Cool Weather

It does not feel like the last week of July here in southwest Ohio.  I bet many of you are thinking the same thing.  We seem to be going through a cycle that is much different than I remember most of my lifetime.

You have record warm on the left like 2012 and record cool on the right, 2014, just like the crops in my picture show.

The 70's had times like these but I was a young man full of vim and vigor and didn't pay much attention to it.  I just tried to respond to it like I am today.

The lack of solar activity and everything man has done to Earth has an effect.  No one knows how much.  What is coming?  What should we prepare for?

I am hoping I have enough heat this summer to mature my double crop Clermont and Jacob soybeans into seed good enough to plant next year.  If I don't, my seed supplier's crop looks good and they were planted before mine, though not very much sooner.

The markets are low and if cash is short I can plant soybeans next year and benefit from all of the crop rotation and soil amendments I have applied.  I am at a different stage and position in my life than anyone else and I really can't compare myself to anyone.  I have to do what's best for me.  I have a lifetime of experience to base it on but it's hard not to do what the neighbors are doing sometimes.

As I have said, this weather is great for scouting and I've had plenty of fields to scout.  It's been fun this summer with some days of too much water and a little too warm but overall, pretty cool scouting weather.  That signals in my brain that crops aren't growing like they normally do.

The local fairs are doing well because of this cool weather.  I am very happy for them because I love state and county fairs!  This surely must be one of the coolest county fair temperatures this week.

I have enjoyed judging at local county fairs this month and I hope you all did well.

These record low temperatures have us big picture people wondering what is next!

Have a great day,

Ed Winkle