It’s too dry!

[serf]

My fields are nearly dry enough to get a tractor on, but not quite!

Flipping eck do you farm on a pond

 

[Flatlander]

Are they drilling wheat in the Dakota’s yet ?

Nothing planted with a spring crop except south of the continental divide which is mid South Dakota. south of that a few are doing wheat but most that far south are planting maize, fair bit of inter wheat grown in southern Nebraska and into Kansas and Oklahoma.

 

[puppet]

26mm rain for April so far here and nothing forecast until May 2nd (if it comes then!).

Winds need to fvck off - the place is dry but soil still has moisture, for now. When there is actual heat, the grass moves - but too cold in mornings and too much Easterlies are just pulling the job back. Same story as last year, but we aren't as bad.... yet!!

You must be at the wet end.
Only 22.8mm here so far.
Jan 44, February 170, March 62. Should average 100mm a month here so well short since February

 

[Flatlander]

Do many folk direct drill maize or is it mainly ploughed/tilled over there?

Here in Manitoba our season is pretty short,maize likes a warm seedbed to get going early. The heavy black clay loam of mine wouldn’t warm or dry with any sort of cover on the soil. Most would be cultivated the fall before and be ready to just plant straight into. Further south into the sgates on lighter soil the changes to more zero til if going into bean stubble but if going from maize back to maize a lot will be lightly worked to break up the residue.

 

[Nithsdale]

You must be at the wet end.
Only 22.8mm here so far.
Jan 44, February 170, March 62. Should average 100mm a month here so well short since February

Jan 71mm (average is 144mm)
Feb 233mm (average is 111mm)
March 65mm (average is 114mm)
April so far 26 (average is 72mm)


October had 300mm of rain - x3 it's average, November had half its usual rain and December was drier than normal.... I'd almost go as far as to say we are still in the drought that started last March

 

[Muddyboots]

Same old story in east anglia, we already have hot spots showing drought symptoms in winter cereals. Seems to be the norm these days, these relentless n/e winds are just zapping the moisture!

 

[DeeGee]

Same old story in east anglia, we already have hot spots showing drought symptoms in winter cereals. Seems to be the norm these days, these relentless n/e winds are just zapping the moisture!

You are not alone. The past four years here have been the same in spring, dry, dry, dry and dryer!
Maize land is always too hard to plough without subsoiling first, dust rising from both the subsoiler and the plough.

This April seems almost worse than ever, even Sumo subsoiler is finding it hard to get depth in places. Where there has been traffic from muck spreaders and digestate applicators the land really is like concrete.

This seems to be the norm lately. What has happened to ‘traditional’ springs with April showers?

 

[Kidds]

My fields are nearly dry enough to get a tractor on, but not quite!

I don't think Australian people fully understand how things are over here at the moment but the above sums things up very well. If Old Boar's fields will nearly stand a tractor on them at this time of year any so called droughts anywhere in the world never mind Australia really do pale into insignificance!

 

[will l]

I was in Nebraska yesterday to pickup a pair of tracks. 18 degrees and dry. A few were drilling maize but most were waiting for some rain as it’s too dry to germinate, 8 hour drive north back home and I can only see water in every field. 60-80mm still to come this weekend. Should be drilling by now but with this rain and places still under snow we are at least 3 weeks away from doing anything. Getting a bit stressed

Good luck been watching manitoba weather service

Overland Flooding this morning near Altona! 😳 🌊 Video Courtesy of: Thomas Janzen -Justin. 🤓 | By The Weather Centre of ManitobaFacebook

Overland Flooding this morning near Altona! 😳 🌊 Video Courtesy of: Thomas Janzen -Justin. 🤓

www.facebook.com

 

[Flatlander]

Good luck been watching manitoba weather service

Overland Flooding this morning near Altona! 😳 🌊 Video Courtesy of: Thomas Janzen -Justin. 🤓 | By The Weather Centre of ManitobaFacebook

Overland Flooding this morning near Altona! 😳 🌊 Video Courtesy of: Thomas Janzen -Justin. 🤓

www.facebook.com

Rain has turned to a blizzard here now. Wind is gusting to 70. Waves with white caps in the fields.

 

[ollie989898]

Will pollen and nectar seed germinate in this?

View attachment 1031158

Christ no. Go over it again and see if it will go down a bit finer. You need some proper seed to soil contact. Some clods are fine but you do need proper soil to seed contact.

 

[ollie989898]

Nothing planted with a spring crop except south of the continental divide which is mid South Dakota. south of that a few are doing wheat but most that far south are planting maize, fair bit of inter wheat grown in southern Nebraska and into Kansas and Oklahoma.

Wasn't it that neck of the woods a few years ago where they had some freak cold weather which brought ice storms and a lot of cattle were outside and froze to death in the snow?

 

[Bokey]

Yes. Have grown it here a few times. Does very well in the deep black soil here but it’s pretty late to harvest and with drying along with other field work it’s too much to cope with on my own. With propane prices now drying it from 25% down to 15 gets pricey real quick. Best if a local dairy will take it and crimp it with a moisture allowance.

Just out of interest how much does lpg cost where you are at the minute? Do you dry any of your wheat or only cut when it's ready?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

View attachment 1031245

"Today at work"?

 

[Flatlander]

Wasn't it that neck of the woods a few years ago where they had some freak cold weather which brought ice storms and a lot of cattle were outside and froze to death in the snow?

Yes. I think your right it was. Nebraska has a lot of Cattle wintered outside in feedlots and corrals. Every so often Mother Nature has a meltdown and turns wild. I just finished a call with a friend in south central Saskatchewan, they are dry and only getting a dusting of snow right now. Still cold there but id take cold over this flooding. I’m in a better position than some being further away from the red river. NW Dakota has 2 feet of heavy wet snow.

 

[Flatlander]

Just out of interest how much does lpg cost where you are at the minute? Do you dry any of your wheat or only cut when it's ready?

Propane at the moment is running around the 1.25$ a litre. I’ve dried everything some years to preserve quality. Very time consuming and expensive. That’s when it was mid 40s cents a litre. dried for others as dryers are not on every farm. Most rely on natural air but some years it just won’t do it before it starts to mold.

 

[CPF]

It’s to dry !

Think you ALL need to watch this .
Just over two years ago I was in australia and witnessed this terrible drought where farmer’s were shooting some of there livestock to help save the ones they could feed
It was a very sad time

I don’t think the uk will be like this

 

[teslacoils]

Yes. I think your right it was. Nebraska has a lot of Cattle wintered outside in feedlots and corrals. Every so often Mother Nature has a meltdown and turns wild. I just finished a call with a friend in south central Saskatchewan, they are dry and only getting a dusting of snow right now. Still cold there but id take cold over this flooding. I’m in a better position than some being further away from the red river. NW Dakota has 2 feet of heavy wet snow.

My relatives farm on the border between South Dakota and Nebraska. They're irrigating pretty soon after the snow melts.

 

[Old Boar]

Blue clay. There have been about 3 drought years since I bought the place in 1975, and every time the farm grew a good crop of grass.

Just stood still for a moment, but at least now I am not sinking!

 

[whitefox]

Blue clay. There have been about 3 drought years since I bought the place in 1975, and every time the farm grew a good crop of grass.

View attachment 1031591

Just stood still for a moment, but at least now I am not sinking!

today i commented to someone, about the very chuck hard soils, i was trying to make into a seedbed(nearly 1000ltrs of cherry today),they said in a suprised tone,are you saying you need rain?........my reply was," in west central scotland,for every dry day that passes,you know the rain is getting closer!!!"