Friday, September 11, 2026
We are having our first relay of #harvest26. Rain came Wednesday night and last night too, bringing 1.1 to 1.5″ (28 to 38mm). Today, the day is gray and gloomy and feels damp. The forecast is for a bit more of the same. We are not sad about the rain, however. It brings 3 benefits at this time: 1. Reduced fire danger…it was scary dry. 2. It will help fill out the DCB. and 3. It will likely help the fields have moisture when we begin to plant wheat toward the end of the month. (typical start day for wheat planting here is 9/25).
Unloading into the grain cart. Notice the rain spots on the glass. That was the extent of the Wednesday rain, until Wednesday night.
The soybean results have been all over the map. On the hills where there was no flooding, the yields were nearly 80, but down in flat areas, the yields were at best in the 40s. So, while it is true that it is better to have a wet summer than a dry one, the flooding has affected many of our soybean fields. Of all the many fields that remain to be cut, each one has spots or large areas that had to be replanted. Therefore, we have no more soybeans that are ready to be cut. Yet.
We switched over to corn on Wednesday afternoon, and that was a good day. We harvested two fields of corn here at the main farm, each was planted on 4/1. We saw moisture levels from 14.1 to 18.5%, which is likely a record low for a first day of corn harvest! Several of the loads that came in that day went directly into storage. John initially had some problems with the dryer, but Jeff came from Midwest Ag in Rockport, IN, and he replaced a circuit board… the dryer took right off! We are pleased with the corn yields so far– 240+! With all the challenges of the summer of ’26– too wet, too hot, too dry– it’s nice to have some good corn to bring in. We are grateful… it is a blessing.
Yes, we found corn that dry…
We use a feature that John Deere calls “AutoPath”. It is fabulous when harvesting corn, No more ‘rows of shame’!
Wednesday sunset, taken from the seat of the JD S780 combine.
Today, the guys are servicing the Pete semi, changing the fuel filters, and blowing out the air filters. It is a cooler day, only 75ºF (24C), quite a relief from the near-1ooº days we’ve been having. John is clearing out the corn from the dryer… it may be 2-3 days before we return to corn harvesting, and it would not be good to have that 1100 bushels sit there wet, and there has been some rain on it too. We will be ready to go again, as soon as the field conditions permit. We don’t want to go making deep muddy tracks in the field just yet!
We have a new part-time employee, and he has been terrific. PTL!
There are many remembrances of this day from 25 years ago, the famous (or is it infamous?) 9-11. Every person can recall where they were and what they were doing that morning. We were harvesting corn at the Harry farm, on the most beautiful day you can imagine. When I finally turned on the radio in the combine, I could not believe what I was hearing. It was sobering. We have all been affected by 9-11, and that day will be riveted into our memories always. It is good today to celebrate the heroes of that day. Never forget. Never forget.
Have a good weekend. Count your many blessings.
