This has definitely been an interesting year thus far for farmers. It's hard to believe that 3 years ago we were in one of the worst droughts in history. I saw on the news today that in 2012 we experienced 51 days of 90 degree temperatures. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was pregnant and spent a lot of time in the pool, while watching our crops burn up. That year we had some of the lowest yields on record.
This summer has been the complete opposite. I forget the exact number, but we have only had a few days of 90 degree temps and the rainfall has been above average...way above average. I've tried to refrain from sharing very many crop pictures on social media because I know that we are very fortunate where we live in terms of how our crops look. I have seen pictures of fields that are flooded, fields that didn't get planted because of Spring being too wet, and corn that is only a foot tall and is beginning to tassel. My heart is definitely aching for these farmers and their families and I am keeping them in my prayers.
With all the moisture we have experienced combined with late planting times, there comes a risk of diseases in corn that can affect yields. Many farmers have chosen to spray their fields with fungicide in hopes of preventing further disease. We decided to have our fields sprayed as well. Some chemical companies apply the fungicide with an airplane, while others, like ours, use a helicopter. Some farmers can use a "sprayer" with very tall wheels to get through the rows of corn to apply it, but there are only certain types of sprayers that can do this. Fungicide is applied after the corn has tasseled. It seems that for the past several weeks we have heard planes in the distance spraying corn. It never gets old watching them spray the fields and it is easy entertainment for the girls;)
This was the first year that we have sprayed fungicide from the air, so the girls were pretty excited to watch. It's not every day that a helicopter lands in the barn lot!;)
Here is a short video of the helicopter spraying...
Here is a short video of the helicopter landing...
A quick fill-up, which only seemed to take a couple minutes, and he was off again...
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