Tuesday, November 28, 2023
The end of the fiscal year for Carnahan & Sons is rapidly approaching. All the November projections and planning are finally coming together. We met with our accountants yesterday in a long session to figure out the tax strategy and firm up the methodology to finish out the fiscal year. Now we move ahead, implementing each of the steps. There are normal expenditures, a few small capital improvements, and compensation for each of the operating partners and employees. It is complicated, and required much preparation for yesterday’s meeting, but the plan is now set and it brings our confidence level up as we move ahead.
All the grain deliveries for November have been made, and the final November settlement payment should arrive at the bank tomorrow. December will be a busy month for the trucks, with dozens of loads to go to GPC at Washington and ADM at Newburgh.
Nutrien has completed all the needed fertility and lime testing and applications for the 2024 crops. We have developed a plan for what corn hybrids and soybean varieties to plant where, and those have been secured. John prepared his plan for crop protection chemicals, and those have been purchased. The required nitrogen for wheat and corn has also been calculated and purchased. Having these details nailed down bring a great sense of confidence for the 2024 cropping season. And, in a rare occurrence, the costs have come down a bit compared to 2023. That’s a good thing, for commodity prices are lower, too.
After weeks of research and study, we made a change today to our GPS equipment. We upgraded our GPS receivers to JD Starfire 7000 with SF-RTK signal. They will be even more accurate, and boot up faster than the previous SF 6000 receivers. These improvements will allow us to implement the use of JD’s Autopath system. In addition to the receiver on the tractor, there will be an additional receiver on the NH3 applicator and the corn planter. This will provide even more accurate and repeatable operation in the fields. When the sprayer is running during the summer, Autopath will guide the machine into the correct corn row. When we harvest corn next fall, the Autopath system will guide the combine to enter the correct row. At corn harvest it is often difficult to find the correct row, so that when you are finishing a segment of a field, you might have not a full 12-rows of corn to harvest. The ‘row of shame’ should be a thing of the past!
I washed the pickup this morning. Even though rain is predicted for Thursday night and all day Friday, I prefer to have the pickup look clean. And, of course, I used #Andyclean soap!
Nothing like having your pickup shine like new
The repair of the fire-damaged JD S780 combine is going well in the shop at Alliance Tractor at Vincennes. We stopped in to view the progress yesterday, and we found that they are now putting parts back into the machine. The rear discharge beater bearing that caused the whole mess is all new and looking good. They will also conduct a very thorough inspection to ensure that the S780 is completely field-ready. I am confident that this repair will be well done. Once that thing gets home, the guys will wash it up nicely and put it into storage.
Here are the parts from the fire-damaged rear discharge beater.
If you maneuver up into the back end of the combine, this is what you will see today. Even though here it’s spinning backwards, the new rear discharge beater spins freely, ready for next summer’s wheat harvest.
The Christmas decorations at home are complete. It took me a bit longer this year to put up 2 trees and add the lights and ornaments. I guess it was just a little bit harder for this old guy to haul all that stuff up out of the basement! Our decorating is not as elaborate as we did in our younger days, but still we get some joy seeing all the festive stuff on display.
A snowman greets everyone near our front door.
This nativity welcomes you in our entryway foyer.
The main tree in the living room took quite a while for me to set up!
This tree in the bedroom is decorated with ornaments we have collected from our travels over the last 45 years.
Tomorrow night, we’ll attend a 5th grade basketball game at South Knox… where our granddaughter Ella is a cheerleader. She is growing up so fast…
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Ben and Kierstin. Ben smoked the turkey, and they both worked so very hard to prepare for a lovely meal. We were joined by Kierstin’s parents and cousin. So, even if there were only 7 of us, we celebrated in a happy way. Thanksgiving is just about my favorite holiday… and it’s not because of the delicious traditional foods… it’s about the attitude it fosters in us. We are often encouraged by the Scriptures to be thankful. I am happy that this holiday encourages us to show gratitude. There is an old hymn we sang when I was a kid….”Count Your Blessings”. A good thing to do any old day, not just on Thanksgiving.
It is a beautiful but chilly day here in SWIN. The temperature topped out at 32ºF 0ºC). But there is not a cloud in the brilliant blue sky, and very little wind. Not a bad day at all!
A chilly day… but still beautiful
I must mention today that our beloved Purdue Boilermaker basketball team is now ranked Number ONE! We will enjoy that while it lasts, and revel in every minute! They play again at home tonight. The B1G conference has messed with the way the games are televised. There are some that will only be streamed out on some thing called “Peacock”. I’m going to have to figure that out if I want to catch @BoilerBall the way I’d like to! It is my firm hope that I’ll be able to attend one game this winter, and cheer for them in-person! There’s nothing like being there in Mackey Arena!
Enjoy your day. December will be here soon!
