Remembering '88

[Hopalong]

As an old timer, can remember 1961 as a hotter, dryer year than any of the eighties.
A difference from eighties was that 1960, 62 and 63 were all good crop years and most profitable since before the wet years of fifties. Many or even most sloughs that had three feet or more of water in fall of 1960 were dry the next fall and a lot were seeded and grew crops the next two years.
Too early to write this year off but experience says be prepared for a dry one even after all the wet ones.

[sofa.king]

We seem to be kind of following a drought flood cycle that has a will continue to repeat itself even before the climate nazis came out of closet.

[furrowtickler]

Lol Sofa - true to that

[woodland]

We seem to be kind of following a drought flood cycle that has a will continue to repeat itself even before the climate nazis came out of closet.

I'll second that. Just sucks when you're stuck in the "depths" of the cycle.

[biglentil]

Wind is sucking the life out of everything. Brutalllll

[farmaholic]

Even me biglentil....even me. It's my nemesis! Even the too wet guys have started to curse the hot dry winds because it turned their seeded fields to concrete.

With low humidity its an extreme dessicant!

[MBgrower]

88 was the hotest driest i ever experienced. Yields were 1/3 of average. August was exceptional hot. remember harvesting in 37c days. At least the combines and swathers already had air conditing. Harvest was complete 3rd week of august if i recall.

[sumdumguy]

A ridge of lows is heading our way from Idaho. Now that the jetstream has moved off way to the west, I think there is a chance. If we get rain now, all will be ok. Let's hope Tuesday night is the million dollar rain. It,s just the first week in June.

[farmaholic]

A ridge of lows is heading our way from Idaho. Now that the jetstream has moved off way to the west, I think there is a chance. If we get rain now, all will be ok. Let's hope Tuesday night is the million dollar rain. It,s just the first week in June.

Sumdumguy;

Here in the dry Slum of the Ghetto that converts to the Hundred Thousand dollar rain.

Drew sez don't expect much change in the pattern til mid June. Regardless of what the forecasters say I keep my expectations low as not to get too disappointed. Just easier that way!

[furrowtickler]

[sofa.king]

I learned farming in the eighties and I thought I would never curse rain after that but I never knew what too wet was like. It's a good thing when you are young and don't have the knowledge the "old guys" have cause you would never start farming. I've had drought grasshoppers aphids flea beetles hail flood wind and grain buyers take my crops and even lost crop to my own stupidity if most 20 year Olds knew what was in store for them they would run but it seems with getting older you realize farming really sucks at times but it's still a pretty good life.

[farming101]

A few forecasts are looking for a half inch for us by Tuesday night.
Cut that in half, a quarter inch is more likely.
That could be it till next Saturday/Sunday
yr.no has us down for zilch till the 10th then 2 inches by the end of the 11th. I doubt it but who knows 8 days away

NOAA 48 hour totals for Wednesday morning

[sawfly1]

hot dry april may in 88. still had smf , on 20 th april moisture was 1/4 inch below surface.
by the 20th of may . untouched by a implement it had turned to ash 4 inches deep.
never seen anything like it. ever .
the poorer job of seeding you did the better. had a field of Durham. the only spots that grew were the low spots. 20 % the rest laid there till the end of June or beginning of july , when a rain germinated it.
was one of best crops around at 30 bushell/acre . compared to ones that germed in the spring
at 10 -12 bu
the only good thing , was you had great lake weather even in may.

same here , was told 61 was the bench mark for hot /dry that and 37.
but here 02 had to be the worst. 70 percent wrote off and 5-8 bushell on the rest.
peas went 2 bushell along with 2 bushell of grasshoppers .