the approaching front and varies as it moves through. Some fields exhibited up to 50% of the plants snapped. Others were substantially less. Fortunately, the relationship to yield is not linear and distribution of damage across most fields is not uniform. Still, it’s unfortunate to incur damage to what was some of the better looking corn crop in the U.S.
Soybeans escaped relatively untouched as little hail was reported. Aphid detects are becoming more common, although numbers remain on the low side. The situation is different than last year however as the stage of soybean development is R3 to R4 on early planted, earlier maturing soybeans. Last year, those same early planted earlier maturing soybeans were already R5. Thirty-inch rows are having a difficult time closing the rows and the plant size is nowhere near what it was last year at this time. This makes it more problematic not only for soybean aphid and other insect infestations such as thistle caterpillars, green cloverworms and forage loopers but also for weed control. Many of those same fields are showing breakthroughs in waterhemp control while their narrower row counterparts are to a lesser extent. The positive has been the recent warm temperatures and open canopies have helped forestall the development of white mold.
At the ranch we sustained little damage on the surface. However once one started picking up the mess it became obvious there were a lot of sticks to pick up. Not only that, there were some good sized limbs that needed to be pared down in size before they fit easily into the Gator. Three or four heaping dumps and a bucket of ground fall apples later between Sunday’s showers and it was back to normal. Lawnmowers, sticks and vinyl siding are not very compatible. I also took the liberty to take a limb out of an ash tree that had been hanging there since the April ice storm. It had been hanging there long enough and it was bothering me. Best of all, I could finally get the skidsteer back there without rutting the lawn up.
The garden continues to show signs of promise. Tomatoes are coming along nicely and the late planted string beans have really stretched. Given another week or so and taking their protective bunny fence down might be an option. Best of all though is the hummingbird/pollinator habitat progress. Four o’clocks have just started to bloom and I was wondering what the reddish colored spikes were I was seeing from the patio doors. Turns out the cannas are about ready for their initial blooms and their timing couldn’t be better. After watching them in Canada a week ago, the hummingbird numbers appear to be on the increase here. Sadly, I broke the base on the glass feeder I bought at Edna’s several years back, so I had to replace it with a plastic spare temporarily. I liked the glass feeder as it was heavier and less apt to spill its contents in the wind. I suspect I can find a replacement somewhere.
It appears the bats have returned to the ranch! Was outside about dusk and heard the familiar scratching sound in the soffit. It had been silent until recently. The end of that silence was reassuring. Why would someone be so overjoyed to know there were bats around? If you’ve been outside around dusk mowing at the ranch the mosquitoes come gunning for you. I figure also that with as much exposure to pesticides as I’ve had over the years, allowing Mother Nature to take care of insect problems isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Sure, we still use some pesticides, but we use them on a small scale and only as necessary. Coupled with an arsenal including toads, frogs, snakes, swallows, dragonflies and a recent explosion of barn spiders, the bats help keep six-legged pestilence in check at the ranch, flying or otherwise.
We’ve had some faithful 4-H kids working with their lambs over the past month or so. Gracie was rewarded with a State Fair trip at the Waseca County Fair so we were happy for her. We had very little to do with it. Her hard work and parental support made this what a 4-H sheep project is supposed to be all about. This past weekend one of our former 4-H kids from about 17 years ago got married, so that was also gratifying on many fronts. Same kind of work ethic and parental support. The life lessons and friends made with that 4-H livestock experience are irreplaceable. The new bride’s husband happens to like old vehicles too, so that’s another plus. I’m finding at my age it’s easier to put gas in an old car or pickup than it is to bale hay for a ruminant, no matter the size. Given the price of hay, probably cheaper too.
See you next week…real good then.