Fair to Middlin'

I took this on an overcast day when my "model" met me on the road while I was walking. The other pictures with a pretty blue sky were taken a different day.

My personal County Line crop consultant thinks the wheat crop looks "fair to middlin'." I'll bet you didn't get that analysis from your ServiTech consultant.

Randy would like for the wheat to be a little taller with more tillers as we approach the wheat's dormant stage. But, at least it has emerged from the ground and should be hearty enough to make it through the winter.

It also depends on when it was planted. Some of the earlier-planted crop is a little bigger, which you would expect, including this field behind the house with its picturesque silo in the background.

 

As you might remember from earlier photos, this field had corn on it this summer.

Photo from May 2013

Corn & silo - July 5, 2013

We use crop rotation on the County Line to help control weeds and pests. You can still see some remnants of the earlier crop - cobs and husks from the corn - among the green of the wheat. The crop residue is also good ground cover, especially when the winter winds howl.

The latest government snapshot of Kansas crops shows 92 percent of the winter wheat has now emerged. The National Agricultural Statistics Service reported that about 64 percent of the wheat is in excellent to good condition. About 33 percent is rated as fair, with just 3 percent rated in poor condition.

We've had nearly 3 inches of moisture on the crop, which is certainly better than the last two years when we planted the wheat crop during exceptional drought. 

My analysis?
1) The green wheat sure looked pretty against a blue sky last week.
2) It's a long time until harvest!