Devin Davis’s work on his family farms began at age 10. He eventually returned to work there after attending the University of Northern Iowa, Drake and the Culinary Institute of America. Helping operate 2,000 acres in Warren, Clarke and Madison counties, Davis hopes to boost soil health and reduce risk using no-till, cover crops and buffer strips. In addition, Davis has worked to expand his crop rotation by double-cropping winter wheat with soybeans. He receives help on the farms from his great-uncle Warren Davis.
Devin Davis, South Central Iowa CropWatch Journal
Devin Davis’s work on his family farms began at age 10. He eventually returned to work there after attending the University of Northern Iowa, Drake and the Culinary Institute of America. Helping operate 2,000 acres in Warren, Clarke and Madison counties,
Introducing Devin Davis
April 20: Pretty darn wet and unseasonably cold
It’s been pretty darn wet and unseasonably cold, as well. We did not get much done until yesterday with the sprayers out in the fields. We have not touched the planter yet. If the next two to three weeks can be drier and highs near 75 degrees, that’s getting close to when we want to hit dirt. We’ve had other flurries of activities, such as some anhydrous spraying, but you don’t want to plant in mud. We’ll wait and see how it goes for awhile.
April 27: Tractors finally started to get moving
This week was a busy one. Tractors finally started to get moving and a lot of people started planting or finishing up field work Monday through Wednesday. Another rainstorm came through Thursday and stopped most field work. Watching it rain yesterday (Sunday) and today (Monday). We are catching up on maintenance, and we will have the sprayer running where we can before it is dry enough to plant again. We are hoping to be back in the field planting on Wednesday.
May 4: Last of the rain missed most of us
Busy week this week. I believe most people in this area got into the field as the last of the rain missed most of us. The last of fertilizer was going on as well as spraying and tillage. The weekend saw planters running, and we are sitting about 40% planted ourselves.
May 11: A great window for field work
We had a great window for field work this last week. Everyone has been running hard since last weekend. I believe a lot of people will finish with planting or be getting close in the next few days. We've finished corn, and we our trying to wrap up the last 35% of beans as well as finish preemerge spraying. Hay fields are starting to look pretty good, and we will be thinking about first cutting soon.
May 18: Wide-open window of dry conditions
We had a wide-open window of dry conditions across the area for the last week. Almost everyone has wrapped up planting with the beautiful weather, and some hay fields were cut. Things are dry, and a lot of people would like to see rain to make sure germination is successful.
