More Farmers

More farmers are finding sick corn roots like those in the picture. Oh great, there will be no picture right now because Google has taken that option away. I hope this is temporary.

Another person whom I don't know sent me these in email this morning. These look like the ones I have found in fields in the various states we have travelled in this summer and like the ones shown on Crop Talk and across the land this year.

Southern Rust has now been confirmed in Iowa. This makes sense. The already weakened corn plant is subject to anything that comes along from Goss's Wilt to other bacterial diseases to Southern Corn Rust. I wonder if the diseases and disorder piggy back what is already going on inside the plant versus the mystery problem piggy backing the diseases?

I know one thing, it sure screws up a good crop and once you get drought and disease the crop goes to pot so fast you don't know what happened. I have not forgotten that farmer in our NNTC presentation on Goss's Wilt by Amy Bandy in January who told me this thing cost him 125 bushels per acre last year whether it was Goss's Wilt or not or more than one thing. It compounds the issue. I hope someone finds what this issue is so we can work the corn industry away from it.

All anyone cares about now is rain. Few people are even listening to anything else. This drought is now being called bigger than 88 and the worst since 1954 in this country. It could break more records before its over but it all isn't just the drought, I am sure.

I am still way behind but I got a lot done the last two days. I am inside now to cool off because it is just too hot in the fields for me now. A young farmer saw me in my fields and stopped to see what I was doing and we talked until we both got so hot we couldn't stand it.

It sure was hot at the Red's game last night in Cincinnati. The Reds might get into a dought, too, without Joey Votto. His bat was sorely missed but Arroyo just didn't have any speed and the Diamondbacks knocked the cover off the ball. I predict the Reds won't get into the playoffs and if they do, they won't last long. I hate to say that but I saw firsthand last night their situation.

Say a prayer for Will's surgeons tonight, please. I remember how scary surgery is from November 3, 1976.

Thanks,

Ed Winkle