Good For Missouri

Looking for some cheery news this morning, it is good to hear Missouri farmers are ahead of last year. I know we had it better last year than they did as that region had 3 wet springs in a row and I imagine some farmers have four in a row. That is not a good thing on the farm.

Planting progress beats last year

By Jessie Belt, Missouri Farmer Today
Wednesday, May 11, 2011 1:48 PM CDT

SHELBYVILLE --- For Northeast Missouri farmer David Vannoy, this year’s planting is running a little ahead of schedule, at least compared to last year’s spring.

Vannoy is one of the four generations involved in the family farming operation Smith-Vannoy Farms, which was originally started by his grandfather.

The farming operation, which plants a third of its acres in corn and two-thirds of its acres in beans, has roughly 1,000 acres of corn left to plant this spring.

Last year, Smith-Vannoy Farms started planting in the middle of April only to have several acres to replant. The family finally finished planting by the end of May.

Most years, fall seem to disappear rather quickly as farmers try to get their crops harvested. However, last year’s fall cooperated nicely. Smith-Vannoy Farms took advantage of the good weather and were able to work their ground and even some of their terraces before winter.

Vannoy said May 5 the “ground dries out so much faster when it’s been chiseled.” Being able to prepare their land seems to have put them ahead of schedule. They planted the first of their corn April 7.

Despite early preparation and planting, the weather quickly turned cool and wet. Vannoy said they still have no idea on whether they will need to replant any of their early planted corn.

Without any replants, he estimated they could finish planting corn in four to five days if the weather would cooperate and the bottom ground would dry out.

With the end of the corn acres in sight the thought of switching to beans is starting to creep into their minds. With a little help from Mother Nature, they could switch as early as next week.

You can count the fields of corn around here on one hand. It will be past the 20th when we get back into the fields as we expect 3 more days of this dreary weather with no sunshine.

It was 45 degrees when I woke up this morning. It's even too cold to ride the lawn mower and it all needs mowed again. Some of the barnyard I have left for the bush hog.

At least we got to wish Tyler a happy second birthday last night. It looked like Christmas at his house with all kinds of new toys but they all got tossed into the trailer of his new John Deere electric tractor. It didn't take him long to figure out you get off on the left side of the tractor or you step on the go pedal that makes it move if you step on the right side.

I'd hate to be on an open station tractor today with wind and mist blowing from the east. I am sure we did that years ago and I still do.

I think I will stay inside today. The trees and the weeds are about the only plants growing outside in this weather.

Ed