Early planting season

[Texasmark]

Just touched base with Farmer's Almanac. For my area, this early spring weather is continuing and looks like I will be planting at the end of this month rather than end of April as usual. Rain is forecast +2 for April and average temp of 70. Sorghum-Sudan needs a 55F average soil temp and we are already there and looks like it will remain. Got a buyer for my whole crop yesterday so I'm good to go. Good luck on your spring planting.

 

[cat fever]

Wow,

Good for you. I just finished planting Saturday. Bring on the rain.:dance1:

 

[Texasmark]

Wow,

Good for you. I just finished planting Saturday. Bring on the rain.:dance1:

Lynn, you having a warm spring up there too?

 

[cat fever]

Yes, it's been warm. It's five in the morning and 64 degrees right now. It's just a head fake though. It will snow a few more times before winter is over. But I'll take the water any way I can get it. Last night after work I was out Gopher trapping and noticed my seeding from a week ago is growing! Little green shoots a couple inches tall. Couldn't even see them until the sun was low and hit the shoots just right.
Good luck on your fields.:thumbsup:

 

[Tx Jim]

I noticed yesterday that my neighbors wheat is beginning to have seed heads showing. Man this seems very early in the year for heading wheat.

 

[Texasmark]

I noticed yesterday that my neighbors wheat is beginning to have seed heads showing. Man this seems very early in the year for heading wheat.

Yes sir. One of my concerns in getting "suckered" into early planting is the way the Almanac is predicting rain. Looks like my rain chances are in April and will be dry till August. That and the unseasonably warm current and projected temps have suckered me into going early.....gotta take advantage of the April rain. Going to get fertilizer tomorrow and seed Thursday. Will get the fert in before the ½" expected Friday, let it dry a couple of days, spike tooth it over it and early next week plant. Forcasts have been real reliable around here lately so I'm confident the "rain gods" will smile on me. Grin.

Oh, thanks for the compliments on my "big mess" of a crop. Coming from YOU, with your experience and all, that IS a compliment.

 

[Tx Jim]

Mark
Is there much left over 2016 rd bales in your area? I noticed you stated you already sold this yrs Sudan crop. I just bought some fertilized/weed sprayed 2016 Coastal Bermuda that averaged 991# a bale for $25 delivered. That's a lot cheaper than I can grow & bale it.

 

[Texasmark]

Yes, one BTO selling premium Coastal and a lot of junk dealers. Last year was a bumper crop and everybody had hay. Lots of urban folks moving out gobbling up what used to be grazing land and not all are big enough to have bovines. It's not all bad as I have a new neighbor I have been doing all I could to make their new purchase a joyous event...since they are right across the street and why not....... What did I get in return?????? Big surprise...wanted me to supply them with hay. So I have been busy upping the crop size.

Guessing you are talking about a 4x6 which, being last season crop, is right in line with prices here but the delivery part inclusive would depend on what is required of you for that price.

 

[joeu235]

My parents who make real high quality hay have 20 - 5.5 x 6 from last year they can't sell at $25 each. My mom said she was thinking about dropping the price to $20. I told her at that price I'd buy them and just fertilize for one cutting my self.

There is a lot of left over hay around here.

 

[cat fever]

The haying Gods are smiling on Utah right now. My fields are up a couple inches in growth and now it's raining. :dance1:
The forcast is for more rain over the weekend and more next week.

OK, we are getting a lot of rain.

 

[Texasmark]

The haying Gods are smiling on Utah right now. My fields are up a couple inches in growth and now it's raining. :dance1:
The forcast is for more rain over the weekend and more next week.

OK, we are getting a lot of rain.View attachment 503173

That's usually the way it goes around here. It will stay dry for a spell and then, usually in Spring, the fronts will come in. If they have enough velocity they dump a reasonable sum and move on down to the SE. It's when they stall out over us that it rains for days and days and just makes a big mess.

Living on black clay, known for shrinking and expanding, roadways and foundations are a joke. My house has sheet rock cracked in every room. One of the ells off my house has moved away from the main house by about 4". I just got tired of shimming up every June and pulling them back out every Dec. Now I just let it rock.

Did get my fert in and harrowed. Expecting good rains next week and get my drilling done so I can hopefully kick off a growing season.

 

[cat fever]

So yesterday was a record for the most rain in one day for Salt Lake City. 2" of rain in a day, we only get about 16" a year. I'm sure where I live I got a little more. I did say I'd take water any way I could get it right? Here's a shot after it cleared.

 

[joeu235]

You have a beautiful place!

What kind of crop do you grow in that climate? Wheat?

 

[cat fever]

In the past I have had Alfalfa and Oats.
This year I planted a mix called "Prosper Plus with Peas" Great cow feed.
This is the mix;
31.48% Twin wheat
29.15% Hays Barley
24.44% Otana Oats
14.55% Austrian Peas
It is all guaranteed "beardless forage seed".

Many people in my area water their fields; I do not own the water shares to do that.
A wet spring will give me more hay than I can use so I'll sell the rest. I only started doing this with my own equipment 2 years ago. Both years were great as far as I'm concerned. This one is shaping up good too. Plus my neighbor in front said I could grow in his field and keep everything. He just wants his place to look "taken care of". So far he seems very happy with how I am managing his field.

 

[kevin37b]

I am sure he is !

 

[City Farmer]

So yesterday was a record for the most rain in one day for Salt Lake City. 2" of rain in a day, we only get about 16" a year. I'm sure where I live I got a little more. I did say I'd take water any way I could get it right? Here's a shot after it cleared.View attachment 503280View attachment 503279View attachment 503278

Beautiful place. Those are some of the nicest pictures I've ever seen.

 

[cat fever]

Thanks City farmer. I enjoy where I live, although summer time can get dry and dusty.

 

[cat fever]

My fields are starting to look like they are growing. It's been wet enough, still cold though. Here's a few shots I took last night.
The field in the last picture is on the side of my house, beyond the fence is my neighbors place which he is letting me grow in.

 

[Texasmark]

Nice looking place, fence especially.

I worked last week getting the ground ready and fertilizer incorporated. Been hit and miss on the rain to get it planted. Yesterday AM I went out and checked and the field was dry as a bone as far down as I needed to drill. So I did, then soft harrowed to get all the splashed seeds (rattled) down in the dirt. Today 1-2" of rain is on it's way....should be here within the hour. Can't believe it but this year has been the best year since 1979 for me to get a thorough field preparation, fertilization, and planting with the weather cooperating. I'll take it.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I tilled up my garden in mid Feb the first time. Right afterward had a cold front so held off on doing any planting. This week I put in my tomatoes, bell pepper, habanero pepper, , cantaloupe, yellow squash & zucchini using bedded plants. Yesterday, I planted from seed, okra, red beets and watermelon.

I hope we don't get a gully washer of rain like they are predicting. Last year that happened and nothing I had planted sprouted up.