Watching It Grow
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Partners & Friends,
We officially finished planting on Friday with the drilling of soybeans into a hayfield we previously harvested hay from. As of now, all crops are green and growing well with stands above average. We did replant around 40 acres of corn in total, including the bottom that flooded out here on the homestead. The Hess Family Farm team is now in the process of a second pass of spraying corn before row closure, as well as baling hay, side dressing NH3, spraying fence rows, and beginning projects. Springtime means that the cows are out on pasture and an exceptionally large litter of kittens is now roaming around the farm. We received some golf ball-sized hail the first week of May that caused damage to the siding of our house and office but not to any crops, as they were too small and just emerging.
CO2 legislation was passed in Springfield. It put a few rules in place but not any Eminent Domain protection for pipeline projects; there remains much work to be done in that department. The Farm Bill debate is picking up steam in DC. Weather in some areas of Brazil has been particularly wet. The Murphy blacktop in Fulton County is getting a complete upgrade!
On the family front, school is out for the summer. Goat show season is picking up. Phyllis and I, as well as Ali who flew up from Asheville, attended the Steele family’s gymnastics performance in St. Louis. We also got to go to the Luecht family’s spring concert in Grafton. VBS is this week. PriscaStone, a day of worship, testimony, teaching, and fellowship in honor of our granddaughter Prisca, is in 2 weeks. Phyllis and I booked a 2 week agricultural tour of Europe for July.
Fall Prices:
Corn—4.42
Soybeans—11.55
Keep in touch,
Steve
