2013-4-30
There has been some tillage done in the area, and NH3 is going on in a few fields. I'm sure we'll be running full speed soon.
2013-4-27
The drill rig is working on a new well and the rest of us are working on tile. A tile line we plowed in last year severed a couple old lines, which are now visible by the wet spots they create. Se we dig them up and hook them together to make it drain again.
2013-4-26
Fixing tile today. Always a joy to walk in mud, dig a hole, and put your hand in water that is barely above freezing. When trenching in new tile, we will usually end up unknowingly cutting across an old clay tile, which plugs it. As the water pressure builds, it will eventually blow a hole to the surface and water will appear to be boiling out of the ground. We come in with a backhoe to dig down to the tile and fix the problem. Often these clay tiles are many decades old, very fragile, and nobody knows where they are. There is a fair bit of systematic probing and guessing when trying to locate tile lines.
2013-4-23
A local sign company went out of business and is auctioning off all the equipment. I had to check it out to see if I needed anything. I think there were 40+ welders listed.
2013-4-17
More rain. The ground appears to be completely saturated right now. I'm sure it is dry a few feet down, but it takes time to soak in. The temperature is 40 degrees and the 7 day forecast includes more rain and cool temeratures. Tick tock.
2013-4-13
Land auction today. How would anyone get started in agriculture today from scratch? A million dollars worth of dirt isn't enough to keep one man busy on a farm, but how does someone without a functional operation acquire enough land to make the operation profitable? You can get a loan, but you still need a significant down payment. The reality of agriculture in the US today is that you're either born in to it, marry in to it, or you work for someone that owns a farm. I'm curious to see how this changes over the next 20 years.
2013-4-11
Another rainy day. The weather forecast is rather cold, so it's quite possible we won't plant any corn until May.
2013-4-10
Rain most of the day, which was awesome. There is water running out of the field tile again, something we haven't seen in a while.
2013-4-8
First 70 degree day of the year, sure was nice to not wear a coat. The machinery is mostly ready to go, but mother nature is a running late this year. We're probably a week away from doing much of anything.
