Is anyone concerned........

[roarintiger1]

about the weather?   Record highs for a week or more.  Personally, I've been getting a lot of work done outside.   Even drove the tractor and loader into the woods to pick up firewood.   Hardly made a track.  Wow, never have been in the woods in February before with the tractor if the ground wasn't frozen.   I'm sure there is some winter left, but it makes one wonder what is to come for the growing season.   

[Wind]

The weather will do what weather does best-change. It has been doing that for thousands of years. Yesterday we had a half inch rain which brings our total from Nov. 1st till now to 7.5" of precipitation. That is about 3" above normal for central Iowa.  All of that fell as rain except for 4" of snow that fell about four different times.  Now here is a record for me--I have never been this far into a Winter with out pushing, blowing, or scooping any snow.  The tractor hooked to the snow blower, the tractor hooked to the blade and the skid-steer have yet to see any action this Winter.  Yes, that may change before the Winter is over.  April 9,1973 was a real reality check- 15" of wet snow with 50mph winds-some main roads closed for three days.  What does this warm weather mean going forward?  Well, looking back it has saved a lot of money in snow removal and heating cost.  The livestock folks I'm sure like this weather.  The weather ahead?  I do not know. A little dryer weather here would be ok. It is those 100* + days that really cut into the yield.  

Sun shining now to be in the low 70's today. 

[sw363535]

Unseasonably warm in Feb.

Winter was early for us and is not that rare..... Usually when temps in Nov and dev drop to 0 degrees and stay in single digits for a couple of weeks, we can expect Jan and Feb to be milder.... And V/v.

Fertilizer going in the ground in our area ....  It is what we do......

New this year is the moisture in California.  Which is good news.  The Sierra's and valleys below usually get their water and snow in Jan and Feb. But the drought there has been so long that the short memory press thinks the sky is falling.

That usually signals better moisture for the southern plains this spring and summer with a more southern jet stream.

[BA Deere]

It`s been a treat to not have to put on insulated coveralls, sometimes just getting dressed and undressed wears a guy out  🙂   This morning in NIA the frost is officially out, tracks and footprints are deeper and earthworm holes in the mud.  But, they`re now predicting a blizzard on Friday, I like a mild winter but it seems like more often than not it just turns into a long muddy spring.

Seems like big yields like a wet summer, it takes a couple weeks for a dry spell to start, but only one deluge of rain to end it.  Was talking to a old NFOesque  farmer the other day and he said,  "a 1% reduction in supply equals a 2% improvement in price".  I`m sure it`s limitations on that old "rule". If everyone equally got a 20% haircut on yield this summer, prices would improve 40% and our wallets would all be a little fatter than if we have that Elwyn Taylor bumper crop across the board. 

[JimMeade]

The latest rumor seems to be of El Nino in late summer.  Will that be in time for a good yield?  The speaker seemed to think so.  In any event, no particular really scary weather forecasts.  

If we have a great growing season will we get the high in Jun-Jul or will it be in Mar-Apr-May?

[roarintiger1]

The rumor season is upon us.  There are a few planting intentions,  yield guesses,  and outlooks coming soon.