Season Over

Well barring any miracle of dry weather looks like all is done for the year. Not that I don't mind being not busy but I wish I could have got more anhydrous on at least I got a start on it. Harvest turned out well with the bean average being great and the corn was ok would have been alot better with less water. Tillage got all done just under the wire thanks to the help of Frizby. Fertilizer will be put on frozen ground again thank goodness I got the Terra Gator the truck would have killed me. Look for a slide show coming to the site very soon. I decided to be like several other farm sites and steal Farmer Tony's creative idea.

Till later

Once again I'm late but its always a good time to Thank Our Veterans.

Finished Beans

We finished beans tonight. The average was over 57 bu. per acre lots better than expected. The first corn field we harvested yesterday made 191 looks like this year won't be so bad after all on yield that is. Price is getting a bit scary oh well washington will bail us out. RIGHT. Here is a pic of us hard at it this week taken and published in the Times Courier-Journal Gazette.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Metzger Family. Jim will be missed by all in the community.

Finally we begin the fun

Harvest has started and now paused brieflydue to a small shower. We have just been cutting beans with the exception of Frizby who is ripping the fields that don't have too many obsticals. Yields are very good considering the year ranging from 54 to 60 bushels so far. Hopefully we'll be in corn first of next week. BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CAME AND MADE GRANDPA'S 80TH BIRTHDAY A SUCCESS.

WE WILL DELIVER (copied from Todd Easton's Personal Blog)

So last week I was off to a two day class called Corn College sounds corny right. Well it was very much so I learned so much about the most important crop in the world my head hurt. You all know I'm obsessed with my job but I don't think I've ever told a lot of you why. I know you think it is because of all the cool and expensive toys I have the privelge to operate but honestly as much fun as they are the trucks, tractors, and combine are simply just a tool a means to an end something to accomplish the real goal that drives me. That goal that really gets me out of bed in the morning is actually fullfilling some of your most important and basic needs in life.
This brings me back to Corn it is the most wonderful plant god has ever given us because it is so versitile. The uses of it are astounding yes it is an important part of the food chain somewhat as food for us and more so as feed for the many delicious animals that we have for dinner but it doesnt even begin to stop there. Lesser known gifts from the wonder plant are biodegradeable plastics, corn syrup sweeteners that are used more than surgar itself, and ethanol wich is a very important begining step to freeing ourselves from dependence of our enemies in the middle east.
So why am I here rambling right now it is due to the inspiration of a very wise coloumnist who actually is from very close to here. As our dinner speaker the first evening of corn college he drove home many important points in the same entertaining way John does in his columns but the last point was as seroius as a heart attack. We the american farmer Will Deliver and we need to let the nation know that.
It is time for the hold that pessimisim has had on farmers since the depression to stop. All my life I have been subjected too the same bull that i'm sure you are tired of too. It goes kinda like this poor us, you city slickers have no appreciation for poor us in the country, we have it so tough we need to tell our story to washington more and they will save us blah blah. So what yes I have tough days so do you it happens to all of us. Truck drivers, Construction workers, Corporate excutives, Telemarketers, we all have our challenges. It floors me how these old crabby farmers spend nine months here growing their crop and constantly complaining and then drive their cadillac's to florida to whine down there in the warm sun for the other three months of the year. (I have a hard time feelin for them how about you).
So heres a new message for the world I have to credit it to John Phipps but its always been in mine and many other progressively thinking farmers hearts and minds for a long time. Yes it is that WE WILL DELIVER. Every day I hear the debate food versus fuel blah blah blah, well friends my fellow farmers and I are going to bring you both. History shows that Farmers have always over produced. Every time there has ben the need it has been overly met. We all need to read between the lines of the constant negative media drum beat we are subjected to about bio fuels and agriculture. Myself and many others in the industry have made it our life mission to make sure there is plenty for all the world Food AND Fuel. I can tell you in my personal quest to keep my self informed and on the cutting edge I go to many meetings through the year and I have seen the future at these meetings. Seed, equipment, and technology companies have some very exciting ( if not miraculous) stuff in the very near future that will enable us to take production through the roof and we are more than ready every day to use these tools to meet the needs of an food and energy hungry world.
Of course this can get screwed very easily up just get the government, environmentalist wacko's, or the United Nations involved and before you know it we'll be hungry, unable to drive any where , and worst of allfund the stupidity with tax money. So next time some self proclaimed expert says we can't do it my advice is to brush it of for the flawed retoric that it is.

Just mark my words as a proud Agricultural Producer
WE WILL DELIVER
Thanks for listening Todd

So Long Fair

Wow July has just been the turn around month for us. Its not going to be a perfect crop by far but it is not going to be a disaster. Also we had a wonderful tractor show and county fair. The trusty ol 2594 and I got 2nd in the county farm pull. I am always amazed at how well that tractor does for how little I have the motor hopped up. Harold also got a 2nd with the terra gator toy ( it should have won ). As far as summer projects go we are getting down the list but still have lots to do. Well as we start the last leg of summer keep cool.

See You at the Tractor Show

Planting Season is offically OVER finally. The 1770 NT is in the shed washed and cleaned out. We have accumulated 4 more inches of rain in the past week and some of the persistent ponds have partially come back but trying anymore would be futile by the time they dry back out again. Well there is some good news Wednesday we cut our wheat crop and got the double crop beans in right ahead of the rains. Could be the dream year for double cropping. Now we are concentrating our efforts on very important tasks such as polishing the Antique Tractors for the show. Don't forget to stop by the Coles County Fairgrounds July 18, 19, & 20th for all the excitement of the East Central Illinois Antique Tractor Club Summer Show !

Hi everyone once again long time no blog. I guess my excuse is that I've ben waiting for somewthing good to happen to this poor crop so I can tell you about it but unfortunatly we nature has just been kicking these poor plants in the teeth every chance it gets. We actually have it good in our geography compared to our neighbors north and south of us so I shouldn't holler too loud. Even though we have been totally shut out of field work we have been keeping busy around the farm and at the Fairgrounds. Here is a picture of some of my best corn right when things began warming up and before the monsoon last wek flooded it. Hope to be reporting soon that things are getting better but for now keep the water wings on.

Hectic Start

Well all I can say is what a rotten start this poor crop is going through. Here is a picture of my first beans fighting the crust to get out. Hopefully they make it they should have been out before the weekend when the soil was still soft but the abnormally cold weather didn't give them any incentive to do so. Though my corn is all up it was a sickly yellow alot of last week until it got some warmth. Frustrating to say the least and everybody outside of our region says we got it good here that sure paints a grim picture of the 08 crop so far but there is much time to recover so it can feed/fuel or do what ever those idiots congress think it should do for the country. It would do both if anyone would have faith in the overproduction tendency's of the american farmer. ok ok i'm of the soap box until next time keep it safe and productive.

Late Planting = Late Nights

We finished the corn planting Monday morning and the Spra-Coupe is just about done with the pre emerge pass and even snuck in the first 250 ac of beans. Also have the first spikes of corn coming up and looking great. Personally I wouldn't be mad if they do get a drink tonight just so it's not too big of one. Got some new pictures on the site especially on the planting page and will have more soon so check back often.

Here's a pic of what the corn planter looks like at midnight.

DeBugging a planter

We started planting Wednesday afternoon later than we wanted too and have been trying to plant whenever the new planter isn't broke down. Hopefully it starts being more cooperative in the future if it keeps this up it will find a new home. Aside from that things have been realitively smooth. So far the acre meter is saying just over 600 acres. Heres a pic looking south into Hindsboro while planting.

April Showers Bring May Planting

Hi long time no blog. I was having an issue with the old blog platform so I changed to this one everyone else is using it anyway. Otherwise we have just been getting things more ready by the day. If it gets any worse well probably be pre polishing the cultivator sweeps next.

Even though we are going to miss last years late start time I'm not going to worry too much yet we will just have to hit it fast and hard when we do get to go.

I'm already liking the E Blogger better cause the picture feature actually works. Here is a Pic of the newest addition to the farmstead Grandpa's new dog Buster picturesd here with Harold and Norma's dog Sosha. He's a rescued city dog who is loving the farm life you can bet wherever you find Grandpa Buster will be close by. As the school kids say ttyl.