Crop Watcher 2013 week 1 - no start yet

Todd Easton Coles County May 3 2013: As the calendar page turns it brings another exciting Crop Watcher season to us amid another one of those rainy late start springs that pop up on us semi regularly. First off I'm glad to be back and share our local view of what is an already interesting crop year. So far me and the rest of the Terrydale Farms crew are keeping afloat here in the heart of Coles County right on the new highway that wasn't even here this time last year. That is not the only difference a year has made as the weather pattern and planting situation bear very little resemblance to 2012. The older farmers have been quick to say one extreme follows another, and the current extreme has us too cold and too wet for about all of the last month. Along with regular cold spells April brought us just over seven inches of rainfall keeping fieldwork to a minimum. A very small window in the first week enabled a handful of fields to be planted and they are just beginning to emerge at this point. On Wednesday May 1st conditions finally made it to the point that light sprayers could think about maybe getting into the field and several did. A few tillage tools and one planter that I know of soon followed but it was short lived when pop up showers starting mid afternoon Thursday brought us another quick 1.25 inches of work stopping moisture and the forecast is calling for more. About the only good news for now is the good looking wheat crop scattered about in a few locations around the county including some on my farm for the first time in several years. So right now its keep the fingers crossed that the other crops will soon be in the ground where they should be and the growing season can begin. Like a good friend to the south on the white dirt told me last summer "keep the faith".