Terrific Team

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Partners & Friends,

Harvest was completed a week ago, on October 26th. The final rows are always so gratifying. Harvest went very smoothly, with only one day lost to a combine breakdown and one very brief rainout. We handled another record amount of bushels and—thanks to our very efficient and diligent crew—have already delivered over 200,000 bushels of corn and 18,000 bushels of soybeans. We have been keeping the vertical tillage disc running in the corn stalks to promote stalk decomposition. The ripper has also been tilling fields that were recently tiled to level out settled tile ditches and mix up the soil on some fields that have been minimally or not tilled for many years.

Our harvest went the way it did because of the great team in place. There were few late nights and we rarely had to turn on the lights of the equipment. Kudos to Marcus, Hayden, Mason, Chuck, Charlie, Randy, Grayson, Tucker, Alex, Rhett, Phil, and others. Also, I want to recognize the many miles of transport Phyllis provided to keep trucks, equipment, and people in the right place at the right time. A big thanks goes out to the equipment dealers and support crew who furnished parts and service. The incredible harvest lunches supplied by many different businesses were a real treat as well.

The Election is just days away. There is much anticipation about policy according to which party is in power. The Farm Bill debate drags on in DC. In Illinois, we are hoping for some action on new estate tax laws. Brazil will be planting more acres of soybeans than ever before. Inputs for next season are not dropping by much, if any at all.

A lot is happening on the family front. We mourned the loss of Aunt Luan last week. Goat showing, an apple butter festival, gymnastics competitions, mountain bike racing, and an evening with N.T. Wright in Wisconsin all kept the roads from our house warm. 

Crop Prices:

Corn—3.95

Soybeans—9.80

Enjoy the rest of fall,

Steve

Harvest

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Partners & Friends,

Harvest is in full swing. As of today, we are 65% complete with soybean harvest and 25% complete with corn. The seed beans are in the bin, and over 50,000 bushels of corn have been delivered to the local pig feed mill. The bushels will help offset the low commodity prices we are experiencing—take note of the prices at the end of each blog post.😳 Yields are excellent. This will be the best corn and bean crop we have ever raised. Grandpa Hess and Doll would not have believed the yields from some of these fields they nurtured and tilled.🙂 Marcus and I have shared some sweet moments reminiscing about harvest memories that ultimately brought Hess Family Farm to where it is today. We owe so much to so many people who worked so hard.❤️

There is talk that Congress might attempt to pass a new Farm Bill yet this year. The prices and structure desperately require updating. Low river levels on the Mississippi are causing great concern and have widened basis levels. Additionally, the dockworker strike will result in major disruptions both in and outside the country. We have a unit down and are waiting on parts from Germany. 😬

Phyllis and I had a wonderful week with the Luecht grandchildren visiting. Lindsay and Keith celebrated 20 years of marriage in Myrtle Beach. Alison received 24 inches of rain in Asheville from Hurricane Helene. We are still very dry here in Illinois, with no rain in the two week forecast.

Harvest Prices:

Corn—3.91

Soybeans—10.08

Soak up all the beauty and wonder of creation that surrounds you! We feel blessed to work in it each day.

Steve

Safety

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Partners & Friends,

Safety is a serious topic here at Hess Family Farm. Entering harvest, we had the pleasure of hosting Illinois State Trooper Brian Backstrom to conduct a safety seminar. Trooper Backstrom spent over an hour with the team demonstrating semi inspections, going over CDL rules and requirements, and talking about general farm equipment road safety rules. Hopefully we can follow all the helpful fall safety tips as we head into harvest season. Marcus then briefed the group about general harvest plans, roles, and responsibilities for the team members. 

Harvest is upon us and we are closing in on preparations. The general election is in less than 60 days. We wish Illinois had a chance to be a swing state. ☹️

Phyllis and I got a few days to relax in Kentucky. Our grandson, Lincoln, is competing in mountain bike racing and placed second in his group. 👏🏻🎉

Fall Prices:

Corn—3.69

Soybeans—9.65

Steve

Big Tile

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Partners & Friends,

We are wrapping up a few tile projects that involve some large sized mains. This entails installing 15 and 12 inch tiles in standing crop so we can begin pattern tiling the majority of the fields and building dry dams once harvest is over. These installations require extensive coordination of materials, labor, and equipment. It has also been a bit challenging with the heat these past few weeks. However, the benefits in the future will be much enjoyed. Being able to plant earlier, harvest without rutting up fields, spray without cutting ruts, and eliminate washouts on the rolling ground will all make the short-term loss of a few acres of crop worthwhile. 

The Hess Family Farm team is still finishing some pre-harvest projects, including equipment movement and storage, grain center preparation, building projects, the last hay cutting, and bin cleaning and repair. The basis is set for our fall deliveries. Our crop is going to be a big one. We plan to begin harvesting the week of September 9th.

The Farm Bill is not going to be updated, but only renewed with the current policy in place. There is still more work to be done in Springfield on the CCS (Carbon Capture and Sequestration/Storage) bill to provide safeguards for land and landowners.

School is back in session for all our grandchildren. By the size of the crowd at the Hendersonville, North Carolina Apple Festival, the economy seems to be doing quite well.

Fall Prices:

Corn—3.69

Soybeans—9.58

Steve

Show Season

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Partners & Friends,

Show season wrapped up this week with the Illinois State Fair in Springfield. The Hess goats had a good showing. This season has been an excellent one with ample banners, ribbons, and gear. The success demonstrates what can happen with a lot of planning, hard work, and commitment. 🙂

The Hess Family Farm team has a large drainage project under way. We rarely lay tile sized over 8 inches, but are currently putting in a few 15 inch tiles to dry up some open water, as well as using 15 inchers in another project with other landowners to do some much needed drainage. Our shop is also busy with finishing up planter maintenance and preparing harvest equipment. We have completed spraying fungicide on the corn and beans but are staying vigilant for a tar spot in the corn due to the the cooler, wet weather. It appears we will have corn black layered soon, so our normal harvest start date should remain around September 10th. The team and I have some tiling we would like to complete after first fields are harvested. We are also finishing up grain center maintenance. The crop is looking to be a big one this year, so the extra dryer capacity will be put to use. And there is, of course, much mowing to be completed and a couple summer maintenance projects to finish up yet.

The Farm Bill debate continues to drag on in DC. It is looking doubtful anything will happen this year besides another extension of the current program. A different administration could truly change things up. Talk of tariffs is not a positive for export business. It was refreshing to hear agriculture mentioned in the Trump/Musk conversation. No further guidance for carbon scoring is in the near future—this is another can being kicked down the road. 🫤

School has started once again—it seems earlier every year! The Bushnell Fall Festival is next week. The Show and Sale is on Wednesday. Labor Day weekend will be last hurrah before harvest. 

Harvest Prices:

Corn—3.54

Soybeans—9.5

Steve