Fencelines (269)
The scurs didn’t see the above-normal temperatures coming but, as usual, no complaints. Will our charmed life continue? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs of 80 - 85 and lows near 55. Clear on Thursday with highs remaining well above normal for this time of year at 75 – 80 and lows of 55 – 60. Partly cloudy on Friday and Saturday with highs near 75 and lows of 55. There may be a slight possibility of a shower on Saturday but don’t hold your breath. Sunday, partly cloudy with another slight chance of showers. Highs 70 – 75 and lows around 50. Partly cloudy for Columbus Day with yet another slight chance of showers. Highs around 70 and lows near 50. Tuesday, partly cloudy and continued warm. Highs 70 – 75 and lows around 50. The normal high for October 10th is 64 and the normal low is 39. The scurs will be decorating for Columbus Day and awaiting the Full Moon on the 11th.
The Full Moon on the 11th is known as the Hunters Moon. This was the moon when the tribes of the northeast were busy hunting and putting away food in sufficient amounts to survive the long winter ahead. A feast was often scheduled on the date of the Full Moon in observance of the season. The Ojibwe called this the Falling Leaves Moon and the Sioux called it the Moon of Falling Leaves or the Moon of Changing Season. The leaves should be pretty this week but it won’t be long and they’ll be off the trees making us wonder where the growing season went.
Garnishing only .99” of precipitation at the ranch and .8” in Bugtussle proper, area harvest progress continues to move along at a rapid pace. Once again, Mother Nature has turned up the thermostat making LP suppliers moonlight as the Maytag repairman. Yields are continuing to be a pleasant surprise as is the moisture content of the corn. Funny what last week’s 47 mph wind gusts and this week’s 80 degree heat can do. About the only way to describe field conditions is dry and dusty. Combining beans without a breeze or auto steer can lead to a combine enveloped in dust, making it difficult to see. Hard to recall a year where soybean plants been pulverized into an almost powder-like state. The dry conditions have also resulted in numerous fires as well, so extra precautions need to be taken to clean out areas where dust and crop residues tend to collect. Monday afternoon saw two fires on the horizon and resulted in one fire call locally.
The warm temps have also made insects come out in force for one last hurrah. Last Wednesday’s warm temperatures led to an explosion of those little native pink ladybugs at the ranch and along with them lots of northern corn rootworm beetles adults. Luckily for us, neither of the species was interested in coming in the house. As quickly as they had appeared, the next day they were gone with the wind and cooler temperatures. Syrphid flies have been annoying and while some mistakenly call these hovering flies “sweat bees” they are harmless. The larvae consume loads of aphids so we can be thankful for that. Another nuisance has been the small, wedge-shaped minute pirate bug. While pirate bugs will taste test your arm and make you itch, they don’t leave a long lasting calling card. They also consume aphids and as the growing season has wound down, so have aphid populations. Saturday afternoon led to the first of the spider “ballooning” events. By evening as the sun was getting low, the gossamer strands from thousands of tiny spiders could be seen blowing in the breeze from tree trunks, grasses and fences just about anywhere you looked.
The aforementioned northern corn rootworm adults along with their little chrysomelid buddies, the striped and spotted cucumber beetles continued to attack the remaining squash and pumpkins left in the garden at the ranch. It was time to spring into action on Sunday night and rescue them from their plight and place them up closer to the house. The pumpkins and squash that the beetles had ruined soon were tossed over the fence to the sheep who were only to happy to devour them, bugs and all. The blue jays have been fingered as the culprits in taking some nasty hunks out of the apples. Again the sheep have been the beneficiaries of their criminal activity. Robins continue to move through in small groups. While there are few earthworms near the soil surface, our travelling guests enjoy dining on the nannyberries and remaining chokeberries. Think they’d be my choice too even if there were worms available.
See you next week…real good then.
The scurs have been leading a charmed life. In spite of some of the early week drizzle, not too many complaints about the past week’s weather. If you liked that, you should love this week. Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs near 75 and lows around 55. Thursday, mostly sunny with highs of 70 and lows dropping to 45. Clear on Friday and slightly cooler. Highs 60 – 65 and lows around 40. Saturday, clear with highs of 65 – 70 and lows of 50. Clear once again on Sunday with highs of 70 and lows of 40 – 45. Monday, clear with highs of 60 – 65 and lows of 45 – 50. Tuesday we see partly cloudy skies and highs of 65 – 70 with lows around 50. Our normal high for October 1 is 68 and the normal low is 42. The sun will set prior to 7 p.m. on the 29th, reminding us that summer is gone for real. The scurs will be burning a little more kerosene in the lantern while reading their Star Eagle each evening.
Some harvest activity has taken place in the area and results have been surprisingly good, especially when one takes into account the amount of stalk rot present in some fields. Corn has been running in the 180 – 200 bu./acre range with moistures from the upper teens to the mid-20% range. Test weights have been decent as well, something we wouldn’t have guessed coming off the hot weather in August. Apparently our cool finish has paid some dividends. With the exception of some earlier maturing varieties planted early, soybeans are lagging behind as expected after the frost/freeze. Yields on those that were mature have been a pleasant surprise, although the impact from the frost on full-season varieties remains a major factor in what will likely be an overall disappointing soybean crop. With some fields already harvested, fall tillage has begun. Most are saying it’s pulling hard, something that should come as no surprise as dry as it’s been. Wasn’t unusual as a lad when plowing in dry conditions to jump off the tractor at the end of the field to feel the moldboards and they’d be warm.
Activity at the birdfeeders has been slower than in past weeks, something that’s not altogether a bad thing. The hungry goldfinches’ appearances have been more sporadic, perhaps due to the increased number of small hawks in the area as others have noted. The orioles are a faded memory and now it appears the hummingbirds have may have joined their ranks. The last one spotted at the ranch was Friday morning the 23rd and while the flowers are still bountiful, it doesn’t appear they’ll make an encore performance. Still, with the leaves so green yet, one almost expects to see one. The ash leaves being about hummingbird size and color serve as the perfect camouflage if they are still around. The fall birds are becoming more entrenched including nuthatches, chickadees, and a male red-bellied woodpecker. The giant blue jays, about the size of leghorns, are back again too for what could be a long winter.
We continue to pick away at the garden bounty. The tomatoes are finally starting to ripen and it’s not surprising they’re taking this long after seeing how green the sweet corn stayed right beside them. No manure or commercial fertilizer was used and the sweet corn was green as grass until the freeze ended the growing season. Muskmelons have been less than expected. With a later than desired planting date, they never seemed to get out of the blocks. Time to dig carrots and potatoes before the weather changes its mind. Indian corn is once again the star of the show. The ears are long, filled to the tips and relatively free of insect and disease such as common smut. It’s like unwrapping a gift each time an ear is husked to reveal the wide variety of colors and unique patterns formed by the kernels. The apples have been a hit as well. The Firesides have been excellent eating and the Haralsons are blushing red, so it won’t be long before trying them out in a pie or two. It’s hard to make a house smell much better than that.
Fall colors around the ranch are coming slowly. The sumac brush on the road cut is starting to turn brilliant red and the wild plums are developing a soft flame-orange tinge. Other trees are slower to change and any leaves falling on the pasture side of the fence are quickly devoured by the ewes. In the fenceline, some Virginia creeper vines are providing a sharp contrast to the still green leaves of the trees they’re climbing. Nannyberry fruit is starting to turn bluish-black and the leaves are showing the slightest hint of a scarlet turn.
With the Minnesota sports weekend being a bust, it was time to put some rams in with the ewes at both pastures. Shadow, the older ram we had been using, decided his time had come so we needed to use another ram in his stead. Shadow was aptly named as anytime you turned your back he was right there. He usually wouldn’t hit you but he’d sure make you think he could. If he did hit you, he inflicted major pain, knocking you down, making it tough to get back up. The ram we put in to replace him proved to be rather obstinate about moving from his pen into the pasture with his new harem. What a fool! Ruby came to the rescue however, getting around behind him and at least convincing him she might take a hunk out of his backside. He moved the direction we wanted, allowing us to get him back inside the fence where we could regroup with another panel and force him through the gate. Dealing with an ornery critter that outweighs you by 50 – 75 lbs., is faster than greased lightning and equipped with 4-wheel drive, you need all the help you can get.
See you next week…real good then.
While the scurs were a little off on their predicted frost temperature, the event occurred anyway. Any chance of an encore performance any time soon? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of a shower. Highs near 55 and lows 40 – 45. Thursday, partly cloudy with highs of 55 – 60 and lows of 35 – 40. Mostly clear both Friday and Saturday with highs near 70 and lows of 45 – 50. Sunday and Monday, clear to partly cloudy with highs of 75 with lows near 50. Tuesday, cooler under mostly sunny skies. Highs 65 – 70 and lows once again near 50. The normal high for this year’s autumnal equinox on September 23rd is 70 and the normal low is 45. On the 21st, the sun will rise at approximately 7 a.m. and on the 26th, we will officially be under 12 hours of daylight, something which last occurred on March 17th. The scurs will be enjoying a closely supervised recreational fire to make S’mores.
Dry is about all one can say about the last two months. A killing frost managed to bring an end to the growing season rather abruptly last Wednesday night and Thursday morning. The damage was evident around the yards and gardens and by 8 a.m. one could smell the aroma of silage from area corn and soybean fields. Not to say there weren’t areas that were hit harder than others, and no question low lying areas took the hardest hit. With soils as dry as they’ve been, crops and gardens became easy targets. How much injury the crops sustained remains to be seen and it depends on who one talks to. Some are convinced their green as grass soybeans are still going to produce better than everyone thinks. While that could be, one thing is certain: past experience with such events has caused a delay in maturity on the soybean crop. Those who had anticipated being all done with soybean harvest by October 1 may want to adjust their harvest schedule.
Rainfall continues to be an issue as well. Despite the welcome rainfall on Sunday and Tuesday morning, we still are running behind normal for the month. At the ranch and in the gauge at the Mall for Men, we have garnered a measly .8” for the month. There are positives in that lawn mowing is largely unnecessary and wiping mud off your boots hasn’t been an issue. The negatives are overwhelming, including corn fields that are a tinder dry potential fire hazard and the pasture that has turned to brown. With the exception of the native prairie area, grass is becoming scarce and it may mean visiting with the Dubyas about some of those year-old round bales they’ve been trying to sell me for oh, say about a year.
At the ranch, we set pots and planters in the garage as well as cover the tender vegetation we want to save, such as the tomatoes. They were just too nice and starting to bear. Luckily we had several long hospital curtains someone gave us way back when that turned out to be just the ticket. Much heavier than bed sheets, they protected the ‘maters and peppers extremely well. And we wondered what on earth we’d ever do with those old things! Mrs. Cheviot even covered the hummingbirds’ beloved 4 o’clocks and while they were covered with bed sheets, the soil there had been watered so it retained the heat better than other areas on the grounds where we hadn’t.
At first we thought the frost had pushed all the hummers south. There was no sign of them through Monday morning, convincing me they had flown the coop. Then suddenly Monday evening, I noticed the nectar feeders were down from the ¼ full mark where they’d been in the morning. Sure enough, before chores there were a couple feeding on the salvia and pulling on the nectar feeders once again. They won’t stay too much longer although every day they’re here now is one day more than we thought we had. The sphinx moths on the other hand have not returned although with some warmer nights, it wouldn’t surprise me to see them working over the flowers in the bed again.
A heads up to all those who may have some squash or pumpkins remaining in the garden. You may want to check them for cucumber beetle and rootworm feeding. Seeing the petals on the sunflowers that had been so pretty in the morning all chewed to pieces before nightfall, I decided to go check the squash and pumpkins as they are frequently victims of neglect. Sure enough, there were plenty of striped cucumber beetles, spotted cucumber beetles (also known as Southern corn rootworm beetles), Western corn rootworm beetles and Northern corn rootworm beetles chewing the outer skin on them. Luckily they were primarily focused on the immature squash and pumpkins so a quick treatment with an insecticide quickly subdued them in a very localized manner. Harvesting some that were ripe also helped the cause.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the recent raisin bars that Auntie Mar Mar sent my way. Like my mom’s pie and bars, I hoard them because I don’t want anyone to know I have them until after they’re all gone. With a tall glass of milk, they’re absolutely wonderful as a snack after a long writing session. Along with the garden vegetables, raisin bars make me a regular columnist. There, that ought to get me back in her good graces or at least get me more raisin bars.
See you next week…real good then.
The scurs have been on easy street as it’s real been real easy to predict rain: there isn’t any. Will there be any chances of precip any time soon? Starting with Wednesday, partly cloudy with highs of 55- 60 and lows falling to 35 giving us a chance of scattered frost, especially in low lying areas. Clear on Thursday with highs around 60 and lows again of 35 – 40 with yet again another chance of scattered frost in low lying areas. Mostly clear on Friday and slightly warmer with highs of 60 – 65 and lows of 50 – 55. Partly cloudy Saturday and Sunday with highs of 70 – 75 and lows of 50 – 55 both days. A slight chance of rain for Sunday night. Mostly cloudy on Monday with a chance of showers and highs around 70, lows of 50 – 55. Cloudy again on Tuesday with a chance of showers. Highs 60 – 65 and lows of 50 – 55. The normal high for September 15th is 72 and the normal low is 48. The scurs will keep predicting precipitation on the premise that one of these days they’ll be right.
Precipitation or lack thereof has been on the mind of everyone as this crop closes in on maturity. Fortunately, moderate daytime and cool evening temps the past two weeks have helped us to make the most of the stored soil moisture and precipitation we have had. We have gone a long time without a substantial rainfall event. To put things in perspective, the last time we measured an inch or more of rain on a widespread basis was back on July 16th. Since that time we have measured only 2.23” and at the Mall for Men the amount is a tad less than that. It doesn’t help matters that the rainfall we have had has come in measured amounts, needing several cracks at it to add up to a half inch. Much of the corn is approaching maturity and the frost predicted for Wednesday night should have little impact on most fields. The soybeans, however, are a different ballgame. Fields have been slow to turn, which is a good thing from a potential yield standpoint. When it comes to a frost though, damage could be devastating if it’s cold enough and of long enough duration.
About a week after the last rain fell and greened up the pasture, it turned back to brown again. Many livestock producers are in the same boat. If this drought persists and pastures don’t re-grow soon, there will need to be a lot of hay fed that’s already in short supply. The easy way out would be to liquidate the livestock enterprise, which somehow doesn’t sound too bad come about January. Everyone knows that won’t happen however. There wouldn’t be anything left to complain about once a person managed to dig out of the snow banks and got to town.
The birds and insects don’t seem to mind and go about their business the same as ever. Cicadas were buzzing like mid-summer with the recent heat and there were still some fireflies yet on the 10th. There are still a few orioles yet; a male Baltimore was eating at the nectar feeder on the 11th and there was a female orchard oriole eating jelly yet on the evening of the 12th. Goldfinches are numerous and can empty the feeder that holds just over a gallon of sunflower seed in about a day. With the price that sunflower seed commands these days, I make them clean it up before more is offered at least in that feeder anyway. Hummingbirds are busy during the daytime at the nectar feeders as well as on some of the flowers in the pots, the names of which sound more like diseases than a posies. The night shift is occupied by the white-lined sphinx moths. Around dusk when the hummingbirds hang it up for the day, typically we’ll see four or five of these relatively large moths working over the 4 o’clocks.
Insects in the corn fields right now are just about enough to make your skin crawl. There are still a few bird cherry oat aphids that make a mess on your shirt and the goo they contain makes you itch. That and all the black stuff from the molds on the corn plants sticks to your skin better. There are some insects that will taste test you as well. The main things that bite are the ladybug and lacewing larvae. They’re shaped almost like little alligators and the bite sometimes burns a little or stings until one wipes them off. No biggy, you just keep on truckin’. Doesn’t even leave a welt anymore.
The hot summer has necessitated that I keep a pair of shorts in the truck for days when the heat gets to be unbearable. Usually I start out with a pair of jeans on and after looking at a few fields, it’s time to change. The recent hot spell was a prime example. By 11 a.m., it was getting too warm. I’ve perfected changing to an art where step one after pulling into a field approach is to take off one boot, stand on one leg, quick slide out of one leg of the pants and put on one leg of the shorts, then slip my foot back into the boot so as not to get my sock all full of crud. Repeat step one with the other side and voila! All changed. Some have asked if I’m afraid someone is going to see me in my underwear. Nah, I find one can fool ‘em every once in awhile by going commando.
See you next week…real good then.
The scurs breathed a sigh of relief after coming through with some much needed rain on Friday and Saturday. They went into hiding once again after predicting rain on Tuesday. What are the odds we’ll see more rainfall this time around? Starting Wednesday, mostly clear with highs of 70 – 75 and lows around 50. Thursday through Saturday, mostly clear with highs of 75 – 80 and lows near 55. Partly cloudy on Sunday with highs of 75 – 80 and lows of 55 -60. Mostly sunny again on Monday with highs around 80 and lows near 60. Partly cloudy becoming mostly cloudy on Tuesday with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs near 75 with lows of 50 – 55. The normal high for September 10th is 75 and the normal low is 50. The sun begins setting before 7:30 p.m. on the 13th. The scurs will be glad as it is safer for them to operate wit the windows open under the cover of darkness.
The 12th ushers in the Full Moon and since it is the Full Moon closest to the autumnal equinox it is known as the Harvest Moon. Even though relatively little will be harvested by that day the period between this and the next will likely see harvest activity. This moon is called such as it allowed those early settlers to work into the evening under the moonlight. The Ojibwe called this the Rice Moon for the wild rice they were harvesting and the Sioux, concerned with the buffalo called this the Moon When Calves Grow Hair and the Moon When Plums are Scarlett. Not much different than today; it was all about food.
The benefit to the crops from this last rain were somewhat minimal depending on how much you received and what stage of growth they were in. Much of the corn was half milk line or more so the benefit was likely nonexistent in those cases. Some of the latest planted corn if one happened to receive and inch or so probably got some mileage out of it. Likewise with some of the soybeans. Some of the flat pods may have the potential to fill yet and there may be some seed size and/or weight gain as a result of the rain as well. Following the showers, there are finally some soybeans turning so we may well harvest some of them in September yet. The rain definitely showed promise in some of the pastures and hay fields.
The pasture at home greened up almost overnight following the rain as did the lawn. All told at the ranch we received a shade over ½”. The lawn will need attention again before the weekend. At Mom’s near Spring Valley, nearly 1.5” fell over the same period so the lawn there should be ready to bale by the weekend. The home pasture at the ranch has been getting shorter as the summer has progressed. However the sheep have been doing well on the native prairie portion, grazing on the warm season grasses such as yellow Indiangrass and big bluestem. With any luck we will see some fall recharge before too much longer and the cool season grasses will be more to their liking.
There are still some indications it’s not quite autumn just yet. On September 1st, there was a lone firefly still flashing us and after one of the rain showers, there was a little green tree frog glued on the outside of the living room window. Neither will likely be the case in another couple months. The barn swallows are still hanging on at the ranch although given the large flocks of swallows congregating on the wires, one of these days our little bug eating friends will fly the coop for warmer climes. The orioles have remained another week as well. There have been several mature Baltimore males this past week, some juveniles and a few female orchard orioles. They’re relatively quiet though and it’s beginning to sound more like fall with chickadee, nuthatch and blue jay calls dominating the crisp, cool air.
Ruby is in training camp for fall. The only way to get good at anything is to practice and that’s what we’ve been trying to do every night we can. At the kindly neighbors pasture we’ve been working at putting the ewes in the barn, something that needs to happen before they can be trailered back home for another season. The first night she did well after I walked with her to the north end of the pasture where the sheep like squabbling over the apples that fall out of the old tree there. Upon spotting Ruby they took off on a dead run and the chase was on. She cut them off and after a few “stop” commands, they decided she was too quick and went in the barn. The second night, she was excited when I let her out of the truck and wanted to get out on the pasture. I opened the gate for her and she took off on her own to the north end of the pasture. Within seconds the sheep were coming at me and went in the barn with minimal effort. I love it when a plan comes together.
The garden has definitely come together as there are string beans coming out of our ears right now and the carrots are as sweet as sugar. The horseradish is tempting me to dig it this fall and rightfully so. It’s great with most red meat and is a major contributor to other condiments like cocktail sauce. One of my little fat buddies and I had lunch one noon at the local eatery and the waitress there was extolling the virtues of horseradish with the special that day. “It’ll put hair on your chest!” she proudly proclaimed. Hmmm, I thought to myself, this might explain a few things about some of the girls I used to go out with.
See you next week…real good then.
The scurs have made themselves scarce after failing to scrape up much for rainfall this past week. Will they be able to come out of hiding soon? Starting Wednesday, partly cloudy becoming mostly sunny. Highs of 80 – 85 and lows of 65 - 70. Thursday, mostly clear with a good chance of an evening shower or thunderstorm. Highs near 90 and lows around 70. Partly cloudy on Friday with a slightly better chance of showers. Highs 80 – 85 and lows 55 – 60. Saturday, partly cloudy with a slight chance of shower. Highs 75 – 80 and lows near 55. Mostly sunny and cooler on Sunday. Highs 70 – 75 and lows of 45 – 50. Monday, partly sunny with highs around 70 and lows of 50 – 55. Mostly cloudy on Tuesday with a good chance of rain showers. Highs near 70 with lows around 50. The normal high for September 5th is 76 and the normal low is 52. As of the 26th, the sun is rising after 6:30 a.m. and is setting before 8 p.m. The scurs will be celebrating Labor Day by napping while dreams of Minnesota State Fair pronto pups dance in their heads.
After being on the road with the Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour for a week it’s good to get back home and see what’s transpired with the local crops. Unfortunately, very little of it has been for the better. Our patented August “mini-drought” the past week coupled with a 90-degree day, followed by an 85-degree days with strong southerly winds put major stress on the crop. It hastened maturity as well. When I left, much of the corn was dented but not showing much of a milk line yet. Now in many fields the milk line is already halfway down. Silage harvest is underway and the promise of more heat this week will push corn maturity even more rapidly. A rain at this point will only help maintain the yield that is there; it won’t increase it. The soybeans on the other hand still have some upside potential, if it rains. Without it, the last pods set are likely to abort, leaving the intangibles of bean size and weight to influence final yield.
Yes, another Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour is in the books. This was my eighth tour of duty and all in all it went pretty smoothly. Oh sure there were a few bumps in the road like the thunderstorm that hit about the time we were heading across the IN/IL border near Kankakee. As luck would have it, my rain suit and overshoes were riding around with the people who were hauling our luggage from point A to point B. After waiting out the storm awhile, we quick ducked into Wally World, grabbed some boots and another rain suit then kept on truckin.’ The crop was about as advertised. The late, wet start in states like OH, IN, and IL was evident. Corn in OH was very green yet primarily because it had been put in the ground late. Much of it was still milk to dough stage so it had a long way to go. Luckily the protection afforded them by the Great Lakes helps keep the odds of a frost there to a minimum as we saw in 2009. Wet conditions following planting caused large amounts of nitrogen loss, particularly in IN and IL. Planted in wet conditions, shallow root systems, along with lack of rain then being exposed to extreme heat raised havoc with yield potential. Add in a corn crop in the Western Corn Belt that had been exposed to disease, lack of moisture in addition to excessive heat and a record corn crop it doth not make.
On the soybean side, a less-than-perfect crop although perhaps not quite as mortally wounded as the corn crop. The soybean pods we saw across most of the eastern Corn Belt were still pretty flat and soil moisture with the exception of parts of OH and parts of IL where the aforementioned thunderstorm travelled was lacking. Insect and disease pressure were at low levels so at least it had that going for it. The area of IA we travelled through had a nice looking bean crop with plenty of pods and were true R6 soybeans.
Arriving back home and with Mrs. Cheviot at the State Fair, it was time to get back to work on some of the projects that were left dangling. The lawn was a mishmash of weeds, crabgrass, barnyardgrass and dormant bluegrass and the trimming hadn’t been done. The ranch was approaching that abandoned farmstead look. The flowerbeds and garden looked like weed control plots and there were vegetables to be harvested. Along with that, the orioles are still here as are the migrating hummingbirds so their feeders needed filling and cleaning too. It would’ve been nice to sleep after a week of driving, meetings, a time change, getting up early and staying up late as well as having microphones, digital recorders and TV cameras in your face. However it’s just not that easy after being “on” all week to flick a switch and turn it off like that, at least not for me. Must be some of that Border Collie rubbing off on me, so I put my nervous energy to work. Mower blades were sharpened, the weed eater gassed up, and bags and buckets were prepared. Ruby and I were ready to rock.
The real Border Collie Ruby was again on sensory overload with all the lawnmower tire biting and hiding from the weed eater to be done. She heads to the barn whenever the chainsaw or weed eater come out of hibernation where she entertains herself by staring down the sheep. No doubt she had even more fun staying with our dog sitting friends at Beaver Lake while we were gone. Ruby made new friends with their neighbor’s golden retriever Josie. Took a little while I was told but before long, there were 2 dogs having a great time running and playing with each other. As it should be.
See you next week…real good then.
The scurs managed to scare up some light showers last week, darn light showers that is. What’s on tap this go round? Starting Wednesday, mostly clear with highs near 85 and lows around 60. Thursday and Friday partly cloudy skies, highs in the low 80’s and lows near 60 with a slight chance of rain Friday. Slightly warmer on Saturday with highs of 80 – 85 and lows again near 60. Sunday, partly cloudy, with a slight chance of a shower. Highs near 75 and lows of 55. Mostly sunny for Monday and Tuesday with highs of 75 and lows of 55. The normal high for August 28th is 79 and the normal low is 55. The scurs will be making a beeline to their favorite foot long hot dog stand on the northeast corner of the Coliseum at the MN State Fair.
Crops continue to march towards harvest with much of the corn denting or starting to this past week. Moderate temperatures have helped this crop hang on but time is starting to run out. Each passing day without rain takes the potential yield down a fraction. The soybeans are in a similar predicament, having largely finished flowering. There are clusters of pods on top hanging in the balance. Given some timely rain soon, they may keep a large percentage of those pods. Without it, the opposite is likely to be true. There were still some fields where soybean aphid numbers were continuing to build after early spraying in July. It may be beneficial to check these fields just to see what the infestation levels are. Third cutting hay appears to be a short commodity as little rain falling within the last month will limit tonnage substantially.
The garden at the ranch is kicking out zucchini at such a rapid pace, I’m wondering if we should sneak them into the neighbors Harvestore. Cucumbers are showing up at a rapid pace too. Between them and the zucchini that get too large, the sheep are waiting at the fence when it looks like there may be some goodies that land on their side. The second planting of sweet corn appears almost ready to begin harvesting. If temperatures remain moderate and it stays good as long as the first planting did, we should have corn well into September. The string beans kicked out several gallons of beans this past week and there are more developing. The tomatoes are loaded as are the muskmelons, leading one to believe if Jack Frost stays away for much of September. There should be an ample supply of both. Apples are beginning to blush and the chokeberries are black, meaning we’d better hurry or the birds will have consumed them all.
Would appear the hummingbird migration is underway. There are lots of them darting around the yard, sampling flowers such as the salvia, petunias and 4 o’clocks now in full bloom. They’re also pulling harder on the nectar feeders. The orioles have started to say their goodbyes I’m afraid. The male orchard oriole was a no-show this past week for the first time in months. Likewise with some of the more brightly colored male Baltimore orioles. There is still a gang of young of both species but the amount of jelly they’re consuming makes me wonder how much longer it’ll be before they’re gone. Makes one sad that they can’t stay longer.
Through the marvels of technology, this slightly abridged column is being written while I’m on the road as part of the Midwest Pro Farmer Crop Tour. The trip out to Columbus, OH was largely uneventful and there was little in the way of rainfall for much of the distance. It had just rained in Columbus prior to our arriving there however. The corn crop looked about as advertised from the road: Variable and suffering from diseases such as Goss’s wilt in addition to obviously being nitrogen deficient across much of IL and IN. The soybeans at least from the road appear to have fared better from a plant health standpoint. Although, some may be behind maturity-wise, if a sample plant is pulled to make an indication. We’ll know the scoop better by the evening of August 25th after sampling fields across the Midwest.
Packing for the Pro Farmer Crop Tour, it became apparent that I lack clothes folding talent. Women apparently are naturally born with this gene. When I pack the clothes usually look like they rode around wadded up under the seat in my pickup for a week. When Mrs. Cheviot packs them for me, the clothes always look like they did hanging in the hanger. Word to the wise: Always have your wife pack your suitcase. That way you can get on to bigger and better things like taking a nap to rest up for your trip, wherever it may be.
See you next week…real good then.
The scurs got the rain forecast and even though it was parceled out it was still a welcome sight. Will we see more this week? Starting Wednesday, partly cloudy with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs near 80 and lows around 60. Thursday, mostly clear with highs of 80 – 85 and lows of 60 – 65. Mostly sunny becoming partly cloudy on Friday with a slight chance of a shower during the day and a slightly better chance of showers overnight. Highs 80 – 85 with lows near 65. Partly cloudy Saturday with a modest chance of showers increasing by evening. Highs 80 – 85 and lows around 60. Slightly cooler for Sunday under mostly sunny skies. Highs 75 – 80 and lows of 55 – 60. Partly sunny for Monday with highs around 80 and lows near 60. Slightly warmer and mostly sunny on Tuesday with highs of 80 – 85 and lows around 60. The normal high for August 20 is 81 and the normal low is 58. The scurs will be hitting the food stands hard at the Steele Co. Fair as a warm up for the Great MN Get Together the following week.
After going o-fer the first third of the month, some nice rains fell over the weekend. While they were metered they were still welcome. Oh sure, the gloom and doom crowd has already weighed in that it wasn’t enough to maintain the crop that’s developing out here in the field. While that may be true in some respects, maybe they’d be happier if we didn’t get any rain at all. We may not have the crop we could’ve had but then we never do. We have a better crop here than many places so we’d better be thankful for that at the very least. Personally, I love to hear some thunder and some rain on the roof this time of year. Some early planted, early maturing soybeans are pushing R6 so the heat we had during July and the first part of August really moved things along quickly. Some early planted early maturing corn showing some denting already too so the corn is on the same page. Sweet corn yields have been respectable but no record setting yields are being talked about.
The area bird watching has included the sandhill cranes once again. Almost scared the bejeezus out of me one night while I was weeding the garden. It looked like three small airplanes were circling over my shoulder. At night they have been holed up by the pond letting out that almost creepy hollow call. This of course upsets Ruby to no end causing her to woof loudly. With me it just causes me to tell Ruby to be quiet then roll over to go back to sleep, glad to hear them once again. Speaking of hearing birds again, the chickadees that were setting up shop in the windbreak figured out that the goldfinches were hanging at the feeders for a reason. Now the chickadees flit back and forth when they find an opening, knowing the sunflower seeds are ripe for the taking. They’re a good guide too as when the feeder gets empty, they’ll hang upside down from one of the perches, trying to get an angle on one last seed stuck in the opening. The final nest of wrens appears to be on the wing as are the last of the tree swallows in the nesting box at the kindly neighbors. It is quiet now in the morning with no wrens or robins singing, only the sound of goldfinches and hummingbirds. Fall is edging ever closer.
In the garden the string beans are about ready for the first picking. The mosquitoes that were the bane of all lawn and garden enthusiasts have slowed immensely with the drier weather. This makes it more pleasant to find those zucchini that suddenly grew from 12” to 24” overnight. The first planting of sweet corn is coming to a close. It lasted longer than I would’ve guessed given the heat. The second planting is coming on although it may have some colored kernels due to the close proximity to the Indian corn that took its sweet time to tassel and silk. Oh well, it might look more like eating a bowl of Fruit Loops than an ear of corn.
Was in the mob movie watching mode with such notables as Scarface and The Godfather the other day. Oddly enough, I never get the chance to watch any of these in their entirety. Someone usually calls and interrupts or I fall asleep. So with that in mind while drowsily channel surfing one night, decided to watch what I thought was a show about a mafia hit man. The show is called Billy the Exterminator and if any of you have ever seen it, you know that it has nothing to do with the mafia. As the name implies, it has everything to do with a guy looking like a biker from Louisiana who goes around killing cockroaches, wasps and rats as well as catching snakes, javelinas, raccoons and squirrels, etc. The show kept my interest and I couldn’t look away; must’ve watched 3 episodes in a row. Just something fascinating about watching someone getting stung or bit and coming out on top without resorting to excessive swearing and nuclear weapons.
See you next week…real good then.
The scurs wasted no time predicting the moderating temperatures and now they’re working on getting some rain back in the forecast. Will we get it? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs near 75 and lows around 55. Thursday, mostly sunny becoming mostly cloudy with a chance of an evening shower. Highs 75 – 80 and lows 60 – 65. Mostly cloudy Friday with a good chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs 75 – 80 and lows around 60. Partly cloudy on Saturday with highs near 75 and lows dipping to 55. Clear skies on Sunday with highs of 80 and lows of 60. Partly cloudy Monday with a chance of an evening shower. Highs once again near 80 and lows of 60. Warmer and a chance of showers under partly cloudy skies for Tuesday. Highs of 85 and lows near 60. The normal high for August 15th is 82 and the normal low is 59. We slip to under 14 hours of daylight for the first time since April 26th. The scurs think this may be the catalyst we need to spur on the chances for some of those April showers.
The Full Moon for the month will occur on August 13th and is known by several names. The fishing tribes of the Great Lakes called this the Full Sturgeon Moon as this was the time of year these large fish were most easily caught. It was also known as the Full Red Moon as the moon tended to be red from all the haze in the air when it rose. It also goes by The Green Corn Moon and The Full Grain Moon. The Ojibwe called this the Full Berry Moon as blueberries were ripe for the picking. The Sioux called this The Moon When Geese Shed Their Feathers. Judging by the number seen roaming area lawns, my guess is they’re shedding more than feathers.
Crop progress continues at a breakneck pace with some corn already in the milk stage. More pollination issues are evident although there are probably more issues due to tip back related to lack of precipitation locally. Soybeans are huge with numerous fields containing plants 4’ tall. They look nice but with the heavy canopy and cooler weather comes increased risk for white mold. There are some bona fide R5 soybeans out there so that should help. Soybean aphids continue to play mind games: Will they reach treatable levels or won’t they? Those levels are all over the board with areas where soybeans were planted later getting hit hard and others slowly increasing where planting dates were earlier and maturity of the plants is advanced. Some made prophylactic insecticide applications a few weeks ago and it will be interesting to see if the aphids make an encore appearance in these fields. Reported small grain harvest woes continue the trend set last week. Poor spring wheat yields in the 30 – 40 bu./acre range and oats yields of 65 – 70 bu./acre, about half of what they were last year. Factor in lower quality on both crops and without a pretty lucrative price, it will make it easier to forget about them next year. Sweet corn harvest is underway and so far there is some optimism. If we continue this dry trend that optimism may fade quickly.
After making some initial discoveries in the garden at the ranch, decided it might be a good time over the weekend to see what other vegetables might be ready. More zucchini of course in addition to the cukes and new potatoes. One variety of snap peas rallied to produce one more picking in spite of all the heat they’d been through. They were small but still very sweet none the less. Somewhat surprisingly, the sweet corn appeared ready. It had tasseled and silked less than two weeks ago. Checked a couple ears and sure enough, nice long ears filled to the tips with plump kernels begging to be gnawed on. The sheep always like this time of year. They get the husks and silks as well as the cobs once we’re done with them. The green and yellow string beans have started to set some pods so it won’t be long and they’ll be ready. The tomatoes are coming but if this year is like most, late August and September is tomato time. Lots of fruit set and the plants are healthy as a horse.
The garden flowers are also getting geared up for the hummingbird migration. The four o’clocks are just starting to flower and the red salvia has really come on after a little watering as have the impatiens. The morning glories are climbing the pole and the hummers were seen checking out the tiger lilies one last time before they lose all their petals. The hummers like their nectar feeders to be sure however they like the real McCoy once in awhile too. We continue to host the oriole families and it is gratifying to still see the male orchard oriole occasionally. Seeing him makes me feel that all is right with the world even though the news may sometimes attempt to make one believe otherwise.
Made some time after chores last week to go see the Beach Boys concert in Albert Lea. Somehow over the years I managed to miss them at State Fair and other venues. Decided I’d probably better go see what’s left of them anyway or they’d all be dead. Oh sure, I’ve seen all kinds of “geezer bands” at the Freeborn Co. Fair such as America, BTO, and Three Dog Night, but few where one knew the words to most of the songs. In my younger days as part of a band we actually performed some of their tunes. My appreciation of their intertwined flowing harmonies is great so my attendance was a given. They performed all their wonderful oldies but they had me right away when they stopped to joke about taking an intermission along with a nap. My kind of band.
See you next week…real good then.
The scurs were tracking the return of the heat wave, although the duration was nowhere near the last one. It is that time of year. This week starting with Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs reaching 80 and lows around 65. Partly cloudy on Thursday with a slight chance of rain or a thunderstorm. Highs around 80 and lows near 65. Partly cloudy and gorgeous on Friday with highs once again around 80 and lows of 65. Slight chance of rain during the day on Saturday increasing in potential by evening. Highs of 80 and lows around 65. Sunday, partly cloudy with a modest chance of rain during the day decreasing in scope by evening. Highs of 80 and lows of 60 – 65. Monday partly cloudy with a moderate chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs of 80 and lows of 60 – 65. Cloudy and slightly cooler for Tuesday with a good chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs 75 – 80 and lows dropping to 60. The normal high for August 7th is 83 and the normal low is 60. The sun will set at 8:30 p.m. on the 7th, roughly the same time as it did on May 12th. The scurs will be enjoying a Cajun wrap at the Freeborn Cty Fair. One wonders who will be enjoying them the next day?
Crop progress this past week was nothing short of phenomenal. Corn pollinated and while it wasn’t perfect with the abundant soil moisture, supply it is in good shape at the present time. Some will fret and worry but changing anything at this point is next to impossible. Soybeans keep making their move and August is generally considered when the soybean crop is made. While there are some R4 soybeans here and there as of this writing, there are few entire fields that would qualify just yet. Soybean aphid numbers are increasing although they have shown an affinity for younger, later planted fields in areas. On the weed control front as expected, waterhemp has had a banner year, popping through those soybeans not yet sprayed with the second application of glyphosate. Small grain yield reports thus far have been disappointing, with test weight on oats and wheat suffering as a result of the hot weather to finish the crop. The main thing now some old timers say is to get some rain on the straw so it’s not so slippery and is more absorbent. I’m not so sure about that one. It was always nice just to get it baled, period.
The garden has been on the emergency rescue list at the ranch so it was time to sharpen up some of the garden tools. Now I got me a sharp hoe, yeah! The tiger lilies have been about at their peak this past week and oddly enough they are what started my weed control career. After seeing Dad chop off a bunch of “kingheads” or giant ragweeds, I got out my garden set and proceeded to chop off Mom’s tiger lilies. Needless to say she was not amused as I recall. Luckily tiger lilies are pretty tough and those she still enjoys today are descendents of my victims. Obviously my weed ID still needed a little work. It has vastly improved however, and I seldom hack off tiger lilies anymore. It does make me wonder sometimes how old the tiger lilies are at the ranch. Were they planted by Teamon Ruth, one of the original settlers whose name is scrawled on the wall of our granary? More on Teamon in another episode. Oh yeah, the garden. The first zucchinis appeared late last week and the first cuke showed up Monday night. In my zeal to remove the lambsquarters from their moorings in the potato patch, it revealed a couple golf ball sized baby red potatoes. Mmmmmm!
There are beginning to be signs our summer is starting to wind down. There are places where there are some acorns starting to fall already. Leaves on the walnut tree are starting to show hints of yellow. The lavender colored wild bergamot is blooming and its sage like fragrance just smells like autumn for some reason. Toads are getting big and fat on all the insects they’ve consumed and scads of their offspring are all over the lawn when mowing it. The fall birds have started to make their presence known too. There are some young nuthatches trying out the sunflower feeders now and the blue jays are becoming more numerous and more raucous with their calling. Chickadees, who have been absent for much of the time since early last winter are suddenly setting up camp in the windbreak. And last but not least, could it be that the male goldfinches are beginning to lose a little of that ray of summer sunshine glow? Say it ain’t so!
The little fat buddies have been on hiatus much of the summer although they found some time the other day to squeeze in a rare late summer session to eat cake and donuts as well as to discuss the Great Depression. Speaking of the Depression, I had the privilege to receive a 1938 Depression era copy of Successful Farming from my brother who had found it in one of his travels. It is in pristine condition so I make sure to keep it in its plastic sleeve when not perusing the pages. All kinds of fascinating info and much of it giving one a feel for the agriculture of the day. Producing fat hogs was a source of pride and by gum there’s an article that could help you accomplish that goal. Oddly enough, there was an ad for Parmak electric fencers. The electric fencer we have at the kindly neighbors pasture is a Parmak and they’re still being manufactured to this day. A little different perhaps than the 6 volt battery powered model offered in that old magazine but still keeping livestock on their side of the fence none the less. Now if they’d just invent an electric lid to keep the little fat buddies on their side of the cake pan.
See you next week …real good then.
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The scurs called the end of the heat wave and not a moment too soon. Sales of deodorant were topping all-time records. Will it return again soon? Starting Wednesday, mostly cloudy with a good chance of rain. Highs around 85 and lows near 70. Partly cloudy Thursday with a continuing chance of rain. Highs of 80 – 85 and lows around 65. Mostly clear skies both Friday and Saturday with highs of 80 – 85 and lows of 65 – 70. Clear becoming partly cloudy on Sunday with a slight chance of rain. Highs 85 and lows of 65 – 70. Mostly sunny and warmer on Monday. Highs of 85 – 90 and lows around 70. Partly cloudy becoming mostly cloudy on Tuesday with a good chance of a thunderstorm. Highs around 90 and lows near 60 when the system moves through. The normal high for August 1st is 83 and the normal low is 61. The sun will rise at 6 a.m., roughly the same time as it did back on the 6th of May. The scurs will be sawing logs with their newfound extra minutes of morning darkness.
Last week was brutal weather for humans. It is considered the warmest week of the year and it lived up to its billing. With air conditioners keeping it comfortable inside, the decision to stay indoors was easy, especially after opening the door and feeling the blast of sauna like heat and high humidity. When your glasses steamed up that was a clue. In general though the corn and soybeans didn’t seem to mind. Much of the corn was starting to pollinate although there was probably more this week judging by the smell of corn pollen in the air. Soybeans largely pushed into the R3 stage, by definition largely making glyphosate applications off-label. Soybean aphids are more easily found but nowhere near any kind of threshold levels. Small grains are turning rapidly and the heat has done it no favors. With the wet summer, wheat has suffered from a bacterial leaf streak from which there is no known treatment other than selecting for more tolerant varieties. Same scenario with the peas as yields turning sour on the remaining fields from the root rot and heat.
Peas in the garden have followed suit. The snap peas that showed so much promise earlier failed to set pods after flowering profusely. The vine crops loved it and are staying ahead of the weeds for the time being. There are plenty of weeds however with warm season weeds such as waterhemp and crabgrass having an absolute fiesta. Sweet corn in the fields has tasseled on the short side and can’t see anything different in the garden either. String beans have appreciated the heat too, and it shouldn’t be too much longer before seeing the first flowers on our later than normal planting. Tomatoes are looking good but again since they were put out relatively late, not much for fruit set just yet. The direct seeded zucchini has come through and it won’t be too much longer before the five-county area is overrun with this wonderful source of livestock feed.
The lawn has been nearly impossible to stay ahead of this summer. It’s either raining, too wet or the mosquitoes will carry you off if attempting to mow in the evenings. Trying to find daylight hours when the wind is blowing seems to be the best idea although that isn’t necessarily foolproof either especially if one happens to be mowing in a windbreak or around the bushes. And just like in the garden the crabgrass has come through. Given the high moisture of the crabgrass, the mower deck becomes a portable cow pie carrier.
We continue to feed what appear to be several families of orioles. It looks like at least two groups of Baltimore orioles and one family of orchard orioles. They can really gobble down the jelly with consumption approaching that of the spring migration. They’re going through a couple of the 32 oz. jars a week so one may as well just buy two at a time and get it over with. The hummers are sticking around this year so not sure if there was a nest in the area or not. There seems to be some smaller ones now and they spend much of their time dive bombing each other while circling around the feeders. They may be the young from this year’s hatch, perhaps not from here but from somewhere.
During my Mom’s brief hospital stay this past week, we had the pleasure of keeping Fudgie. She seemed to fit right in after a good old fashioned brushing to help keep the hair shedding to a minimum. Doesn’t seem like nearly eight years have passed since she was just a little wriggling puppy playing in the wading pool filled with cedar shavings. It didn’t take her and her playmates long to get out of it either as I recall. Border Collies start out active and stay that way, at least until they decide it’s nap time. Ruby was being Ruby and bouncing off the walls during much of Fudgie’s visit here. Someone to play with and to attempt to herd. Once she got tired of Ruby’s antics she’d repair to the solitude of the utility room to take a snooze. Funny thing, there are people who make me feel the same way.
See you next week…real good then.
The scurs were on target with the heat wave predictions, unfortunately. What are their predictions for this week? Starting Wednesday, clear skies with highs near 95 and lows around 75. Thursday, partly cloudy with a chance of an overnight shower. Highs around 85 and lows of 70. Partly cloudy on Friday and Saturday with a chance of an overnight shower both days. Highs of 85 - 90 and low of 70. Partly cloudy on Sunday with highs of 85 and lows dropping to 65. Mostly sunny on Monday with highs of 80 – 85 and lows of 60 – 65. Mostly sunny on Tuesday and, are you ready for this? Highs near 75 and lows around 60. The normal high for July 23rd is 84 and the normal low is 62. On Wednesday the 20th we experience 15 hours of daylight the same as we did back on May 23rd. The scurs will celebrate the cooler temps with a short lemonade. Moderation in all things.
The past week saw more tremendous progress made in the crop although it was not without its share of issues for farmers to worry about. Heavy storms moved through the area last Friday not once but twice. The morning thunderstorm came as somewhat of a surprise as rain was originally predicted for later in the day with only small chances in the morning. The matinee was predicted and came through with a vengeance at the ranch. Decided it was a good idea to check the sheep at the kindly neighbors pasture before the storm broke and while there the sky turned pitch black. The sheep were fine and the yard lights were on as I left. It was so dark there the fireflies came out at 3:30 in the afternoon. Had never seen that one before as we hightailed it for home. Had intended to get the mail but by the time I got in the driveway it was raining sideways. It rained so hard by the time I made it in the garage that the barn was nearly imperceptible aside from the yard light on the south side. Total rainfall amounts on the day varied anywhere from 1.5” to near 6”. This meant some potential nitrogen loss in the corn and the winds that were part of both storms in areas caused corn to lodge as well as snapping some off. Soybeans fared better with only some minor leaf tattering from the wind. Some of them have now reached R3. Small grains went flat in places although most fields took it well. Pea yields have ranged anywhere from poor to slightly above average. The heavy rainfall made harvest efforts muddy and challenging. Rainfall so far for the month at the ranch has totaled 4.7” compared with about 5.3” for the month of June.
The heat and humidity have certainly made life miserable and some of that misery will be reflected in next months electric bill. The sheep have been extremely uncomfortable even though we’ve kept fans on them and cool clean water in front of them 24/7. Sheep don’t sweat so have to rely on panting to cool themselves, something they’ve been doing much of the last several weeks. Working with them when it’s been this hot is out of the question. The last thing we want to do given the circumstances is to stress them any more than is absolutely necessary. Ditto for the human component after spending many days working in the heat.
It’s become obvious one robin has it in for me because on many of the days this summer we’ve recorded precip, it has decided to take a dump in the rain gauge. Fortunately the garden hose is nearby to clean it out. It’s just the principle of the thing. The orioles stopped coming to the jelly feeder suddenly which seemed a little odd since it had recently been filled. Closer examination of the situation revealed the windblown rain had pretty well cleaned it out. It didn’t take long upon refilling it and orioles young and old were back feasting again. After Friday’s storms it was surprising to see a wild turkey hen being harassed by a red-winged blackbird as she and her two poults strolled around the grounds, grazing for bugs. Speaking of bugs, the first cicada at the ranch was heard buzzing on Monday the 18th.
Once again the local varmint population has reared its ugly head. A huge woodchuck has been spotted near the granary and it appears to have done some digging there. My double barrel is on the blink so I grabbed a pump shotgun instead and inserted a couple shells into the magazine. Trouble was after getting used to popping a couple shells into the old blunderbuss all these years, I neglected to chamber a shell. Imagine my disbelief after having the critter dead to rights only to hear a “click” when I pulled the trigger. The woodchuck apparently couldn’t believe it either as it lumbered merrily off to do some more digging.
Inside the house, a bat decided to show up about bedtime. It maneuvered around the living space quite nimbly and the only way it was detected was by the swishing sound of its wings. Bats are fine with me as long as they stay outside eating insects where they belong. Once they get in the house, it’s all out war. I grabbed the nearest broom and proceeded to do my best Michael Cuddyer impression. When the bat did his down and away slider impression I swung and missed. However I did manage to make contact with the pantry door. No biggy, I thought, as I hunted the little beast down and finally subdued it. After disposing of the bat I happened to look at the pantry door and to my horror discovered I’d made more than just contact; I’d punched a hole in it. The next day I called my little fat vertically challenged Swedish carpenter buddy and explained the situation. Add this latest tragedy to the hole I poked in the siding when clearing the snow off the roof and the one made by the rooster pheasant that flew into the side of the house this spring. I’m sure he’s thinking the way keep making holes in things he’ll be able to cash in and make a full day of it soon.
See you next week…real good then.
The scurs were on the money for Farm and City Days so a good time was had by all. What’s in store for the Waseca County Fair you ask? Starting Wednesday, partly cloudy becoming mostly cloudy with a chance of showers by evening. Highs near 75 and lows around 65. Mostly cloudy on Thursday with a good chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs 75 – 80 and lows near 70. Partly cloudy Friday with a slight chance of an overnight shower. Highs near 85 and lows of 70. Mostly sunny and warmer for Saturday with another slight chance of an overnight shower. Highs of 90 and lows around 75. Sunday and Monday, mostly sunny and hot with highs of 90 – 95 and lows near 70. Slightly cooler and mostly sunny on Tuesday with highs of 90 and lows near 60. The normal high for July 15th is 84 and the normal low is 61. The scurs will be working at the fair in the mosquito repellent concession stand.
The Full Moon for the month occurs on the 15th and is known by many different names. It goes by the Full Buck Moon as white tail deer bucks antlers are growing and as seen in my recent travels are in the velvet already. Another common name for this moon is the Full Thunder Moon, named for the many thunderstorms which happen during the month. Many of the pioneers also called this the Full Hay Moon as many put up hay for their livestock and the long winter ahead. The Sioux knew this as the Moon When Wild Cherries are Ripe. The Ojibwe commonly called this the Full Raspberry Moon, aptly named as the wild raspberries now are ripe for the picking, if you can outlast the mosquitoes in the process that is.
The deer have been noticed out in the open during the daylight hours. It’s quite possible the bugs are responsible for driving them out into open areas where the breeze helps make it more difficult to land on them. Coyotes are on the move and have been heard during the evening hours. One has to wonder if the insects aren’t partially to blame. That is the one bright side about the onset of winter: Knowing there are five or six months where the bugs won’t bite.
We just thought the crops grew last week. Wow! Corn is over 6’ tall in areas and about 7 – 10 days from tasseling in most area fields. Soybeans have gotten through the ugly stage and are starting to look like a crop rather than an afterthought. Most soybeans are in full bloom and wouldn’t be surprised to see some of the earliest planted fields start to set a few pods. You just knew we couldn’t get by another year without the mention of soybean aphids. Yes, they were found last week in several area fields and while the numbers were extremely low, they have made their presence known.
There appears to be a bountiful supply of berries on tap for the birds this season. Here at the ranch one doesn’t have to look very far to see plentiful nannyberries, dogwood, crabapples, chokeberries, American cranberry and honeysuckle. In addition the elderberries have been in full bloom this past week. It was comical a year ago while up on the roof talking to an insurance adjustor. He commented that we must have a lot of berry bushes nearby. “How do you know that?” I asked. He laughed and pointed out all the purple stains on the shingles, courtesy of our feathered friends.
Speaking of our feathered friends, the young continue to show up at the feeders. It was mentioned last week marked the start of the young Baltimore orioles coming to the feeders and now this week the young orchard orioles are showing up. Apparently they were nesting all along in our hard maple tree where the leaves are so dense there was no way to tell what was nesting in there. The young look a lot like the female at this point, greenish in color but one can tell by their shorter beaks and bumbling nature around the feeders they’re not experienced, yet. Hummingbird numbers have been steady all summer and they clean out their nectar feeder about once a week. They also dip into the oriole feeder of course so it’s hard to say exactly how much they’re consuming. One of the most gratifying sights this past week came from the kindly neighbors pasture. Driving up to check the sheep pastured there, one could see there were several birds perched on the barbed wire fence. Getting closer it was easy to determine these were bluebirds, seven to be exact and quite possibly some of them the fledglings from their favorite nesting box. They scattered to the shelter of the oak trees, their understated song following them as they went.
Decided to go to the Farm and City Days parade for a few hours after another grueling weekend of fun and games. It was just as good as it ever was. There was the grand marshal, the local marching band, the antique autos, various floats and displays by several civic organizations as well as numerous princesses from many a local contest. Fire trucks and every type of farm implement imaginable were all tossing candy to the young and young at heart. The thing I still look for every year though is the old tractors, many of which I had the pleasure of driving at one time or another. In particular, I was hoping that the local Minneapolis Moline collector would make yet one more parade. I was not to be disappointed. Looking over the top of some of the displays, I could see LW leading his entourage on the old gray Twin City Minnie Mo he’s so faithfully driven every year. Not that I was ever a big Minneapolis fan, but they were unique and played an important role in the development of the farm tractor here in the U.S. There’s still something about seeing and hearing a well restored old tractor. It brings back memories to this old farm boy, as I’m sure it does to many who grew up driving what some may call “junk.” Just remember, one man’s junk is another man’s toy. And best of all in the case of an old tractor, you don’t have to clean up after it in the parade.
See you next week…real good then.
The scurs got a little surprise as did much of the area with the Friday night thunderstorms that rolled through the area. Are there any more such occurrences on tap for this Farm and City Days? Starting Wednesday, mostly sunny with highs of 80 – 85 and lows of 60 – 65. Thursday and Friday, clear skies with highs of 80 – 85 and lows of 65 – 70. Becoming partly cloudy overnight into Saturday with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm increasing into the evening hours. Highs 80 – 85 and lows around 70. Partly cloudy on Sunday with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs near 85 and lows around 65. Partly cloudy on Monday with highs of 80 and lows near 60. Mostly cloudy on Tuesday with a good chance of thunderstorms. Highs close to 80 and lows around 65. The normal high for July 10th is 83 and the normal low is 61. We have already lost some daylight, having lost approximately 12 minutes since the summer solstice. The scurs don’t care. They are focused on cornering the market for putty knives to scrape all the road kill Tootsie Rolls off people’s soles following the Farm and City Days Parade.
This past week saw more of what the doctor ordered for the corn crop in this area. Warm temperatures and some timely rain this time of year never hurts, especially for a crop that has been slightly behind thus far. It is apparent in many areas that the nitrogen properly applied last fall and this spring is still there judging by the reaction of the corn in areas of the field that had been pale in color. Some areas where water stood or there have been compaction issues there is no fix to it although some have tired. It’s a little like feeding a runt pig or a bottle lamb. You know that the outcome will likely be unrewarding yet it’s difficult to do nothing sometimes. Soybeans have for much of the area started flowering in earnest and second cutting hay has already been harvested in areas. Small grain and pea crops look good in most cases with the drier weather being to their liking as well.
The flying biting insect crop has been doing remarkably well too. Mosquitoes are making life miserable, especially near dusk, although on days when it has been relatively calm, they make life miserable during the daytime too. Deer flies have been a nuisance, especially when one gets near a body of water and their bigger cousins, the horse flies, are starting to appear as well. And of course the smaller biting stable flies have added their touch also, making chores with long pants a necessity most times. The toads have been doing their best to take a bite out of the fly population. I watched one parked by a feed sack the other night, curious as to what it might be up to. As luck would have it, the feed contains liquid molasses and that attracts flies, well, like liquid molasses. They love it. The toad patiently waited until the flies would crawl down within range, then would flick its tongue at lightning speed to get the insect and position itself again for the next potential victim. I saw it take at least a half dozen of them out of the picture in about 10 minutes and, given the number of toads we have around the yard, that gets to be a lot of flies and other insects taken out of commission. Cucumber beetles showed up this past week in the garden so if you haven’t looked at your vine crops in awhile, it might not be a bad idea to check them and treat appropriately. More benign insects, the fireflies or lightning bugs, have been putting on a spectacular shows every evening since late last week. Difficult to recall a summer where they have been more numerous than what we’ve seen so far this July.
Around the yard at the ranch the fledgling birds are all over the place. There are some young orioles starting to come to the jelly feeder now and by the mournful cry they make when lost in the trees without the parents, one would swear they’d lost their last friend. Young wrens are noisily strewn about in the bushes and brush piles and this is just the start. There are several more nests so they are having a banner season. Young tree swallows have left some of the nesting boxes although there are some that didn’t get nesting right away or had to contend with house sparrows before yours truly stepped in and leveled the playing field a tad. The robin in the barn is on her second brood now with little heads popping up above the rim of the nest whenever there is commotion. And what would a farmyard be without lots of young barn swallows perched here and there as the adults feed them then teach them how to catch insects themselves so they can get back to raising a 2nd brood.
The 4th of July weekend came and went. With Mrs. Cheviot at yet another sheep show for the week, Ruby and I had to do it all once again. I tilled the garden, picked peas, sprayed weeds and insects, fixed fence, repaired a water line, mowed the lawn, got a load of oats, picked up feed, treated some sick lambs, did an hour of chores morning and night, all this while working some long, hot hours at work. And that’s just the stuff I remember doing. I’m sure I was starting to look a little gaunt, so my little fat buddy and his wife who live on Beaver Lake took pity on me. Never turn down a free meal, as another little fat buddy once told me. It was a wonderful opportunity to graze on a wonderful spread of food, visit, then relax in their boat and gaze at the tremendous fireworks display. Sure beat the heck out of getting in the house every night well after dark, wondering what could be tossed together and still qualify as food.
See you next week…real good then.