Start & Stop

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Partners & Friends,

Harvest has begun. We have used two windows, just like last spring, to harvest about 450 acres of corn. We tried beans one day but moisture was over 16%. The yields so far have been good. Right at trendline, even though the crop was stressed by poor planting conditions and then nine weeks of very little rainfall, and solar minimum thrown in the mix too. We should be right around trendline yields for corn which will be fine, given all we have been thru. Early bean yields from other farmers have been surprisingly above and below expectations.The jury is still out on the late June planted corn and beans—they are not finishing well and we will soon get a frost. Thank goodness the cold weather waited as long as it did!

Equipment is running well as can be expected for its age. It has been several years since we ran a combine into its sixth season so a few breakdowns are expected. Our crew is getting used to the pace and routine of Hess Family Farm. We have six high school and college helpers this fall. We first harvested our non-GMO corn and are shipping it now for fall delivery. There are some challenges harvesting the fields with replant spots where the moisture is still over 35%. Over half our beans are now ready so it looks like next week will be a good harvest window for them.

Politics are getting more heated. I wish we would concentrate on the business of running this country and taking care of the constituents and less time on personal attacks. Our local FSA office is dealing with computer issues, poor and late communication concerning government program implementation, and constantly changing rules. The WASDE reports have come under great suspicion with the acres and yields reported when it seems so obvious that all that info is so readily available it should be cut and dried. In Illinois we are feeling the effects of an increased tax burden, especially motor fuels and liscence registrations.

All kids and grandkids are back in school. We took Ali to Chicago and she started class this past Tuesday. Good to be back into routines again and see everyone studying hard and learning so excitedly.

Fall Prices:

Corn 3.71

Soybeans 8.75


Keep in touch!

Steve

Two Weeks

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Partners,

Marcus and I conferred this morning and decided we would try to start this year’s harvest in two weeks, around the 23rd of September. This is about 2 weeks later than normal, which seems strange since we did plant corn in April this spring. The early planted bean fields are starting to turn but it seems doubtful that we will combine any of those before October. We will certainly be harvesting into November, and likely beyond if the wet weather forecasts hold true. We have been busy getting equipment ready, preparing bins, shipping out the last of the corn, repairing tile blowouts, mowing roadsides and waterways, barn repair, and other assorted jobs. I cant wait for harvest to begin so we can concentrate on one task! We received enough rain two weeks ago to provide some very welcome relief from the nine weeks of less than .75” total precipitation. The crop looks like it will be an average one--if the frost is later than normal. Cash prices seem to be anticipating plenty of bushels to go around. I will try to communicate as soon as we start with yields and moisture.

News that we are going to enter into trade talks with China sparked the market some this week. The world of trade will be different in the future but in the end there are only so many bushels of each commodity to go around. The swine flu in China seems to coming under control. Speculation is that Asian Swine Flu will attack this country at some point--there are no known vaccines and it is creeping across southeast Asia now.

The family is doing great. School has started for everyone except Ali--she starts October 1. After everyone enjoyed some vacation time this summer it was good to get back to the routine of classes. Enjoying lots of fresh garden produce . Growing conditions have been good for that!

Fall Prices:

Corn--3.40

Soybeans--8.17


Keep in touch,

Steve

Last Rows

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We finally found those last rows last Wednesday night about 8:30. Spent all day Thursday getting things tucked in for the rain that night. It was a good feeling during the rain on Friday to be finished. We have a lot of beans stored this year; we only hauled one load to the river. Big thanks to all the great help! Now on to the jobs we put off during harvest. Cleaning equipment, dirt work, tiling (80 acre project), catching up in the office. Planning to start NH3 application after November 1. Looks like the beans were best ever--corn did well, too. The moisture of the last corn hauled from field to shuttle was under 15% and stalk quality was suffering. 

The ag world is wondering what the next move will be in the tariff war chess game. The new Brazilian president is planning on turning his country loose for full production. He has even backpedaled on restricting Chinese investment! The commodity prices right now favor corn next year—looks like beans might not move above break-even. The elections next week could make for some interesting plays too. The governor front runner in Illinois is pushing for progressive income tax and a mileage tax on vehicles to raise money for road repair. We are already the second or third highest taxed state in the union. No one has mentioned any real estate tax relief. 

Family is well--holidays will be here soon to give us a time to reflect on all the things we have to be thankful for. Winter meeting season is heating up too.

Current prices:

Corn 3.36

Soybeans 7.84

Enjoy the fall colors!

Steve

Halfway

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Partners,

We are eat the halfway mark for the 2018 harvest with corn and soybeans. Yields are about as we have been predicting--corn is about trend line (which means good but not best ever) and beans are coming in at what could be the best ever crop. So far we have experienced only a few minor breakdowns and not much more than one harvest day lost. Charlie knows well where the John Deere Parts Depot is located in Milan, and we are now on first name basis with the parts man in Havana at Sloan Implement. We are trying to keep up with the seed bean crop to keep moisture in the seed, and that has entailed some tough cutting and lots of aeration in the bins. This next week does not look like good bean cutting weather and now there could be a problem with quality and beans getting too dry and popping out of the pods. The corn has dried considerably in the field and we will probably be able to run the rest of the crop into the bin without drying. This is not our preference since field dry down seems to involve "phantom yield loss." Our best yields almost always come when we begin harvest with the corn at about 25% moisture. The extra cost of drying the crop is almost always covered with more bushels coming out of the field. 

We really appreciate our harvest crew this season.  Our truck drivers have put in some long days and stuck with Marcus and me in the field till the combine shuts down each night! Everyone has really pitched in to learn new jobs. We are so thankful for all who have filled in. 

The farm economy is not the best but farmers are optimistic about prospects of this good crop harvest. The tariff supplement payments were announced and then decided to only pay half of the amount. They will not cover the price drop. There are beans moving in all kinds of weird directions in the world and the multinational grain companies are profiting nicely. China has not been playing nice in the sandbox for a long time and we realize we will have to endure some short term pain to get things back in equilibrium. I am thankful we have a president who knows how to negotiate and does not back down when others play hardball. 

Family is in a good place. Alison got delivered to UChicago last week and starts classes October 1. Everyone else doing well in classes and learning experiences. We missed our niece’s wedding in Virginia due to UChicago orientation but Opa and Oma made it to the big event. Adjusting to fall weather reminds us winter is not far away.

Fall Prices:

Corn 3.19

Soybeans 7.67

Harvest Party is October 20th--hope to see you there!

Steve

Here We Go

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Partners,

We are about a week away from start of harvest. This will be one of the earliest starts ever with the rapid maturation of the corn (about 10 days ahead of average) and beans (about week early). After getting most of our summer project list wrapped up and getting horses delivered to their new home at Marcus's house, we are getting pre-harvest tasks checked off. Cleaning bins (for seed beans - must pass inspection), combine out of storage and in shop for technology update and installation, semi maintenance, grains system maintenance, final mowing of season for roadsides and waterways, lime hauling, school startup and equipment preparation. Ideally we'd like to test everything out this week, but will probably go to field day after Labor Day. Will let you know yield trends when we start.

Tariffs are a big issue in farm country. Soybean prices are down about 1.75 since the trade war talk started (hence the 1.65 proposed compensation from USDA). Another fallout of the soy issue is that we are facing basis bids twice as wide as normal. Dicamba re-certification for soybeans is a big talking point. The farm bill in congress is being debated mainly for the SNAP portion of the bill. Several crop tours are coming in with yield forecasts of a good corn crop (but not as big as last year) and a record soybean prospect. Pod counts in the soybean fields are highest ever which has led to the lowest prices in 6 years.

Family is doing well. Homeschool has started in St Louis, and locally Trinity started classes this past week. Alison goes to Chicago for orientation September 22 and class starts October 1 after a great sendoff party 2 weeks ago. Charles and Wilma celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary with a family celebration and community reception. 

Fall Bids:

Corn 3.25

Soybeans 7.65

Enjoy the fall weather!

Steve