View From the Cab

DECATUR, Ill. (DTN) -- No disrespect intended, but the discovery that an extreme meteorologist is storm chasing near your cornfield isn't exactly welcome news. But that's exactly what Stuart Sanderson had this week outside of Madison, Alabama.

"Not only did we have a tornado, but it slammed into the storm chaser's car. They got corn plants inside the car," said Sanderson. The EF-2 tornado touched down in Limestone County and had a path of more than 13 miles and was 380 yards wide. It caused tree, property and some crop damage, but fortunately no fatalities were recorded.

And conditions turned out beautiful for the field day the farm held May 22. More than 100 farmers showed up to look at plots and learn from farm trials.

This year has thrown more than a few wet weather surprises at Sanderson, who is a partner in Henderson Farms. Sloppy conditions have stalled planting in low lying bottoms and continue to challenge timeliness of other operations such as spraying and side dressing.

On the flip side, Ethan Zoerb finally got a brief respite from unrelenting dry conditions in central Nebraska this week with the arrival of 2 inches of much-needed rain. "It wasn't a drought buster by any means, but it was sure welcome," he said.

Zoerb and Sanderson report in each week as part of DTN's View From the Cab series. The idea is to share what it is like to farm in their respective farming regions and examine rural living.

Weather dominated thoughts for both farmers this week. But news from Washington was also front and center as a much-anticipated report by the Make America Healthy Again Commission (MAHA) linked pesticides to health concerns. Read on to learn more about what these farmers think about those legislative efforts. They also reflect on why and how Memorial Day holds special memories.

ETHAN ZOERB: LITCHFIELD, NEBRASKA

Taking the first stand counts of the season were on Zoerb's chore list this week. About half the rain received earlier in the week came hard and fast. "It cut gullies in a few fields. So far, I don't think it is enough to warrant any replanting, but I'm still assessing," he said on May 21. There was a shot of hail at the end of the storm, too.

Zoerb finished planting shortly before the skies opened. That last, freshly planted field took more of a beating, and he'll be watching it closely. A 4-row ground-driven planter stands ready to patch in if needed. It's also a handy sweet corn planter.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Nebraska remains in the grip of a D2 to D3 drought, despite this rainfall. Pastures tell the tale. Zoerb said they have yet to move cattle to grass, hoping to give pastures time to regenerate. Dryland alfalfa in the area looks tough from both drought and alfalfa weevil damage. Even the roadsides are dry and thin, Zoerb noted.

DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick said the area is forecast for scattered showers in the area through May 29. "The showers won't be very consistent, and it's even possible to miss every round. But they'd be unlucky if they did miss. Most forecasts show somewhere around 1-2 inches total between May 24 and May 29, depending on how many of these storms materialize. Temperatures will be very chilly for late May with all the rain and cloud cover, but they'll be rising later in the week as it starts to dry out and returns to more summer-like weather on June 1.

Irrigation has kept the crop growing and most of the crop is in the V2 to V3 growth stage. "Our fields are going to look interesting this year because that rain finally caused the corners to germinate," he said.

As he takes stand counts, Zoerb will also stage the crop in each field. He'll scout for insects and disease pressure. He takes pictures of the crop and records them for comparisons later during ear counts. These images are also shared with crop-share landlords as a way of communicating current conditions.

"I'll be looking for weed pressure to alert Dad, who does a lot of the spraying. We'll be going out with early post applications on beans next week, followed by corn," he said.

Two of the farm's planters have been unhooked, cleaned up and winterized. The bean planter waits, though. Putting it away too early almost surely tempts damaging hail. In this part of the world, that four-letter word is a constant curse.

On the agenda for this week is feeding corn, as evidenced by the narrower tires now running on the sprayers. Last year the farm switched from injecting nitrogen about 8 inches off the row to a Y-Drop applicator that deposits liquid nitrogen on each side of the corn row.

"We just wanted to be as efficient and accurate with applications as possible, especially with current input and commodity prices," Zoerb said.

"At first, we wondered if this system would work in our hills -- whether the tubes would bounce around too much. But it just requires slowing down, especially where we cross old corn rows or are applying in rougher terrain," he added.

This week Nebraska was spotlighted for a whole different reason as it became the first state to take steps toward banning purchases of soda and energy drinks through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known as food stamps. While the move doesn't influence Zoerb or his family directly, it is all part of the mission of the campaign to make Americans, and children in particular, healthy.

Part of that effort puts glyphosate in the crosshairs and that hits closer to home. "According to scientists -- not judges in courtrooms -- glyphosate remains one of the safest products we have," he stated.

"I'm not sure the unintended consequences of possibly removing glyphosate from the market have been well-thought-out. I don't know how we grow a rye cover crop without it, for example. Without it, we're looking at going back to turning soil black to bury weeds and residue. Flipping soil over all the time is not best for soil health or a way to store carbon," he added.

"I thought there were a lot of mixed messages in that MAHA report and not a lot of solutions," he said. "Our farm has in the past grown specialty soybeans with a healthier oil profile. However, those contracts have dried up in recent years and the nearby crush plant stepped away from that effort."

Still, the current trend to question the health seed oils is also concerning, he said. "I like to have the option of working in those value-added specialty crop markets.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm happy selling more corn to cattle guys because consumers are starting to use beef tallow again. We're corn farmers. We're corn farmers who raise beans, but I still think keeping as many markets open as we can is important," Zoerb added.

Most years, Memorial Day is used to celebrate a belated Mother's Day sacrificed to plant crops. But this year will allow a more relaxed scenario of chilling with family and firing up the grill.

As a teenager, Zoerb often spent this day helping his great grandmother tend the family graves. "We'd load up soapy hot water in buckets and use toothbrushes to clean the family headstones and then, decorate with flowers," he said. "I've been thinking the girls are about the age we should start doing that again."

STUART SANDERSON: MADISON, ALABAMA

The price of freedom is never far from Sanderson's thoughts. His grandfather was a tank commander and served with Lieutenant General George S. Patton's Armored Division when they captured the city of Trier, the oldest city in Germany, on March 2, 1945. A flag from that siege and signed by fellow soldiers hangs alongside his grandfather's Purple Heart in the farm office.

Two years ago, he got the opportunity to visit Trier during a Germany tour sponsored by Claas equipment.

"Walking on the soil, touching it and knowing my grandfather had been here was an emotional thing for me. I tell the story a lot because I realize the legacy of my farm didn't start in Alabama; it started there in that town of Trier. If he hadn't come home, there would be no Henderson Farms," he said.

"These were kids that left their farms and some of them came back to some tough economic times. Remembering them and honoring them and all who have served and sacrificed is important to me," he said.

To a lesser degree, this 2025 crop season is making itself out to be one to remember. The rain has just kept on coming. The tornado cut a jagged 300-foot-long swath from one field that will likely remain a reminder of how lucky they are to have limited damage. It's a bit late in the season to be patching in repairs. Corn is already head high in many fields.

"The funnel picked up and sat down a number of times and while there was property damage, it could have been much worse," he said.

DTN's Baranick just shakes his head in amazement. "They just can't turn off the spigot in northern Alabama. It's been incredible, they've hit almost every system that has gone through and there have been lots of systems. Not a lot of dry time between them, either," Baranick said.

"It's another week full of daily scattered showers and thunderstorms and potential for heavy rain and flooding. Forecasts are calling for anywhere between 2 and 4 inches of rain between May 24 and May 30 on their already saturated ground. The severe risk is lower this week, but it's not zero. Temperatures will be rather mild here for the end of the month with a lot of highs below 80. The forecast is not ideal, by any means."

That delay means approximately 800 acres that were intended for corn that will be planted to soybeans, Sanderson said. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but we haven't turned on a pivot yet.

"The crop that is up looks fantastic, but a lot of that corn is reaching the point that it needs a final shot of nitrogen," he added, noting that a healthy diet of nutrients at planting really paid this year.

A bigger worry right now is the wheat crop, which is starting to turn. Quality suffers quickly in wet, cloudy weather.

The skies cleared to allow Henderson Farms field day to go off without a hitch, The event showcased over 100 acres of on-farm research plots used to refine agronomic systems. Dozens of vendors were also in attendance. The farm holds many state yield records, including the Alabama conventional irrigated corn yield record of 355.7 bushels per acre (bpa).

Sanderson said he and his farm partners view the field day as an outreach program to let other farmers view the different fertility and biological packages the farm is testing and do it at the best stage of the plant to see what's happening.

"We don't use anything on this farm unless we test it first and we have a good network with input suppliers to help us do that."

Sharing what they do on the farm is a passion that he likes to share with nonfarm audiences, as well. He doesn't shy away from engaging with neighbors or anyone who has an interest in learning the why behind modern-day farming practices.

Like Zoerb, he has concerns that the MAHA report points a finger at glyphosate, which he considers to be the safe, especially when compared to older products that might be used as substitutes. He finds using low-incidence situations to generate a cause for alarm to be a troubling trend.

However, some of the health aspects of the report touched on topics he feels strongly about as an advocate for fitness and taking responsibility for personal health.

"People often say I'm lucky because I got good genetics and I say, no ... I have to work at it," he said. "It's called diet and exercise and life choices."

While most of the report was aimed at children, modern living has changed how active people are and that includes those in agriculture, he noted.

"As farmers, we're not moving stacks of corn or soybean sacks anymore, for example. You get a pro box in bulk and pick it up with a forklift and dump it into the seed tender," he said.

Routinely going to the gym is a habit that he's inserted into his routine. "I do enjoy it, but I also make it a priority," Sanderson said.

"As with most things like this report, the devil is going to be in the details with what comes out of this MAHA report."

Pamela Smith can be reached at pamela.smith@dtn.com

Follow her on social platform X @PamSmithDTN

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