If you look at the picture with the grain truck in it, there is a cover over the bed with the grain in it. Unless they were expecting a downpour I don't think it was super urgent to move it into the shed. ^^bbm
Reportedly, there was heavy rain by Saturday afternoon and steady rain all day Sunday. Definitely, sufficient rain to ruin uncovered seed. (For the rainfall, please reference YT videos with CC posted up-thread).
Nagging thought…the farm and the seeding process were extremely important to Dylan…what if the seed was in fact ruined by the rain before he could get it under shelter ..could that type of enormous setback have been enough to cause Dylan to have a mental breakdown?? seed and fertilizer are extremely expensive and difficult to lay hands on this season…could such a thing have tipped the scales of good judgement. ^^bbm
Unlike an individual with no farm experience, who's probably romanticized the idea of owning a farm and had no realistic budget for the craft, I believe mental breakdown or fatigue is more probable in this instance than an individual with DR's profile.
In DR, we have a kid that's known farming his entire life, comes from generations of farmers, and has already experienced the perils of what typically comes with [wheat] farming (i.e., drought, armyworm, infestations, etc.), long before he had his own farm.
No, I don't see the pressures suggested by OP necessarily comparable or applicable to the later candidate where the occassional ruined seed isn't really a question of
how could this happen to me, I'm ruined, humiliated, can't take it, etc., but more a question of
when will it happen?
I think if DR somehow staged his disappearance, and planted his boots in a manner where they would be discovered, after being sure to tell several family members of the encounter with the barefoot stranger (that may not have been a stranger), then I don't think his intentional, choice to farm the cause of his mental breakdown but a cause that's much deeper.
Interesting point. I know the grain truck was discovered parked in the covered shed, and pulled out to make sure Dylan wasn't in the bed by accident, etc...but never read any reports on the condition of the seeds; ie. had they gotten wet, or were they still "plantable." ^^bbm
DR was
allegedly growing wheat, where timing is of the essence. The importance of keeping the seed dry is to prevent it from germinating!
For successful germination, seeds need to be dry, and protected in the ground, allowing the plumule to grow safely into shoots. And there's zero value in planting wet seeds to rot in the ground.
Currently, the prices for commodities of corn and wheat are the highest in a decade, I see only an optimistic future for grain producers. MOO
While prices might continue to rise due to high energy costs and demand pressures, experts don't expect food shortages will occur in the United States.
www.cnbc.com
Explore the latest news and expert commentary on Crops, brought to you by the editors of Farm Progress
www.farmprogress.com
ETA:
I'm in no way implying or suggesting DR growing anything illegal. I'm alleging wheat only because I can't immediately link the source.
Add 6/10/22 link:
The boots of a young man missing for nearly two weeks have been found behind a dirt pile on his property, but there's still no sign of 19-year-old Dylan Rounds.
www.ksl.com