View From the Cab

DECATUR, Ill. (DTN) -- Ethan Zoerb isn't overly superstitious, but finding a mushroom in his corn field this week was cause for pause.

"I've heard the old saying that finding three mushrooms in a row is a forecast of rain. I only found one, so maybe that's not going to be enough to keep this coming. But I'm thankful for the rain we've had so far," said the Litchfield, Nebraska, farmer.

This week the U.S. Drought Monitor tempered the red-hot glow detecting a severe drought that had been encroaching on Zoerb Farms in Custer and Sherman counties. The 3 to 4 inches of rainfall his fields received recently fell like liquid hope.

Stuart Sanderson is on the other side of the rain scenario in north central Alabama. At least 20 inches of rain fell on Henderson Farms near Madison during May. Two tornadoes passed within a mile of headquarters this past week and follows a twister that caused some crop injury the previous week.

"We've been lucky that damage has been limited," said Sanderson, "But we have at least 650 acres of bottom ground that will be shifted to soybeans."

Sanderson and Zoerb are reporting in each week as part of DTN's View From the Cab series. The feature focuses on current crop conditions and other topics about agriculture and rural life.

Read on to learn more about why airplanes are flying in Alabama this week, and drones may soon take to the air in Nebraska. Meanwhile, Sanderson is loading trucks and Zoerb is checking crop stands. And, just for fun, we ask the volunteer correspondents to kick around the topic of work boots and wardrobe. Spoiler alert: Real farmers do wear shorts.

STUART SANDERSON: MADISON, ALABAMA

Chicken farms get hungry this time of year and that means Sanderson has been busy loading trucks. Proximity to companies such as Tyson, Golden Rod Farms and Pilgrim's makes for good basis and good customers.

"I've been told for years that chickens gain better and are healthier when they are on a strict diet of our local corn," he said. Sanderson pays close attention to proper storage and conditioning to keep the grain and the relationships with these companies solid.

"I'm shipping 61- to 62-lb test weight corn out of my bins right now. Customers like that," he said.

The farm's elevator can load a truck every two minutes and Sanderson has kept a constant flow headed down the road lately. He loaded out 145,000 bushels of corn during the last three weeks and has a little over 300,000 bushels left in the bin.

Basis often widens this time of year, he noted. "Right now, I'm getting $1.25 (per bushel) over, picked up. My next bid is at $1.50 (per bushel) picked up. I've got good hedges on that, so I'm netting $6.50 (per bushel) or better on that corn," Sanderson said on May 29.

The outlook for the 2025 crop in this area can be described in one word: wet.

The farm crew was able to find a dry pocket to operate the sprayer and Y-drop some fertilizer on May 23. "It got dry enough to go about 4 p.m. and we ran through the night until 7:30 the next morning," he reported.

Two big sprayers -- fitted with 1,200-gallon tanks and 120-foot booms -- and four people working in shifts can cover 1,500 to 1,800 acres a day when spraying herbicide, he noted.

Rain locked them out of most fieldwork this past week, though. "It's so wet we have an airplane flying on a half-rate of fertilizer just to keep the crop going and looking good. It's not what we like to do, but it's what we can do to get some nutrients out there," Sanderson said.

"It's fortunate we put out enough (fertility) with the planter that the crops had enough to sustain. We're hoping we can get some dry weather to give it another feeding through Y-drops," he said.

Wheat is a concern, too. Sanderson said wheat is still standing, but heads are rolled over. "It doesn't need another drop of rain on it. It needs sunshine, clear skies and hot weather. The quality is still holding, but I don't know how long," he said. Wheat harvest could start as early as next week if rain stays away.

There are still soybeans to be planted, but he's not sweating that as much. "We can plant soybeans into early July and still make 40 bushels (per acre)," he added.

Unfortunately, DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick's outlook is damp. "A turn in the forecast put northern Alabama right back into the crosshairs for more rainfall potential later this week," said Baranick. "The front looks like it will come through on Thursday and Friday, and we're worried that the front may hang around through the weekend and into the following week.

"My gut says it will, as they have not had any luck to get a dry stretch of weather. They may see some sunshine early in the coming week, but not much. Temperatures look to top out in the lower 80s (Fahrenheit), so at least comfortable if they do get a chance to work outside," Baranick added.

A lot of the earlier planted corn is already at V9 and later planted corn is reaching the V3 to V4 growth stage, Sanderson said. Tissue and sap testing helps track and adjust fertility and micronutrient needs.

Excess water also introduces concerns about corn root systems since the plants are not required to reach for moisture.

"We're already seeing roots on top of the ground," Sanderson noted.

Heat and humidity combine in this region to put corn growth on a fast track. Sanderson recalls a wet spring years ago when corn didn't get planted until May 20. "The heat and humidity turned on and within eight days that corn was germinated and showing two full leaves. I checked the soil surface temperature that day and it was 111 degrees," he said.

Even when temperatures aren't boiling, the humidity lingers. "Down here, we say it is the air you can wear," he said.

That puts an emphasis on selecting clothing and other gear to allow humans to comfortably and safely weather steamy conditions.

Henderson Farms used to hire a uniform service to outfit the staff but discontinued that several years ago. These days the farm crew typically dons Wrangler khaki stretch jeans and cuts to shorts in hot weather matched with Magellan's breathable button-up work shirts. Square-toed Rocky-brand boots made from Gore-Tex materials became the preferred footwear years ago.

"Sometimes I can't believe I'm willing to pay that much for a work boot, but we're on our feet a lot. If your feet hurt or cause fatigue, you're going to have a bad day," he said.

ETHAN ZOERB, LITCHFIELD, NEBRASKA

The shorts come out for Zoerb when temps hit about 60 F. It's just how he rolls. Comfort wins over style every day for the Nebraska farmer. When it comes to work boots, he's followed all the perennial discussions on X as other farmers debate footwear.

Currently, Zoerb is sporting Keen-brand hiking boots. "I was buying cheap but was replacing them so often that it made sense to get something decent," Zoerb said. "If you haven't purchased shoes recently, they are pricey, and farmers are always looking for a better value.

"Finding a shoe that works both outside and inside the shop isn't always easy either," he said.

Shoes came into another discussion this week as Zoerb made a stop at the local grocery. "A farmer was entering the store at the same time, and I said to him, 'I may have to kick the mud off my shoes," Zoerb said. "The guy laughed and responded, 'I'm definitely out of practice.'"

When it comes to rain and any resulting mud, Litchfield seems to be a lucky spot in Nebraska, noted DTN's Baranick. "Others off to their south and east saw less than a half inch of rain," Baranick said. "Another big front looks to push through Monday night into Tuesday, and the region is in the running for another inch or so of potential liquid. Long-term deficits are large around the state and this rain will help, but it's not going to eliminate the drought. We'll need some more big rain events for that to happen.

"We could see another one there to close out the week or possibly over the weekend. Models aren't sure, but there's more potential for rain," the meteorologist added.

Unfortunately, Zoerb also got some hail mixed into the deal and that had him walking fields this week to assess the injury and take another round of stand counts.

"We had some corn that was a little beat up, but the growing point is still good. It made one-quarter of beans a little bit sad, but they should recover," he noted.

The rain also brought a brief lull to the need to run pivots. This week, Zoerb and his father, Dale, will turn their attention to sidedressing nitrogen on corn. The farm purchased a new drone this year and it will soon be applying some micronutrients on corn.

This week the father and son finished up training to use a plant analysis system from Leaftech Ag. The hand-held scanner connects to a smartphone and allows the user to take tissue samples throughout the season directly from the leaf. A full-scan takes just 5-to-10 seconds and nutrient analysis is delivered within 3-to-5 minutes.

While not inexpensive, Zoerb said he was attracted to the opportunity to be more precise. The scanner allows farmers to tie plant analysis to geolocated points in the field and track changes from targeted applications.

"When I tallied the cost of what I was spending on samples that I sent into a lab over the course of a summer, it made economic sense," he said. "Part of the reason for this is not just to apply more nutrients, but also to make sure we don't over apply."

Information is power, especially in a season such as this one, Zoerb added. "We were so dry. These rains that have come have soaked in. Hopefully the moisture profile in the dryland areas is starting to build back.

"Even the grass pastures are greening a little. I wouldn't call it abundant, but it sure has helped," Zoerb said.

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

Follow her on social platform X @PamSmithDTN

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