Copyright 2023 Mark Bernard
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The scurs are convinced the Weather Eye is being controlled remotely by someone in the bowels of the grain marketing system. Will dry weather be the hallmark of this growing season or should we be watching Hallmark and thinking happy thoughts? Starting Thursday, mostly sunny with a modest chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the low 80’s with lows in the low 60’s. Mostly sunny Friday with a fair chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the low 80’s with lows in the upper 50’s. Sunny on Saturday with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the low 80’s with lows in the mid-50’s. Sunday, sunny with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the mid-50’s. Mostly sunny on Monday with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 70’s with lows in the low 60’s. Tuesday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid-80’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Partly sunny on Wednesday with a fair chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the mid-80’s with lows in the mid-60’s. On the 15th, we start losing daylight at just over one minute and 30 seconds. We also will have lost 20 minutes of daylight since the summer solstice. The normal high for July 15th is 82 and the normal high is 62 as we continue through what are statistically the warmest days of summer. The scurs have sold out of putty knives for scraping Farm and City Days Tootsie Rolls off people’s shoes.
Our lack of significant rainfall is starting to be concerning, reminding one of the summer of 2012. After wonderful rains in May and June that year, we were in great shape or so we thought. We got to Waseca Fair time, needed a rain and some actually got some, especially to the east. Some were shorted but there was still hope of salvaging a respectable crop. What transpired after that was disappointing. July totaled one inch of rain and August wasn’t much better with 1.63” for the month. Too little, too late. As one went west it was drier yet. To the east by Claremont, beneficial rains fell in the nick of time. Come harvest time it showed. Corn yields were all over the board but west of town was 160-ish, east of town more towards 180 bu./acre and east by Claremont, places north of 250. A tale of the have’s and have nots across southern MN.
Fast forward to this year. Some definite similarities but in over 42 years doing this gig, there haven’t been any two years exactly alike. Our snowmelt plus April and May rains have carried us thus far but the sand is running through the hourglass. Still a chance at a respectable corn crop but with pollination looming on the horizon, the corn crop will slip fast without rain soon. Tassels are showing up as predicted last week right on schedule. Without substantial rain soon however, ear length will likely be compromised. Some inconsequential silk clipping noted by red-headed flea beetles this week as well. Some better hope yet for the soybeans as the earlier planted, earlier maturity soybeans are R3 and setting pods already. Some timely rains and this could still be a respectable soybean crop. Some aphids being found here and there but no numbers as of yet. The last thing a person wants to do is toss in an insecticide with a late herbicide/fungicide application and flare the spider mites waiting for an opportunity. Next week: We talk people down off the ledge from tar spot.
Around the yard at the ranch it’s become a spot mowing scenario. The bluegrass has largely gone dormant except for the odd area that receives dabs of water when watering flowers, etc. The only grasses growing are quackgrass, brome to some extent and the odd clump of orchardgrass. The result is a patchy looking lawn that’s green in some places and brown across most of it. When the grass starts to head out and really look ugly, it’s time to run the mower across that area. The good news is it doesn’t take long. The bad news is it’s a dirty, dusty process. The interesting thing about it is it doesn’t smell like you’ve mowed the lawn afterwards. It smells more like fresh cut hay.
Poppy’s birthday arrives on Wednesday. Hard to believe given her size or the way she behaves that she’ll be a year old already. She’s still getting acquainted with the local flora and fauna. She ate a hunk off one of the pigweeds I pulled in the garden. Must not have been that good or she would’ve eaten the whole thing. On the critter side, the most recent encounter involved a couple big fat toads that had set up shop under a cart in the barn. They love hopping around the barn as there are plenty of flies for them to feast on. I saw their movement attracted her attention and Poppy was getting curious enough that she was about to attempt picking one of them up.
Bad idea. When I was young, I remember seeing our yellow Lab Chico pick up a toad. The toad did as toads will do when you pick them up and peed. That resulted in the dog suddenly frothing at the mouth and temporarily becoming violently ill like I’d never seen. It’s something I’ll never forget and apparently, it’s a memorable experience for the dog. They’ll only pick up a toad once. From the tone of my voice Poppy could tell I meant business and backed away from the toads. Didn’t want her to have to learn the hard way and I really didn’t want to clean up the mess afterwards. Hard enough cleaning up after myself.
See you next week…real good then.