The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Greetings to everyone in western Illinois. Well, a few brave souls around these parts got some field corn planted.
They're walk'n around, after Sundays rain, with their heads held high and chest puffed up as if'n they are better than those who barely got started on their field work.
I remember back a little over 30 years ago a younger, at that time, Irishman over in Point Pleasant Township took the opportunity to plant corn the last week in March just to say he had done it for brag'n rights to his neighbors.
I also remember the same feller harvest'n corn in August, in a separate season.
Now, Point Pleasant Township, Warren County, Illinois, is a mighty fine place to have the privilege to take up farm'n.
Why, you can make several farming mistakes, all in the same year, and still raise a right nice crop.
On my "ole yeller" clay, one mistake and you are zapped for the season.
It'll take a good hard freeze'n winter, hopefully, to correct your error.
Fact of the matter is, in the "Old Days", before commercial fertilizer was introduced, those fellers in Point Pleasant Township wasted more corn per acre than I was able to coax outa that "tough ole yeller clay".
In spite of all the benefits and brag'n rights of Point Pleasant Township, I've watched that young Irishman farmer grow older over the last 30 plus years.
Not once since that time has he planted his corn in March or even the first week of April.
Nor, has he again harvested corn at 30% plus moisture, the last week in August.
Brag'n rights, it seems, don't put food on the table, pay bills, or keep the landlord happy.
Fact is, as I recall, that early bird of years ago scratched deep in the main entrance of his barn door, "Never plant corn in March or harvest corn in August if'n your goal is farm'n to maximize profits"!
The problem is the barn was tore down a few years back and his young relative, who now helps him farm, doesn't have the barn door as a reminder.
So out he goes with his short britches and cap on backwards aggressively make'n similar mistakes, or so it seems, of a generation ago.
Granted, they say, "Todays hybrids will stand it better".
They also say, "The last two springs were mighty wet and late, so we're gett'n a jump on a small window of opportunity".
That might be true in both instances but an old say'in to reflect on is, "This years mistakes are made on last years lessons".
Anyway's, it have'n rained on Easter Sunday is not a good sign. The old saying sez, it'll rain for 7 Sundays in a row now.
Well, whatever happens, time will tell who was right-Mr. Patience or Mr. Impatience.
Maybe by the time fall harvest is over I'll owe Mr. Short Britches an apology for judging his actions too quickly.
If'n so, I'll shore enough give in and admit in all probability I've outlived the usefulness of some of my knowledge from the, "School of Hard Knocks".
One thing is sure, as wet as I've seen some of those fellers work'n their ground, if'n we don't get enough rain to melt some of those clods they have generated, there will only be one solution.
Take each one of those boulders, one by one, from your field and let them soak one-half hour in the swollen Mississippi river.
That'll melt them away and let you prepare a seed bed good enough for this plant'n season.
Keep on Smile'n
Catch ya Later
Barnyard Bruke