Riders on the Storm
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Partners,
We finished at 4:00 this past Friday afternoon, November 3rd, and got everything tucked away in time for the rain that evening. If we call our combine (a John Deere S670) the Storm, you will understand the title for this blog post. We have been amazed this fall by the capacity of our operation, even with the limited investment we have in equipment. Our investment per acre, compared to other farms our size, is on the lower end of the scale (read "used and well-maintained"). We did experience three belts breaking which cost us about two hours each time. We also had to replace the power steering pump, which was a whole day of downtime; but we could sleep well that night because we didn't have to tend the dryer all night to catch up with the combine. In good running we can average over 3000 bushels per hour. When I started farming 40 years ago, a day of picking 1500 bushels of ear corn was considered a successful day. Phyllis's grandpa told of harvesting 100 bushels by hand and then scooping it into the corn crib with a shovel, which was its own major success!
Crops came out well with some downed corn from a windstorm in July, ground squirrel "holes," raccoon "holes," and deer spots by the treelines. We will dry every bushel of corn, but planting longer-season varieties is paying off with bigger yields (good news for landowners with flex rents based on bushels produced). This year's beans are probably the best crop we have ever raised. Harvest was completed safely and timely with a great team of full- and part-time staff.
The ag economy is paying close attention to the proposed changes in the tax code being proposed in Congress. There is lots of uncertainty as to what final product will be. Dupont announced they are selling their cellulistic ethanol plant in Iowa; apparently that was another example of government tax credits and grants trying to make something sustainable that is not. Property tax assessments are out and it looks like the county is looking for sources of revenue from within, since the state is reducing their commitment to local taxing bodies.
The family is doing well. Looking forward to gathering at Thanksgiving and remembering all the blessings God has bestowed on us this past year. We will be hosting some of Ali's friends from Wayland over her Thanksgiving break. This is always an enjoyable experience, getting to learn about other cultures and meet some very bright, polite high school students.
Current Local Terminal Prices:
Corn 3.13
Soybeans 9.24
See our harvest 2017 riders in the pictures above! Comments, questions, and "Likes" always welcomed below.
Steve
