I am sure many people are on board with me when I say, this week is really hot. Ever since the July 4th weekend came, temperatures have shot up and continued to stay up. I would say the downside of having a job outside is dealing with extreme temperatures. I even feel bad for the cows as we are trying to keep them as cool as possible. The cattle department has been coming in early a few times this week to try and get ahead of the heat. It has made for some longer days, but despite being quite warm ourselves, we are trying our best to keep the well-being of the cattle our top priority.
Unfortunately, Iowa is seeing ninety-degree temperatures all week. It is safe to say, the temperature is not extremely miserable, but when the air is still, some tasks may not be the most fun, making the heat almost unbearable. It has been a conscious effort to make sure I am drinking enough water to stay hydrated throughout the day. Despite the warm weather, the employees at Summit Farms continue to work hard and get their tasks done throughout the day.
On the bright side, the corn has been loving the heat. I would not be surprised if it has reached 60 inches in central Iowa! While driving on the gravel roads, I am even seeing a few fields with tasseling corn. The only thing we are missing now is a of couple inches of rain to get the corn to really shoot up. Hopefully, the weatherman is right this time for when we are supposed to get rain and our precipitation is not delayed later than when it is supposed to come. Meanwhile, the Hagie sprayers have been in full swing with side dressing cornfields at Summit. The row crop employees have been working hard to keep the sprayers running, and they are getting close to being done. Micah, the row crop intern has been enjoying his time learning more about side-dressing, and he has been doing a lot of ride-along passes in the fields with the full-timers to learn as much as possible.
As we approach the weekend, we plan to keep working to get as much done as we can. This is why I have a huge appreciation for agriculture. No matter what the circumstances are – snow, rain, or shine – the work must be done, and the workers at Summit are committed to their daily tasks.
Despite this heat wave, I hope everyone is able to have a little fun in the sun while staying cool. Let me know. What are you doing to stay cool?