Got It All Done

Canola swathing and hay baling got done today. With a little help. I made good time on the canola swathing as the crop was a little lighter and I could travel faster without plugging the swather. Had the field done by 6:00 pm and then to work on the baler. I'd had a little help from a family member who ran the old hoses into town to have new ones made up for me. I had them re-assembled and headed down the road by 7:00 to bale.
It had been a really hot day and the humidity was well up there. Good news for baling hay as it needed the extra day drying today. The humidity helped it feed better without plugging on the baler pickup and I was done just before dark. Tires were getting wet from the moisture on the grass. Broke another cross bar on the baler chain for un known reasons.
Here is a picture of a "test plot" in my canola field. The green crop standing on the left of the picture actually received no canola seed at all at planting time. I'd run out of seed and just threw in a bit of wheat to finish off that two acres. Then when I sprayed the canola with roundup in June I forgot about the wheat and sprayed right over it. Roundup did a good job killing the wheat. Apparently there was enough volunteer canola seed leftover in the soil to produce a fair stand of crop although it is pretty late and will have to stand a bit longer before I swath it.

Time For An Update

First day in the swather cutting canola today. Might be too early, or just right. Sure is  a tall standing crop and at times a real challenge to get it through the swath opening without plugging. It worked better after sundown when the crop got damp. Just at dark I was reminded that I'd had a problem with the lights on the swather last fall. At least the auxiliary field lights work so I was not totally in the dark.

That thunderstorm with rain in it went South of me luckily.
Got plans for a new video when I can get time to edit. I took the 52 Merc on an epic journey on the weekend. 28 mile round trip and the first time it has gone that far from home since 1969. The car attracted some interest at the antique car show at the museum. Nobody made any comments about the rusted out rocker panels and front fenders. Gas mileage exceeded my wildest expectations at just over 15 mpg. The idiosyncrasies of the old "teapot " carburetor requires a certain aggressive driving style that is not conducive to good gas mileage. The new carb kit is in the mail but now it will be a rainy day job as harvest operations take precedence.

Swathing In The Rain

Not something I planned to do but the rain hit when I was at the far end of the field with the swather and I tried to work my way back to where the truck was parked. It actually worked quite well but I figured by 7:30 and with a headache I was ready to quit. Just as well because more rain hit as I drove home. Good thing the new road construction was gravelled or I'd have had problems. Four tenths in the gauge when I got home.
The canola was like most years. In places over ripe but in others so green that it could have stood another week or two before being ready. Always a compromise with this crop.
Some interesting cloud scenery on the way home if I'd only had a better camera or at least got this one focused properly.

The terrible heat of last week has ended and it is positively cool out there this evening at 52 degrees.

Who Can Stop The Rain

Sept 1 and we should be well into harvest but no such luck. I have
swathed all my canola but the wheat is still a bit on the green side,
and of course wet now as we keep getting rains to re-soak everything.
Field operations are getting more difficult all the time. Sloughs grow
a little bigger and spread farther into the field with every rain. The
ruts I made when stuck in the spring are still full of water.
As the photo shows, I got stuck once swathing canola last week with the
swather which has very little ground clearance. With a little patience
and care I was able to pull the swather out of the mud with the old 730
Case. Reports of stuck combines are coming in. Tractors on standby at
the edges of the field are the rule. I've seen some wheat fields lodged
so bad that they are almost flat to the ground. A good environment for
plant diseases, wonder if the kernels will even fill? It will take patience
and skill to cut those fields.
Late blight has hit most of the tomato gardens around the area although
mine look good (so far). Potatos have pretty well died off, not sure if
its just normal aging or the irish potato famine making a resurgence.
If we ever get rolling its going to be an interesting harvest. Hope I
get a chance to try out the new (to me) John Deere pull type combine.