Category: Food, Fuel and Fiber

Corn on corn field

While harvesting a corn on corn field, meaning that we planted corn on the same field two years in a row, I took a picture of the combine monitor. If you look at the upper left hand corner, it shows the average yield of that field and the average moisture level. This year, as last year, we are harvesting corn out of the field that is dry enough to go right into storage without having to dry it, which is an added expense. The favorable percentage is 14-16%, and as you see we are right in there. Also, our yield for that field averaged 190 bushels per acre! This corn on corn field has more bushels per acre than one of our corn after soybean fields. The combine monitor records data as we combine, noting where yields are greater than others, moisture levels in different areas of each field among other data. It is helpful information when making management decisions for the next year’s crop.

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The 2011 harvest has begun

It has been go, go, go since September 29, when we started our 2011 harvest off with harvesting some drier corn. Temperatures warmed up and winds have come through to dry all of the soybeans in the field. Farmers can’t get them out fast enough so that they won’t be over dry. Fourteen percent moisture is the key level, anything above 15% is too wet and will most likely spoil in storage bins, and anything lower than 11% is too dry which makes the soybean lighter in weight. When soybeans are sold, they are weighed, so the lighter the weight, the less mulah you make. So farmers have to pick them at that special sweet spot when they are not too dry and not too wet, while trying to get them all harvested before any rain enters the forecast or dry winds make them overly dry. Sometimes I am awed by all the things farmers have to take into account to harvest, as well as all of the hats we have to wear, sometimes wearing 5 or more hats at once!

We have moved on to soybeans now, taking advantage of the dry weather and rushing to get them all harvested by this weekend. So far we are averaging 55 bushels per acre, which is better than expected!

With these warm fall days, come some spectacular sunsets. Cameras cannot capture all their beauty, at least not my iPhone (RIP Steve Jobs), but I will continue to try.

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