Agriland Tour~

It was a warm, clear Monday with 10-15 mph winds.  I have the Bronco back.  Butch had borrowed it while his truck was in the shop.  I can hardly take it anywhere, without getting compliments.  Butch was asked why he was driving his "wife's" Bronco?  I loved that!  I enjoy my usual ride to Agriland & afternoon break with my husband.

The Bronco & Speedy~  Silver City Trailhead

Though warm, the humidity was in the 50's & that's a blessing in August!

Speedy, as a size comparison for the now tall corn!

Evias, who worked for our friend Dean at Granite Falls Thoroughbred Farm for years, now has his own farm in Mexico.  He texts me from time to time & even sends video of his farm.  The last one I received was of his corn field.  I responded with a photo of an Iowa cornfield. :-)

On the trail to Malvern~

Even with the wind, we made decent time to Agriland.  I found Butch watering the flowers we planted around the sign this spring.  It's amazing how much they've grown!

Signage & flowers~

They looked so puny when we put them in, but now, are almost overgrown!  The mums are taking over & will soon be blooming!

Speedy points out "to be sweet corn field!

Next year, the men are going to take advantage of the above property to grow sweet corn!  Butch is excited to do his first planting!  I think we'll have sweet corn coming out our ears - pardon the pun!

While I was there, a delivery semi arrived with a load of dry fertilizer.  I wanted to watch the unloading process.  (A super short video, above.)  I didn't think to get a photo of the huge bins, where each dry fertilizer type is sorted & stored.   From there, after the farmer picks the exact percentage of each type, the products go by conveyor into the mixer.

Dry Mixer~

The mixer,  mixes it - before dropping it out the bottom & onto another conveyor.  On the far side of the wall, (below) the Tender truck is loaded.

Tender Truck being loaded in the Dry Shed~

Below, is the area where some of the liquid chemicals are stored.  I was impressed at how involved the process is - providing the products needed for the crops to flourish.

Wet Shed~

It was fun to get a tour of a few of the buildings & the processes.

32% Max Storage Tanks~

After sharing a cold coke, it was time to turn back.  Most of the mid-west is experiencing a drought.  The river is the lowest I've seen it.

Silver Creek from the trestle~

In our area, the infrequent rain storms have been spotty.  We've been very lucky in Glenwood, to get enough rain to keep things green.  The humidity contributes too.  Many farms though, haven't received even an inch of moisture in months...  Pastures are dry & cattle are being fed supplemental hay, months ahead of usual.

On the Trail~

Late in the afternoon, there's always such contrast from the hot light of the sun & the dark shadows of the trees.  For the last week or so, I've ridden through areas where there's a very rich, almost cloyingly sweet smell?  It's the flowering nettles!  Loaded with blooms now - they dominate many areas along the trail.

Blooming Nettles~

The wind seemed to pick up on my way back.  Some days - I feel like I could ride forever - others - I'm glad to be done.  Today was one of the later.  Butch met me at the trail-head.  We again decided on the Monday night special, at Tobey Jacks.

Agriland~

The Google image above is a very old one.  The new large shop isn't there, but where my track enters & exits - is the east door.  (The big shop now covers all of the dark rectangle in the photo.)  I rode on through, exiting the west door & turning right - where I found Butch at the front sign.  The point farthest south is where the sweet corn will be planted!  I can't wait!