From the Fields: Big days in big fields

I have 100 acres of corn left to plant and maybe 80 acres of beans left. We’ve really been hitting it hard. I think yesterday dad and I planted 600 acres together. We had some big days in big fields and really getting after it. It’s kind of strange. I was talking to a neighbor that we plant for and we’ve never been done with everything in April.

I know my kids are looking forward to it because ballgames start on Friday. I coach one of my sons. So, they’re looking forward to me being home and also being at the ball field with them.

We started planting on April 18. I was dragging my feet because it was before Easter and it’s always kind of been that milestone on the calendar when you should and shouldn’t start in our area. Conditions have been pretty good. We’ve had some small rains, but for the most part it’s dry. Things were going well.

I was talking to someone the other day about how it’s interesting to see how farming operations have changed and how we do things. Dad and I started planting soybeans the same day we started planting corn. It’s been smooth. It’s been busy.

Probably the wildest thing about spring 2025 is the wind. We do our own herbicide applications and it has not been fun. A lot of us around here were trying to debate when we can do it, hoping it will not be windy the next day. We look at the forecast. We sprayed a lot at night, just trying to get stuff done when the wind’s not blowing 40 miles an hour.

We haven’t had a lot of breakdowns for the most part. Strip-tilling corn has been beautiful. Planting into cover crops has also been fantastic. We probably have as good of planting conditions that I’ve seen in a long time, but I am worried about subsoil moisture. I think everybody is in our neck of the woods. It just hasn’t been very wet.