We'll Never Be First

Our harvest capacity strategy is aimed at being low cost. Harvest the most acres possible with the least amount of equipment possible. This means maximizing our daily production while working as late into the season as conditions allow. We are not unique in this regard, although it may be difficult to draw this conclusion based on observations of other farming operations.

The risk we assume by needing more days to get our work done is that winter can arrive any time after mid-November in North Iowa. The historic, hopefully once in a lifetime Halloween blizzard of '91 comes to mind. Tillage ends when the ground freezes, it takes more LP to dry corn, and we get less work done per day. Predicting when weather conditions will deteriorate is an educated guess. Our experience is eight years out of ten, we will have two to three weeks in November suitable for field work.      

When Mark and I started farming, having optimal harvest capacity was a mere thought experiment. We were unsustainably underequipped. All-nighters were common. Finishing harvest before the end of November was the exception. But gradually, building infrastructure first and adding machinery as our ability to process grain improved, we have moved closer to what we consider a balance between total acres and daily capacity.     

In addition to having one of our earliest completion dates in '24, we set records for acres/day while accumulating fewer combine hours. The X9 (JD's largest harvester) was the final piece in this puzzle. Without the accompanying downstream capacity however, its potential could not have been realized.  

Ben finished the last field of corn Monday November 18th, minutes before an anticipated storm system delivered over 2" of welcome precipitation across our footprint. The last loads of corn rolled into McIntire in a steady rain. Moments like these cause me to wonder if greater forces take a personal interest in our cause. Of course, I quickly remember the times providence seems determined to humble us.

If luck swings both ways, it might be time for me to exit the game. How much longer can a 45-year winning streak last? 😉

Jim