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West Central

Aug. 31: Early beans a week from cutting

    Hot and dry. There is a first time for everything: We could use a rain. Early beans are about a week away from cutting, and corn still above 20%. We'll get there.

    Aug. 24: If the yard needs mowed constantly, the crops are growing

      There has been a few guys sticking their beaks into some corn. It’s still too wet for me to deal with, so I’ll probably wait another week. With the spring we had, beans are all over the place — from just flowering to turning yellow, we've got it all. A few places the cockleburs are doing rea…

      Aug. 17: The early bird always catches a worm

        We had a popup shower Saturday night that left us a half inch. I’ve found some insect problems in the beans and a few worms. Not real bad but need to keep an eye on it. Lot of silage being chopped, and one friend of mine started shelling corn last week. The early bird always catches a worm.

        R.T. Slack, West Central Missouri CropWatch

        R.T. Slack, West Central Missouri CropWatch

          R.T. Slack farms with family in Henry and Johnson counties in west-central Missouri. He says conditions are muddy heading into spring planting time. He grows corn and soybeans and also puts up some alfalfa hay.

          Aug. 10: Keep coming with the rain, and we'll send the grain

            Everything is looking pretty good. Still impossible to bale hay — keeps raining even when they don’t have it in the forecast. That’s not a complaint, I promise you. Keep coming with the rain, and we'll send the grain.

            Aug. 3: Mother Nature won last week’s battle

              Mother Nature won last week’s battle. Mowed hay that would never dry due to high humidity. They were calling for no rain from Sunday to Friday. It rained three times. I’m pretty sure the planter passed the baton to the hay rake. Every time I’d drag it across the field, it would rain. Still s…

              July 27: It’s not fit for man nor beast

                Rain has been a little spotty, but I managed to get a pretty nice shower. Most everything around here is looking decent. We had a couple days that felt cool, then the heat moved in. It’s not fit for man nor beast here in the State of Misery (Missouri).

                July 20: Late corn is hanging on

                  The heat has finally arrived. Luckily we’ve been getting a few spotty showers. The early corn looks good, and the late corn is hanging on. Beans seem to be enjoying the heat and humidity, but they always do. Hopefully we can get hay finished up this week and move on to something more excitin…

                  July 13: The beauty of farming is there is never a lack for something to do

                    After we wrapped up planting and got some hay put up, we got a couple pretty good rains. Funny how it rained all spring, and we really needed it. A few beans around still need sprayed. We can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, just in time for the next big thing. The beauty of f…

                    July 6: Finally we got the break we were looking for

                      Finally we got the break we were looking for. We finished up planting beans and got some spraying done. I can’t begin to tell you how many bales of hay were born this week. Four balers were on fire in my neighborhood, including my own. Three of them were saved. So be sure to check those bear…

                      June 26: It’s plenty warm and plenty wet

                        It’s plenty warm and plenty wet, but we were able to sneak in and wrap up bean planting. Some will definitely have to be redone. Seems silly to have to rush to cash a crop insurance date, but rules are rules, and we all play by the rules. Wheat was way ahead of normal. We wrapped that up tod…

                        June 22: Looks like mud once again

                          Looks like mud once again. We did manage to mud some in last week and did find a couple dry spots, but that’s over after the last rain. Still waiting on mud. The hay guys are still waiting, too. The beans I planted in March look like I should have planted a lot more. They look like a million bucks.

                          June 15: Looks like mud. Thats about all.

                            Rained again, and more rain coming. Looks like mud. Thats about all. I sound like a broken record.

                            June 8: It rains every day

                              It rains every day. The question is, how much? We did manage to plant about 500 acres in two days’ time. Just barely got it dry enough and ran with it. I’m so tired of rain; we are soaked again from rain today. Calling for rain all week. Wheat is getting really close. Starting to see a few w…

                              June 1: Beans are still chilling in the seed box

                                Some corn looks good; some corn needs another shot of nitrogen. Beans are still chilling in the seed box. Wheat is starting to turn. It refuses to stop raining long enough to get anything accomplished. We replanted some corn last Thursday in mud, then started on beans. It started raining abo…

                                May 22: Another wet week on the record

                                  Another wet week on the record. Showers moved in Sunday night and hung around until Tuesday evening. Thursday afternoon added some light showers to keep the saturation present. Cooler weather has slowed crop growth slightly, but the countryside is getting greener and greener with new crop em…

                                  May 18: Nice to finally get something done

                                    There was a lot of corn and beans planted last week. More rain is coming, they say. Hopefully we’ll get another dry stretch soon to hammer these beans on out. Wheat is coming along. Some alfalfa got baled, too. Nice to finally get something done.

                                    May 11: We finally have some sunshine

                                      We finally have some sunshine. With a little luck, maybe we can plant something this week.

                                      May 4: Finally it’s going to be dry enough to do something

                                        Finally it’s going to be dry enough to do something on Monday (May 4). Rain again on Tuesday. Missouri farming is living up to its name — misery! Wheat is pretty much headed out. Looks decent. Send warm temps — we need it.

                                        April 27: After 24 days of mud, we managed to find a drier spot

                                          After 24 days of mud, we managed to find a drier spot in the county. It was none too dry, but we got 250 acres planted in one day. Woke up the next morning to more rain. Now it’s raining again. Another 2.25 inches and counting. We really need to save some for August. All those in favor say “aye.”

                                          April 20: We have not turned off the tap since April 1

                                            Lots of corn was planted in March, but we have not turned off the tap since April 1. It’s all mud. Nothing but mud. And wind. It’s been pretty windy. We missed the storm here, but we always get the rain. I’ve lost track of the inches.

                                            R.T. Slack, West Central Missouri CropWatch Journal

                                            R.T. Slack, West Central Missouri CropWatch Journal

                                              R.T. Slack farms with family in Henry and Johnson counties in west-central Missouri. He says conditions are muddy heading into spring planting time. He grows corn and soybeans and also puts up some alfalfa hay.

                                              Introducing R.T. Slack

                                                R.T. Slack farms with family in Henry and Johnson counties in west-central Missouri. He says conditions are muddy heading into spring planting time. He grows corn and soybeans and also puts up some alfalfa hay.

                                                Wrap-up: Beans made something for themselves

                                                  This year started out pretty good. We were able to get our NH3 on without too much delay. We were able to get a lot planted before a three-week shutdown for rain prior to finishing. Then every time we started a hay mower it would rain. Rained just a little every few days till wheat season. T…

                                                  Nov. 3: Mother Nature needs a chill pill

                                                    Beans are coming along pretty well. Mother Nature needs a chill pill. We lost eight days because it drizzled four and a half days to get 1 inch. Finally back at it today. This week looks very promising. Getting some wheat planted as well.

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