Harvest Falls Behind, the Pawpaw Queen, Spider Silk & Persimmons Predict Winter | Daily Farm Brief

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Good morning, Farm Nation, and hello, Truck City. This is FarmTale's Unplugged Daily Farm Brief for Wednesday, October 7th. Brought to you by World TradeX, empowering farmers. I'm Rick Portonova. Coming up this morning, a quick red diesel note and the latest on a harvest that's running behind the usual pace. Then a fruit grower with some unusual helpers and an Arkansas family whose show goats change the farm. Our high-tech moment looks at silkworms that could help make a new kind of sports clothing. We'll finish off with the old farmer's almanac and a little fall folklore. So grab your coffee, fire up whatever you're driving, and let's find out what was happening while you were busy actually working. Quick red diesel note. Monday's order calls for waiving federal penalties for highway use through year end, while state rules still apply. Markets! Corn harvest behind average. Soybean harvest further behind. Winter wheat planting, well behind. And everybody still has to farm the field in front of them. That's enough markets this morning. USDA released its latest crop progress numbers Monday afternoon. As of Sunday, 23% of the U.S. corn crops have been harvested. Normally we'd be around 27% by now. Soybeans are running farther behind. 25% harvested compared with a five-year average of 33%. And there's another number worth watching. Only 54% of the nation's corn crop is now rated good to excellent. That's down three points in a week. Another 18% is rated poor or very poor. Soybeans are holding slightly better, with 57% rated good to excellence. And while everybody is understandably focused on getting this crop out, next year's wheat crop is already falling behind. Winter wheat planting is just 36% complete. Five-year average is 46%. 16% has emerged compared to 20% normally. None of that means harvest is in trouble everywhere. Some farmers are moving quickly. Others have spent way too much time watching rain, mud, and humidity dictate their schedule. That's why I'm always careful with these national percentages. 23% harvested nationally doesn't tell you much if your county is at 60%. And it definitely doesn't help if your combine hasn't moved in four days. But the USDA numbers do tell us something useful. Nationally, harvest has some catching up to do. And once the weather gives farmers a window, expect a lot of combines and a lot of trucks to start moving at the same time. Now to Hardwick, Massachusetts, where Abby White is known as the Pawpaw Queen. She grows pawpaws, a fruit that tastes a little like banana and mango. But here's the surprising part: the flowers are pollinated by flies and beetles, and Abby has used spoiled sausage and canned squid to bring the flies in. She's learned that a bad smell can be useful in the right place. Abby grows the fruit in her backyard alongside a full-time job. Her former co-workers gave her the title Pawpaw Queen. In her latest harvest update, she expected most of this year's fruit to ripen around mid-October. People make the trip to buy it, but she asked them to check first the fruit has to be ready. A small backyard grove, a loyal following, and some very unusual help from the insect world. Next to Satterfield Farms in Norfolk, Arkansas, Mark Satterfield's daughter wanted to show goats through FFA. Her brother soon joined in and the project kept growing. In a story published Monday, Ozark's farm and neighbor says, goats have become the family's main focus. Mark and his son Justin still raise cattle, but they now spend most of their time on showgoats. There's plenty to learn in that business. Even fuzzy legs are among the things to look for in a showgoat. But the part I like is after the sale. The family keeps helping the buyers care for their animals and get them ready for the show ring. Think about what that means to a child getting started. There's someone to call when a question comes up. One child's interest gave this farm a new direction. Now the family is helping other children get their start. I like that. Time for the high-tech moment. A company called Craig Labs is using genetically engineered silkworms to make silk with proteins found in spider silk. The goal is a light, tough material that can be used in sports clothing. The worms spin cocoons, and that silk is made into yarn. The company says it has shipped a small order to a major sportswear brand for a test project. It hasn't named the brand. On Monday, Craig Labs said all three of its production centers were running. So now a customer can try out the material. It's still a test project, with more to prove before we know how well it works in clothing. But think about where this could lead. A worm spins a cocoon. That silk may one day end up in clothing worn by an athlete. That's a pretty interesting new job for a silkworm. And now a little time in the old farmer's almanac. There's an old fall tradition that says you can get a hint about winter from a persimmon seed. You split the seed from a ripe American persimmon and look at the shape inside. A spoon means snow to shovel, a fork means a mild winter, and a knife means sharp cold winds. Now this is old weather lore. It isn't a real forecast, but it can certainly get a conversation going around the kitchen table. And for what it's worth, I believe it. And there's something useful to know about the fruit itself. Native persimmons need to be soft and ripe before you eat them. Bite into one too soon and it will make your mouth pucker. You may have heard that frost makes them sweet. Purdue Extension says they can ripen before the first frost. Use the ripe fruit in a pudding or a batch of cookies. Remove the seeds and skin. You can also freeze the soft fruit for later. That gives you a little project for a fall afternoon. Something to look at, something to talk about, and something good for the table. If you have a grandchild or a curious neighbor handy, let them have a look at the seed too. Ask what they see, see if you agree. And if it looks like a spoon, you could have a friendly debate about winter while the coffee is still hot. And there you have it. That's your FarmTales Unplugged Daily Farm Brief for Wednesday, October 7th. Brought to you by World TradeX Empowering Farmers. I'm Rick Portonova, and we'll see you Thursday morning. And if you enjoyed this podcast, please give us a share, a like, or a review. Thank you.