Signs of Spring

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Partners & Friends,

The first day of spring is just around the corner. The Hess Family Farm team is gearing up for planting season, taking full advantage of the weather. The field conditions are drying out rather quickly, so we've got the tiling crew in full operation. This week alone, we've tiled over 40 acres, with much more to come if the weather holds up. Initially, we planned to drain about 200 acres, but conditions only recently became suitable with all the other activities we had to manage. We've also finished applying the last of the NH3. This year, our corn-to-bean ratio will be 80% corn due to crop economics. That means we'll have a lot of bushels to handle this fall (hopefully), but the corn-to-bean ratio heavily favors corn. Almost all of our beans will be seed beans for Beck's. Seed deliveries started this week as well. Our sprayer update is nearly complete—more on that in a few weeks. We've serviced our equipment and are looking forward to taking our new corn planter to the field.

There is still much uncertainty coming from DC. The mixed signals are causing a lot of head-scratching and delaying commitments for new projects in the ag sector. We're participating in a carbon reduction program to sequester carbon in the field. We qualify for credits due to our cover crops, reduced tillage, and smart fertilizer usage, but the rules still haven't been clarified. It would be ideal if certainty was in place for the 2026 crop. Tariff talk and countermeasures are truly whipsawing the commodity markets. Weather forecasts for this summer suggest a higher-than-average chance of reduced rainfall, but predicting weather months out is very difficult. We heard a presentation this past weekend by Peter Zeihan—he still thinks central US is the best place in the world for row crop agriculture.

On a family note, Judah—the oldest of our three grandsons in Wisconsin—got baptized this past weekend. We had a great week of extra help tiling due to spring break. The spring weather is putting all of us in a happy state as we look forward to another season of working with this wonderful creation to feed the world.

Fall Prices:

Corn: $4.24

Soybeans: $9.80

Enjoy Spring!

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

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

30/99

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Partners & Friends,

We haven’t turned a single wheel in a week. We have received over 5 inches of rain and can verify that our soil profile is full of moisture!🙂 The Hess Family Farm team is 30% complete with corn planting and 99% complete with soybean planting. All of our fields have been sprayed. A spring like this demonstrates the advantage of tiled fields. There are very few spots with pattern tiling in place that have been drowned out. The Drowning Fork creek that runs through our home farm, however, has been out twice and will need replanting. Chuck has been a great help with trucking, and we have delivered the last soybeans to the bins. The focus during the rain delays has been on many detail projects, as well as preparation for the big push that will soon emerge with rest of planting, post spraying, hay making, mowing, summer tiling, goat showing, 4-H fairs, construction projects, and fine tuning on our farm chemical mixing center.

GREET modeling for 2024 was introduced this past week. It was a large disappointment, as very little guidance was provided regarding the crop we are planting and how it will qualify for SAF carbon scoring in the future. The farm bill debate persists in DC. The bird flu outbreak is weighing on livestock markets. Additionally, the ongoing war in Ukraine continues to cause volatility in commodity markets.

On the family front, it is the time of year for finals, spring recitals, and outdoor gatherings. Show season has also begun in earnest. We are making plans for a few fun summer getaways.

Fall Prices:

Corn—4.58

Soybeans—11.71

Let us know what you want to read about, and be sure to ask any questions you might have!

Steve