You just might find you get what you need

The scurs are keeping close tabs on the Weather Eye after more gorgeous weather. Does Mother Nature step on the gas or does she continue to freewheel downhill in overdrive? Starting Thursday, mostly sunny with highs in the low 70’s and lows in the mid-50’s. Partly sunny Friday with a modest chance of a rain shower. Highs in the mid-70’s with lows in the upper 50’s. Partly sunny on Saturday with a good chance of evening rain. Highs in the low 80’s with lows in the low 60’s. Sunday, partly sunny with a modest chance of rain. Highs in the upper 80’s with lows in the upper 60’s. Mostly sunny on Monday with a slight chance of rain. Highs in the upper 80’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Tuesday, partly sunny with highs in the low 80’s and lows in the mid-60’s. Mostly sunny on Wednesday July 1st with thundershowers developing. Highs in the mid-80’s and lows in the mid-60’s. On June 29th our loss of daylight increases to just over a half minute per day. We will have already lost three minutes since the summer solstice on the 21st. The normal high for June 29th is 81 and the normal low is 61. Looks like the scurs will be tweaking with their AC setting once again.

 

June 29th also ushers in June’s Full Moon, which is most commonly known as the Full Strawberry Moon. It is the month noted for this red delicacy, the perfect topping for ice cream, in jam on toast, or eaten right out of the patch or container. Wild strawberries were also a favorite of both the Ojibwe and the Sioux, bestowing the strawberry moniker for this Full Moon as well. There are also other variations for those not into moons named after fruit, such as the River, Rose or Summer Moon. One that fits particularly well at the ranch is The Gardening Moon, aptly named for the many backbreaking hours spent trying to overcome the never ending purslane infestation.

 

Our growing season continues to impress. Corn is stretching, with much of it waist to chest high, depending on whose waist or chest you’re using. Corn growth has slowed, but hasn’t stalled by any stretch of the imagination. Corn is V9 – V12. While we aren’t as likely to see tassels by July 4th, don’t be surprised if they’re here a week or so later. One good thing about this cooler stretch of weather is it has bought us a little time in the soil moisture department. Traveling outside the immediate area on Monday, it was noticeably drier and the corn looked like it would welcome a drink. Soybeans are right at that R1 stage in most fields, meaning the use of glufosinate should be coming to an end for the season. Crops here would benefit from moisture, but so far, we have what we need.

 

My travels this past week also took me to a small grain meeting by Le Center that I really enjoyed. I truly enjoy seeing small grains on the landscape, partially because I grew up with oats in the rotation and I cut my agronomic teeth right out of college in the Durum Triangle area of North Dakota. Around the local area this year, there are many beautiful fields of small grain. The cooler weather of the past few weeks has been ideal for grain fill, much better than the blast furnace we sometimes encounter in mid-to-late June. Measured precipitation has also played into growers’ hands. Diseases such as crown rust and fusarium are less likely to occur under drier conditions. Most of the small grain is short statewide as speaker Jochum Wiersma pointed out. Does that have a negative impact on yield? Not necessarily. The MN state spring wheat yield record was broken in 2017 under the same conditions. Size really doesn’t matter.

 

The Back to the 50’s car show came and went for another year. My secretary and copilot took off early Saturday morning and got in the gates before 8:30. We found a great parking spot by the horse barn under a hackberry, although we really didn’t need the shade. Temps topped out around 75, a far cry from the 95 just a year earlier. Since the weather was cooler, the crowd was enormous. The streets were full of people, not unlike a comfortable afternoon at the State Fair except one had to remember that both sides of the street were lined with cars no newer than 1964. A lot of beautiful cars, many models which I probably rode in once upon a time. The Studebaker was a hit too. Not many of them around, so they draw attention. Best of all it ran like a dream all the way up and back thanks to my local Studebaker mechanic. Got to see Bemidji Bill too, so my day was complete. 

 

We got the cull ewes loaded up Monday morning and hauled to market that afternoon. Many of these ewes have had issues and, while some still look serviceable, looks can be deceiving. We also finished weaning the remainder of the ewes and lambs at the ranch on Monday. It gets pretty loud for a few days, but there’s no reason to keep feeding ewes that aren’t milking with lambs that are eight weeks old or older. That’s what they make pasture for. Since we did this without any assistance, it took some thought and planning to pull it off. Suffice it to say you have to be smarter than the sheep, which doesn’t take much. You also have to have cat-like reflexes, which let’s me out. It helps that some of the show ewes in our flock are used to being trailered from place to place. Get them headed in the right direction seeing an open trailer swing gate and they’re in it. 

 

Poppy was busy keeping an eye out for her wild turkeys last week. Much to her chagrin, none showed up. That didn’t stop her from keeping the bunnies and squirrels in line. It helps keep them out of the garden and other places they shouldn’t be. It’s been good sleeping weather recently for people. Likewise for Corgis. If there’s a breeze coming in the window, the corner of the bed works perfectly. Poppy’s not a TV watching dog like Ruby was, but she still has her moments. I couldn’t figure out why she was barking periodically Monday night after chores. Mrs. Cheviot had left to get some groceries, and the TV was on in the other room. I wasn’t watching it and heard her bark periodically. Odd. When I went to check I noticed there was a game show on. Every time someone answered a question correctly, a bell would sound very close in pitch to the doorbell. Barking ensued, so mystery solved.

 

See you next week…real good then.