whitepinesquilter Posted August 7, 2012 Report Share Posted August 7, 2012 Here is a picture of a creek that is up here in NE Iowa. It runs about a mile further south of where I took the picture into a larger river here. We've only had 2 1/4" of rain here at our farm in the last 15 weeks - this is why there's no flow. Now we're hearing about fish kills in other creeks and rivers from the low water and the high water temps. Pray for rain! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted August 7, 2012 Report Share Posted August 7, 2012 wow Marci. I saw some other pictures on the news and it is scary to see how dry you guys are. I'll keep you all in my prayers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustSewSimple Posted August 7, 2012 Report Share Posted August 7, 2012 Bless your heart!!! Here in South Mississippi we have a shower every afternoon all spring and summer. It is God's way of keeping us from catching fire from the heat of the sun! I will pray for rain for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrandmaLKB Posted August 7, 2012 Report Share Posted August 7, 2012 That looks familiar, Marci. We are in central Iowa. We did get 1 1/2" of rain on Saturday, but that is the first rain of any kind in many, many weeks. Our pond is down a good 2'. Some of the corn fields around look like they should in October - just before harvest............all brown and dry. Even with the 1 1/2" of rain, you can hardly tell we had anything. Still big cracks in the ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kueser Posted August 7, 2012 Report Share Posted August 7, 2012 A gal from just south of us about 20 miles sent in a picture to the news last week showing how deep a crack was in the field - 7 feet! My sister (who lives in Naples FL) and I were joking about the weather. She said the end was near since they had hail. I told her I wasn't sure, but since it was hot as hell here, it might have already happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitepinesquilter Posted August 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2012 Linda, I drove to down to Clinton this past week and was shocked to see what looked like an empty pond. I had to turn around and look again. Yep, dry as a bone! And I saw another one after that - I've not seen it like this before. And we have neighbors on our gravel road who have sandier soil and/or over limestone who have already chopped their brown corn for silage to get at least something out of it. There were no ears set so not much nutritional value but will at least be something to help. Here on our farm we set a little higher than land around us, and we've watched many a rains go around us. So far, because our soil is black loam, our corn hasn't started dying off, but if we don't get some rain very soon it is inevitable. On a happier note, though, I had been watering our garden earlier, but we then quit because when our neighbor had to dig a deeper well when theirs dropped too low to maintain any pressure (that is not something we wanted to happen here). We must have watered at the right time, and quit when it least mattered, though, because when I checked the sweetcorn yesterday we have full ears ready! Now I'm scrambling to get rid of a lot of it as well as freeze a bunch. It wouldn't be such a scramble except I gave up on the corn and expected nothing..... and was very pleasantly surprised! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustee Posted August 7, 2012 Report Share Posted August 7, 2012 I don't know what part of Iowa you are from. We are experiencing the same thing here. We haven't had rain in weeks. All my flowers and lawn burned up, even with watering. The heat was just too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltedsunflower Posted August 7, 2012 Report Share Posted August 7, 2012 Here in NW Missouri, they are mowing corn for hay!!! Never heard of that before, bit it's too dry even for silage. We haven't moved our yard since early June and it sounds like snow crunching under your feet as you walk across. Some of the farmers are selling cattle because they can't afford to feed them. Hay has gone from $50 a bale to $80 in the last few weeks. It's kinda scary really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primitive1 Posted August 7, 2012 Report Share Posted August 7, 2012 I am sooooooo ready for fall!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katydids Posted August 7, 2012 Report Share Posted August 7, 2012 Originally posted by Primitive1 I am sooooooo ready for fall!!!! Ditto!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitepinesquilter Posted August 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2012 Ready for fall here too!! I've never heard of corn hay but I can imagine farmers doing anything creative to help defray the cost of feeding due to all this. I've heard about guys selling out their cattle herds, and two of our friends have given up on milking cows, this was basically the last straw for them hanging in there. Our new growth hay isn't growing, so we don't know if we'll have to replant next year and change our rotation; whichever, it will surely be a loss to us. We depend on selling a lot of hay as second income. Well, I should not complain as we do have our health, and we are farming by choice. But fall can't get here soon enough!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitepinesquilter Posted August 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2012 And Cee, seven feet?! Hubby showed me some cracks in the fields but ours are not that deep! Just keep praying for rain! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fabric007 Posted August 8, 2012 Report Share Posted August 8, 2012 I am from northwest Iowa. I have seen some making silage already. Our crops dont look as bad as they do around the council bluffs area. we were down that way last week. you would have thought it was sept. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delld Posted August 8, 2012 Report Share Posted August 8, 2012 I'm ready for fall as well! Sure hope you get some rain soon! We have finally started to get some rain here on the island. All summer it has rained all around us. We had a great storm yesterday and had rain in the ditches!!! Maybe about 2 inches. It was wonderful and it cooled it off too! Got you in my prayers for some good rain!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heritage Keepsakes Posted August 8, 2012 Report Share Posted August 8, 2012 Hope you get some good rain soon. I'm on the flip side, I am so ready for summer!:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitepinesquilter Posted August 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2012 Julie, someday I am going to experience your 'flip side' - a daughter and her DH took a vacation down there for a couple weeks and loved it. Not sure who would go with me, though, as my DH believes the whole world is here on our farm.. hehe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynne in Iowa Posted August 8, 2012 Report Share Posted August 8, 2012 Originally posted by whitepinesquilter Julie, someday I am going to experience your 'flip side' - a daughter and her DH took a vacation down there for a couple weeks and loved it. Not sure who would go with me, though, as my DH believes the whole world is here on our farm.. hehe! That must be an Iowa farmer thing. They lock the gates to the county if they leave it and they might not get back in! Very dry here too. Some fields of corn did not pollinate at all. They look pretty good from the road, but go into the field and there are no ears. One advantage, we may be done harvesting by the time AQS is in DSM and I might actually be able to go this year. No extra cash to spend, but I could still look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heritage Keepsakes Posted August 8, 2012 Report Share Posted August 8, 2012 Originally posted by whitepinesquilter Julie, someday I am going to experience your 'flip side' - a daughter and her DH took a vacation down there for a couple weeks and loved it. Not sure who would go with me, though, as my DH believes the whole world is here on our farm.. hehe! That would be awesome Marci if you got to visit 'Down Under'! When you do, please let us know so your 'Aussie' forum family members can connect with you, if your tourist plans can sqeeze it in!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitepinesquilter Posted August 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2012 Lynne, you're married to a farmer, too! And, Julie, thanks! You are too sweet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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