| |
 |
| Harvest 2007 (Everything) - Fairfax, Iowa | ||||||||||
| 2007-11-19 Delivered some corn today to the local ADM plant, and I brought along my camera. Click here to see satellite images of this place on Google Maps.                                         2007-11-14 Finished the last 100 acres of anhydrous today. The field work for 2007 is now complete.   2007-11-13 The anhydrous ammonia (aka: NH3) has been going on every day for about a week now, and it looks like we'll finish up tomorrow. Anyone who has ever been around NH3 knows that it demands respect. For the rest of you, here is the short version. We use NH3 as source of nitrogen, and we only put it on land that will grow corn next year. Soybeans don’t benefit from extra nitrogen. From the pictures it just looks like any other process to growing crops, but I promise you that this is some of the nastiest stuff we work with in this industry. It is stored in liquid form (under pressure) in those white tanks. The applicator has a knife that cuts a trench, the NH3 flows into the trench, and then some dirt is pulled back over the top to keep it from evaporating. However, when we lift up to turn around at the ends, the little bit remains in the hoses runs out and evaporates within seconds. The fumes are alright in small doses, but a large quantity of NH3 quickly turns into a cloud that you don’t want to be around. NH3 will displace oxygen, so it can suffocate a person. Don’t worry though; it has a smell that is strong enough that you’ll know something isn’t right. Even being downwind from a properly functioning machine is enough to make your nasal passages start to close up. Not only does it stink, but it also smells cold, like colder than I’ve ever breathed in the winter time. This is why NH3 gets a great deal of respect.                                        
2007-11-8 The corn heads and combines were put away for the year. The last wagons were dumped, their floors painted, and then put in sheds as well. We paint the wear points on the gravity box wagons to prevent rust, so that next year, the grain will slide out of them nicely. The chisel plowing was also finished up in the early hours this morning, and the quad trac is now out putting anhydrous on all the ground that will grow corn next year.         2007-11-4 The chisel plowing continues. Otherwise, it was nice to just relax a bit.            
2007-11-3 Whew! Finished up the corn today, so harvest is officially done for us. That's a nice feeling. I'm going to celebrate by catching up on all the things I've not done since we got started, such as sleeping in, cleaning the house, and mowing the lawn. While harvest is done, the season isn't over. We still have a few hundred acres to chisel plow, then we can start applying anhydrous ammonia.             2007-11-2 Today I was working in a field that had been partially flooded earlier this year, and still had standing water in a few places from some rain a couple weeks ago. There seemed to be a good base to the ground, since I wasn't cutting ruts, nor did I even come close to getting the machine stuck. Still, steering in mud can get a little interesting. If you've never driven a combine in mud, they like to slide sideways sometimes, and with the corn head on the opposite end from the steering axle, trying to compensate for the sideways drift can be a challenge in certain conditions.             2007-10-30       2007-10-29                        
2007-10-28             2007-10-27 The local CIH dealer brought out a 7010 today for a demo, and it is quite a beast. Driving some new red iron is always an enjoyable experience for me. The 12 row head doesn't exactly mesh with our 16 row planter, but it was planted straight enough that for a few acres, it was just fine. I found there are a lot of hidden features, such as the new "alt" button on the back of the hand grip. Press that while pressing the RES button, and the header will come up high enough to stop counting acres. No more holding the up button until the head is high enough to cross a waterway.                        
2007-10-26 Back to corn today, and we split the machines up. One was loading trucks for delivery direct to town, the other was picking corn going to our dryer and into storage. Moisture is running about 16.5%.     2007-10-25 We finished up the last 80 acres of soybeans today, which is always a milestone every harvest season. Potential wet weather doesn’t affect corn as much, no more swapping headers around, no more resetting the chopper, rotor, sieve, and feeder-house settings.  2007-10-24             2007-10-23 Back in the swing of things here again, picking corn. Some of the fields have some mud in them, and the wet spots on the sides of a hill are especially fun. The combine and grain cart will start sliding down hill a few feet, which makes it rather difficult to stay on the rows you're trying to combine.             2007-10-22 No local updates for the last few days. I just got back from a short vacation to MN where I visited Johnson Harvesting. Tom from Austria (who does the blog of Harvest in Europe) was in the states visiting as well. Lots of big iron, and the scenery in MN is absolutely beautiful this time of year. The water pictures are from Lake Itasca, which is the headwaters of the Mississippi river.             2007-10-17 We were able to cut a few semi loads of corn today, but it was pretty wet out there. It's raining again tonight though.     2007-10-15 The last time we cut anything was on the 12th, because it has been raining off and on since then. This afternoon was nice, but it's raining again tonight. Our fields are wet. We still have about one full day worth of soybeans to cut, but those are definately a few days off now. On the plus side, we haven't cut any beans below 10% moisture this year. Seems there is always a bright side, even on a rainy day. Side note for the non-soybean people: Soybeans are only cut if you can get them out of the pods, and are below about 16% moisture at the most. They need to be about 13% to store without spoiling, and 13% is also the limit accepted by most soybean processing plants. Soybeans between 16 and 13 can be put in a bin with an "air floor" which has a fan to blow air through the beans and dry them some more. If we deliver soybeans above 13%, we will get a dockage on them, which is mathmatically shrinking the moisture out of them, plus a little more as a fine for delivering wet soybeans. However, there is no reverse-pencil-shrink for soybeans below 13%. In that case, as the moisture evaporates, the beans all shrink, and thus the number of bushels is reduced. In the past we've harvested soybeans as low as 7-8% moisture, which means we're loosing bushels just because of evaporation. 2007-10-13 Woke up to a light mist of rain this morning, and it is cool and cloudy. Unless it magically gets to 80 degrees with wind, we won't cut soybeans today. Rain is in the forecast for the next 4 days, so we moved the machines back home. It's time to do some maintenance anyway, such as cleaning out air filters and tightening chains.  2007-10-12 We ran until 11:30 PM tonight, and the dew was already setting in. We wanted to finish up a field so that we could move the machines several miles in the morning while we're waiting for the dew to dry up. We need to cross a narrow bridge, so it takes extra time for the move. It is nice to not waste time on the road when conditions are good. In this case, one hour tonight is worth two tomorrow.         2007-10-11 Note: The first half of the pictures were taken at a farm which also happens to be the set of the 1988 movie "Miles from Home".                     2007-10-10 Wind all last night, and clouds this morning kept the dew away. We got a nice early start to the day, and things ran pretty well.         2007-10-9 Picked a couple truck loads of corn this morning, then switched the machines back over to soybeans. It looks like we'll finally be able to work exclusively on the soybeans until we are done with them. It was afternoon before they were dry enough, and once we did start, one machine broke down. Seems the feederhouse drum came apart at a weld near the center. So after a new drum, a feederhouse chain, and some other red parts, it was running again this evening. Cargill is open tonight until midnight, so we're going to get the trucks dumped yet tonight, and since both combines and the cart were full when we quit, we might be able to deliver one more truck load, yet tonight. Note: The background of the 4th picture is the town of Norway, IA, which is the set of the 2007 movie "The Final Season".         2007-10-7 Tried soybeans about noon today, and they were too wet. It was cloudy and humid, so they won't be drying very fast. We dropped the flex heads, picked up the corn heads again, and started on that again. Probably got 30 acres out before a storm moved in. It is supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow as well. The chisel plow has been rolling lately. The tractor is a STX 385 QuadTrac.         2007-10-6 It was noon before we were able to start cutting today. The dew just wasn't drying up. It was very humid, and the temperature got up to 87 degrees today.                             2007-10-5 We ran corn until about 3PM, then switched over to soybeans. The field we've been working on is within a mile of the local airport, so it can be amusing to watch the planes land and take off.                                     2007-10-4 We got the 'Flows back out again today to get some more corn out. The ground is still pretty wet, but nothing got stuck. The wagons were cutting ruts into the field though. When the front wheels on the wagon don't turn as fast as your grounds speed is, you're right at the limit.                 2007-10-2 We didn't cut anything yesterday or today. It rained again this afternoon, so tomorrow is probably out too. The corn we'd like to work on isn't standing normally, so it doesn't dry out as fast. This means that it doesn't slide into the header very well, and if there is any water on the leaves, kernels of corn will stick to them and go out the back of the combine.  2007-9-30 The machine that had been running soybeans got switched over to corn, and we started in on another field that is put right in the bin. Unfortunately that field also has some spots where the wind flattened the corn, so it is going to be time consuming there. It started raining around 5 PM, so we're shut down for a day or two. 2007-9-29 We've been working on some corn below 18% moisture, moved to another field, and we're back into 20% corn. Decided to try a different field, which was at 17%. FYI, the longer it stands in the field, the dryer it gets naturally, and it needs to be at about 15% or less to store in a bin. We also worked on soybeans today, but we're now done with the beans that are ripe. I tried the next field, and while the pods are mostly dry, the stems are terrible green. Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow afternoon, so maybe we'll just forget about soybeans for a few days.     2007-9-28 Yesterday and today were more of the same: 7 rows of corn one way, and soybeans with the other machine.         2007-9-27     2007-9-26 It rained a little yesterday afternoon, so not much happened except for picking corn for a few hours in the morning. Today we figured the down corn wouldn't dry out any time soon, so we picked some corn in a field that was standing. The stalk chopper stayed busy today. Soybeans might go tomorrow afternoon if we get some sun and wind.         2007-9-24 Spent some time in the stalk chopper today.      
2007-9-23 We got rolling this morning around 10 AM. For those of you that are unaware of it, in the world of agriculture, there are two types of days: sunny days and rainy days. There are no weekdays or weekends - mother nature does not care what the calendar says. The weather was excellent today. One machine was in corn, and we finally found some below 19% moisture. The other machine was in soybeans, which are yielding mostly in the 60s, with one yield check at 70 bu/ac. Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow night.                 2007-9-22 It rained over an inch at my house, but only about two tenths of an inch where the combines are, which is like a really heavy dew. We started in on both corn and soybeans today after lunch.    2007-9-21 "Rain" is a four letter word that is common, but sometimes shows up at less favorable times than others. 6:30 tonight was one of those times. Well, at least it will help even out the soybeans, which have both dry beans and green pods yet. We worked on soybeans this afternoon, kept working on some down corn, and had the stalk chopper going for a while too. The corn field we're in is less than pleasant, but it could be a lot worse. At least we're finding decent corn in there, which makes the 1-2 MPH, 6-7 rows, one way driving a little more tolerable. Since it rained tonight, I'm not sure we'll be able to do much tomorrow. There are two pictures below showing a close up of soybeans. The little hairs on the pods and stems fall off when they go through the combine. The dust you see coming out the back of the combine is mostly those little hairs. The dust doesn't really cause you to itch, but if you get some in your eyes, it does feel like you have dry eyes.            
2007-9-20 We're back into a field of corn that was really tangled up from the wind. We're picking it going only one direction, sometimes 7 rows at a time since it is hard to see where the rows are. We also started on the soybeans today.                   2007-9-18 We ran corn again today, and it rained this evening. I've seen a few other people in the area working on soybeans the past couple days. We're quickly running out of corn that is mature enough to combine - it just isn't coming off the cob real well yet. We'll probably switch over to soybeans after they dry up. That might only be a day or two because it is unusually warm this week.     2007-9-17 Finished one field this afternoon, bit into another field that has some serious wind damage, and promptly gave up on that for a while. While it is dry enough (and NEEDs to be picked), the cobs are just too rubbery and we can't get the corn off the cob. Tried another field without as much wind damage, and again, rubbery cobs. This stuff just isn't mature yet, even though it is relatively dry. The soybeans are looking better by the day; that frost the other night really accelerated them.     2007-9-16 The night before last, we did get a frost. It really hurt the late soybeans that were still green and had a full canopy. Yesterday turned out to be decent day though, so we ran some more corn. Today was even better, getting back to around 70 degrees. Beautiful weather for September. Corn is still around 21% moisture, and we have yet to see anything yield less than 200 bu/ac. We haven't picked up any of the down corn yet though, so that may be a not-so-pleasant surprise. I shot a couple video today, the second one being a rather unusual camera angle.                        
2007-9-14 We got into a different hybrid which was tangled up by some wind earlier this year. It wasn't completely flat, but it was hard to see where the rows were sometimes. The corn reel doesn't help in these condtions, and I don't think anything would. Frost is expected tonight, and it will be cold enough tomorrow that we might just take the day off. It is supposed to be back above 80 degrees next week. The amount of LP the drier drinks on a cold day is considerably higher than when the ambient temperature is 80 degrees.     2007-9-13 Corn is still looking good. The drier is our limiting factor right now, so the combine only runs for a couple hours at a time. We've also been having issues with the yield monitor on that machine - it doesn't want to calculate distance which is critical in determining yield. We're going to swap in a different monitor to see if if is a monitor or sensor issue. The soybeans are still two weeks away from being ready.         2007-9-12 Today marks the start of Harvest 2007. The corn is running about 20% moisture and is yielding a bit higher than I had expected. We filled the drier and got it fired up. I was in the 5250, pulling a 500 bu wagon, and stopped in some low ground to top off the wagon. It sunk in just enough that I couldn't pull it out. Ended up swapping with a bigger tractor that was on another wagon to get things going again. The corn in this field was planted early, and it is standing great. We aren't using the corn reel at all in this field.             2007-9-10 55 degrees and rain today. I even wore a jacket today, the first time in a long time. I haven't been posting much recently as there just isn't much to write about. Soon that will change. This is like the calm before the storm. 2007-9-7 Last night it rained some more, and I got almost 2" here. After a couple trips to town to get the correct fittings, we finished plumbing in the hydraulics for the corn reel. We also got the 1020 flex heads out of the shed today and went through the sickles to replace some of the knives. Soybeans are at least two weeks away, but free time will become much more scarce next week after we start in on the corn harvest. In this part of the world, we will start harvesting corn, then once the soybeans get ripe, we switch the combines over to soybeans. That probably takes 10 full days of cutting, then we switch back to corn.     2007-9-6 Today was nice – a lot cooler than yesterday. A storm rolled in this afternoon, and it poured at the main farm. I live 5 miles away, and it never rained here. The corn reel is now assembled, but we have to plumb the hydraulics in yet. It looks like that will be a challenge, as the kit came with hoses that were too long, and it didn’t come with the right fittings for our 2208 header. I’m guessing the kit is generic and will go on any brand of corn head. For anyone that is planning to put one of these kits together, the diagrams are of far more value than the written instructions, and you will need a day or two. 2007-9-5 One of the neighbors cut some corn yesterday, but I have no idea of yields or moisture. There is probably some yield gossip going around at the local elevator, but who knows how accurate that is. Besides, it isn't any of my business. Personally, I have yet to see anything harvested. Today it was hot. It was over 90 degrees, full sun, and about a 20 MPH wind. I'm sure that took some moisture out of the corn. The corn reel also showed up today. Holy cow, that looks like a jig-saw puzzle made out of steel.     2007-9-1 The grain bin project was finished today. The tasks you don't get to see in the pictures include: putting tar around the edges to keep water out, set the cooling fan, position the unload auger, assemble the floor panels, get electricity to the bin, and wire up the spreader, fan, and unload aguer. 2007-8-28 We put the last three rings on the bin today, then worked on bolting the door in place, as well as some other small things what will need to be done. It was over 90 degrees outside today, and is considerably warmer than that inside the bin. My water jug was empty at the end of the day.                
2007-8-27 Started the grain bin today. We start with the top ring, then bolt the roof to the top of it. Once the roof is complete, we lift it up, bolt on the next ring, set it down, reposition the bin jacks, and repeat. We did the roof and the top three rings today.             2007-8-22 The newer of our two machines got a new diver's helmit and the vertical section of the unload auger. The project requires taking the rest of the unload auger off the machine. The replacment diver's helmit is made from much thicker steel than the original. The veritcal piece of the auger leaves something to be desired though.     2007-8-21 This concrete pad is for a new grain bin that will be going up next week. The crew that did the concrete work showed up in the morning, dug the footings, leveled the base, set the forms, started pouring concrete at 1:00, floated it, took a break for a couple hours, pulled the forms off about 3:00, and were headed home by 4:00. When you put calcium chloride in the mix on a sunny day, it sets up fast.     2007-8-1 The darn bugs are making a come back this season. We'll get em though. There is some loss of crop when you run over a small percentage of the plants in the field. However, the bugs can do much more damage than that, so we are still much better off to spray a field that the bugs are eating.     2007-7-28 Cleaned out some more grain bins this week, and it is plenty warm to be shoveling grain inside a bin when the sun is out.    2007-7-18 Well most of the flattened corn is starting to stand up again, and it is going to be a real treat to combine this stuff this fall. It also rained again tonight, hard. I'm ready for some sun again. 2007-7-17 It rained hard again last night, and again this morning. In the past 24 hours, I've gotten 4.5 inches of rain. Somehow, most of it soaked in rather than running off. After driving around today it is obvious how much damage the wind did yesterday. Seems the earlier planted corn held up well, likely due to a better root base. Other fields, typically late planted corn, have plenty of flat spots. 2007-7-16 I woke up this morning to thunder, which I haven't heard for about 3 weeks. We got a nice, easy 3/8" of rain that soaked in quickly. This afternoon, mother nature decided to be a little mean though. We got another 1.25", along with some pea sized hail, and some 50 MPH wind. At times, visibility was down to about 100 feet. Driving would have been nearly impossible. Our sweet corn patch is pretty much completely flat, and many cornfields now have small areas where the corn will be goose-necked. Should make for an interesting harvest in a few places. We needed the rain though. Tonight it rained again, and it too was a heavy rain with wind, but not nearly the wind we had earlier.    |
| © 2010 Lefebure.com | About | Video and Picture FAQ |