Thursday, September 5, 2024
It’s a quiet week here. But even so, there are things happening to prepare for #harvest 24.
The biggest thing is that the guys from Montgomery Welding came yesterday to remove the lift conveyor out of our big unload pit. It had been in the ground for 10 years (since its last repair) and we wanted to make sure it is ready for fall. Good thing they took it out, for the bearings on the bottom of it were completely worn out. They hauled the drag back to their shop in Montgomery, Indiana, where they will re-build the bottom end of it ( out of stainless this time), add new bearings, and reinstall it in our big unload pit. They were supposed to do this in July, but are just now getting here. Even so, it is a good thing that it is being repaired now!
The two Brandons have got the grain cart hooked up to the JD 9520R tractor, connected the video system as well as the scales. It is washed and ready for fall. They also have gone down to the Huey farm quonset building and brought home the disk. It is hooked up to the JD 8R 340 tractor. The disk was serviced and is it ready to plant wheat, or to disk any field border… and it is ready in case there is some kind of field fire.
Brandon D cleans the 9520R tractor. It will be his ‘home’ during harvest!
Hooked up and ready.
The disk is ready to plant wheat.
Fire danger is elevated right now, we have not received any appreciable rain in about a month, and the drought is apparent. Everyone’s lawns are brown and crunchy.
John has wrapped up the final bits of herbicide application on the double-crop soybeans (DCB). This week, he has thoroughly cleaned the sprayer. Also, he has removed the sprayer support water trailer from the Mack truck we call ‘Vanna’. It is now connected to a Wilson hopper trailer and is ready for hauling corn and soybeans!
Water trailer for sprayer support is parked for the winter!
Vanna and its Wilson trailer are ready for fall harvest!
Pat is making good progress with her knee replacement. She has stopped pain medication, and yesterday, her doctor allowed her to move to using a cane instead of a walker. She is doing more, but still cautious. She says she does not know when she’s done too much until she has done too much. She had one day this week when she did ‘overdo’ and she had to ice her knee a bit extra that evening! But we are pleased and grateful for her progress. Thanks to all who have been praying for her.
I’ve done a little mowing again this week. I was able to mow along the roadside at the Cox farm (US 50 at Robinson Road). It has been so dry, I was able to get to the far side of the ditch that I haven’t been able to get across the mud for 4 or 5 years. The woody sprouts are now buzzed off, and that area looks much better!
Mowing at the Cox farm along US 50
There on the right side, near the fence, you see the ‘after’ view.
Brandon D has also been mowing the keep the place looking groomed. But the grass is mostly dry and crunchy these days.
We will probably bring in a few ears of corn today or tomorrow to test the moisture level. Typically, a hand sample this time of year reads about 2 percentage points below what you would get if you harvested it. But it is a good indicator of when to start harvesting. With the low commodity prices this fall, we may wait a bit extra to allow the sun to dry down the corn more that we would in a typical year. It would be nice for the grain to be under 20% moisture when we start. “Dry” is 15%.
There was some fog in the area this morning. We are praying for a rain, but the weather folks are not predicting any for the next week.
Fog in the valleys this morning.
Harvest may start next week here, or at least the week of the 16th.
Have a good day!
