Safety and Taxes

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Partners & Friends,

There has been a lot of activity as we prepare for harvest. We held our fall safety team meeting this week, with Trooper Backstrom presenting during a fierce rainstorm. 😬 Phyllis and I also attended a farmland assessment meeting sponsored by the Farm Bureau and local legislators. Farmland assessment laws are certainly not simple, but they’re probably as fair as can be expected. That said, real estate taxes won’t be coming down significantly anytime soon.

The equipment is mostly ready to roll, and we hope to begin corn harvest on Monday. Early field reports show lower-than-expected moisture levels. Unfortunately, the last several weeks of dry weather haven’t helped test weights. On the positive side, it looks like spraying fungicide this year will deliver significant returns. Bean fields are already turning, and with very little precipitation in the two-week forecast, it’s moving quickly. Final mowing is as complete as it’s going to get. We managed six cuttings of alfalfa this year! In addition, we’ve started a shop remodel/update project. Our grain-handling logistics will be tested to the max this fall.

We also helped manage a booth at the Farm Progress Show, campaigning against the use of eminent domain for CO₂ pipelines. We spoke with several legislators, though we weren’t able to get the governor’s ear while he was there. Federal assistance continues to be a big topic of discussion, and tariffs are hitting farmers from multiple directions.

The Bushnell Show & Sale was well attended this year, with 23 exhibitors—up from previous years. The school year is off and running. WIU faced U of I last week, and Illinois looks to have a promising season ahead of them. Phyllis and I enjoyed a few days in Kansas City for an anniversary trip, and she also celebrated her Class of ’75 fifty year reunion a few weeks ago.

Fall Prices:
Corn: $3.91
Soybeans: $9.79

Stay safe,
Steve

Show Time

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Partners & Friends,

This past week marked the conclusion of the summer fair and show season with the Illinois State Fair—the biggest event of the year for exhibitors in our state. The junior animals arrive at the beginning of the fair, and most of the showing takes place over the first few days. Harper and Abbott showed goats last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Hess Livestock had a fantastic week, with all animals placing at the top of their classes.

On Saturday night, Harper was in the Grand Drive in the coliseum alongside five other excellent goats. While we won’t be part of the Governor’s Sale of Champions this Wednesday evening, it’s been an incredibly rewarding show season overall. All the hard work and dedication to the project truly paid off! 🏆

With summer winding down, harvest is now about a month away. Warm weather is accelerating crop maturity, and both the corn and soybean crops are shaping up to be big ones. 🙂 We’ve wrapped up fungicide applications, mowed roadsides and waterways, baled hay between rain showers, prepped harvest equipment, cleaned out storage bins and drying systems, and even managed to sneak in a little downtime before harvest kicks off. The plentiful rain has made mowing the yard and roadsides a constant battle (not complaining!). Our truck fleet is now ready for a busy haul season.

On the policy front, Farm Bill discussions are stalling in D.C. Here in Illinois, election season is already underway, with petitions circulating. We’re also hosting Texas legislators who are avoiding redistricting votes—giving them a firsthand look at what real gerrymandering looks like. 😳 Meanwhile, the intense fungicide application season has sadly brought four spray plane accidents in just eight days. And in two weeks, Decatur will host the Farm Progress Show.

Locally, school is back in session this week, and college move-ins are next week. Phyllis and I recently enjoyed a suspenseful (and rainy) minor league baseball game with Ali and Betsy at the new Spartanburger stadium. Lincoln’s mountain bike racing season is also underway. Life is busy—and all good!

Fall Prices:
Corn: $3.72
Soybeans: $9.50

Enjoy the rest of your summer,
Steve

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