STORMY WEATHER…Weather is always a popular topic of conversation in farming country, but it absolutely dominated the conversation in northwest Iowa and southern Minnesota in the past few weeks, reports Dan Skelton (KICD, Spencer, IA). “Most of the KICD listeners received 10 to 12 inches of rain or more in the three or four days that followed Friday the 13th.” Numerous tornadoes and straight-line winds in excess of 70 mph were reported, and hundreds of trees were uprooted. “To give an idea as to the scope of this weather event, the Clay County Engineer’s Office ran out of ‘Road Closed’ signs with an estimated 700-800 road closures in just this one county,” Dan said. More rain followed with many farmers reporting 15 to 20 inches since mid-June. “Low areas in corn and soybean fields have been soggy for weeks, and it’s now too late to replant,” he added.
On a more cheerful note, KICD hosted its 15th annual Antique Tractor Ride on June 13-14. This year’s 187 participants motored two 70-mile daily routes. KICD’s Troy Leininger led each day’s journey on his 1950 Farmall C tractor. Troy, left, is shown with Dan Skelton when blue skies returned for the tractor ride.
the 15th KICD Antique Tractor Ride.
