Long to-do list for mid-season

GRAYMONT, Ill. — Back-to-back storms delivered just enough rain to delay a second herbicide application, but plenty of other projects remain on Aaron Rients’ to-do list.

“We saw some weed escapes and are still trying to get sprayers in for a second application of Liberty on the soybeans. We only got one-tenth of rain on Sunday, July 14, and two-and-one-half tenths the next day, but it’s all just enough to keep from spraying,” Rients said.

He will scout fields for diseases and insect problems and then arrange for aerial applications.

“I’m planning on fungicide no matter what. It’s more whether I need to add an insecticide to the corn application. I’ll probably try to muck around in the field a little bit this afternoon to see what I can find,” he said.

With the slowdown in fieldwork, focus turns to “cleaning up the mess made during planting and spraying, getting rid of all the boxes, clean up excess seed, getting the empty bulk boxes and different stuff shipped back,” Rients said.

He recently finished identifying and replacing any worn cultivator sweeps and is in the process of having his equipment inspected.

Inspections

“This year I’m going to have my planter inspected at the dealership to have another set of eyes on it to make sure I don’t miss anything. I’ll probably have them to the inspection, and then I’ll do the service work myself to save money if possible,” Rients said.

“The same thing with the combine. It will hopefully go in during the next week or two. I’ll drive the combine in and bring the planter home and put it away.

“I try to have one other set of eyes on them every couple years to make sure I don’t miss something.”

Shed Door

He’s also in the middle of removing two sliding doors on a machine shed and installing a 16-by-12-foot rollup door he found on Facebook.

“That will be a nice addition to the shop because we can’t get the combine in the sliding doors anymore, so it will be nice to have a rollup and a remote and also still get a tractor with duels in. I think that will make our shop more versatile,” he said.

“I plow snow during the winter, so I can have a truck and trailer backed into the shed and having it snow-free in the morning when I want to go load up.”

Mowing ditches and repairing a sinkhole are also on his to-do list.

“I still have a few road ditches to clean up and do some extra mowing to get them prepped. I’m going to put some road signs up on some fields for myself,” Rients said.

“I usually spray the borders of fields with Liberty, Roundup and Dual, a residual, for the waterhemp that may come up afterwards — Roundup to kill the grass at the edge of the field and Liberty for any waterhemp that already exists.

“I’ve got field tile, and I’d found two sinkholes in a field when I was spraying soybeans. I’ve got them dug open, so before those later-planted beans get too much taller, I’m going try to get them repaired and get the dirt pushed back.

“Other than that, it’s been nice to take a little vacation, too. I went boating and camping last weekend.”

Volunteer Work

Preparations are underway for the 76th annual Central States Threshermen’s Reunion, scheduled Aug. 29-Sept. 2 at Threshermen’s Park north of Pontiac, and Rients and others board members and volunteers held a workday on the grounds July 20.

“Now is the time we start ramping up our work efforts at Threshermen’s Park. About half of them are farmers and half of them are not. We’ve got some time to do stuff there now,” he said.

Rients is also a member of the Livingston County Humane Society board and a volunteer.

“There’s also always myriad of stuff to do at the Livingston County Humane Society intermixed in every week. With the heat here lately the air conditioners there have been giving me problems,” he said.