Good morning!!!!

[farmer2009]

86 currently. Heat index is 88. Sure feels hotter. Maybe because I’ve spent so much time inside lately.

Learning what I can eat again. The hard way.

Birds come tomorrow. Have a few more light bulbs to change but most are done. Plt will be here in about an hour. Be interested to see how hot barns are. Instead of turning on heaters. I opened the attic access and put a fan on timer. Draw hot dry air out of attic down into barns. It’s worked before.

Drew. How hot was it when that corn pollinated? Was it under drought stress? Did it pollinate during a rainy period? That’s a pollination issue in those photos. Don’t give up. You might have lost this crop but that’s not an oman of years to come. You just have to figure it out. I’ve lost about half of my corn crops the last few years. Mostly because of what you see there. Open pollinated corn isn’t as heat tolerant as modern hybrids. So you have more failures. Other than corn you’ve done good this year.

I might loose my garden this year. Because of light duty I simply can’t clean it out and the red root pigweed is taking over. I normally spray it with dual but didn’t this year. And I’m paying for it. Starting to get some crabgrass but it’s still little. Okra is probably gone. I can’t tell what’s okra and pigweed. Might save beans and corn. Hopefully can save cucumbers and zucchini. Tomatoes will probably be fine.

Keep the rubber side down.
Keep the dirty side down. Clean side up.
Don’t be looking at those pretty seat covers.
Keep the barnacles wet.

 

[toppop52]

and for sure, keep it between the reds and the greens.

And remember, red right at night!

 

[daugen]

Farmer, is this the big test for all your new fans?
You'll be happy to know chicken is baking in the oven.
Good thing your new arrivals don't know that.

Two things have rocked me this year. First the weeds got ahead of me in the corn and the mulch I used created more weeds than not.
Next year....maybe one variety of corn, in one small area. I'd rather plant potatoes though hand planting 200 pounds was quite a chore.
The problem is next step up implement wise is many, many thousands of dollars. The harvesting gizmo is almost reasonable but potato planters are strictly big time equipment. And you don't cut up the potato eyes, you just dump the whole potato.
That's not what I want. Maybe I just need to get a volunteer helper. Once the food bank sees what I can grow, I'm pretty sure if I ask for help I'll get it.

too bad there's not a simple even antique single row potato planter out there that will plant parts of a potato.
Won't put the eye up though. I hand placed every single one...wonder if it really matters.

 

[daugen]

And remember, red right at night!

or you won't get home....

My BIL put his Fountain 35 loaded with dinner guests into a very immovable dock off the Delaware River
above Philadelphia Pa one night in the dark.
Broke the leg of his neighbor's wife, not a good night at all. Light on dock was out, abandoned dock.
But no matter what, Captain is responsible for safety of all and he surely outdrove his eyeballs.

I never got up on plane at night. Too many crab pots, too many marine IED's. It was hard enough following the buoy colors and trying not to connect the wrong dots. I followed two greens once and they were on both sides of a sandbar.
But folks with high speed power boats think they will somehow skip over the problems if they go fast enough.
Repair shops do a huge business replacing lower ends of outboard motors. Particularly after a rain or a storm that sends
logs down the River or Bay. Logs and 40mph are just a bad combination.

But then, the only person who hasn't dinged a prop has never left the dock usually.

 

[hawkeye08]

Drew, these are a bit spendy, but with the enjoyment you get from your potatos, perhaps worth it?
Potato Planter - YouTube and US Small Farm Equipment Co. - Potato Digger, One Row Potato Digger

 

[daugen]

Drew, these are a bit spendy, but with the enjoyment you get from your potatos, perhaps worth it?
Potato Planter - YouTube and US Small Farm Equipment Co. - Potato Digger, One Row Potato Digger

neat, thanks. At first glance the harvester seems expensive but it weighs more than twice what the Everything Attachments unit costs and is only 900 bucks more. Seems hydraulic power is main difference instead of just pto mechanical.
Planter, yeah that's expensive but about half the entry level of the big boys.
Just too much for me for charity work.
Potato Digger to Harvest Potatoes

92 out, heat index of 103, staying inside

 

[farmer2009]

Drew. Yeah it will be the big test. It won’t surprise me if some fans log close to 1,000 hours this flock. Just about all will do 500 hours. I’ll be looking for someone to trade power bills with next month that’s for sure.

One variety is probably a good choice.

Good luck on the potato planter and harvester.

 

[txdon]

Rick internet through att is only available through direct TV dish and the sales person could not give me a quote on just internet.

 

[Ed of all trades]

Drew, I saw a homemade one somewhere online that was a potato plow with a vert. pipe behind it and a seat there so your helper just drops the potatoes and then two discs cover. Very homemade but you have a year to work on it. Some have milk crates on the to hold the potatoes. Look up homemade potato planter machine and find one that you like. Ed

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Good evening to everyone! Hot again earlier today, then dropped to about 92 when some clouds moved in. Some storms off in the distance, maybe a slight chance to get a sprinkling.

WNG, Santa Fe is much, much quieter and by far safer. Very seldom do we hear of any serious crimes there.

RNG, we have definitely thought of the possibility of a lawsuit, depending on the outcome. I return for a follow up w/ the ortho doc in 4 weeks. Today was day 8 of light duty and the knee is again swollen tonight and painful. I have to see what level of recovery takes place, plus have the documented attempts to return to work. We'll see what happens.

Surprised to hear about an F2 or F3 tornado in Wilkes Barre PA. Kind of pretty far north.

Don, I'm glad you are getting settled in and that Whipper is doing well adapting to his new territory.

Farmer, don't overdo it when the birds get there. Take your time and be careful...you have to take care of yourself first.

David, did you get the "Hawaiian" pizza for lunch? couldn't resist... Glad you and Sophie are still doing well. We haven't heard anything lately about the eruption or flows. I guess it's old news now.

Drew, the last time I was able to grow corn was back in Bucks Co about 25 years ago. Tried a few locations out here and different soil amendments, but no luck... I gave up. There's a big 'farm market' about 12 miles away that sells corn that they grow. Almost as good as the old Jersey 'Silver Queen'. Same weather as us, same soil....can't figure out their secret.

Son and DIL are cleared to go back home. They spent this afternoon moving some stuff back from storage. I have to commend the firefighters up there...no homes lost. The fire is only 15% contained.

Prayers out this morning, some more later. Figured everyone can use them.