Equal Time

Our photo shoot in the corn field across the road yesterday had this funny outtake. My human measuring stick was trying to keep the airplane-sized mosquitoes off his face. This blooper made me laugh, in spite of the pesky dive-bombers. 

Wheat is grabbing all the headlines, crowding out the attention like an older sibling suffering through the baby's birthday party.  But wheat is our major crop, and harvest is the culmination of nine months of growing. So far, the yields have been between 12 and 35 bushels to the acre. Test weights have been averaging 59 pounds per bushel. After our best crop ever last year, it's a reality check. It just illustrates the unpredictable life on a farm. We are impacted by factors over which we have no control, like the weather.

While we've been busy elsewhere, the corn crop has taken off like a junior high boy outgrowing his tennis shoes. I decided it was time for a growth chart check. You know the ones:  You line the kid up with heels firmly squished against the wall. You make sure he's not standing on tiptoes. You line up the book on top of his head. You have the pencil locked and loaded to record the height milestone on the door frame. You ooh and ahh over how much he's grown. 

The corn is growing faster than any toddler at the moment. We took these photos yesterday while we were waiting on the wheat to dry out. We didn't get any measurable precipitation yesterday. It was just a sprinkle, along with overcast skies and humidity.

Compare yesterday's pictures (above) to the photo from June 6, two weeks ago. Pretty amazing, right? My human measuring stick is about to get surpassed in height.

The photo below was taken on May 28, less than a month ago.

Now, it's nearing the tasseling stage.

It evidently is an all-service buffet for the deer around here, too. They seem to have bellied up to the corn bar.

The rains we've had during the past two weeks have been just what the farmer ordered for the corn crop. It's also good for the alfalfa.

After I delivered supper last evening, Randy took a brief time out from the combine to check the hay. It was dry enough to rake together two windrows this morning. Baling may come after he gets off the combine tonight. Meet my husband, the multi-tasker.

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