Reding Update: A Fungus Among Us

Well, last week I mentioned Pa Ingalls’ wheat crop being destroyed by grasshoppers. It is amazing how much crop protection has changed since then. Last week we had a helicopter spraying several of our fields with fungicide. These fields were showing signs of a damaging fungus, and the corn was too tall to use our sprayer. So, we had a helicopter come in and do the job. Here is a photo of them refilling. It took just over a minute to fill. Then the pilot could apply product to 30 more acres. It was amazing to watch as he maneuvered around the field and over electrical wires and trees.

I am also including three pictures from the wheat harvest. While this was several weeks ago, I just now received the pictures from our cousin and official farm photographer, Josh Ohde. Josh has worked part time for us for several years, but recently joined us full-time as our Crop Protection Specialist. He has such an eye for capturing great shots like these three and the ones posted last time. He can somehow even make dirty planter parts look cool from the right angle!

We are again thirsting for rain. The crops are beginning to look a bit stressed again, and the temperatures remain in the 90’s. We have been fortunate to get the rain we have gotten. Many of our friends across the state and country are much more desperate than we are…but we’re getting there! We remain thankful for what we receive and hopeful that more is on the way.

Ashley Reding

Another Update from Kentucky Farmer Ashley Reding

Hello everyone! The last couple of weeks have been crazy around here. At least farm life slowed down a bit before our personal lives sped up. Kathryn (our nine year old) was in the hospital twice last week, and I am so happy that she has recovered splendidly.

Speaking of kids, Andrew (4) said the following after our lunch prayer last week:

“Thank you, God, for the 8130 and the Kinze planter with 16 rows. And for letting us plant the corn and killing it too.** And thank you for letting us get to Grandma's house. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen."

**The “thanks for killing it” was in there because they were replanting corn damaged in the flood and he apparently didn’t know that was a BAD thing! The 8130 is a John Deere tractor.

All planting and replanting is complete. Wheat harvest is done. There is always something going on, however. This week we are focusing on applying crop protection products and praying (a lot) for rain. In some areas, the corn is becoming stressed due to lack of rain and the intense summer heat. Stressed corn = stressed farmers!

Summer is also a time when we check and repair trucks and equipment. We focus on improvements for the farm, and attend lots of meetings. This summer is actually a slow one with “only” about 14 days worth of different meetings. I work here in our farm office three days a week and spend time with the kids the other days.

To be honest, my thoughts are just not on the farm today. When I began this blog, I said it was going to be about our farm and family…and family is all that’s on my mind today. After a very rough week, my grandfather passed away today. Jimmie Franklin Shemwell was 77 years old. While I am extremely sad, I am also very proud to have known such a great man. I visited him in the hospital about a month ago. At that time, he told me that he had lived a good life and had no regrets. If this cancer is what “got him,” then that was ok. That helps me to be at peace.

So, I will end this week wishing you all a safe summer and will challenge you to be thankful for the many blessings you have. God bless America. God bless our families. And, God…please send rain!

Another update from guest blogger Ashley Reding

Oh, the hard life of a farmer… As you can tell from this picture of my husband, Aaron, farmers do occasionally get to kick back. What might surprise you is that this picture was taken while he was planting corn! Oh, the joys of auto-steer. Kathryn (9) just noticed last night that I could drive our van without pushing the gas pedal. I laughed because she was so amazed at cruise control, yet doesn’t bat an eye at the tractor driving itself across the field. (For those of you unfamiliar with auto-steer, I’ll talk more about it next week.)

Since last week, I am happy to report that we planted the last of our corn – including what was replanted. Kathryn is becoming quite the photographer this summer. She is already working on photographs to enter in the county fair, and took these two great shots of corn fields – one obviously much more mature than the other.We are nearing the end of the soybean planting and will soon be harvesting winter wheat.

This week I had a routine checkup with my doctor (I am diabetic.) We spent much of the time talking about farming which she knew little about. They say most Americans are at least four generations removed from the farm (which is true in my case), so it is no surprise that many people don’t understand today’s farms.

What I found interesting is that my doctor thought farmers owned all of their land. She was really shocked – and I was shocked that she was shocked! I thought I should add this to my mental inventory of things that farmers think that everyone knows, but they really don’t. Here are a couple more:

1. In town, a car with caution lights on usually meansthe person has a flat tire or is trying to carry items in their car that actually require a truck. In the country, a car with its lights flashing probably means there is a big piece of machinery close behind. Slow down and move over! Aaron gets so frustrated when people don’t slow down, but I have to defend those who have no clue what this means!

2. Another misconception is that farmers are busy in the spring and fall, but they relax in the summer and winter. Ha!! I suppose some farms do still operate this way, but we do not. Summer is when we harvest wheat and apply crop protection products to the soybeans. We are also involved with Farm Bureau and various commodity groups that have summer and winter meetings. Additionally, we attend training sessions in both summer and winter to improve our farming processes and learn about new technologies. This past winter, we were out of town four weeks in an eight-week period! And that doesn’t include the additional one and two-day trips sprinkled throughout the winter months. Of course summer and winter are also filled with planning for the upcoming season, which takes many, many hours.

Farming is never a world in which I thought I’d live and I am on the list of those who had many misconceptions about farming. I’m learning new things every day and am so happy that I can teach Aaron and our family new things about business practices that help our farm. For two total opposites, we work well together!

Flooded Fields at Planting Time - Guest Blogger Ashley Reding

Last week I mentioned the 10 inches of rain we received the first weekend in May. While this was not the highest water on record, the older locals saw water where they had never seen it before. My first pictures are of one of our “flood victim” fields – you can see how the corn is nice, green, and tall (relatively speaking) where the water did not reach. Then see where we had to replant and start again. Amazing. I am also including a picture of the trash left behind from the flood. While this picture wasn’t taken in a field, it is a good representation of the sticks, limbs and more limbs that had to be cleared before any replanting could begin.

This last week has been warm and wonderful for planting. We are drilling beans and planting (and replanting) corn. Kathryn (9) got out of school last Friday, so she has been a farm helper three days already. Andrew (4) is on his third day in a week – and that’s only because I won’t send him out every day! Andrew and I rode with Aaron a couple of nights ago and it is amazing to watch Andrew’s concentration. He asks about everything he sees and repeats to you what he’s already learned. Andrew was planting with Aaron for over eight hours last Friday, and he still didn’t want to come home. That is amazing for a boy who can’t sit still! Aaron is beaming with pride as his children’s love of farming grows.

Without the flood, we would be nearly finished planting; however, we are still about one to one-and-a-half weeks from being finished due to the rain and replanting. At that time, wheat should be ready to harvest. So there will be no break this season. Maybe next year…

Last week I mentioned that I learned quickly that “but NEXT year” is a common farmer motto. Another thing I learned early on is that when asked “Will you come lead me to the next field,” one should prepare to be gone for three hours. More than likely, the initial request is simply step one in the plan. What it really means is,
“Will you come lead me to the next field…then drive me back to the first field to get the truck….then come back to this field and wait until so-and-so gets here with the such-and-such and then take him back to the farm?” It didn’t take long to learn that I’d better stick in some snacks for the kids and get on my tennis shoes. Perhaps my next endeavor should be writing a guidebook for new not-from-the-farm farm wives!