Spring Projects delayed

UGUIDE

UGUIDE

Active member
The cooler weather and additional spring moisture in South Dakota have delayed my spring projects:( Having gone through some dry years in recent history we will take the spring moisture though:)

Regardless of weather I plan to go out to farm right after Easter and get started. There's always a lot of putzy things to do like lube the equipment, etc,etc,etc,etc.

Anybody else delayed?
 
I am not a farmer but I know quite a few down in the Washington Palouse. The wheat growing area. They are complaining all this wet weather is delaying them. That hurts for the short growing and moisture season we have. They need the early start to make the crops grow properly and get decent yields.---Bob
 
Join the club gents. We started out too dry to burn. Our agency helped out by putting on a hiring freeze from January into March and planning 7 days of meetings during our normal burning season. Then the wind kicks up followed by the 15-20 inch blizzard on 3/27. Add in constant wind since and a cattle stocking date of 4/15, and I'm changing gears and giving up on burning for the year. Our wheat looks bad after the blizzard, I do hope it comes out of it or we won't have a harvest and won't have the habitat it provides for pheasants. Surely there is a bit of good news besides the much needed moisture from the snow. I'm looking for that!
 
Prairie Drifter said:
Join the club gents. We started out too dry to burn. Our agency helped out by putting on a hiring freeze from January into March and planning 7 days of meetings during our normal burning season. Then the wind kicks up followed by the 15-20 inch blizzard on 3/27. Add in constant wind since and a cattle stocking date of 4/15, and I'm changing gears and giving up on burning for the year. Our wheat looks bad after the blizzard, I do hope it comes out of it or we won't have a harvest and won't have the habitat it provides for pheasants. Surely there is a bit of good news besides the much needed moisture from the snow. I'm looking for that!
Click to expand...

Drifter, you've seen it all and said it all. I am convinced that the prudent farmer or conservationist needs to have 3-4 options up there sleeve to combat all the variability that weather can dole out.

I guess you can plan "a" burn but not plan "to" burn. I hope it works out either way.
 
Chris, sounds like you've had your share of weather this spring. My puppy that has been stranded in North Dakota may finally head this way come Tuesday. Little sucker may be better pulling a sleigh than hunting game birds! I know your window for habitat work is narrower than mine. Good luck this spring. Oh, by the way, the surrogator thread is going to be mirrored by our agency videographer. He's coming over tomorrow to film some short clips on quail management that will be shown on "Kansas Outdoors Today" on our web site. Should be fun! Unfortunately, everyone will have to look at my mug while watching:)
 
Prairie Drifter said:
Chris, sounds like you've had your share of weather this spring. My puppy that has been stranded in North Dakota may finally head this way come Tuesday. Little sucker may be better pulling a sleigh than hunting game birds! I know your window for habitat work is narrower than mine. Good luck this spring. Oh, by the way, the surrogator thread is going to be mirrored by our agency videographer. He's coming over tomorrow to film some short clips on quail management that will be shown on "Kansas Outdoors Today" on our web site. Should be fun! Unfortunately, everyone will have to look at my mug while watching:)
Click to expand...

PD, please let us know when the piece comes out on Quail Mgmt. Any habitat knowledge is rare and valuable.

I'm slower getting into the fileds after having got a tractor or 2 stuck before. Sometimes patience is best friend in field work.

Need warm windy days.
 
Well, finally heading out to farm in SD tomorrow. Looks wet and sounds wet so not sure if any farming will be done but I can sure get all supplies and maint work done and if weather cooperates we may get a burn or 2 done. I'll try and get some pics if we do.

Looks like the state has been getting some nice rains. MN has been dry. Water levels way down.

Should have a report or 2 while I am out there.
 
Good luck with the work Chris. They tell me the quail piece may come out this week. I got an advanced look. I think he had better clips of me, but he wanted this perspective so he used them. Not my best work, but the 10 minute clip they are working on as a sequel (sp) should provide more info. 3 minutes just isn't much time. I am glad they chose blue grass music for the background!!! That'd class even me up:)
 
It looks like the Farmers here are getting started too. Later in the week the wet and cold is suppose to leave and 70's all next week.---Bob
 
Prairie Drifter-

Just checked and didn't see you yet on the website, but did see that debonair Tommie Berger.

I am behind at the Ponderosa. I tried to burn last Wednesday(April 8th), but couldn't secure a burn permit. We did get a nice gentle rain on Easter Sunday. Seemed like more, but the gauge only showed .85". I will still try to burn this year. I picked up Pheasant Forever seed at McPherson last week and wanted some Egyptian Wheat, but the supplier wants to run it through the cleaner first. Lots to do this time of the year.
 
Maynard, I talked to the videographer today. He said it may be next week before it comes out. Hope you can try the Egyptian wheat, I loved it when I used it. I'm waving the white flag on burning. It's getting late and I'm covered up with turkey hunters. I'd hate to braise one with a head fire. I'm fixing to order seed too. Most of my plots are already in wheat.
 
PD,

Where have purchased Egyptian wheat? I have some spoken for at Star Seed, but they want to clean it first. I really do want to plant some this year.
 
In the past, I've bought it at Kauffman Seed at Haven and DeLange Seed at Sedgwick. It's also usually advertised in a place or two in QU magazine. You can have it UPS'd to your door.
 
Just rolled into Rooty camp. Things are real wet up by Mitchell. Lots of snow and water running in ditches and fields. Not so bad down here. Saw several rooty's close to dusk. Hope to get more scouting as the week progresses. Got the rebuilt starter put in the case 930 and she cranks over real swell now. Special thanks to Vogt's Repair in Armour for always keeping me rolling.
Got battery chargers on and will get started in the morning. Too much to do. One thing at a time.

With all moisture we should have excellent nesting cover again. If we don't get too much cold and rain we could have good bumper crop of birds.
 
Mowed all the food plots today and many hens in each plot. 20-50. Reports from local coop is that they are seeing a lot of birds. The hens look like they are positioning for nesting cover so I am glad to push them out of plots into adjacent cover early.
 
Daily Diary

Yesterday was a running day. Rained all day. Nice slow soaking rain. Picking up seed, fixing flat tires on disk, putting rock on driveway.

Tried to chisel plow the food plots after mowing but it plugged up due to too much litter. The disk with wings up was THE ticket however. Now they should be ready for the chisel. Then they will sit idle until planting time which is usually memorial weekend.

Pulled soil samples and did compaction tests at various locations across farm. Will send samples to SDSU for analysis and then will see what we are working with. Wanted to get baseline established.

Going to install a 2 acre whitetail food plot with perennials. Excited to see how that turns out.

Also bought premium seed for pheasant food plots. Milo and Cane. $520 worth. We'll see how that turns out.

Supposed to be 80 degrees later in week. That will boost nesting cover and breeding season for birds. Things are looking very good.
 
Got the word today the the quail piece is going to come out Friday. Should be fun. Remember, my sister is the actor in the family, I'm the athlete. She proved half of that by falling off of her high heels last Wednesday and breaking her fibula.
 
Video Clip

Maynard, Chris, the video came out today as advertised on our website. I couldn't find the longer one, maybe the "imbeded link" to it will be available when they archive the shorter version.
 
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