Harvest Is Looking Good
Rain at the end of September called a pause in Trent Brandenburg’s harvest, giving him time to chat. Trent is about 25% done with his corn and soybean harvest. At first, his corn harvest moisture content was in the mid-20s, but “our last load was 15.9% so it’s ready to go.” Trent’s soybeans are also ready. Dry weather is predicted for several days, so the harvest will proceed.
More than an inch of rain in the past ten days has replenished the soil moisture. Most of Central Illinois except the western quarter is now “Abnormally Dry” on the drought map. The western quarter is still in “Moderate Drought.” The subsoil is still dry. That replenishment will have to come from fall rains (after harvest!) and winter snowfall heavier than last winter’s sparse amount.
More from The Field Report
Worked Some Fields, With A Sunny Day Could Begin Planting
Trent Brandenburg has "worked a couple of fields, they're barely ready" after several days of rain last week. "If we get a sunny day tomorrow I could plant some," Trent continued. The long-standing extreme drought in central Illinois has been [...]
Rain At Last!!
Trent Brandenburg is very happy today. March is predicted to come in like a lion, with rain every day for the first week. Central Illinois has been in extreme drought conditions for months. The northern half of Piatt County and [...]
Wild And Windy Winter Weekend
Trent Brandenburg and family endured a near miss yesterday as a tornado touched down a few miles from their home place. Tornadoes are a rare occurrence in December, but a "bomb cyclone" ripped through central Illinois yesterday. Houses were unroofed [...]