An Apple a Day

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Friends and Partners,

Last week on Sunday we had the opportunity to squeeze some fresh apple cider. We had lots of good help picking apples from 2 trees our generous neighbors offered to us. In the end this was our second cider day. In total this year we have enjoyed about 20 gallons of fresh juice. We are hoping the tradition lives on into the next generation as we learned it from the one before us.

Harvest has been held up with wet weather. Beans were complete as of a week ago and down to about 500 acres of corn (mostly non-gmo). Harvest is seeing very variable yields in corn and soybeans. Good quality, well-drained soils seeded early are the best yielders! Some of the lesser class soils really took a hit with the hot dry weather in late August and early September. We are thankful for every member of the harvest crew!!!

Election 10 days away--who knows the outcome?? Never thought prices could rally into harvest this year--what a curve ball for the marketing plan!!

Family all healthy for now--this school year is one for the books!

Fall Prices

Corn--4.17

SB--10.91 

First Fruits!

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Partners and Friends,

Harvest has begun! We picked around 600 acres of corn in the past week. Yields are variable and tile paid off big time this year! We are finding that the fields in which we have installed tile are producing significantly larger yields than those without tile. The moisture is still high-between 22% to 26% . The stalk strength is a bit concerning and the ears detach very easily when the stalk is jarred. We are working to keep the dryer running this week and began bean harvest today. From what we have heard so far, the bean yields are looking good! Considering the fact that there is no rain in the forecast for the next 2 weeks we believe harvest will progress very rapidly. The harvest crew attended the fall safety meeting (socially distanced, of course!) and we look forward to some enjoyable time in the field. We are still finishing up some summer projects but overall the beginning days of harvest are going as smooth as can be expected. We always welcome visits, please contact us if you would like to get involved!

The agriculture economy is in a state of flux with China at the moment. There is a lot of importation of agricultural products at the moment. The derecho in Iowa a few weeks ago has affected may farmers, did not end up reducing the corn crop. The stimulus wrangling in DC is causing concerns for overall recovery of the economy and as farmers we are trying to adjust to new paradigms in the food system. Many of these changes are here to stay. These tremendous adjustments in the economy are going to become the new normal.

The family is doing well! School is in full swing, as much as it can be due to the constantly changing protocols regarding the virus. Thankfully, Phyllis’ shoulder is healing remarkably well after her surgery. 

Fall prices

Corn--3.67

SB--10.34

Stay safe and keep in touch! Let us know how you are adopting to all this change!

Prayers and thoughts,

Steve

Summer Ritual

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Partners and friends,

Sweet corn is ready to pick-this is about 2 weeks behind normal. Living in times like these is making me wonder what normal is going to look like going forward. Just when we think things are returning to some semblance of the past, the rules (phases) are changed again and we are left wondering what is useful and what the truth is. We continue business much as usual and prepare for the next task at hand.

We are looking for harvest to begin around middle of September-a few weeks later than normal but with the cool wet start to the growing season it makes sense. The corn fungicide has been applied and the beans will soon follow. All crops are looking good and if the sweet corn ears are any indication of the corn crop it will be a good one. Ears are pollinated to the tips and are filling well. The beans are not extremely tall(not a bad thing) and are starting to pod. August weather will tell the tale for bean yields but the forecast turned cooler and wetter a couple of weeks ago. The summer project list is getting a bit shorter. We have repaired several barn/shed roofs, shored up some structural issues on the 109 year old horse barn, replacing 37 year old shop ceiling, replacing 80 year old tin walls, and remodeling some buildings to make the more equipment friendly. All the while emptying the bins of 2019 crop, mowing roadsides and waterways, baling hay, spraying weeds, rebuilding the planting equipment and taking some time off for family and relaxing. 

The national and international Ag scene is looking for new normal too. Supply issues, ethanol and oil consumption, who to trust in trade deals, how much government intervention in production of commodities, reoccurrence of Asian Swine Flu, and what rules are being enforced and what has been given delays are all playing into the decisions we must make on the farm each day. It has been a whole new experience doing business in the Farm Service Agency parking lot! And wearing masks with the field inspectors for the seed fields seems kinda awkward-let alone trying to carry on a conversation while 6 fee apart with mouth covered. 

The family is enjoying reacquainting again. Marcus and family are on a trip out west. Stephani and her kids have been to the farm and we are anticipating Lindsay and her family soon. Phyllis is having a reverse shoulder surgery this week. Ali has handled over 90 calves this summer and our chickens are starting to lay eggs. God is good.

Fall prices

Corn--3.23

SB--8.85

Keep in touch,

Steve 

Once in a Lifetime

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Partners and friends,

First Time in My Lifetime! One of the rain events about 10 days ago was a very unique one with the rain placement. We were spraying at my house and applying NH3 on Murphy blacktop. About 2 pm a huge dark cloud rolled from the west to the north and we could see walls of rainfall within a mile of our field operations. We were never rained out and there was not a drop on the Doll Homestead. Bushnell itself received over 1.5 inches in a very short period. The creek--named Drowning Fork due to Abraham Lincoln having 2 of his soldiers die in flood water on the back of our farm-- runs thru Bushnell and splits our farm in half. It was out of its banks that evening without this property receiving even a trace of precipitation. There had been stories told of that happening during wheat shocking in the summertime in the early 1930's but never before had anyone in this generation experienced that! 

 Been planting around showers and wet spots and seed shortages. Our last seed bean variety is due tomorrow (Tuesday) after a long journey from Chile. We have replanted all the established bean fields and finished replanting about 150 acres of corn last Thursday. Spraying is just about complete for second pass on corn and beans. Crops are growing rapidly with the moisture and heat--about time! Baled the alfalfa hay and are preparing to cut waterways and pasture as soon as a weather window opens up. 

The Army Corp of Engineers is preparing to close the locks and dams on the Illinois river July 1 for maintenance and rep-airs. We are delivering the last of our soybeans since this shut down will make the closest delivery point for beans over 75 miles away. It seems that the ethanol market is rebounding ahead of expectations as it follows the crude. Travel seems to be picking up as people just seem to be tired of being holed up.Maybe this recovery will be a v bottom instead of u shaped! Commodity markets are perking up a bit but have a long ways to go to get anywhere close to average for the last 5 years and the growing crop is looking very good-at least around here.

The family is trying to determine summer plans now that all local fairs, camps, and activities are canceled. This is gonna be a summer to make lots of different memories. Here we are still in the midst of a bucket calf project that seems to keep growing. Ali finishes her finals for UChicago this week. We are looking forward to seeing our 5 month old grandaughter and holding her for the first time since the day she was born. Making swense of the future is still a game we all play--especially here in IL.

Fall Prices--

Corn--3.30

Soybeans--8.67

Keep in touch and keep washing your hands

But do not live in fear!

Steve

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

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Partners and friends,

We are coming out of a long cold spell which has set some records for low temps for this time of year; temperature last Saturday morning was around 28. We had very little crop emerging (due to cold soil) so it was hard to judge the effect on the growing crop. We have replanted some corn on our bottom ground that was flooded for a day and did not survive. Corn planting the first time was complete Wednesday. We have lost very few growing degree days with the cold temps . Some neighboring corn that has been in the ground for more than 3 weeks is still coming through. Soybean planting is up to date but we are still waiting for one variety of seed beans that had winter production in Chile. Apparently, there are weather issues with harvest there. Around the farm we have been occupied with repairs of equipment, tearing out old unused fences, tile repairs, washout repairs, grain hauling, mushroom hunting and landscaping. We are preparing to enter another intense few weeks with corn to side dress with NH3, all fields to be sprayed for last pass, hay making, roadside mowing and weed maintenance, fencerow spraying, building upkeep, bin repair and other misc jobs. We will not run out of work and are keeping our high schools and college staff busy. 

The pandemic has certainly caused a lot of black swans to appear for agriculture. The oil debacle has turned the ethanol market totally on its head with so much in storage and several plants shut down and not even posting bids. The equity markets are trying to figure out what the real interest rate is and now there is talk of negative interest! Kind of like crude oil going negative. Fertilizer prices are totally flat as producers decide how little money to spend. Livestock is in a real quandary as packing plants shut down and finished cattle and hogs and chickens pile up on tightly scheduled slaughter schedules. And the cold weather is keeping us all inside more instead of being able to get out and enjoy spring nature and its beauty. 

Family is doing well but cabin fever is growing. I haven't held our youngest grandchild since the night she was born--January 17. I'm not sure which region of IL we are in or what phase of coming out we are experiencing. Hoping we can salvage county fairs and 4-H shows this summer and find some normalcy with sports schedules. One of our college employees had a virtual college graduation last week. Now that Alison is completing virtual college I wonder if we can go ahead with that and change education for the future. We are certainly changing the world as we know it and this event has just sped up the change!

Fall prices

Corn--3.03

SB--8.33

Keep in touch and share pics of your face masks!

Steve