Friday Crop Report on a Thursday!

[helmsdale]

What'd you think of that unit?

They look slightly sexier than the old orange belarus units.

You'd still likely have to do most of your fieldwork during the dark of night and park it back in the shed before daylight to avoid ridicule, but then most of my "antiques" are far from show-stoppers anyway...

[Crestliner]

It’s bad to leave crop out. It is a terrible feeling. It’s almost like having a bad illness. If you have crop out it was preceded by a huge effort and fight to get the what you got in. And despite best efforts and massive energy spent...Baam!! The weather gets you. It’s over!

And you hope and pray you get weird weather in November and that there is another chance. You go and try combining in all unusual conditions and nothing works. All the old timers have a story about having Christmas dinner on the combine in 1954 etc..It is very consuming mentally and physically...takes a toll on you.

2009 had a rough year combined 1/2 the crop in November....made it through. 2016 has 16 inches of snow Oct 5....half the crop out! Lost all October...did another 25% in November 1 week opening....left the other 25% out. Harvested the rest in May 2017...between crop insurance, and the prices for spring grain....ended up a good average year. Starved in the winter as didn’t get rest of the cash till July.

So I sat down and looked at what I can do to compensate for these risks. I did the following:

1. Bought another combine, used, decent price. It’s not a beauty, but it takes of 25% of the crop.
2. Stop spending on inputs for top crop yields instead went for a good crop.
3. Grew lower cost crops and priced way ahead for margin maximization.
4. Stopped spending money ahead of earning it.
5. Try to do everything myself...no custom work.

2017 got the crop off 2 weeks before snow.
2018 got the crop off 1 week before snow.
2019 got the crop off 1 day before snow.

I saw a farmer with $80,000 airplane applicator bill the other day. Plus the chemical...would add another $180,000....fungicide year plots yields on my land didn’t pay the applicators bill. Glad it’s not my bill...I feel sorry for him.

Farmers need to start getting cheap again...we can’t pay for the equipment, we can put every thing on the crop, and FFS why do farmers need to pay $10 for an Agronomist...it’s your crop figure it out yourself and pay yourself the $10.

Its tough out there...it’s going to get worse...our assets will go down in value...we are on our own to figure it out. The best comebacks only happen after a setback... so the best will come back

[SASKFARMER]

Ah grass your so hilarious. Scotland misses you.

Part time farmer that’s hilarious.

Carrier civically servant. Wow


Try something unique to post.

[SASKFARMER]

Crestliner we have 4 farms in 20 mile radius of our farm that are done. Explain what more we could of done? Please

It didn’t matter small large or in between 21 days didn’t cut it, this year.

[Crestliner]

Crestliner we have 4 farms in 20 mile radius of our farm that are done. Explain what more we could of done? Please

It didn’t matter small large or in between 21 days didn’t cut it, this year.

As they say hindsight is 20/20....21 days for 10,000 acres is 500 acres per day. 500 per day with 3 combines of tough slugging is asking a lot. We use to do 10,000 with 3 S680 combines and then got hooked in 2016 with 25% left out.

Got a cheaper S680 and filled the seat with another old timer...it really has helped us barely get done each year. 2500 acres per combine is the limit if you want to do a good job, save grain and be able to slug a wet crop through.

Just my thoughts.

[Hamloc]

As they say hindsight is 20/20....21 days for 10,000 acres is 500 acres per day. 500 per day with 3 combines of tough slugging is asking a lot. We use to do 10,000 with 3 S680 combines and then got hooked in 2016 with 25% left out.

Got a cheaper S680 and filled the seat with another old timer...it really has helped us barely get done each year. 2500 acres per combine is the limit if you want to do a good job, save grain and be able to slug a wet crop through.

Just my thoughts.

Certainly amazed that you can do 2500 acres per combine. In our area I would say 1000 acres per combine is more common. There are a few just over 2000 per combine. A grain cart and many sleepless nights allowed them to finish but just barely. One surprising thing I learned this fall is that Claas combines do not like tough swathed canola. One neighbor runs a Deere and a Claas 760, many many hours of plugged down time in the Claas. Great in wheat not in tough canola.

[SASKFARMER]

Dryer and three can do in a normal year easily. A guy with 10 still has 5000 acres out another guy with just as many have 7000 out. But you guys know.

It rained every second to the third day. It didn't at your place; that is what makes you an expert.

[Guest]

1500 is nice per combine here in the swamp
Lots have 2000 , always lots of straw here and usually shitty conditions
But this is usually an exceptionally tough area

[SASKFARMER]

It’s trying to rain. God I was hoping it would but a little on the cool side I don’t think we’ll get to plus 2 today to melt the snow

[SASKFARMER]