Happy Friday! Here’s a quick update for you this week: August 20, 2021 Update: Soybeans (119 days) The beans are progressing very quickly. Check out how many pods are on each of these plants! Tons of 4-bean pods out there. And some 3-bean pods, which are okay…I guess. 😉 All of these pods will continue filling (getting wider as the beans grow) over the next couple of weeks. Then the plants should begin to die off shortly and the soybeans…
Follow the Field 2021 – Update #14
August 14, 2021Made it to the weekend! If you’ve been following along, you probably noticed that I haven’t posted #FollowTheField updates the last two Fridays. I can’t believe that it’s already the middle of August. This year has been a whirlwind between getting married (you probably noticed the name change in my blog signature), moving back to “normal” life after spending so much time at home during the pandemic, and moving! Here’s a rundown of what I’ve been up to over the…
Follow the Field 2021 – Update #13
July 30, 2021Happy Friday! Don’t know about you, but this week was crazy busy but went by super-fast. July 30, 2021 Update: Soybeans (98 days) The soybeans are still becoming taller and fuller, but are close to being as big as they’re going to be this season. We’re also tracking plant growth based on what’s happening under the canopy. More pods have formed and nodes all the way up to the top of the plant have flowered. See the white flowers all…
Follow the Field 2021 – Update #12
July 23, 2021Happy Friday! We’ve enjoyed a week of relatively cool weather and now it seems everything is shifting to hot and dry. Don’t miss the rain at all (at the moment) and the crops are soaking in the sunshine. July 23, 2021 Update: Soybeans (91 days) The beans have steadily been getting bigger, but the field felt different this week. The soybeans are well over knee-high now, which makes wading through them a lot like walking through water with branches between…
Follow the Field 2021 – Update #11
July 16, 2021Rain returned to central Illinois this week, including a storm with heavy rain deciding to move in as I was driving out to take this week’s photos. Didn’t spend a lot of time out there because I could see the rain coming across the fields to the west, but got what I needed for this week’s update! July 16, 2021 Update: Soybeans (84 days) In general, soybeans in the area are getting visibly bigger from the road. These soybeans are…
Follow the Field 2021 – Update #10
July 9, 2021Happy Friday! Crops are growing fast around here with the nice summer weather and frequent rains. Here’s the week 10 update: July 9, 2021 Update: Soybeans (77 days) The soybean field is a lot different than it was at this time last week. The beans have gotten taller (they grew about 4-5 inches just this week) and have filled out a lot compared to last week. They’re now about knee-high and are starting to create a little resistance when walking…
Follow the Field 2021 – Update #9
July 2, 2021Happy Friday! Seems that we’ve survived monsoon season here in central Illinois and are now looking forward to the long holiday weekend, complete with sunshine and decent temperatures (not too hot and not too cold) in the forecast. July 2, 2021 Update: Soybeans (70 days) The soybeans are growing steadily, despite the soggy weather. You can see how much more of the space between each row has filled in. The soybeans will continue growing upwards and branching out, all while…
Follow the Field 2021 – Update #8
June 25, 2021Happy Friday! The sun is currently shining, which is a surprise given the current weather forecast. Between yesterday (Thursday) and Sunday, we’re expected to have something like up to six inches of rain. While I’m grateful for the moisture and am glad it’s not coming all in one torrential downpour, it’s still a LOT of rain in a short amount of time. June 25, 2021 Update: Soybeans (63 days) These soybeans have definitely grown this week, but it looks like…
Follow the Field 2021 – Update #7
June 18, 2021It’s incredible how much crops change and grow during this time of year. It’s almost as if a weekly update isn’t enough! June 18, 2021 Update: Soybeans (56 days) Compared to the corn, it seems like soybeans grow soooo slowly. In reality, these beans put on a few new leaf sets AND grew two inches since last week. Soybean growth is less obvious than corn growth because they A) don’t get nearly as tall as corn, so less height to…
Follow the Field 2021 – Update #6
June 11, 2021Warm weather + regular rains = a very happy corn crop for this week’s Follow the Field update! June 11, 2021 Update: Soybeans (49 days) First up, soybeans. The cover crop continues to break down, making this look more and more like a soybean field with each passing day. The dead cover crop (straw-colored grass between each row of soybeans) gives the field an oddly bright yellow/tan look driving by – more like what we would see around harvest time…