Good morning!!!!

[RedNeckGeek]

Something went terribly wrong in a field west of here yesterday afternoon when a tractor rolled off a trailer and landed on top of the man loading it. He didn't survive.

One dead after tractor rollover in Chico | KRCR

Careful out there, folks!

 

[PJSprog]

0°F and partly cloudy here this morning, going up to 16° today. Looking forward to that warm up this weekend.

The list of school closings here in the St. Louis area was long this morning. Pretty much everywhere from the sounds of it as read on the radio. I have mixed feelings about closing schools just because it's cold outside. I get why. I just don't think it sets a good example for later in life.

 

[jbrumberg]

14F and cloudy. A quick passing "warm" front left a gift of 3/4"s of light powdery snow this last night. That makes 28" so far this year. The NWS has issued a Winter Storm Warning for this area. I am still expecting ~7" of snow out of this Great Lakes Clipper morphing into a decent coastal storm. and a warmup for the weekend and a possible rain event early next week.

RNG- It's so sad to read about these tractor/farming/agriculture accidents resulting in fatalities and serious injuries. 35 years operating tractors and power equipment and I am still afraid. There were a few pucker moments and skid marks in the undies events in the past have made me cautious. "Low&Slow" are the norm around here even w/o the tractor. PennState University (my alma mater; great meteorology dept) did a tractor rollover study in the 70's. It was disturbing to read the study and watch the videos of the videos.

BuckeyeFarmer- I am happy to read that you had no "reactions" last night. I hope it has resolved.

PJS- I agree.

My + thoughts, prayers, and wishes for all especially those challenged.

 

[lostcreekranch]

Thanks
I didn't think to look on the bag...this is pretty generic Southern States fertilizer

I wonder if one brand of fertilizer is better than another. All advice welcome.

Application rate likely to be fairly high to make up for low readings on test samples.

It's funny that the soil did not test for any potash when one of the world's largest potash mines is across and further out the Pamlico River.
Would be a bonus if it were naturally occurring
Around here it's all about how much sand is in there vs soil. In the area I'm planting, the corn and potatoes area is a little richer/darker soil than where the fenced area is for
all the other vegetables. I've got cow manure down on about a third of that area, geez I would love a tractor trailer load of mushroom soil dumped here but it just isn't available locally.
So until I can build up the nutrients naturally, granular fertilizer is the way to go. Besides I think corn and potatoes really like fertilizer, or so I've read.

Am thinking 300 pounds an acre to start. Maybe I should double that, not sure what that gets you...and what is too much. I'm sure the only way to really tell is keep
doing soil samples. Might be time to call the local ag agent and stop guessing. Dial on fertilizer flinger shows rate per acre, which I'm sure is not overly accurate since it is stated at a specific exact tractor speed, like 2.5mph. Now a nice digital speedometer like on my Kubota would be great, but the little Massey has none of that. 2.5mph should be walking speed.
I can do this.

52 degrees out today, can't waste this...particularly with nasty weather on the way.

Can’t speak for your area Drew but, in Texas, our Texas Agri-Life agents are a great resource. Make time to get to know the extension agent near you.

 

[farmer2009]

7 this morning and headed to 12 today. A fresh 5-6 inches fell over night.

Don our business closing list is longer than that. Every school in the area is closed also.

Get the call last night. We are going to catch your chickens tonight. An hour after they are supposed to be here and I have everything ready, I call back. Nope we ain’t coming. Crew cab is in the ditch at the intersection of the state and county roads about a mile from your house. Sure enough he was. It’s a tight turn anyways and the 10’ trailer spreads help them skip over the culvert if they miss their mark by a couple of inches. Yes it’s that tight. Well they just went ahead and slid into the ditch. Not enough traction to pull them out. We’ll be out tomorrow night (tonight). Sure they will but I still have to go plow everything out.

Drew. P&K aren’t very mobile in the soil. But in your sand they move more than in any other soil type. Nitrogen is highly leachable and will disappear in no time in sand. Triple 10 is very expensive. It isn’t possible to make with straight fertilizer ingredients. It requires the use of a filler. Usually sand but sometimes you get lucky and it’s pelitized lime. Spring for the triple 19 next time. It will have 3 ingredients. Potash 0-0-60, DAP 18-46-0 and Urea 45-0-0.

Guess I’m getting more seat time today. Minimum of 2 hours to plow everything out to state highway.

 

[LouNY]

Morning all;
Low 20's this morning, maybe an inch of snow last night, light flurries at this time,
depending on who you listen to 1-3 or 4-6 total in the next day and a half.
Felt like a large breakfast today,did a batch of sausage gravy, fresh biscuits and a couple of eggs over easy,
start cleaning up the kitchen in a bit then get dressed to go outside and fill up a couple of bird feeders.
lazy day maybe.

 

[farmer2009]

Around here they use to use a Bobcat for decrusting, but no idea what they do now with all these huge operations.

Toppop.

This is what we use between flock. Housekeeper Dump-Body Model 2 LP | Lewis Brothers Mfg.

Now remember I have 80,000 sqft. under roof. We use a service for total clean outs once a year. They use skid steers.

 

[RedNeckGeek]

35 years operating tractors and power equipment and I am still afraid.

The biggest problem with this equipment is that we don't know what we don't know. Reading studies like those done by Penn State are a good start, and there are plenty of "tractor tip over" threads on TBN, but at the end of the day, you just have to take a minute, think about what you're about to do, and try to spot ways it could go sideways. And then when you start, you still have to be thinking about what is actually happening, and if it's not what you expect, stop until you can figure out why. Complicating this are the interruptions from cell phones, people around you, and the daily pressures that interrupt your chain of thought. Did I set the brake before I got off the tractor? Did I put the safety pins back into the ROPS when I put it back up? Did I remember to throw an old blanket over that winch cable to limit how far it flies if it breaks? The list goes on and on! I bet the two guys in that accident had put that tractor on that trailer hundreds of times in the past. But something went horribly wrong this time. Familiarity breeds contempt. Pay attention and stay alive!

 

[farmer2009]

Our local utility is Warren Rural Electric Company Co-op. Our area is all monopolies so no choices. They buy their power from TVA. Last month was 138.00 plus the propane. Ain’t got a clue on that as it’s filled with the chicken coops and all billed together and a fill up usually last more than a month.

 

[jbrumberg]

Today's Great Lake Clipper's cold front is creating an icy, world of hurt in the SE to MA CONUS. I can see the reasons for all the school closings for this storm. For those who have to travel today stay safe out there.