The scurs were pleasantly surprised to see some rainfall finally as forecast by the Weather Eye. Has the worm turned, or will we just have worms? Starting Wednesday, sunny with highs in the upper 80’s and lows in the mid-60’s. Sunny Thursday with highs in the upper 80’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Mostly sunny on Friday with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the upper 80’s with lows in the upper 60’s. Saturday, partly sunny with a good chance of a shower or thunderstorm by evening. Highs in the upper 80’s with lows in the mid-60’s. Mostly sunny on Sunday with a fair chance of forenoon showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low 80’s with lows in the low 60’s. Monday, mostly sunny with a chance of late-day showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the low 80’s with lows in the low 60’s. Mostly sunny on Tuesday with a slight chance of a shower or thunderstorm. Highs in the low 80’s with lows in the low 60’s. We start losing a few seconds of daylight on the 22nd and by the 25th, we’re down from 15 hours and 28 minutes to 15 hours and 27 minutes. Sunrise becomes later too, going from 5:31 a.m. on the summer solstice CDT to 5:33 a.m. on the 26th. The normal high for June 26th is 81 and the normal low is 61. If the scurs procrastinate long enough, they may be able to forego those window treatments to block the early morning sun.
Locally, crops continue to move along despite the spotty rainfall coverage. The recent weekend rains were welcome, but Mother Nature will have to provide more consistent coverage and generous amounts for us to realize the potential we still have. All things considered, most of the corn has done amazingly well. The dark green color is indicative that much of the applied nitrogen was still in place. The dry conditions have the root systems following the moisture deeper in the soil profile and into the higher N concentration. Even the replanted corn has begun to make its move, not surprising as it goes from the ugly duckling stage as the plant establishes its nodal root system. The ratty looking corn of a few weeks ago doesn’t look quite so bad anymore. The early planted soybeans are looking like soybeans rather than some thin rows of something from the road. Some later plantings have gaps in the rows due to soybeans laying in dry soil. Hopefully the recent rains caught some of these fields and they fill in quickly. The cooler temps last week bought us a little time, so if we can muscle our way through this warm spell, we may see some subtle changes in our weather pattern begin to materialize.
An El Niño pattern has been officially declared as starting as of last month. The dry conditions we’ve been experiencing are said to be more likely the result of the La Niña pattern on its way out. Many of the weather pundits agree, however, that we may see a favorable turn for those of us in the western corn belt, MN included. Looking at the monthly precipitation outlook, it appears that could be the case. The eastern corn belt may not be quite so fortunate, though, if the recent US seasonal drought outlook predictions hold true. Presently much of the corn belt is presently under drought conditions or rated abnormally dry. The exception is southern MN. Indeed there is some decent crop here, that which didn’t get pummeled by the May monsoon, that is. Even that has improved as mentioned above. Given more favorable precipitation and intensifying drought in the eastern corn belt, the corn crop we had written off might not be the abject failure here we thought just a few weeks ago. Price matters too.
At the ranch we continue to be behind the curve on moving the sheep from their springtime quarters to pasture. Not enough manpower and time as we would’ve perhaps liked. We did get cull ewes and some excess yearlings that didn’t fit, including a very large, destructive, yearling ram. It damaged and ruined more equipment in a year’s time than any animal we’ve ever had on the place. We were forced to use him as the ram we’d been using suddenly died last August, prior to the breeding season. Trying to find a quality purebred ram at the last minute is next to impossible that time of year. We had what was then a buck lamb of our own out on the show circuit that wasn’t closely related to the ewes at the kindly neighbor’s. When show season was over, we tossed him in there. After bringing him back in November, he got huge, jumped over panels and gates, smashed parts of our handling system and was a general pain in the rump. When he jumped over two panels at shearing time, even the shearer was impressed. There’s a special place for animals like that. It’s called Zumbrota.
Last Wednesday night we discovered we couldn’t raise sheep without water. One of the joys of rural living. There was suddenly no water pressure when I was filling the water tank and buckets. There was no water in the house either, so, after doing all the easy things that didn’t work, I called the well company. They’d be out in the morning, so we rationed the water from the water tank I’d filled the morning before. In the meantime all the straw bales needed to be removed from on top of the well pit to expedite the process once they arrived. That went well until I got down to the last hunk of damp straw. There was a strange hissing noise that seemed to be coming from under the straw. Indeed it was and suddenly a large bumblebee emerged from what apparently was a large nest. Lucky for me it was nearing dusk. I was able to subdue them without being stung. I like bumblebees, but not when they nest someplace I’d rather they hadn’t. When the well guys arrived, it was all business and shortly after noon the water was flowing once again. Another one of those things you take for granted until it’s gone.
Poppy continues to be my little gardening buddy. She enjoys checking out the entire garden, but somehow is pretty good about not stepping on plants. Have yet to see her pull any weeds though. Actually, she just likes to come outside and dawdle while wandering around, checking out new sights, sounds and smells. The process has helped her to focus, especially when it involves coming when called. Oh, sure, she still likes to push your buttons and take it as far as she can sometimes. She has dramatically improved however, and the progress continues daily. She does get pretty warm after being out in the sun for an extended period. Getting back inside to air-conditioned comfort and having something cool to drink might have something to do with her improved behavior. I know it does mine.
See you next week…real good then.