Fireworks and Fungicides

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Partners,

We are still keeping busy caring for crops. This past week we have been spraying fungicides on corn and soybeans. With the hot and humid conditions we are concerned about diseases moving in, and with the limited rainfall we also want to eliminate stress on the crop as much as possible. We are also seeing some insect pressure on the field edges, primary from Japanese beetles, so we are applying some insecticide along with the fungicide. In our area, crop dusters have been flying non-stop for the past week. We are spraying the beans with our self-propelled sprayer in order to use a higher ratio of water to get better coverage on the plants. As of right now, it looks like there's not much rain in the forecast so we're doing all we can to preserve the highest yield potential possible.

We are finishing up delivering our 2017 crop. We plan to have the bins empty by the end of July so we can get maintenance done before harvest starts. With the crop maturing ahead of schedule we anticipate harvest to begin right after Labor Day. We're working on farmstead maintenance as time allows, but as always, our project list is longer than the summer will allow time for. We are planning to get some time off before the start of harvest; time away makes the long days seem more bearable.

The farm economy is still reeling from all the tariff talk and implementation. As usual, agriculture seems to be the whipping boy for all this tough talk and action. Today it was announced the EPA will not raise the fuel blending standard for next year, which means the chance to use another few hundred million bushels of corn for renewable fuel is lost. Wondering if Trump remembers what part of the country those late counted votes came from. We are pleased with the nominee for SCOTUS.

Our family is halfway through summer with lots to show for it. On the Fourth of July we had some time on the lake along with four different fireworks shows. Phyllis had a cousin get-together this week. We're preparing for Alison's college sendoff on August 11th from 4 to 8pm, everyone is welcome! Classes at UChicago don't start till October 1. My parents' 65th anniversary is July 19th, and a reception for them will be August 12th from 2 to 4 at Checkrow Community Church.  

Fall Prices:

Corn 3.29

Soybeans 8.09

Stay cool and keep in touch!

Steve

Riders on the Storm

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Partners,

We finished at 4:00 this past Friday afternoon, November 3rd, and got everything tucked away in time for the rain that evening. If we call our combine (a John Deere S670) the Storm, you will understand the title for this blog post. We have been amazed this fall by the capacity of our operation, even with the limited investment we have in equipment. Our investment per acre, compared to other farms our size, is on the lower end of the scale (read "used and well-maintained"). We did experience three belts breaking which cost us about two hours each time. We also had to replace the power steering pump, which was a whole day of downtime; but we could sleep well that night because we didn't have to tend the dryer all night to catch up with the combine. In good running we can average over 3000 bushels per hour. When I started farming 40 years ago, a day of picking 1500 bushels of ear corn was considered a successful day. Phyllis's grandpa told of harvesting 100 bushels by hand and then scooping it into the corn crib with a shovel, which was its own major success!

Crops came out well with some downed corn from a windstorm in July, ground squirrel "holes," raccoon "holes," and deer spots by the treelines. We will dry every bushel of corn, but planting longer-season varieties is paying off with bigger yields (good news for landowners with flex rents based on bushels produced). This year's beans are probably the best crop we have ever raised. Harvest was completed safely and timely with a great team of full- and part-time staff.

The ag economy is paying close attention to the proposed changes in the tax code being proposed in Congress. There is lots of uncertainty as to what final product will be. Dupont announced they are selling their cellulistic ethanol plant in Iowa; apparently that was another example of government tax credits and grants trying to make something sustainable that is not. Property tax assessments are out and it looks like the county is looking for sources of revenue from within, since the state is reducing their commitment to local taxing bodies.

The family is doing well. Looking forward to gathering at Thanksgiving and remembering all the blessings God has bestowed on us this past year. We will be hosting some of Ali's friends from Wayland over her Thanksgiving break. This is always an enjoyable experience, getting to learn about other cultures and meet some very bright, polite high school students.

Current Local Terminal Prices:

Corn 3.13

Soybeans 9.24

See our harvest 2017 riders in the pictures above! Comments, questions, and "Likes" always welcomed below.

Steve

Biology Technology

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Partners,

We finally got a break last weekend with the first significant rainfall in over six weeks. Fields were very dry and the soil was hard before this welcomed relief. We needed the time to rest and repair. Harvest progress stands at 35% corn and 65% beans. Yields have been pleasantly surprising; corn and beans will be among the top three harvests for our farm. We will be harvesting some of our less productive and replanted fields last, so we're not sure where they will come in.

Plant technology has been in the news on a couple of fronts lately. 

Syngenta (a global Swiss agribusiness that produces agrochemicals and seeds) announced a $1.3 billion settlement for putting a new corn trait technology in fields in 2013 that was not yet approved by China. China rejected several shipments of corn that fall claiming they were tainted. My thoughts are that in reality China bought some very high priced corn in the price run-up of that period, and by canceling these contracts they could replace it with cheaper corn after seeing the market reaction to the news. 

Monsanto has also been in the news this growing season with their Extend soybean technology release. These soybeans are resistant to Dicambia herbicide which gives us another mode of action for weed control in this crop. We personally planted Extend beans in 2016 for seed to sell to a major seed company, and were very impressed with their performance. Also with the increased weed pressure we have been facing, having access to another mode of chemical action will give us another option in the herbicide toolbox to battle some of the Roundup resistant weeds like Tall Waterhemp and Marestail. There have been many lawsuits filed after complaints of drift during this 2017 growing season and some states are suggesting very restrictive dates of use for next season. We will see where the dust settles on Dicamba beans for 2018.

My guess is that both of these issues will make some attorneys very wealthy, with farmers getting leftovers of settlement dollars and options for cutting edge technology.

The family is doing well. Alison's volleyball team won their senior night game, Phyllis's brother Phil was back for a class reunion, and we got to witness and celebrate a beautiful family wedding in Columbus, Ohio.

Fall prices:

Corn 3.13

Soybeans 9.27

Keep in touch and stay safe!

Steve

Haze & Hurricanes

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Partners,

What an interesting month! On Labor Day Phyllis and I noticed how funny colored the sky was, especially in the afternoon. Turns out it was smoke from fires out west. Then seeing Harvey and Irma move thru the South was an experience of a lifetime--so much power and fury! While avoiding natural disasters, we are busy finishing up summer projects: mowing, building repairs, equipment storage and readiness, grain hauling, storage readiness, and cattle upkeep. We just started corn harvest yesterday and are experiencing the usual startup kinks. Better now than in 2 weeks! Corn is doing well yield-wise (over 200 BPA) but is still high in moisture (27%). Should be a good harvest if weather cooperates.

Ag outlook seems steady for now. Land prices seem to have stabilized in Illinois and the good harvest should help farmer moods, but prices are really tanking due to the yields. USDA has been predicting good crops nationwide (there are some pockets of drought and excess water) and as it turns out they were accurate with their system of collecting data. But I can think of no other country that publicizes its crop size in the way we do.

Our family is doing well. We have a wedding coming up in October (our nephew, Suanne's son Joel). Schooling for all the kids of the right ages with lots of learning and homework. Lindsay and Keith settling into Milwaukee area. We are trying to keep life simple through harvest!

Fall prices:

Corn 3.16

SB 9.43

 

Steve

Summer Swoon

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Partners,

Summer is rushing by. Since the last post we have received quite adequate rainfall here. The month of July turned out to be a real blessing when the corn was tasseling. The beans responded to all the moisture with lots of growth. We are now expecting close to a trendline yield. The beans still need to make progress filling pods. The corn crop is now starting to dent. The cooler temps have slowed development (that's okay) so harvest will not start as early as we might like. We ended up spraying every acre of corn and beans with fungicide and insecticide. 

We have been keeping busy trying to get all the extra projects done we seem to put off during the rest of the year. Barn maintenance is high on the list. We had a wall blow out in one of the storms in July. To repair it we have to make our own shiplap. We also re-roofed a large section of the barn at Marcus's house, repaired and screwed down the rest of the tin and are now getting ready to paint. We have been mowing the CRP ground that was seeded this year to keep weeds in control till the new seeding gets established. We are also repairing many tile issues that are accessible in the summer with a growing crop. In between we have taken some time off for some family fun. We will be getting harvest equipment out and inspected for the upcoming task at hand.

Ag economy is plugging along. The predicted crop size has set a firm tone to the market. In our travels east and west we saw many crops suffering from too much and too little water. Overall we feel like our situation is one of the better ones. Agriculture is still waiting for all the secondary positions to be filled at USDA--can't understand why the process is so slow. Illinois has passed a budget but now is squabbling over all the details. Economics seem to be good enough that the used equipment market is firm and up-trending.

The family is doing well. Alison is preparing to return for her senior year at Wayland. Shanna is back from a trip to Columbia and Ecuador concerning online WIU classes there.  Many of the grandkids are back to school in the next week or two. During the past 6 weeks we have visited 13 colleges trying to pick a path for Ali post high school.  Phyllis and I celebrate 40 years August 21st. Summer livestock shows are coming to end--State Fair just finished up.

Can you answer the college pic question?

Fall prices:

Corn 3.39

Soybeans 9.17

Keep in touch! Like and comment below.

Steve