Wednesday, January 11, 2023
We got notice today that the new Unverferth NH3 application bar is finally ready to be delivered. It has been damp and drizzly today, so we asked the dealer to wait until the roads are dry to deliver the machine here. I looked back at the original order and recalled that we placed the order on June 30, 2021! A full year-and-a-half to get that machine here. This much delay was not what we expected back in 2021, but it is the reality of what we experienced. Hmmm.
Sitting at the dealer today, ready to come home on the first clear, dry day.
In a phone call to the salesman yesterday to inquire about the delivery of our new soybean air drill…he confirmed the delivery of the no-till drill part of that machine would arrive next month, and the air cart part would arrive in March. Here’s hoping that is what happens… just-in-time for spring planting. I know I can begin to write the planting prescriptions anytime now.
The other machine to which we are looking forward is a new JD tractor, a 9R 540 4wd. We have been told it has been assigned a ‘build date’ of June 26. At the time we placed the order, we expected it for this spring’s work. Looks like that won’t happen. That build date will probably land smack dab in the middle of wheat harvest–which is a pretty hectic period of several days. Even so, I want to travel to Waterloo, Iowa to watch the final assembly of this new tractor. That’s called the “Gold Key” program, and it certainly a fantastic thing to experience. You can follow along on the assembly line as your new tractor comes together, and when it reaches the appropriate station, you get to climb into the cab and start the engine for its first time! I’m sure looking forward to that!
Had a session of rehab today on my knee. It’s still sore and swollen and a bit stiff, but they say I’m making good progress. The 3x/day home exercise sessions are quite confining, and I’m not driving on my own just yet. I see the surgeon again on the 19th. Perhaps I will be released, and I can start driving again! It’s a good bit away from feeling normal, but I can sense some progress. PTL!
Our inventory of ’22-crop soybeans has just about run out. The trucks have been busy this month. Several loads of corn remain to be delivered, but they’re working on that too. The hard part is sweeping the bottoms of the bins after the grain stop flowing naturally through the center of the bin floor. At my stage of life, I’m not in there with a scoop shovel or broom anymore, and I certainly appreciate the young farmers here who do that hard job.
Just think: it’s not very many weeks away until #plant23.
