Saturday, December 31, 2022
The year is winding down. Yes, it’s been an eventful one at Carnahan & Sons. We look back on the changes that came our way… some planned and welcome, and some unexpected and difficult. The biggest change, of course, was saying farewell to my brother and farming partner Ross. We will still be adjusting to that change for years to come. We made it through these first planting and harvest seasons, and I hope he would be pleased with the outcome. I think he would.
We added a few acres this year, with the Leser place. It was quite a change, converting that vineyard into a soybean field. That went okay, and we still have some work to do on that place. I’m hoping to establish a waterway on the NW side along Winkler Road. That place is now planted in wheat, and it’s looking okay.
We had a successful wheat crop with our best yields of all time. The crop averaged 113 bushels per acre. The crop had looked really nice ever since it was planted, so the seed company rep entered it into a national wheat yield contest. Our wheat crop entries placed first and second in Indiana… and if you look across the country results, it was the 12th highest in the USA (at least of those that were entered into the yield contest)! Of course, we give the best credit to the Lord for providing excellent growing conditions for our wheat crop. Without that, we would strike out!
We changed one of our trucks from a Kenworth to a Peterbilt, and Brandon is quite happy with that change. He smiles every time he drives it! We sold our Mack Vision truck and purchased a Volvo with an ‘automated’ transmission. Our partner Bill loves to drive the Volvo! In fact, he will be back in it next week, as he helps Brandon deliver corn and soybeans.
We upgraded our utility tractor from a JD 6130R to a 6145R. The 6130 had been a problem child, and we found this year-old 6145R coming in off a lease. This new (to us) tractor has been quite sound and has many deluxe features that make it a pleasure to operate.
We added a grain bin to our system this year. We signed the contract in late December 2021, and the construction took place over 4 months, May to August 2022. We essentially had to learn about bin construction all over again, because it had been decades since we added storage space here. It was completed on schedule. It certainly was an asset to our fall harvest, helping to absorb the ‘surge’ of harvest. This additional space will be helpful for years to come.
John has added some motion-activated cameras around the farm, and it makes the place feel a bit more ‘secure’.
The Unverferth Renegade ammonia application machine has arrived at the dealer. It is now fully set-up and ready to come to the farm. We ordered this machine in July ’21 and expected it for use in the spring of ’22. It did not get here until this month. We are eager to place it into service for the ’23 corn crop.
The new pickup I ordered in September 2021 was delivered here on November 9. It was a long wait, but I think it was worth it. It has some really neat features, especially the thing called ‘Bluecruise’ that enables it to drive itself on a limited-access-highway. It is very comfortable. I really like this new F-150 King Ranch edition.
Lastly, I’m still getting my new knee worked back into shape. There is more pain than I expected, and it still causes some difficulty getting to sleep at night. Even so, I can feel it becoming easier to flex, and also to get straight. I don’t need a walker anymore, and not always do I need the cane to get around. We will give it a several more weeks of rehab, and hopefully, it’ll smooth out and I’ll walk around without pain!
As we look ahead to 2023, we realize there will be some challenges as we continue to adjust to farming without Ross. But our hope is not in our skills or our cleverness. We trust our Maker to make a way for us. He has never failed us, and He has proved that we can trust Him.
Happy New Year from all of us here at Carnahan & Sons.
