Saturday, March 22nd...

The winter continues to drag on.  With a few intermittent days of 60+ degrees we are beginning to work on spring jobs.  Planting equipment is being readied and spring projects such as tree trimming and the occasional dirt moving are now taking center stage.  Most all of our seed corn has been delivered and our shed and shop are starting to get full.  We remain very dry and for the moment we don't have any snow or snow piles remaining.  A few neighbors have talked about trying to apply some anhydrous ammonia next week and the local tilers are running hard installing spring tile projects since the frost is now out of the ground.  At the moment it appears the soil will be dry enough to plant as soon as we are bold enough to start, but the soil temperatures at 2" still remains in the lower 30's with the 10 day forecast calling for unseasonably cool/cold temperatures.  Will the markets react and continue to incentivize corn acres or will farmers get cold feet and switch to soybeans on the acres they can switch?  Only time will tell.  

Pictures from the past as well as a few pictures from our recent activity are posted below.

Spring 1980 - The Fleet

New 4840 brought home during the ice storm of 1978 - March 29th

Window sticker for our new 4630 tractor

Addition of a new tile riser and dry dam on the Arnold farm near Jacksonville

Using the brush mower to trim the trees and saplings back on the Arnold farm