Winter Time On The Farm...

We have been busy planning for 2014 crops.  We have grid soil sampled all the corn ground.  The soil samples are collected in 2.5 acre grids across the fields.  The samples are sent for analysis to tell us how many nutrients are already available in the soil and recommend how much of each nutrient to apply for this years yield goal.  Each soil type has a different natural yield potential.  Some soils just aren't as productive as others.  Often times a field may have 6 to 8 different soils across it with different yield potential.  We determine what each yield goal is for those areas and our local fertilizer dealers spread Phosphate and Potash Fertilizer and lime according to variable rate recommendations from the soil tests.  Variable rate technology allows us to put University recommended levels of fertility in each zone in our fields.  This keeps us from buying and spreading more than we need.  The less we apply the less chance there is for leaching and runoff of nutrients into the local water supply.  Ag Lime helps keep the pH, or acidity in our soils, at optimum levels so the nutrients we apply to "feed" our crops can be broken down and made available to the crop.  If the pH is too high or too low the nutrients won't be available.  We like our pH to be from 6 to 6.5 for our soil types. 

We have been busy hauling grain out of our bins this month too.  Some days things don't go as planned.  We choked the elevator leg up and had to spend a cold morning cleaning it our by hand of course.  Momma always said there would be days like this!  We have hauled soybeans to the Barge Terminal in Clarksville, TN and wheat to Siemer Milling Co. in Hopkinsville, KY.  We still have corn to haul later this winter.

We have been working on erosion and water control this month.  The frozen ground has afforded us the opportunity to add rock dams in some of the drains in our fields.  These rock walls help slow water down at the end of natural drains as they exit fields.  Some places try to erode out where water exits a field to the road ditch, streams or ponds.  This is an example of a no-till system working in tandem with a waterway and rock dam at the end.  Notice how clear the water is coming through the rocks.  It has very little to no soil sediment in it.  This makes a farmer feel good to ride by and see clear water filtering out of his field.  The clear water indicates we are conserving our soil and the ecosystem it supports.   

Winter is the meeting season for farmers.  My wife and I had the opportunity to visit Las Vegas last month for the BASF Innovation Symposium.  We had 3 days of meetings that covered various topics from current technology to the Farm Of The Future.  There are many exciting things coming to the farm in the future to help us be more productive, efficient and environmentally sustainable.

 

 

Most of the soybeans we have been hauling were raised for seed production.  They start in a bag and will ultimately end back up in a bag as foundation seed for farmers to use this year.  There is a myth out there about our seed choices.  Farmers have the choice to plant any kind of seed they choose.  There are many different brands to chose from.  Monsanto does not own every seed company nor do they dictate what we can chose to grow.  Some seeds have biotechnology traits and some do not.  Each farmer has to decide what kind of market they want to grow their crops for.  Some grow for specialty markets that require Non GMO seeds others do not.  On our farm the environmental benefits from GMO seed make sense for us.  These traits allow us to be better stewards through no-till cropping systems and reduced pesticide usage.  I personally know food scientists and seed scientists.  There is no reputable research that has ever shown any difference between GMO or non GMO food products.  I do what I do because of these two fellas here.  I would never plant anything on our farm or feed them anything I thought would harm them or their environment. 

Brrrr! It's Cold Outside!

We woke up this morning to single digit temperatures and 10-20 mph winds with wind chills around -15F!  I feel for our neighbors who have livestock to tend to.  It was a big job preparing for this colder than normal weather.  We took extra steps winterizing the sprayer and water hydrants around the farms and our homes.

I captured this sunset the other day.  The days are shorter and colder but we are still very busy on the farm.  We have finished soybean harvest and delivered all the tobacco.  We are in the middle of mountains of paper with W2's and tax planning.  We have been looking at crop budgets for 2014 and it will soon be time to begin the process and paperwork of securing our temporary H2A worker visas for 2014.  Our local fertilizer dealers have been grid sampling all of the corn ground and we are putting finishing touches on the recommendations and grid specific prescriptions for fertilizer applications.  I have included a few photos below of some of the work that has gone on during the last month.

We have been busy hauling soybeans to the River Terminal in Clarksville, TN.  The beans will hit the river and float on a barge down the Cumberland River to the Mississippi and make their way to the Gulf of Mexico.  Soybeans go all over the world from the Gulf.  China is a large importer of American soybeans.  It will take a few months for the soybeans to make their way from our fields to the export markets all around the world.

A couple of weeks ago we had some freezing rain that froze to the power lines.  I had to pull a Cumberland Electric truck out of our field where they had to make a repair to the line.

Last month we held our annual Christmas Party at Yates Cave.  We had over 70 in attendance for our appreciation dinner.

The tobacco crew finished stripping tobacco about a week before Christmas.  they were anxious to make it home to see family and friends for the holidays.  Some of our employees had not been home since the last of April! 



Some of our men taking down the last of the tobacco.

We finished soybean harvest the first week of December.  Our neighbor TC Groves came over and helped us finish up.  The wet weather slowed our progress during harvest.  The soybean crop was excellent.



It may be cold outside, but we have plenty to do at year's end and planning for 2014!  Here's to a prosperous New Year for everyone!