Our main focus last week was soybeans. By midweek, we were caught up with beans that were ready and switched one machine to corn.
Finally, corn is drying down a little, with early maturity hybrids coming into the mid-20s on moisture. We still tested middle maturity corn this week in the low 30s.
With the weather we’ve been having, it just isn’t possible to sit still! Let’s get it while the getting is good. At the end of this week, I think we’re going to move back to soybeans. They aren’t quite ready yet but if we get the yellow ones in the combine, they will help average out the rest of the beans that are getting too dry.
Applying natural fertilizer
Hog manure has also been applied to about 300 acres that we farm. This was an expected opportunity that has worked out well. Custom application is not cheap, but they are self-sufficient, not requiring much of our attention. When you put the pencil to it, financials work out better than commercial fertilizer and the manure “intangibles” offer additional pay offs (provided the nutrient analysis comes back in the expected range).
Putting out another combine fire
I had another fire in the same combine this week. I don’t know what is causing it. Dust was smoldering again. It took a couple hours to dig out the dust and douse hot spots with water. We’ve had a few fires like this before, but never two within a couple weeks. After we finished the field and moved home, I again washed down the underside of the machine.
Next up: Planting wheat
Planting wheat is on the radar. Taking the hog manure changed my plans so we need to figure out where the wheat is going. We’re past the “fly free” date – meaning the threat of Hessian fly has passed. So, we could plant wheat any day now. I’ve got everything in stock and ready to go!