January On The Farm – Moving Grain And Year-End Reports
January 2015 Farm Report
Trent Brandenburg has farm work to do in January. After the Polar Vortex brought near-record below-zero wind chills for a few weeks, the warmer temperatures have made it too muddy on the surface to move the grain-handling equipment he wants to use. Trent does not like warm winter days to follow cold ones, because the grain tends to crust in the bin, making it hard to handle. So Trent would be happy for the ground surface to stay frozen around his bins.
Also this month, Trent is completing his year-end reports to his landowners, whose land he farms, to give them complete information about his stewardship of their farm land during the past crop year. This provides both Trent and the landowner with an updated perspective on the economics of their relationship, as well as providing the basis for strategic decisions affecting more than one crop year, such as possible drainage improvements.
Trent is optimistic about the new crop year. He happily notes that the groundwater supply has “reached a good level,” replenished by the fall and winter rains. With favorable weather during the planting season in April and May, he looks for an early start on a good year.
More from The Field Report
Not Quite Harvest Time Just Yet
Trent Brandenburg's earliest-planted corn is "about a week away" from drying below 25% moisture. At that level, he could lower his drying expense at the grain elevator. "Now, if there's an incentive..., " Trent indicated that an elevator offering a [...]
Replanting Done, Corn and Beans Look Good
Trent Brandenburg has replanted his few ponded field "wet spots" as many as three times. The replanted areas are "thin," Trent observed, because "It has been too wet. But at least [replanting] will keep the weeds down." Trent is now [...]
First Round Of Planting Done, Ponds Need Replanting
Trent Brandenburg is done with his "first round" of planting, as he puts it. The corn and soybeans he planted in April are up and growing in excellent condition. Trent's later-planted crops are germinating but not as far along as [...]