The drought is getting real

[furrowtickler]

Smart farmers are using crop nutrition to prevent disease , not fungicides for the reason you just pointed out

[tweety]

Crop nutrition creates disease which has been demonstrated repeatedly by the organic industry. Fungicides are not required without added nutrients. Fungicides attempt to fix the problems with a high yielding, lush crop.

However the continual use creates even more problems by eliminating beneficial fungus so only the strong nasty survive, like fusarium. Taking out all its competition allows it to survive and thrive.

Its a vicious frickin circle and we all do it. Smart or not.

[furrowtickler]

I would say your correct, but it's an overuse of N and not enough attention to the micros. A lot of these herbicides and pre burn chemistry are tying up essential micro's combined with higher loads of N that's creating this disease mess .
And I agree with you 100% on the fungicide thing.

[farmaholic]

We as an industry have been applying pesticides for years and still haven't eradicated targeted weeds, insects and as of late, fungi. I will never argue that applications of fungicides are harder on certain populations of fungi than others.... because I simply don't know. In fact we all know how Mother Nature has evolved and gave us resistant weeds, are insects and fungi next to develop resistance? In keeping with the theme of this thread..... Mother Nature will be doing a fantastic job of "controlling" not "suppressing" disease this coming week(here anyway). Hard on the crop none-the-less but probably many times more the efficacy of what you put in the sprayer tank!

[furrowtickler]

Yup agree farma , the next 24 hrs here will tell the tale . If no rain and the heat / sun does crank up , not a drop 💧 of fungicide going on here.

[tweety]

Jul 4 - Jul 17 Day [°C] Night [°C] POP Rain Snow Conditions
Tuesday, July 4 27 Feels like 27 16 20% - - Mainly sunny
Wednesday, July 5 29 Feels like 31 15 10% - - Sunny
Thursday, July 6 26 Feels like 28 15 10% - - Sunny
Friday, July 7 26 Feels like 27 17 10% - - Sunny
Saturday, July 8 32 Feels like 34 19 0% - - Sunny
Sunday, July 9 35 Feels like 37 19 10% - - Sunny
Monday, July 10 30 Feels like 32 18 20% - - A mix of sun and clouds
Tuesday, July 11 28 Feels like 31 16 10% - - Sunny
Wednesday, July 12 29 Feels like 32 17 10% - - Sunny
Thursday, July 13 28 Feels like 31 18 10% - - Sunny
Friday, July 14 28 Feels like 31 18 10% - - Sunny
Saturday, July 15 28 Feels like 31 17 10% 2-4 mm - Sunny
Sunday, July 16 27 Feels like 29 16 10% - - Mainly sunny
Monday, July 17 32 Feels like 35 15 10% - - Mainly sunny

If its dry going into this, its going to get pretty ugly. This is SF3's forecast.

[farmaholic]

The "Senior" Crop Inspector took a spade out to the field and said he found moisture that stuck the soil together when squeezed in his hand....I think he dug two feet down. Just kidding, he's too old to dig that deep. Probably about the depth of the spade? I'll have to ask again. Those two inches of rain nearly three weeks ago gave us an early stay of execution, let's see if Mother Nature has any more compassion, or pity.....I'm not too proud to accept pity.

[MBgrower]

The areas that started off wet and are dry now will be worse off, shallow roots and rock hard land. Ive had this in the past, ugly.

[furrowtickler]

Soil moisture will mean zero after 4-5 more days here

[bucket]

Interesting number of views of this thread compared to responses.....someone is trying to find info on what's going on....


Anyone think our posts here are actually read or listened to?

100 to 1 views to posts.....interesting no?

[Sheepwheat]

Interesting number of views of this thread compared to responses.....someone is trying to find info on what's going on....


Anyone think our posts here are actually read or listened to?

100 to 1 views to posts.....interesting no?

A few comments. For me, this weather forecast is amazing and much needed. Last year I harvested 6.4 bushels of canola from too much rain. I would far rather harvest 6 bushels due to too dry. Also, for haying, this is an amazing forecast. Haying has been a disaster for the last decade. While I feel badly for guys in tough, let me say I have been there and that crop insurance is helpful. From what I hear of yields in the last several years many should have wicked good crop insurance coverage by now, no? Or was there some embellishment? Lol.

The key is too spend less than your coverage. But lately, with fancy iron, and spray, spray spray, fertilize for 60 bushel canola, because the weather has been great, I guess it could be rough.

But that is not for me to decide, it is for the farming community to decide. No one is forcing iron purchases, ridiculous land purchase prices, rents, or input purchases on us. We need to get a collective bloody grip on our expectations.

For this area, this is like a divine intervention, ten years in the making. I spent far less than my coverage again, and if I get droughted out, harvesting dry grain, without getting stuck multiple times a day, will be welcome, all else being equal.

We live in a typically dry region overall. We should therefore be planning accordingly, not as though we somehow deserve every year to be a bumper... maybe as sf3 says, we in the wet zones are back.

I guess I do not fully understand the anxiety out there. I have lived it for eleven years now, for the opposite miserable reasons. It is as big a deal as we make it, I guess? If I can survive, y'all will too! Keep your chins up. It is not the end of the world to have poor crops.

Best wishes to all of you.

[farmaholic]

Welcome back Sheepwheat....always did enjoy your perspective and posts. Stay awhile.

[TSIPP]

I've got to put on new guards and knive on the thirty foot swather, can't find the swath with the twenty footer. I hope the cows do good on snow balls

[hobbyfrmr]

A few comments. For me, this weather forecast is amazing and much needed. Last year I harvested 6.4 bushels of canola from too much rain. I would far rather harvest 6 bushels due to too dry. Also, for haying, this is an amazing forecast. Haying has been a disaster for the last decade. While I feel badly for guys in tough, let me say I have been there and that crop insurance is helpful. From what I hear of yields in the last several years many should have wicked good crop insurance coverage by now, no? Or was there some embellishment? Lol.

The key is too spend less than your coverage. But lately, with fancy iron, and spray, spray spray, fertilize for 60 bushel canola, because the weather has been great, I guess it could be rough.

But that is not for me to decide, it is for the farming community to decide. No one is forcing iron purchases, ridiculous land purchase prices, rents, or input purchases on us. We need to get a collective bloody grip on our expectations.

For this area, this is like a divine intervention, ten years in the making. I spent far less than my coverage again, and if I get droughted out, harvesting dry grain, without getting stuck multiple times a day, will be welcome, all else being equal.

We live in a typically dry region overall. We should therefore be planning accordingly, not as though we somehow deserve every year to be a bumper... maybe as sf3 says, we in the wet zones are back.

I guess I do not fully understand the anxiety out there. I have lived it for eleven years now, for the opposite miserable reasons. It is as big a deal as we make it, I guess? If I can survive, y'all will too! Keep your chins up. It is not the end of the world to have poor crops.

Best wishes to all of you.

Its farmer talk. Concerns for the weather/crop. There is always one guy in the bunch who goes straight to disaster talk. Drought of 88 was like this. 2002 we didnt harvest an acre. Baled it all for feed.
It draws out the angst and more "real time" condition descriptions from the other farmers. Its the oldest coffee shop play in the book!

[farming101]

Sheepwheat, it had to happen. This rain that flooded us out and is still here has to go back where it came from. The sky.

Wanted: homes for muskrats, beavers and all manner of water fowl....