Walking Corn Fields in January

I am missing walking corn fields in January right now.  As soon as we got to the Pellow's farm, we were out there walking tall corn ready to tassel in the middle of January.  I think I get more pleasure walking crop fields than anything else in life.  My little scouting job for Ohio Seed Improvement in 1985 has turned into a lifelong passion.

I better start walking some wheat fields because mine needs top dressed right now.  My little plants are craving minerals, lots of them for a big yield they have the potential to make.  I don't have the equipment or soil conditions to address that need right now but I better get to it, I am already losing yield by not getting some fertilizer on now.

Everyone wants to get a little nitrogen on the their wheat at this point in the ballgame but I really want to get on a dab of every needed nutrient.  There are 17 nutrients recognized, you know.

That corn I walked needed it, too.  I am getting an eye for good crops and I would say that one was starving.  It had stripes in the leaves and a SAP test is needed to find out what all those needs are.  Hidden hunger in plants has intrigued me too, since I first learned about it may years ago.  If I had just had Jeff or Keith there and Rick and his plane loaded with goodies, we could add 20-50 bu to that corn in a hurry!

We are sick of eating out.  We haven't had a good home cooked meal since we left Glenys' house in January and none here at the ranch since a couple of weeks before that.  Ryan Swisshelm was here again yesterday laying down mud on the drywall.  Now the dreaded sanding comes to really ruin my atmosphere next week.  All of that before we can think about paint.  Yuck.  Just think though how important that wallboard is as gypsum to flocculate the clay particles in our soil.  There is a Midwest Symposium on gypsum at Ada March 7.

Tara is fixing us pork chops tonight and I am looking forward to that right now!  Even better we get to see Katherine Grace who is growing like a weed.  I am out of touch with my kids and my grand kids.

If any of our friends from down under is reading this, we can't thank you enough for your hospitality until you come to our house.  I know it's a big trip, but if we can do it, you can do it!

Ed