Was kind of a grueling year this year down on the farm. Way too much water here in southern MN, I only made 75 small square bales in early
spring and 5 round bales late in fall (had to stop combining to bale them) that were good hay, everything else all year long was rained on junk.
Could not find 3 dry days. Was so much humidity and ground moisture even if it didn't rain, the gravel driveway would be wet in the morning,
couldn't get any hay to dry.
For a while there it was a wind storm every week, I would barely get the trees cut up and another storm would come and more broken trees,
three in a row. Corn was really bent over. Big bad hail storm just missed me, petered out a mile before it got to me.
In fall just as you think combining might go, we got 6 inches of rain in less than a week, most of it one long rainy day everything soaked in. Then
we have had drizzle, fog, overcast, and 20+ winds, over and over. Temps they kept saying 20 degrees below normal. The ground finally dried
out enough to go two weeks late, but the crop wouldn't. Beans wouldn't drop out of 16-18%, and corn was in the upper 20s.
Started harvest very late, and just kept grinding on. And on. Found out the heater doesn't work in the combine cab and been using treated fuel
and parking by an electric source for weeks now so cold.
Finished combining a week ago, still working on chisel plowing.
Yields were down some, just too much moisture all year long, and very little sun.
Everyone in farming just looks kind of stunned, wore out, frozen face. Was such a long year from planting to spraying to harvest, trying to work
around Mother Nature at every turn, and the many storms. Low crop yields and low prices.
Some fields of corn still out there a fair amount of harvest to go yet for some. I haven't seem any beans left, but I hear a few fields are still left.
The grind goes on.
Land a few miles west of me sold for over $9000 an acre last week, so I guess property taxes won't be going down (around $50 an acre here),
some folks still have money and optimism. Heard some folks lost their rented fields, a bigger outfit came in and payed over $300 an acre for
2018.
Well, finish my chisel plowing before thanksgiving I hope, and see what next year brings!
Paul
spring and 5 round bales late in fall (had to stop combining to bale them) that were good hay, everything else all year long was rained on junk.
Could not find 3 dry days. Was so much humidity and ground moisture even if it didn't rain, the gravel driveway would be wet in the morning,
couldn't get any hay to dry.
For a while there it was a wind storm every week, I would barely get the trees cut up and another storm would come and more broken trees,
three in a row. Corn was really bent over. Big bad hail storm just missed me, petered out a mile before it got to me.
In fall just as you think combining might go, we got 6 inches of rain in less than a week, most of it one long rainy day everything soaked in. Then
we have had drizzle, fog, overcast, and 20+ winds, over and over. Temps they kept saying 20 degrees below normal. The ground finally dried
out enough to go two weeks late, but the crop wouldn't. Beans wouldn't drop out of 16-18%, and corn was in the upper 20s.
Started harvest very late, and just kept grinding on. And on. Found out the heater doesn't work in the combine cab and been using treated fuel
and parking by an electric source for weeks now so cold.
Finished combining a week ago, still working on chisel plowing.
Yields were down some, just too much moisture all year long, and very little sun.
Everyone in farming just looks kind of stunned, wore out, frozen face. Was such a long year from planting to spraying to harvest, trying to work
around Mother Nature at every turn, and the many storms. Low crop yields and low prices.
Some fields of corn still out there a fair amount of harvest to go yet for some. I haven't seem any beans left, but I hear a few fields are still left.
The grind goes on.
Land a few miles west of me sold for over $9000 an acre last week, so I guess property taxes won't be going down (around $50 an acre here),
some folks still have money and optimism. Heard some folks lost their rented fields, a bigger outfit came in and payed over $300 an acre for
2018.
Well, finish my chisel plowing before thanksgiving I hope, and see what next year brings!
Paul