After the Weather Eye’s additional rainfall last week, more praise from the scurs. Will that adulation continue, or will it be misplaced? Starting Thursday, sunny with highs in the mid-70’s and lows in the low 50’s. Sunny Friday with highs in the low 80’s and lows in the mid-60’s. Sunny on Saturday with highs in the low 90’s and lows in the upper 60’s. Sunday, sunny with highs in the mid-90’s and lows in the upper 60’s. Sunny on Monday with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid-90’s and lows in the low 70’s. Ish. Tuesday, mostly sunny with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid-90’s with lows in the upper 60’s. Mostly cloudy on Wednesday with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low 90’s with lows in the mid-60’s. The normal high for August 20th is 79 and the normal low is 59. Once again, staying indoors making fondue in the AC may appeal more to the scurs than sitting outside by the fire roasting weenies. Those days are coming, but not just yet.
Corn and soybeans continue their trek to the finish line. This past week, we saw corn denting as predicted. That meant roughly a month to physiological maturity, depending somewhat on the conditions Mother Nature provides. On the replant corn, we’re looking at closer to six weeks yet. With any luck Jack Frost stays away. There are indications once we get out of the forecast heatwave, we’ll encounter some cooler than normal conditions. This may help stretch the moisture we’ll have left, but it will also put some of the later and replant corn in potentially greater jeopardy. The good news is we are likely to see some rainfall during the cooler spell. Also being worried about again is tar spot. No doubt the cooler, wetter conditions are more conducive to its development. The hot, dry weather preceding it may slow it temporarily if it occurs. Also, the amount of tip back on the ears seen by anyone who has looked at these fields critically, not to mention the corn price, would make one think twice about pouring money on fungicide into a corn crop that hasn’t caught a break over much of the growing season.
The soybeans on the other hand may be the bright spot. Recent rains caused this ugly duckling to suddenly put on a lot of top growth and along with it, a lot of blossoms on the uppermost nodes. Non-factor diseases such as downy mildew and bacterial blight have appeared, but white mold has stayed out of the picture thus far. Along with that, the soybean aphids, while they haven’t completely disappeared, are on the run from a host of beneficial insects. Any given field will yield insects such as syrphid fly larvae, ladybugs (both adult and larval stage), minute pirate bugs, soldier beetles, lacewing larvae, and tiny parasitic wasps. Some of these are capable of biting humans and leaving small welts when they come out of the field on your body. There is usually a line of bite marks around my ankles above my socks this time of year.
Pirate bugs, ladybugs and lacewing larvae are the usual culprits. The parasitic wasps are tiny and don’t sting humans. Their ovipositor is capable, however, of piercing and depositing an egg inside the body of an aphid. When the eggs hatch, the wasp larvae feed, pupate and kill the aphid. The wasps go on to produce multiple generations once they emerge from the parasitized body of the soybean aphid, also known as mummies. Some of those parasitized aphids make it to new fields where the wasp larvae inside them eventually kills the aphid. The resulting new wasp population parasitizes more aphids, and the cycle continues, even when the aphids go to their overwintering sites on buckthorn. Their activity is not limited to soybean aphids. They also parasitize aphids in the corn. As I’ve told many folks, I wouldn’t want to be an aphid in a corn or soybean field right now. You’d likely wind up being munched by some predatory insect.
The lawns have roared back to life and the ranch lawn was no exception. I needed to perform an oil change on the zero turn and, while I was at it, discovered the air filter needed replacement. It’s powered by a common 24 hp Kohler motor, so should be easy to find, right? Since the Bugtussle parts store was closed, went to my old standby where you go the bathroom in the orange silo. I’d seen the proper filter in the store a few months ago, but didn’t need it then. The dusty summer mowing changed that. I was disappointed to find only a few V-belts hanging where the filters had been and a measly handful of air filters on a shelf, none of which would fit the mower. It irritated me enough that I decided not to purchase anything there. I went to another big box store. Same result. No purchase there either. Luckily, I was able to find the parts store open down the road. They had the right air filter and pre cleaner both. Turns out, they sell lots of farm related necessities at several other outlets when I need them. Filed for future reference.
When I jumped in the pickup the other morning to head off to work, I thought it smelled a little gamey, perhaps more than normal. It usually doesn’t smell that great to begin with during a hot summer, what with several ears of corn fermenting, a dead weed or soybean desiccating on the floor, a mineral block behind the seat and the usual sweat from all the trips in and out. This was different, but couldn’t quite put my finger on it. As I got underway, the smell got worse to the point where I had to roll the window down. That helped, but when I got to the stop sign, it intensified again. Then I recognized the odor. I’d seen Poppy unload one of her Corgi presents near my pickup at chore time and I must’ve stepped right in it. I got to the office and cleaned my boot off then looked to see what else was still lurking. Good thing. There was a hunk stuck to both the gas pedal and brake pedal along with a large hunk on the floormat. One of Poppy’s surefire methods of making sure she wasn’t forgotten.
See you next week…real good then.