Archive for June, 2010

Harvest ends, field work begins on the Ponderosa

With harvest over, I must say it was better than we expected!  Art and Endurance really performed for us this year.  Duster was a close third, with Fuller way behind.  Most of our fields averaged between 40 and 50 with one quarter making 60.  Sure can’t complain about the crop, the prices are another subject!  Immediately following harvest,  we are in the field plowing!  In our area,  we have found plowing is the best control for cheat and rye.  Our Case IH STX 325  from Straub International is pulling a 10 bottom plow and doing a great job of it.  The fields are getting dry, so today is the last day plowing,  we will disc the rest and wait for rain!   All our alfalfa and prairie hay is put up and done, thanks to the help of Dan Blasi, Stuart Rose, Tim Weber, Doug Wewe, Zach Mabe, Becky Steckline and Blane Steckline.    What a hay crew!  It takes a village to put up hay on the Ponderosa!!!

Harvest back in full swing!

After several days of cloudy, cool and wet weather,  sunshine returned to the Ponderosa, thursday, June 17th, and harvest started in fine fashion.   We got the machines rolling at 11am and didnt stop till midnight!  We cut two different quarters,  one planted to Endurance, the other planted to Art.   Those two varieties are probably our best wheat averaging over 50 bushels per acre.  Moisture started at 13.2 at 11am with test of 60.2 and dried to 12 by night.   With temperatures expected to be in the high 90’s the next 3 to 5 days,  we could have smooth sailing barring any break downs,  knock on wood !!!!

June 12, 2010 Wheat harvest starts !

Wheat harvest started right on time,  then ended as fast as it started !  Wheat on the ponderosa was testing 14 saturday afternoon when we started cutting, then dropped into the 13’s later in the day.  We cut 120 acres of Fuller wheat that averaged just under 40 bushels per acre, then moved to a field of Endurance which we have not finished yet,  but looks to average well in the 50’s,  many times the monitor is showing mid 60’s.   Test weights were averaging 62.5.   We are storing all of the wheat cut so far on the farm.  My Case IH 2188 is running fantastic, My father’s Case IH 2388 is doing the same.   Saturday night,  we received 2 inches of rain, Sunday night we received another 1.7 inches,  will be at least two days before it will be dry enough to get started again.

Harvest two weeks away!

With just a few days in the 90 degree range,  the wheat has turned and is on course for harvest to start in South Central Kansas between June 10th -15th.   We have receive almost 4 inches of rain in the past three weeks.   We need dry weather !!!!   Prairie hay looks great with all the rain,  will be baling in the next week !  Thank goodness for the rain !!!    OK !!! Not going to complain about the weather, won’t do any good anyway !!!