Precision Guidance

Our Agrivator group (more on that another day) is arranging a demo-day for several companies that sell precision farming equipment.  I had somebody ask me recently if guidance/autosteering really pays.  The answer is a resounding "YES!"

By using GPS, we can dramatically improve efficiency.  It allows us to reduce overlap, increase speed and decrease operator fatigue.  This saves a bunch on inputs (fuel, seed, fertilizer, labor etc.) and helps us get more out of the very expensive equipment we run over our fields.  At the same time, we're able to be a little gentler on our environment too! Below is a little video of a common device.

It's Alive!

Yep.  Still here.  Blog not dead.  Am working to resuscitate.  Yesterday went to listen to Troy and Stacy Hadrick of www.advocatesforag.com/.  You may have seen Troy's "Yellow Fail" video on YouTube.  If not check it out:



Troy and Stacy gave an excellent presentation on social media for agriculture.  As a follow up, today I participated in a National Corn Growers Webinar on the same topic.  Suffice to say, I am becoming a true believer.  Truth be told, however, a big reason I have failed to post for some time is that I have struggled with feedback.  It takes time to put together cogent thought and I wasn't sure I was getting any meaningful Return on Investment.  Without comments on this blog I had no way to track whether anybody cared.  And maybe they don't -- but yesterday and today convinced me I should try again and should invest in some new tools (to me) that until now I had avoided.

Get ready Facebook (and maybe even Twitter) another newbie is coming.

Summer is Over

With school back in session, and "paternity leave" from this blog finally over, it looks like it's time to get back to some posting.  It's been a busy summer full of applying herbicides, scouting crops, attending meetings, taking a family vacation etc.  The crop has had generally good growing conditions -- a bit too wet for the first half of the season -- and a bit too warm for the second half.  The hot summer has rapidly matured the crop.  (Simply put, heat ripens the corn, but sunshine makes the kernels bigger.  Hotter days = quicker to maturity = somewhat smaller ears/kernels).  We are still looking forward to a very good crop.

We expect harvest to begin as early as sometime next week.  That will be our earliest start ever -- and a full 5-6 weeks earlier than last year!!  We generally like to start harvesting when the corn is around 25-27% moisture.  Right now we have some down to just under 30%.  With warm sunny weather the corn can drop as much as 1% of moisture/day or even a bit more.

As I read the paragraph above I am reminded of last year.  Much of the corn never got below 30% moisture -- we were still harvesting corn that wet in December!

Welcome to the World

Today is an exciting day here on the farm!  We are pleased to welcome a new addition to our family -- Danielle Suzanne Walter was born this morning at 7:59, tips the scales at 7bls. 6oz. and measures out an even 20".  She joins her older siblings Sydney and Joshua and is resting comfortably.  As is her mother.

We are truly blessed.