Above normal temps the last month coupled with early planting dates last spring have resulted in an early start to harvest.

The first two truckloads of beans were cut Saturday September 16. We did not expect they would be at a storable moisture level but until you try a few acres you can't be certain.

We never want to miss an opportunity to get started. The soft open gives us a chance to test all systems from combine to storage to ensure everything works.

Within a few days all crews were running at full capacity in corn and beans.

So far, the new S790 combines have been reliable. You might expect that to be the case, however that has not always been our experience. This generation of combines has been in production around ten years and it appears Deere has finally exorcised the gremlins.

Most of the beans are delivered to the Meyer bin site. Dad, Mark, and I built this facility in 1981. It is well maintained and has been updated several times since then but like the rest of us senior citizens, it can be quirky and temperamental. Luckily Bert pays close attention and has the experience to diagnose, and problem solve when a bottleneck arises. Due to its central location and drive over dump pit, this facility allows us to support more combines with fewer trucks.  

Corn is delivered to McIntire or the new Oakdale site. In the past, infrastructure was the limitation for corn harvest progress. A pair of combines harvesting 4000 bushels/hour of 25% moisture corn could overwhelm most commercial grain facilities, let alone a typical farm duty set up.  We finally have the capability to process wet corn as fast as we harvest and it falls on Calvin to manage the driers, bin levels, and load records. His experience and attention to detail is evident as we can run up to three combines in corn without exceeding our ability to continuously unload, dry and store the grain.

It takes a lot of fuel to satisfy our fleet's energy appetite. Johnson Oil delivers 2-4 transports weekly, 7200 gallons each, during the busy season. I try not to think about how many dollars this represents.  

The bigger logistical challenge might be keeping our Team fueled. Our admin staff, Danni, Morgen and Elisha, who are already handling extra duties as all able-bodied equipment operators are in the field, take on the added responsibility of assembling sack lunches. We provide an evening sack lunch when the Team works late. The girls take a lot of pride in thoughtfully sourcing fresh, healthy ingredients and preparing the correct number daily, so we do not run out while not over stocking.

Of all the daily joys I experience this time of year, finding a carefully packaged pumpkin bar or scotcheroo in my evening sack lunch always puts a smile on my face. 

The latest forecast for October predicts it will be the second hottest on record. Long term I find this concerning but in the short run it would be beneficial to harvest progress.

Next month I will report on the accuracy and consequences of this prediction.  

Jim