Coffee on the Porch: Harvest is a GO

Harvest season has officially begun in Southeast Iowa with unusually dry conditions causing corn to dry down faster than expected. We share our experiences with equipment preparations, plot tour takeaways, and our approach to maintaining balance during this busy time.

• Currently harvesting corn at surprisingly low moisture levels in mid-September
• Field conditions are very dry with minimal rain in the forecast
• Successfully resolved equipment issues including dryer setup and installed new Calmer stock rolls
• Attended Chris Wilson's "A Better Way to Farm" plot tour with valuable insights for our operation
• Planning to test new practices including stock degraders containing sugar and thiosol
• Taking a different approach to harvest breaks this year while still prioritizing family time
• Getting our daughter involved with grain cart operations for the first time
• Yields are decent though not matching last year's numbers
• Disease pressure affecting stalk quality requires timely harvest

Go out and find us on all of the socials at Farmers Greatest Asset. Send us a message. We like hearing from all of our listeners. If you have anything you want to hear from us about or have suggestions, please let us know at FarmersGreatestasset@gmail.com or message us on any platforms.

Transcript

Podcast Introduction

Speaker 1 0:16

the farmer's greatest asset podcast. We believe the farm's greatest asset is the farmer, their knowledge, knowledge, experience, mind and health. Well, welcome to the podcast. I'm Jesse.

Speaker 2 0:40

And I'm Dr Leah.

Speaker 1 0:42

A little coffee on the porch this morning as I am getting over a cold.

Speaker 2 0:47

And I think I am catching it, yeah, so sorry for the voice.

Speaker 1 0:50

I'm very baritone. At the morning I could sing some baritone music.

Speaker 2 0:56

Maybe we should try that.

Speaker 1 0:58

I don't know if you want me to.

Speaker 2 0:59

I know know.

Harvest Updates and Field Conditions

Speaker 1 1:02

so we left you last week, uh, in the middle of farm wives club update, um, so we're gonna kind of leave you hanging and leah will come back at a different episode with some more updates on that. So here today we are literally in the middle of harvest. Harvest hasvest has started and it is basically full on harvest, and it's only September 17th and they're still talking high in the 80s. For the next 10 days there were some chances of rain. They just keep pulling those out.

Speaker 2 1:42

Well, and it's kind of just gone around us, unfortunately for us. I mean, the people to the north, north of us, have been getting a little bit straight west.

Speaker 1 1:54

Of us got a little bit the beans. Some beans could still benefit from a rain shower, but it is what it is. Things are drying fast, the ground is dry, everything is dry, so we have gotten all the bugs worked out, I think.

Speaker 2 2:16

Good, it only took a week.

Speaker 1 2:19

So we've got the dryer. I think squared away we should be pumping along on that Minor tractor issues. The tractor is running now. Combine has been plugging right along the whole time.

Speaker 2 2:35

And you've got some new rollers or I'm probably using the wrong word that you've been happy with.

Speaker 1 2:41

We put new stock rolls on the corn head. They are Calmer stock rolls and they are working just as they should. They do a really nice job.

Speaker 2 2:52

It does make it a little bit noisier in the cab. You and I have both noticed when I've come out to ride with you. But it seems to be working great.

Speaker 1 3:06

It's chopping up the corn stalks a lot better than just the OEM corn stalk rolls, which is what I want. So yields are okay. They're not as good as last year but they're okay. So the things are drying fast. We got into some 18% corn a couple days ago and I think that was basically because fungicide. We got fungicide on but it was timing, I think was too late. So the corn was still still decent, pretty good. But I saw somebody snapped the other day.

Speaker 2 3:50

Yesterday somebody was in 14 corn oh, september, they like in the midwest here, here, keith snapped it.

Speaker 1 4:03

I don't know who he was riding with, but he said 14% moisture. Wow, Somebody else snapped a picture in line at an elevator already and it said it's way too early for this.

Speaker 2 4:15

Yeah.

Speaker 1 4:16

That's how dry the corn is. They're taking it straight to town.

Speaker 2 4:20

Wow. It's an unusual year yeah.

Speaker 1 4:25

Stock quality is going to get bad. There's disease out there. We've got it. It's not terrible, but the stock quality is going to go in a hurry. And maybe this is people drying corn, but I think it's just people hauling straight out of the field.

Speaker 2 4:47

Yeah, and they might be taking a little discount, but it might not be 15.

Speaker 1 4:58

Point is is they're already at the elevator?

Speaker 2 5:00

I know.

Speaker 1 5:01

Elevators are going to be full quick. So it is what it is. Beans haven't started. We actually did have a neighbor do some beans the other day. I heard they were short season stuff. I didn't ask moisture yield or anything, but so it is a full go, full send in southeast Iowa.

Speaker 2 5:25

So we did have our date night to.

Speaker 1 5:32

My days are running together. At this point. It was.

Speaker 2 5:34

Saturday what did we do.

Speaker 1 5:36

We went to Chris Wilson's plot tour.

Speaker 2 5:41

I was like trying to think of plot tour. Oh, my goodness, my brain is not awake yet this morning.

Speaker 1 5:47

We went to Chris Wilson's A Better Way to Farm plot tour.

Speaker 2 5:51

So key takeaways for you.

Speaker 1 5:53

We need to spray, basically a stock degrader, and one of those key components in it is sugar. We have some sugar left over, so we're going to use that, and some thiosol and there's something else. I need to ask them what it was, but we're gonna do that um are we so?

Speaker 2 6:13

I've been thinking about that too, and, like I think we should do, like half and half of fields. Is that your plan?

Speaker 1 6:19

We're going to test it for sure.

Speaker 2 6:20

Yeah.

Speaker 1 6:21

Yep, we're changing our nitrogen program, so this will be interesting.

Speaker 2 6:28

Yeah yeah, we got to talk to a few farmers that are veterans in A Better Way to Farm and got some good insights. So we'll be testing out some of their practices and see how that works on our farm and how we are going to evolve that for us. So, it's good to get together with other farmers and hear how they are making some small or large changes in their farming operation to improve their bottom line and also make their fields healthier.

Speaker 1 7:07

So thanks Chris for having us and Rod Livesey for being there.

Speaker 2 7:14

Entertainment, as always he is.

Speaker 1 7:17

It's good. There are a lot of key takeaways.

Speaker 2 7:20

Those were the really big ones. It was good. I was glad to go with you so we could spend a little time together. You weren't feeling great. Your cold was pretty much hardcore that day, but we made the trip over there and it was wonderful. Other than that, what's the plan for the next week?

Speaker 2 7:41

combine some corn that's right it is time, time to go and this year for me, I am taking some pressure off. Last year we did the Chuck truck and it was awesome. We are not doing breaks this year like we did last year to stop and picnic because of stock quality and that type of thing, but I have been riding along with you so you and I can get a little bit more time, which has been good. We have some friends come in next week to do harvest camp, so we'll take some more time when they're here. But, like with all farming practices, we're having to evolve what we're doing and take breaks when we can. And the best thing, I think, is that you have still been coming home early, not staying out there all night I am taking my own advice and trying to not push, just push through.

Speaker 1 8:47

So in the end it is, it is worth it to slow down a little bit.

Speaker 2 8:54

Yeah, it's been good. I think we've all needed it too.

Family Involvement in Harvest

Speaker 1 9:02

This year. We're going to get Lucy out there in the grain cart. She has been resistant to it, but we're going to get her out there Because I actually think she'll like doing it. I do too, we doing it, I do too.

Speaker 2 9:17

We need to start that maybe today. Very good, that'll be fantastic. We'll get her out there. It's a good field for her to learn in.

Speaker 1 9:25

The field has already started. It's 160 acres. We're 50 acres into the field, so it's wide open. Okay, that's the best place to learn to drive that big monster. Have a grain cart and be able to just spin circles and go yeah.

Speaker 2 9:43

And Henry's a really good teacher, but it'll be interesting to see how he teaches her and how she takes his teaching. Maybe Henry will be driving the combine for a little bit.

Speaker 1 9:58

He might be, because he's got the cold that I've got and he's not handling the cold very well, so his patience is thin. Lucy's patience will get tested, so I asked her the. I said who do you want to teach you? And she said both.

Speaker 2 10:22

Oh good.

Speaker 1 10:23

But I think it'll probably start out with me and the tractor, with her and Henry and the combine. But we shall see.

Speaker 2 10:30

I think it's exciting. I love to see that our girls are going to get out there and try it and do it. We're going to get her out there. I can just see how this is going to go.

Speaker 1 10:36

I think it's going to get out there and try it and do it. We're going to get her out there. I can just see how this is going to go.

Speaker 2 10:42

I think it's going to be great. I think initially she's going to be nervous, because you know she is wanting to please people and do a good job and expect perfection the first time around and after she overcomes that, I think I think it'll be good. She really does like to drive, so right. And I'll get her out of the house.

Speaker 1 11:06

What I mean. I can see how this is going to go. It's going to be she's going to be nervous because it's a large grain cart, uh. But then all of a sudden it's gonna be like oh, large grain cart, uh. But then all of a sudden it's gonna be like oh okay, get out of here.

Speaker 2 11:20

Bye, yeah, yeah, that'll be great I like this. Yeah, I'm cool with this and mom's gonna bring me meals and I can just sit here and be pampered like like henry gets to be in the grain cart yeah, so I would be good with stopping to have the chuck truck again oh, okay, I guess I felt and that was probably my perception like I just felt like we gotta go because of stock quality and you at the moment.

Speaker 2 11:50

Stock quality is fine at the moment sure, but I guess my, my concern is you know, the more we get this out, the beans will be ready. So yeah, I don't know that today's going to be the day I am going to bring a hot meal out for lunch. I have things today, but we'll see.

Speaker 2 12:11

I'm trying to relax on myself and try not to focus so much on just producing and taking my time with things. And it's been good because I've gotten I've just stopped to take more rides with you, and it's been good for for me to spend more time with you right now.

Speaker 1 12:33

So, yeah, yeah, it's just been one of those that we're jumping in and it's all of a sudden dry and it is what it is.

Finding Balance During Busy Season

Speaker 2 12:40

If you'll stop and eat lunch with us, it becomes so much easier, because there's not many things that you can eat in the combine without you know if you don't stop. But if you stop and eat, then it's like I can, you know, make something easier.

Speaker 1 12:57

Well, also, we've been going for what a week, yeah, and we seriously haven't had a day where we're not trying to figure something out, whether it's the dryer or the tractor or something.

Speaker 2 13:10

So we have that all figured out now lucy's gonna have to figure out green cart driving right, thanks.

Speaker 1 13:18

Thanks for listening. The message for me today is go out there and enjoy harvest, but be safe. You don't always have to push it If you haven't started harvest, but you're starting soon. Just enjoy it. This is my favorite time of year, so be safe.

Speaker 2 13:36

My takeaway is try to find the joy in the every day, because this is what we on the farm live for, and happiness and joy is a choice. So if you aren't looking for it, you won't find it you find what you're looking for.

Speaker 1 13:56

Again, thanks for listening. Go out and find us on all of the socials.

Speaker 2 14:01

At Farmers Greatest Asset.

Speaker 1 14:04

Send us a message. We like hearing from all of our listeners. If you have anything you want to hear from us about or have suggestions, please let us know at FarmersGreatestasset at gmailcom.

Speaker 2 14:20

Or you can message us on any of the platforms as well.

Speaker 1 14:25

Absolutely. It's a good day.

Speaker 2 14:29

Have a great day, bye.