Harvest 2023...

Harvest began for us this year on August 31st and ended on October 27th. We experienced some of the best weather for harvest we've had with only three days of rainouts. Yields were variable and somewhat corresponded with rainfall amounts from the summer. Despite how little rainfall we received, our corn and bean yields were surprisingly good. We were critically dry throughout the entire month of June. Corn looked like pineapple fields. Many had thrown in the towel and several areas were within days of what most assumed would be sub 100 bushel corn fields. Then on June 29th, we received a quick inch of rain along with strong winds from the derecho. That rainfall event pushed the low pressure system out of our area and sequential rains started arriving thereafter. It was truly amazing to see how well the corn yielded on such few inches of rainfall. We were very fortunate that we had a full profile of soil moisture going into the growing season where the creeks and tile were running. Currently we are not in that position as we are very dry. We have wrapped up our fall tillage and fertilizer applications. We are now cleaning up and working on equipment as well as setting up our new farm shop. Plans are underway for our 2024 crop and we will soon begin hauling grain from our bins to Bartlett Grain in nearby Jacksonville to fulfill our December contracts. Lastly, we'd like to thank all our employees for their dedication and long hours away from home and family. We could not be the business we are without our employees. I hope you all have wonderful Thanksgiving!

Putting the last load of corn for the year in the bin.

Harvesting corn on the Alexander Farm. Mile long rows!

Cutting nonGMO soybeans on the University of Illinois Hunter #3 farm near New Berlin.

Tag teaming soybeans in Greenfield. 

Greenfield soybeans at dusk.

Harvesting our 34 entry hybrid corn plot.

Harvesting corn on the UofI farm. Getting the end rows off so Wyffels Hybrids can come and harvest there research site. 

Dumping corn at our grain facility to be moved into the dryer and then into storage bins. 

Harvesting corn down the lane from our main shop on the LWJ Creed field. 

One of the first loads of corn of the year off the Grand Prairie farm which has been in our family for almost 150 years. 

Plant 2023 has come and gone...

It has been a while since I've updated our blog. Time sure does fly with two active kiddos. Planting for us started on March 30th and ended on Friday, May 5th. It was a fairly easy planting season with plenty of open windows to plant into dry soil, but the temperature extremes were the toughest for us to make decisions around. We planted soybeans from March 30th up to Easter and then we switched over to corn the week after while it was an unseasonably 80+ degrees. That was our first window of corn planting and we did not resume planting corn until April 27th. We did finish planting our soybeans in the time in between, but we wanted the ground to get a little warmer for the corn so we waited. by the time we finished planting, we were in need of a good rain as our geography was then extremely dry with no rain for the previous four weeks. Since then we have received 5-8" of rainfall and are now looking for a nice two week window so we can spray corn and get the weeds under control. I know, I know...farmers are never happy with the weather. What can I say? 

Below are a few pictures of one of our planters. I'll try to do a better job of keeping the blog updated going forward. Be well everyone!