DECATUR, Ill. (DTN) -- The phrase "turn up the heat" took on dual meaning for Tyler Rath this week as the Belgrade, Minnesota, farmer put a flame weeder to work in organic corn and edible beans. If that wasn't a hot enough chore, air temperatures also did a reversal, causing him to ditch his coat and start searching for sunscreen.

"The temperature swings have been crazy. I was planting corn into 25-degree (Fahrenheit) soil temps in our peat ground in early May. Yesterday (May 28), I was planting light red kidney beans on sand where soil temperatures were 96 degrees," said Rath.

In Maryland, Chris Weaver was experiencing another kind of weather whiplash. The central area of the state where he farms near Finksburg in Carroll County had been dry enough this spring to record a level D2 drought on the U.S. Drought Monitor. Then it started to rain.

"We've had 4.25 inches of rain over the past week," said Weaver. "Our crops are getting some much-needed moisture, but right now it is so wet that we are doing any job we can find -- from washing windows on the tractors to windows in the house. We are even doing the most hated thing farmers do ... going over bills!"

Weaver and Rath are participating in DTN's View From the Cab series, a regular feature that delves into agronomics and issues from the respective growing regions. The farmers volunteer their time and expertise.

It's no surprise that weather dominates thoughts this time of year, but Weaver makes a note that farmers tend to assume what is happening in their field is what is happening elsewhere.

"We know there are differences but learning what Tyler (Rath) is doing each week through this column is really opening my eyes and giving me perspective," Weaver said. Exchanges between the two farmers throughout the week can quickly get into the weeds on a variety of agricultural topics.

"I want to learn more about his (Tyler's) ability to do variable rate irrigation," Weaver observed when asked about the View From the Cab project. As for Rath, he's been fascinated by Weaver's refusal to let planters run more than 3.8 miles per hour (mph).

"We consider planting at 4.5 to 5.0 mph to be slow, and I really want to talk to Chris (Weaver) about that more," Rath said. "There's always something to learn from another farmer."

This week the farmers catch readers up on what's going on in the field and take on another hot topic--fuel prices.

CHRIS WEAVER: FINKSBURG, MARYLAND

Rain doesn't keep Weaver out of the field all together. Scouting crops happens rain or shine and this week he has some extra incentive to be watchful. Cool, wet, no-till conditions favor slug activity. Slugs are mollusks, not insects, so traditional insecticides do not control the pest. But early feeding can be devastating.

"We're hoping for a little warmup and some wind to avoid slug issues -- they don't like heat. I've seen a few juveniles, but they weren't feeding, yet. If we get some heat, our crop should get ahead of them." If they start feeding, Weavers said he's found a sulfur product that works as a good deterrent against slugs and also provides some fertility benefits.

DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick noted that the Finksburg area should be able to dry off after this recent heavy rain period.

"There may be a little rain Monday (June 1) into Tuesday with a front coming through, but overall, we're not expecting much precipitation. Temperatures will be fairly seasonable, but increasing throughout the week," said Baranick. "Another front will come through on Friday or Saturday with potential for some showers as well, but right now the coverage and amounts both look low."

The area isn't out of the woods on "dry" despite the recent rainfall events, but Weaver is optimistic about how the crop looks at the moment.

"Everything is green and growing great. The corn has really jumped and looks phenomenal," he said. "The good news is we didn't get pounding rains -- everything that came soaked into the ground over several days. That was just what we needed."

Tissue tests are pulled each week to keep monitoring the crop. While it costs something to run a tissue sample, the economies come by applying just what the crop needs -- no more and no less, Weaver said.

Attempts to streamline input prices also applies to fuel. Weaver estimated retail fuel prices in his area were running around $4.30 per gallon for regular unleaded gasoline and $5.50 per gallon for diesel this week. While he booked some needs ahead, he figured fuel costs for the farm are about double from a year ago.

"We are trying to be more thoughtful about trips to town to get parts to economize. But the big change this year is we are not doing custom work for other farmers -- such as planting. We've always done a little of that, but it just did not pencil this year when we looked at the cost of labor and wear and tear on equipment and insurance and coupled that with fuel costs."

The 2025 average custom rate from the University of Maryland for soybean planting is around $30 per acre. Weaver estimated his cost to be at least double that given current costs and conditions.

There's no shortage of chores or activities to fill time voids. There's a show pig that needs pampering after it tweaked its leg on a feeder. Then there's training 4-H show lambs to walk backwards (and forward for that matter) on a treadmill. The idea is to exercise to tone muscle and tighten up belly fat on the lambs -- although the people get a workout in the process.

"I'm just trying to follow the directions my wife is giving me," he said of Megan, who is a veterinarian. "We only have four lambs and this is all new to me. Check with me next week on how this all works out."

TYLER RATH: BELGRADE, MINNESOTA

Rath's work schedule has also been scorching hot this week.

"I am thankful for our family being close. My wife is on a three-day business trip, over arguably one of the busiest few weeks of the year for me," he said. So, grandparents have been very helpful watching kids, feeding them, and getting them to their games while we are in the field. Life still has to happen, and so does the farm operation."

Going from winter to summer happened like the flip of a switch this week. That means corn finally starting to lose its yellow tint to take on a healthy green color.

"Some of the corn was nipped by the frost, but with the warmer weather it seems to be turning itself around. Overall, our stands and stand counts are good, I would not say they are perfect, but they are good," he added. The local Belgrade Co-op was pulling tissue tests on Rath's corn crop this week.

Huge changes in temperatures can be hard on calves on pasture. This week, Rath found himself doctoring one of the younger calves that had developed pneumonia.

"We're switching the pastures the cattle are on and checking bulls to make sure they are earning their keep. We're spraying fence lines and pivot tripods for thistles," he reported, noting that he'd also be training the summer "interns" -- some younger neighbors who lend valuable hands during summer months.

Another aftermath of warmer weather is weeds. Rath's weed control options are limited on organic portions of the farm. He's been in a race with the weeds on organic corn and kidney bean acreage, in particular.

"We actually got a bit behind on flaming this corn," Rath said. "Honestly, it was too much to do all at the same time and not enough bandwidth to get it done at the right time. On organic production, timeliness is much more of a factor than with the conventional weed control plans."

He likes to broadcast flame corn right at spike. This allows weeds to be out and growing when they are knocked back.

"Some of the corn we flamed today was getting to V-3, and I know we burnt it off. It will delay it, but we had to make a weed control pass to avoid a total disaster from the start. We will most likely flame again around V-8 or so depending on weed growth, under the canopy. We try to broadcast flame all organic crops we grow, prior to or right at emergence. Corn is the only crop that we give two passes," he said.

Rath noted that corn will endure this early searing because the growing point is still protected. However, as a result, the corn plant will turn white as though it has been bleached and remain that way for about 10 days to two weeks.

"When I first started flaming, a guy recommended that I not go back to the field for 10 days because I wouldn't like what I see," recalled Rath. "It definitely sets the crop back, but it does eventually recover."

Kidney beans are a little less forgiving, however. "I like to flame them right before they emerge -- right about when they're starting to neck out of the ground is the absolute optimum time, but you have a short day window to get that done," he said, noting that if you burn bean plants they don't recover like corn.

"Most weeds just melt," Rath added. "They get such a blast of high heat that it bursts the cell structure in the plant. If you have everything set right, you can squeeze the stem of the weed and see your thumb print and know the heat has done the job."

While the area has had adequate moisture most of the spring, a rain is now needed, especially now that high temperatures have arrived. Grass hay was being harvested, but yields were disappointing, he said.

"I can't say that we are really stressed, but dryland crops are starting to curl and indicate that they are running out of moisture," Rath said.

Baranick said central Minnesota will dance with the possibility of showers this weekend. A system stuck in the Northern Plains will bring a front around mid-to-late next week that should deliver some rain.

"It will come with slow-moving thunderstorms, so it might turn out to be heavy," Baranick said. "Though temperatures were pretty warm last week, they should be a little more mild waffling around the 80-degree mark depending on the precipitation and cloud cover this week."

Rath will work to finish up installing CropX soil moisture probes in all his crop fields. These sensors capture data on soil moisture, soil temperature and weather to help generate recommendations on what plants need before it starts to show stress. From his phone, Rath can gauge irrigation needs.

The farm utilizes variable rate irrigation technology. By using GPS-mapped data, irrigation units can be customized to automatically apply water across the field. Rath said adjusting center-pivot sprinklers and travel speeds to match soil types and topography, such as low-lying areas and sloughs, saves water and improves crops in those areas.

Saving fuel is also on his mind this season. Rath hedged about 50% of his spring needs and filled diesel barrels on May 27 at $4.23 per gallon.

"It's costing me about $1,000 per day to run my 4WD right now -- that's just for diesel fuel. But business must go on and diesel fuel is just a small portion of our total expenses," he said.

Pamela Smith can be reached at pamela.smith@dtn.com

Follow her on social platform X @PamSmithDTN

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