How Great The Yield From A Fertile Field: May 2012

Memorial Day

I just finished reading We Were Soldiers Once . . . And Young (Moore and Galloway). It is a firsthand and hour by hour account of the battle of Ia Drang in 1965. This was the first major battle between U.S. troops and the North Vietnamese army during the Vietnam "conflict". There were over 230 American soldiers that died and over 240 wounded in a 4 day period.
Our military involvement in the Vietnam war lasted 10 years and cost the lives of over 58,000 young Americans (over 300,000 wounded).
Husbands, Fathers, Brothers, Sons.
War is Hell.

And it humiliated a nation that had never before lost a war.

“No one starts a war--or rather, no one in his senses ought to do so--without first being clear in his mind what he intends to achieve by that war and how he intends to conduct it.”
Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831)

Every time I read a story about the Vietnam war, I feel bad for how America in general didn't appreciate and mistreated the soldiers and veterans involved, who did their duty on our behalf. The unpopular war wasn't their fault, but they carried the physical and emotional burdens of it. I think of them this Memorial Day.
It is unfortunate that war is a reality in a fallen world. As a Christian I try to be a pacifist. Yet I recognize the necessity of war in the presence of evil, and I appreciate the freedoms that our military has preserved for me here in America. And I am grateful for the sacrifice so many have made on my behalf.
As the saying goes, "all gave some . . . some gave all".
We should not forget.

I had registered for the draft, and had received a lottery number, but the draft ended the year before I would have been called up. I was thankful.

And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the Lord your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies.
Also in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; that they may be to you for a memorial before your God: I am the LORD your God.
Numbers 10:9,10

Groundhog

A study by Iowa State University found that the use of ethanol reduced the wholesale price of gasoline by an average of $1.09 per gallon last year. Without ethanol, gas prices at the pump could have been close to $6 per gallon!
Thank a corn farmer!

Groundhogs are rodents. They are very good diggers and they burrow in and around our sheds and old buildings. Their burrows can be large with up to 40-45 feet of tunnels, up to 5 feet deep, with 2-5 entrances. This undermines building foundations and can be damage machinery parked over them. They make a mess with the piles of dirt they leave from their digging.
They are mostly herbivorous, eating berries, flowers, grasses, soybeans, alfalfa, and other vegetation. They are a nuisance.

Monday, nephew Troy saw one in our front yard. By the time I got the gun, he had crossed the road and was in the neighbor's front yard. We couldn't flush it out into the open, so he got away.
Today, Gus trapped him under daughter #2's car. My wife and daughter called me out of the hog house, and fetched my gun for me. With D #2 screaming, "Don't shoot my car!, Don't shoot my car!", and my wife trying valiantly to subdue Gus, we tried to flush it from under the car. It was too scared of the dog to leave.
I didn't think it would be a good idea to use the shotgun under the car, so D #2 retrieved my pistol and tried to load it.. And tried again to load it. And again. I couldn't help because I didn't want to take my eyes off of the rodent. After several minutes passed, the groundhog decided to chance an escape while the dog was temporarily under control, and was quickly dispatched with the shotgun.
Gus was overjoyed with this new prize, much like he was with his prize rat! He played with it all day, and he won't let us take it away from him!

Gus and his groundhog.

On Monday, I dug out a stump from a hedge tree (osage orange) which my brother had cut down last week. We are widening the driveway to make it easier for semi's to enter and exit. It must have taken 2 hours of digging and cutting roots before I was finally able to pull it out.

And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him;
Daniel 4:23

Weekend

We had the rest of Matt's future in-laws' family for lunch Saturday.We enjoyed and appreciated our time with them, and look forward to spending more time with them in the future.

Minnesota joke they shared with us:

There is not a single mosquito in the State of Minnesota.

They are all married with families!

Uncle Bill would like that one!

After our company left late Saturday afternoon, we discovered that our kitchen cesspool was backed up and was running across the patio and in front of the garage. I dug down in the yard to find the tile drain, then ran a snake through the line. I broke through an obstruction and the line flushed out and the cesspool started draining properly. It may smell a little around here until we get a good soaking rain to dissipate the spilled fluid.

We had a blessed day of worship and fellowship with our Minnesota company in church today, followed by a nap, chores, and then Clayton's graduation party. Congratulations Clayton!
More friends, family, and fellowship!

Matt and Lena are up in the clouds.

Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.
Psalm 36:5

Soybeans

The fields were dry enough by last Thursday morning to start planting soybeans. The air conditioning compressor went out in the tractor we use for planting on Saturday afternoon. It was too late to find parts and a repairman. On Monday afternoon, we were still waiting, but we kept on planting soybeans. It was quite warm in the cab, but it would have been too dusty to open the windows. So I just sweated. I did get a little worried when I saw a buzzard (turkey vulture) circling around overhead, but he disappeared after a while.
We finished planting soybeans Tuesday afternoon, after 5 consecutive days (minus Sunday) of planting. Wednesday morning we were able to get an old side dressing machine that nobody else likes using, so we commenced applying Nitrogen.
The first planted beans are starting to emerge. Everything could use some rain.

This past Wednesday night we had the privilege of meeting half of Lena's (future daughter-in-law's) family. What a blessing it is to feel so comfortable with people that we haven't met before. So thankful for the common bond of faith and fellowship that makes this possible. We are looking forward to being with the rest of the family this weekend.

God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
I Corinthians 1:9

Young

Springtime is a time of youth. A time of new begginings. Here on the farm there are many reminders of this in our daily lives.

The newly planted corn is emerging. The rows really aren't as crooked as the picture makes them. Part of this is our sweetcorn patch.

The last batch of pigs we farrowed is in the nursery. I don't know why their eyes look so glassy.

This spring's batch of baby chicks.

The litter of baby kittens.

Gus, our "teenage" puppy.

And best of all, Little Miss.

And . . .

In the Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.

Tennyson

Today, Son#1 announced his engagement to a young lady who caught his fancy and to whom God has directed his heart. We wish them God's blessings as they take this step of faith.

And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.
Genesis 54:28

Old

Yesterday, I took one of our landladies to a kickoff picnic for a wind farm that includes two towers on her property. I am not looking forward to farming around the wind towers or the roads that will access them. The 100 tower wind farm has to be built and operating by Dec. 31, which is when the government subsidy expires. That gives them less than 7 months to accomplish it. I do think it will be interesting to follow the construction progress. It won't be fun dealing with the tore up fields and the compaction issues when it is finished.

Sunday afternoon we went driving around and hiking in Springdale Cemetery in Peoria. It is listed in the Register of National Historic Places and was opened in 1857. It encompasses 232 acres of grave sites, woods, ravines, and savannah. There are over 78,000 people buried there, including over 900 military veterans and numerous prominent and famous people. There are over 6 1/2 miles of winding driveways throughout to access the grave sites. Due to fiscal problems and mismanagement, the cemetery fell into disrepair and went into bankruptcy a few years ago. It has been rescued, but it will be a long time until it can be fully restored to its former glory. We visited numerous graves, including the graves of one set of my great grandparents. Also, for the first time we found the grave of one of my great, great, grandfathers, which I didn't even realize was in that cemetery.

FYI
"Marlboro Man" has been occasionally posting on The Pioneer Woman's blog. I have enjoyed reading about ranching and the cattle business in the Flint Hills. That type of agriculture is very different from what I am used to here in the center of the corn belt. It almost makes me want to be a cowboy.

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
1 Corinthians 15:55

Rat Party

The much needed rain that we received over the last week naturally kept us out of the fields. Since our outside hog lots are now empty, we decided to start the deconstruction process. We are taking out all of the gates, posts, fences, and feeders. We plan to clean out the biggest shed, which was a cattle shed at one time, and use it for machinery storage.
We knew that when we moved the big old wooden feeders, we would expose the feedlot's resident rat population. So we decided to have a rat party. Everybody available (except the photographer, who shall remain nameless because she is deathly scared of rodents) stood around the feeder with clubs and shovels waiting for the tractor to pull the feeders from their long time positions. When the feeder is moved, disturbing and exposing their nests, the rats run helter-skelter in all directions. There is much hollering, clubbing, and fancy footwork until all the rats are subdued. The final count was 25 deceased rats of all ages and sizes.

Gus, (our "teenage"puppy) got in on the action, when he grabbed a large, stunned rat. He was in his glory running around the yard with his trophy, flipping it in the air, playing with it , and pouncing on it repeatedly. He even tried to share his rat with the screaming photographer (who shall remain nameless), while she was perched atop of the fence.

Hooking the tractor up to the old wooden feeder.