Like a lazy flowing river surrounding castles in the sky

The scurs discovered the Weather Eye heat control cable was bent. One is on order at the local AMC dealer. Is it back-ordered meaning more heat or in stock meaning cooler conditions? Starting Thursday, partly sunny with a good chance of overnight rain. Highs in the mid-80's with lows in the upper 60's. Partly sunny Friday with a good chance of forenoon rain. Highs in the upper 70's with lows in the low 60's. Sunny on Saturday with highs in the low 80's and lows in the low 60's. Sunday, sunny becoming mostly cloudy late with highs in the low 80's and lows in the mid-60's. Partly sunny on Monday with highs in the upper 80's with lows in the upper 60's. Tuesday, mostly cloudy with highs in the mid-80's with lows in the low 60's. Mostly cloudy on Wednesday with highs in the low 80's and lows in the low 60's. On July 30th we'll see sunrise at 6 a.m. CDT. On August 4th we will have lost just over one hour of daylight since the summer solstice. The normal high for August 4th is 80 and the normal low is 61. The scurs will back the central air down for a while.

 

Concerns have been expressed about how this crop, particularly the corn, is handling the heat. If we can keep limiting it to a few days of overnight lows in the 70's we should be fine. There is early planted, early maturity corn already in the dough stage. What can happen if the situation is prolonged, the plant deposits fewer carbohydrates, matures early resulting in smaller kernels and hence lower yield. We have been fairly fortunate. Saturday was overcast and the high temperature didn't get close to the forecast high. We've also received ample precipitation in July, to the tune of nearly 8" for the month at the ranch and in Bugtussle. We've also caught some periods of cooler weather as well. If we can limit the number and duration of hot spells from here on out we should be in good shape.

 

Soybeans have been the sleeper crop thus far. It was amazing to look in the canopy on some of them this past week to discover they're already R4 to early R5 stage. At R4, there is at least one pod ¾" long at one of the uppermost four nodes of the main stem with a fully expanded leaf. At R5, the plant has one pod with a seed 1/8" long at one of the uppermost four nodes on the main stem with a fully expanded leaf. The heat has been pushing this crop too.

 

Soybean aphids have made an appearance, but they've got a lot of catching up to do on large, healthy plants. The high humidity makes it more likely that pathogenic fungi may be keeping the aphids in check until the cavalry arrives in the form of beneficial insects, including everyone's favorite winter houseguests.

 

Disease pressure in both crops remains relatively light with bacterial leaf streak being fairly easy to find in corn.

 

Some anecdotal reports of white mold in soybeans, although the heat hasn't been conducive to that disease. It's more prevalent when conditions are cooler. Probably the biggest concern has been southern rust in corn. That remains just to our south in IA. No confirmed cases yet in Minn. as of this writing. Last year it was found in local corn fields on July 19th. We also had a steady southerly flow of air moving it up rapidly from the south heading into August. Rain makes grain, except when it doesn't.

 

Tar spot has been kept at bay as well. Unlike southern rust, it overwinters here on corn residue. It has been found to our west and east, but like white mold in soybeans, it likes it cooler. It may gain a foothold, but when temps heat up, it tends to shut down. There has been a lot of fungicide applied this season. Drones, ground rigs and airplanes were active in area fields the past two weeks. Will it pay? That's the problem with fungicide applications. It's an insurance policy, one that isn't a slam dunk every time it's applied. In this part of the corn belt, it's probably more like a three-point shot. Odds of an economic response are slanted more in that direction.

 

Our rainfall pattern this July has been unique. After mentioning back in June that it had been a long time since we had recorded a rainfall event of more than an inch, we've recorded three starting July Ist at the ranch and two in Bugtussle. It's especially interesting that the three events at the ranch were actually over 2" falling rapidly. This meant rainwater cascading down our road ditch at high rate of speed until it reached the flatter areas to the south, flowing lazily into Mud Lake and eventually the LeSueur River. The mosquitoes have been loving it with no relief in sight. Could be a long August at this rate.

 

Poppy has developed a bedtime ritual of sorts. After all the heat, I shower before turning in. It's nice to wash all that sweat and grime off before climbing into bed. I usually turn the TV on, so it's on when I get there. The bed is a little bit of a hike for Poppy to jump onto, but she's determined it can be done. When I return from the bathroom, frequently there's a Corgi in my bed, sleeping in my spot. After some persuasion she grudgingly moves to the opposite corner of the mattress. Upon a few minutes of working the soft blanket around to her satisfaction, she stretches out and falls fast asleep. It usually doesn't take much time and I'm out too. Some nights she's there for a few minutes before leaving for her pillow in the living room. Other times she's there for several hours. I can always hear the "thunk" when she decides it's time to move back to her pillow in the living room. Has to keep her routine.

See you next week...real good then.