Canola Swathing 2012

Canola Swathing 2012




Yes, thats me swathing canola just so you know I do actually work a little sometimes. As usual it looked a little on the green side once I got into the crop but hopefully it will turn out ok. According to the calendar I am right but of course weather is always a wild card.
Not expecting a great crop as there is a lot of disease like sclerotinia and alternaria, not to mention aster yellows which is a new one to me this year.
It is a big improvement to be working "indoors" compared to the old open station swather. At the mercy of sun, wind, rain, dust, insects and whatever else the weather threw at me I now appreciate the protection the cab offers. That little diesel engine runs on about half the fuel that my old swather used. As reliable as the old AMC gas engine was, it liked its gas.
Now what? Swath more of the cereals or leave them to mature and direct cut with the combine? Flax? Well it will definitely be swathed but not quite ready yet.

More Trail Rides

For the second weekend in a row I have been out with family and friends on the quads, bikes, trike, touring the area looking at crops and other items of interest. We don't go very fast but we go pretty far, to quote an old song. Great weather and scenery and good company and before we know it we have made 60 km or more.

Crops are variable with some great looking wheat that might be disappointment if it has as much disease as some are saying. Canola is so uneven on some fields with flowering patches amongst far more advanced plants. It will be a challenge to know when to swath . There was one field in the process of being swathed.
I got my swather out of the back of the shed on the weekend in preparation for the soon to be swathing season. Great to have indoor storage but having to move 3 trucks, a tractor and a pull type combine to get at the swather takes a bit of time and effort. Sharing one battery between the trucks and tractor, one truck with no spark, then a flooding carburetor, all help keep the mechanical skills honed.

Watched late at night for the Perseid meteor showers, saw nothing. Shot some interesting video of some little Merlin hawks near the house. Don't often get to see them being fed by the adults.
Merlins

This blogger has an interesting blog about our disappearing Sask. wooden grain   elevators

Baling With The 847.

Summer marches on and hay is being made. Between rains I managed to get most of what I will need for this winter. Theres more I could cut but not much point if I don't use it and have to carry it over another year.
The old auction sale baler works pretty well and sure beats the way I used handle little square bales. Nice working inside out of the dust and heat too. Although all those years and multiple thousands of small bales handled in summer heat gave me a real appreciation for the way I do it now.
CBC radio in the background keeps me entertained and informed with no distracting and annoying commercials.
Crops getting just enough rain and not too hot so they are looking pretty good. Although some canola fields are pretty uneven in maturity and will be a real challenge to guess when its time to swath. If the "sky is falling" crowd at agriville  are right, disease and insects will not leave much for us to harvest but mine looks good from the road and thats as close as I am going to look for now. That can be an interesting site to visit but sometimes a little depressing.
Another half inch of rain last night. So far we have missed the hail and tornados but August is traditional for hail and violent thunderstorms in Sask. so....