Things continue to dry down fast in this heat. Working on equipment has not been very fun as hot as it’s been. We will start chopping today. Amazingly, the heat hasn’t been affecting cattle too much. They have been taking it pretty well. Didn’t have any calves this week. Hopefully it will co…
Things started changing fast around here this week. Corn is dying down, not exactly maturing the way you would like to see. The heat we’re getting will surely speed it up. We had our first fall calf, so we pulled some cows off some nice green grass and brought them home. Need to get chopping…
We made a couple trips to the state fair this week, so haven’t been out in the fields at all. Dewy mornings have continued to keep things damp. We noticed moss growing in the shade, but digging any hole will tell you that we haven’t gained a lot of soil moisture. Have noticed what appears to…
This last week has been a damp one, but not a washout. It’s been muddy for five days in a row, something we haven’t seen in a very long time. That has brought some life back to the pastures, and the yard needs mowed again. We have had a couple cool days to get some things done, and a few mis…
Aaron and Chrissy Schnepel live and farm near Carson, Iowa, in Pottawattamie County, with their son, Brock, a high school sophomore, and daughter, Baylee, an eighth grader. They grow corn and soybeans and some cover cropping on a couple thousand acres with Aaron’s dad, Mark, and uncle, Condo…
Tuesday night we got 4 inches of rain. It put water in the terrace behind my house for the first time this year. It couldn’t have come at a better time as the clay spots were starting to show in some of the beans. Some drizzle and fog and another half inch on Saturday has kept it damp — hope…
We got three-quarters of an inch of rain, and the cooler temperatures made working outside much more enjoyable this week. We have been working on cleaning up some trees in pasture and doing a little dirt work. It’s amazing how good the crops look for how little moisture there is in the soil.
Not much has changed this week. We got a few days’ break from the heat, but it’s back now. Crops look good. Have seen some late-planted corn rolling up. Shouldn’t have to mow the yard for a while — it’s brown. Pasture is also drying up fast.
It’s been a hot and dry week. Been great for baling hay but not the most pleasant way to be at the county fair. The dust is back and a rain to settle it would be appreciated. Fungicide continues to be sprayed along with respraying a few beans with weed escapes.
Fungicide spraying started in the area this week, although it’s not as aggressive as I expected. Japanese beetles have some concerned, but I haven’t seen enough to merit spraying. They just seem to be spotty, which is what we seem to be getting used to. Heat has crops growing nicely but has …
The corn has really grown over the last 10 days. First-planted fields are tasseling, and most of the rest of it is getting close. Soybeans have been progressing, but they are a little slower and steadier. Some beans look amazing, and some are just a little uneven. We’ve been missing the heav…
This has been a fast-paced week of bean spraying. Beans are starting to take off, so hopefully they will all be to canopy soon. Staying ahead of the waterhemp has been challenging. Corn looks good.
Beans have been sprayed this past week. It would sure be nice if they would get to growing. Corn has really taken off and evened out, but beans seem to be struggling. Wind a week ago didn’t affect much corn but tore up bean leaves pretty significantly. South of here there was some hail that …
This week we got ours. Early morning storm on Thursday brought strong winds — snapping trees in our yard, breaking up windbreak trees and throwing a portable cattle shed out into the field. Apparently, that’s what it takes to get an inch of much-needed rain. Crops are looking good. Wind didn…
This last week seemed to fly by as crops are starting to take off, but there is still a lot of unevenness. Rain continues to be variable. Most that got more rain also got hail or damaging winds. We missed out on most of that but did lose some old oak trees in the pasture.
The heat this week has things really taking off. There is some unevenness in some corn and soybean fields that rain and heat will hopefully help even out. Rain has been coming just as it’s needed, but we haven’t been gaining any extra. But that gave us a good dry window for field work. Corn …
The rain at the beginning of the week was just what we needed around here, but the cold temperatures have really slowed things down — both crop growth and field activity. It doesn’t dry out much when it is only 60 degrees. Little bit of hay being mowed was the only field work I saw happening…
This week, we worked on moving cows to pasture, tore up the lots they were in and planted our silage corn. We received 1 inch of rain Saturday night and another 0.5 inch tonight should get that corn out of the ground. There was a lot of replanting going on around here this week. I have not s…
It’s been another dry and dusty week around here, which is great for planting. We’re just getting finished up. Wind has been calm as well, letting spraying and some fertilizer spreading get caught up. We have heard some concerns about frost on some of the early-planted acres and some crustin…
The week started out damp around here. The rain Sunday into Monday didn’t amount to much around here at a half an inch or so. I’ve heard not that far away had as much as 3 inches. But the cold temps and lack of sun kept us out of the field until Wednesday afternoon, when we found a farm dry …
Things were moving fast around here this week. A lot has been planted in a hurry. Thursday evening storms were spotty, with our fields getting anywhere from half an inch to nothing. So, planting didn’t slow until Saturday night brought a widespread half inch and a little more spotty rain Sun…
There’s not a lot going on. We’re not rolling out a lot yet. It’s always dusty — still dry as far as subsoil. We have planters ready to hit fields, but it’s still dry and anhydrous and pre-planting spraying is getting done. Cooperatives are struggling to get it wrapped up. We kept working on…
Aaron and Chrissy Schnepel live and farm near Carson, Iowa, in Pottawattamie County, with their son, Brock, a high school sophomore, and daughter, Baylee, an eighth grader.
Aaron and Chrissy Schnepel live and farm near Carson, Iowa, in Pottawattamie County, with their son, Brock, a high school sophomore, and daughter, Baylee, an eighth grader. They grow corn and soybeans and some cover cropping on a couple thousand acres with Aaron’s dad, Mark, and uncle, Condo…
We had a pretty good year. We got the crop off to a good start even though bean stands were a little thin. We had good rains through summer and were looking at a record crop, but disease pressure later in the season trimmed some yield off. Yields were still at average production history or a…