Farm Progress
/
Partners & Friends,
The Farm Progress Show was a week ago in Decatur. There was much to see at the “Super Bowl” of farm shows. All the new paint, huge equipment, startup companies, and exhibitions remind us of the interest and innovation in agriculture. Plus, the technology being developed is an exciting advancement to help replace scarce labor with machines. We would encourage anyone who gets the opportunity to visit the show and experience it for yourself; it will be back in Decatur in two years.
We are now getting ready for the harvest season. This involves completing equipment checks, getting drying equipment and storage bins prepped, servicing trucks and tractors, doing some last minute crop scouting and yield estimates, and forming plans regarding the changes we need to make next year. We do rather detailed field inspections—here is an example of our weekly crop consulting reports. We held our fall safety meeting this past week to communicate our operations and expectations and ensure that everyone is on the same page. The Hess Family Farm team is looking forward to another fun, safe harvest.
The worldwide weather is getting a lot of attention. We believe there is, indeed, climate change taking place, but that it has been happening since time began. Oil prices are getting jerked around by the Russians and Saudis. The water level in Lake Gatun on the Panama Canal is causing shipping issues; 70% of the canal traffic is US originated. Additionally, the Mississippi River’s low water level is increasing barge shipping rates to deliver grain to the gulf.
School is off to a good start for the students in our family. Phyllis and I took a nice trip to see Ali in Asheville. We also went on another trip north to Grafton, where we got to make many fun memories with the Luecht family. Phyllis is getting stronger every day. Goat showing season has slowed down.
Fall Prices:
Corn—4.61
Soybeans—13.35
Steve
