On Monday, we began to harvest corn again. It has been going very well, and the quality is very good. The test weight, or density, of the grain has been wonderful… 58+ pounds. The moisture, for the most part, has been <17%, so that we can put the corn right into storage. Only a few areas and a few loads of corn have been >17%, and that has gone to the dryer. When you look at the grain in the truck, it’s very clean, and very nice. When we get to that last field of corn, at the Huey farm, we are certain that it will need to go through the dryer, because it was planted on June 8, and we expect a moisture content in the low 20s, not bad. Harvesting dry corn is a pleasure, and it’s more easy to get a top-quality commmodity. We finished the home farm on Monday, and Waldo and Steen Hill yesterday. Today, we will go to the Newman farm near Wheatland. The ‘team’ has been working together smoothly, with Rhoda in the grain cart during the day, and Brandon manning the cart after school. Philip has been a truck driver for the most part, and John has been very busy, working on the dryer, driving trucks, and keeping all the machines up and running. To do that, you have to demonstrate great flexibility because you can be interrupted on your present task to turn your attention to another task with a suddenly higher priority.
Ben was home for some extra days as it was ‘fall break’ at Purdue. He came in late Friday night, so he was here to disk some field borders and to drive a truck on Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday. It was great. He has told us it’s easier to pilot an airplane than to drive a semi, but that’s hard to believe.
Frank Johnson is here today to take deliver some corn to GPC at Washington, Indiana. Larry Corn (our wheat planting specialist) has also returned, after a couple days at his regular job in Jasper, Indiana. He will help keep us going with his truck driving.
A quick drive-by of the newly-planted wheat fields shows us that the tiny green sprouts are beginning to emerge. It’s always a good feeling to see that wheat start to turn the field a beautiful green color.
Rain is predicted for tomorrow, and if it’s not a big one, it will be welcome. I hope we can return to the corn harvest on Friday. Perhaps by Saturday, we can return to the replanted areas in those few soybean fields where we had to go around the ones that we not quite ready last week. I am beginning to get a sense that the wrap-up is in sight. Of course that means only that we turn our efforts to other tasks, like fall fertilization and fall spraying for the ’12 crops! There is some extensive conservation work already taking place with Mr. Worland. The Shepard brothers will soon arrive to begin installing drainage tile at the Pond and Waldo. They will also improve some surface drainage at Huey and do a re-shape of a hilly field at the Home farm. When November comes, there are many meetings with our fertilizer supplier, CPS Wheatland, as we plan and execute the specifics of the ’12 fertility program for corn and soybeans. We also must make our final decisions for 2012 corn hybrid and soybean variety purchases. I believe we are also going to begin the process of acquiring a new and larger grain dryer. So, it’s not difficult to find something to do!
