Wednesday wildlife, it's buck season

It's a little late this week and I missed last week's edition. Here is three to make up for it.

First sweetcorn harvest

Our inaugural year for sweetcorn and I was able to pick our first ears this past weekend. While our test plot was small, the Iochief variety did well with the timely rains that we received this year. 

Not enough to put up corn for the winter, but enough to share with neighbors. While this variety is not overly sweet, it has good flavor and freezes well for us. I think we will try another variety next year and plant both.

A few ears had bug damage while the electric fence kept the bigger predators out. If the timing is right next spring, we're prepping a section along the east for next year. We need a decent cash crop and pull in a better income.

Wednesday wildlife, count the pheasants

I counted 5:


I finished picking sweetcorn and took a break in the truck while it was drizzling. These emerged from the oats field and continued along their way.

Our pheasant numbers have increased each year since we bought the acreage four years ago. Sorry, but someone didn't get the embed code (I swear I tested).

It's almost time for sandbagging

The English River is out of its banks for the third time this year after an overnight deluge of 4 1/2 inches in about 3 hours. 3-4 inches fell over much of the watershed above Kalona after midnight on 8/8.

The acreage is out of the river's flood plain and the creek to the east was still in its banks but many field tile were full and a couple of ponds north of us were over their spillways.

We were a little short of rain, but not this short.

Wednesday wildlife, time out

Take time to pause and admire a sunset