Planting season has arrived- earlier than normal. Most guys have wrapped up corn planting and are itching to start on beans. With the abnormal temperatures and dry conditions it seems as though things are earlier than most years.

We planted our 120 acres of corn (we have to start small) last week. I wasn’t around the day it was planted unfortunately, as the photo geek I am I  really wanted to get pictures.

Can I say I know every detail about the process of planting and all the mechanics and settings involved- no I clearly cannot. Though I can tell you, each year that passes I know more and more and sometimes take my husband by surprise when I know something he had no clue I did. The process intrigues me and I am more than willing to watch and listen to pick up things for the following year.

We are doing something most wouldn’t—planting corn on corn. Most rotate out corn-beans-wheat. The farm we bought had been planted in beans for five years so we did corn last year and had plans to do part in beans and all the rain last year changed the plans. So here we sit 2016 with 120 acres of corn. Input costs are high and crop prices are low—which scares the crap out of me but that’s what comes with farming–highs and lows–currently sitting at a low.

We have decided to go on the no-till route. Which simply means we go year to year without breaking or disturbing the ground with tillage. I never knew anything about this practice until I met my husband and can honestly say I don’t know the ins and outs but I am learning. It’s strange looking at all the fields that have been worked–turbo tilled–field cultivated-disc-etc and seeing how clean those fields look, and then look at our farm where there are corn stalks and trash from the previous years, which this year made it hard for Seth to even see his marker when planting.

I hope to update this blog weekly with the progress of the crops to share with those a more in depth process behind corn production—

Here are a few pictures of where we stand now. The corn was planted on April 16th and 17th—

This picture is from April 23. Let the progression begin-