Friday, April 27, 2007

Got back on

Even though I live in a large metropolitan area I live only about a half mile away from a corn field.

And this is why and how. This is my bike in front of a sign placed at The University of Minnesota College of Agriculture Research Plots. The University plants corn here every year. So I have a slightly better idea than your average city dweller about how the corn is doing this year.

I ride past the corn all year long, keeping an eye on it. This year you get to watch along with me.

I have been watching this year since the snow left. I did not know whether to expect any plowing but I thought not. I believe the current procedure with corn is referred to as minimum tillage. With the snow gone the field was still covered with the remains of last year's crop, little bits of stalk still stuck in the ground. There hasn't been any plowing but there has now been some tilling. The ground has been disturbed, I presume with some sort of harrow, perhaps a disc harrow, or perhaps a toothed harrow, but in any case the dirt has been stirred and the remnants of last year's crop have been mostly eradicated. There may have been planting involved as well, I am not a farming expert, but it doesn't look to me like the crop is actually in the ground yet as I cannot see any evidence of any row structure.

And this is the view I intend to give at periodic intervals. The photograph is from near the sign and I have picked out landmarks that I think I can place in about the same place in the camera frame each time. Come and watch the corn grow.

In falling off news I went past the scene of the accident. I looked down the block from the corner without actually riding to the scene. The sign is gone. So I rode there a couple of days before I fell, no sign. I rode past a couple of days after, no sign. But on the day when I rode without paying enough attention, BOOM, sign.

What are the odds?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Good one. I like the cornfield theme, reminds me of TRAM's past. Using the same view is an excellent thought. With a few good themes to build on, this could get interesting --

Glad you're recovered enough to be back on the bike.