As you know if you have visited this little blog of mine very many times, we own and operate a grain farm. We raise white corn for Frito Lay, yellow corn for general use, and soybeans that are sold for seed beans to other farmers. It is a good life, but like all business owners, we experience a good deal of stress.Perhaps the most anxiety ridden part is that we are not in control of the majority of it. Brad and our sons make well researched and well- thought out decisions as to planting and … [Read more...]
One for the Record Books
I took this pic out our back door as the snow was really picking up. No filters.Girls, what an exciting and scary few days we have just experienced. It is hard to tell now because the horrible wind blew the snow all over the place, but we had in excess of 12 inches of snow. Believe me, the next time the weatherman predicts a blizzard, I will pay more attention.Predictions for record snows began early in the week after enough ice and snow fell on Wednesday night, closing schools on Thursday and … [Read more...]
And Then It Rained Some More
It is POURING again this afternoon and I am sick of it.I don't want to seem ungrateful, but this is getting very old.Our beautiful wheat is waiting to be harvested, we have beans that we can't plant, some of our corn looks terrible because the roots are tired of swimming in mud, and our nerves are frayed.Last year, we had a total crop failure because of the drought and hot weather. I shared a little about it here and here.This year, we can't even get all the seed in the ground because we … [Read more...]
Harvest Time
This post is part of my 31 Days of Transformation series. To read the rest of the series, click the tab above.This crazy growing season is drawing to a close on our farm. The transformation of the landscape in our community is almost complete.This is the bean reel of our combine.This year has been one we will NEVER forget. We set some remarkable records.We got all our corn planted in March for the first time EVER. Usually we feel fortunate to have our corn all planted by the end of May. … [Read more...]
Farm Report: We’re Jumping For Joy!
This has been a summer like no other down on the farm. We have just suffered through the worst drought in memory, along with record high temperatures. The combination of those two weather phenomenons has resulted in the ruining of our corn crop.Ear of white corn and yellow corn from 2011. Looks pretty good!In our area, our corn yields generally range anywhere from 150 bushels per acre to 200 bushels, depending on the type of soil in a particular field and weather conditions.Not this … [Read more...]