The past few weeks have been full of activities at Noland Farms. Last week, the concrete pad was poured for the new bin, and the dirt was backfilled around the site. With plans to errect the bin in early June, the concrete will have ample time to cure. We still have some rock to spread, but the concrete step of the project is now complete. 
This week we finished the work on our liquid fertilizer nurse trailer, which will provide chemical for filling the sprayer in the field. Prior to planting corn, the high-volume applied per acre will require our 1,200 gallon tank on the sprayer to be refilled every 40 acres. In an effort to reduce downtime while refilling the sprayer, the filling capacity on the nurse trailer was increased from 2″ diameter hose to 3″ hose. We anticipate this upgrade allowing for a significant reduction in downtime during a day of spraying.
2010 planting began today… sowing oats for a summer waterway project! To allow flexibility in completing the waterway project, Duane sowed oats with a neighbor’s drill along both sides of the current waterway. 
The oats will be harvested late summer, and the work can be done while the corn is growing in the field. This will also allow the new waterway to be seeded in the fall and grass to be established entering into 2011. Although oats haven’t been grown at Noland Farms in the last 20 years, we are excited oats are providing the opportunity to repair a waterway in desperate need of repair.