Aug 18, 2025 update

The dog days of summer are here, and the heat and humidity won’t let up.  Combine that with the smoke that often blocks the sun, we have had a hard time getting the dry enough conditions to harvest our rye, oats and triticale.  About 3 inches of rain has fallen in the last 2 weeks, in 4 different rain events so we don’t dry out for very long.  We have managed to harvest one variety of cereal rye for our own cover crop seed for next year and the triticale.  Yields for the triticale were disappointing again, around 40 bu/A.  We are working on the oat harvest right now and pleased with the yields there – about 120 bu/A.  All of these grains were grown on contract for seed production, so it is nice to have the yields to fulfill those contracts. 

Baling hay continues also in between the damp conditions.  The grass and hay continue to grow with all the rain.  The lawns also are having a banner year and everyone who makes a living mowing lawns is having a profitable season! 

The corn and soybeans continue to look really great.  We completed fungicide application and are continuing to scout for insects and other diseases.  So far it doesn’t look like there is too much pressure from either. 

The sunflowers also got an application of fungicide.  The yellow petals are starting to drop off and the heads turn downward, indicating that the plants are starting to die down.  We had many requests for Senior and family pictures to be taken in the field the last couple of weeks.  

On the cattle side of the operation, we continue selling fat cattle that came in last fall.  We are close to being at our lowest inventory levels for the year as we wait until fall calves start to come in in about 6 weeks are so.  This gives us a bit of a breather and time to clean yards, haul manure and get caught up with maintenance. 

This week, school starts for our kiddos.  Our oldest will start college at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA and our youngest will be a junior in high school.  After our 2500-mile road trip out West a couple of weeks ago, it was fun to head East and South for the 1200 miles to VA.  I saw many good looking corn and soybean fields along the way.  I have never been to Ohio and West Virginia before, so it was interesting to see the change from crop land to small farms to thick forests and mountains.  We stopped at New River Gorge and took a winding road down the gorge to the river and back up, seeing the small coal mining towns in that area.  It is amazing to see the diversity in the landscape and people of this country.  It does make you appreciate the beauty all around the country, but it also makes you appreciate the home you know and love too. 

 [BF1]