Summer Swoon

/

 

Partners,

Summer is rushing by. Since the last post we have received quite adequate rainfall here. The month of July turned out to be a real blessing when the corn was tasseling. The beans responded to all the moisture with lots of growth. We are now expecting close to a trendline yield. The beans still need to make progress filling pods. The corn crop is now starting to dent. The cooler temps have slowed development (that's okay) so harvest will not start as early as we might like. We ended up spraying every acre of corn and beans with fungicide and insecticide. 

We have been keeping busy trying to get all the extra projects done we seem to put off during the rest of the year. Barn maintenance is high on the list. We had a wall blow out in one of the storms in July. To repair it we have to make our own shiplap. We also re-roofed a large section of the barn at Marcus's house, repaired and screwed down the rest of the tin and are now getting ready to paint. We have been mowing the CRP ground that was seeded this year to keep weeds in control till the new seeding gets established. We are also repairing many tile issues that are accessible in the summer with a growing crop. In between we have taken some time off for some family fun. We will be getting harvest equipment out and inspected for the upcoming task at hand.

Ag economy is plugging along. The predicted crop size has set a firm tone to the market. In our travels east and west we saw many crops suffering from too much and too little water. Overall we feel like our situation is one of the better ones. Agriculture is still waiting for all the secondary positions to be filled at USDA--can't understand why the process is so slow. Illinois has passed a budget but now is squabbling over all the details. Economics seem to be good enough that the used equipment market is firm and up-trending.

The family is doing well. Alison is preparing to return for her senior year at Wayland. Shanna is back from a trip to Columbia and Ecuador concerning online WIU classes there.  Many of the grandkids are back to school in the next week or two. During the past 6 weeks we have visited 13 colleges trying to pick a path for Ali post high school.  Phyllis and I celebrate 40 years August 21st. Summer livestock shows are coming to end--State Fair just finished up.

Can you answer the college pic question?

Fall prices:

Corn 3.39

Soybeans 9.17

Keep in touch! Like and comment below.

Steve