When Life Gets Real

When we encounter situations that challenge our beliefs, change our plans, make us want to compromise, or make us uncomfortable, "life gets real".

These situations sometimes require us to make difficult and immediate decisions. A set of circumstances could include a loss, financial hardship, a health crises, a career decision, or pressure in a relationship.

Yesterday Ezra and Elijah chiseled 125 acres of corn stalks going to corn again next year. In fact because of how projected crop cash flows look, I'm personally not planning on raising any soybeans next year.

It often seems like doing the same unsuccessful thing over and over, or looking the other way when someone disses our values, or not getting involved, or not standing up when someone needs a 2AM friend, seems to keep life simple and comfortable. However that's not "real". When we move beyond our comfort zone, test our abilities, use our God-given strength that shapes our character, and confront the realities of living, our lives will get and stay real.

We are looking forward to next crop season. Karl and good help have been working on emptying the fourth hog finisher pit of manure. We are trying to cover more acres with manure this fall and add nitrogen. We are also applying NH3 (nitrogen) and having P (phosphorous) and K (potash) spread. The seed selling season is also here and the wet weather will get folks time to talk about next years seed needs.

I borrowed this picture from Emily's favorite view of the day. 10 yr old Jackson is chiseling on his parent's farm. Kurt, Emily, and family have had a busy week. They also used their woodfired pizza trailer last Monday evening at an event west of Pella and served 100 pizzas. You all are tired of me saying it, but both helping kids learn responsibility and diversifying in business keeps life real.

Tradition is real. And it can be either a help or a hindrance. The Pella Christian High School theater kids presented Fiddler On The Roof this past weekend. A story of both holding to and breaking traditions. The young man on the left is Bill and Julie's 9th grader, Michael. Our granddaughter, Adi, was also in the play.

As our immediate family is surpassing 40 folks, it gets harder and harder for everyone to buy Christmas gifts for everyone. So quite often, Jan sends a family snapchat telling our kids and grandkids where she is going and asking if anyone needs anything. I spent Friday with her hitting quilt stores. We came home from Long Creek Outfitters (a western store) in Leon, Iowa with 7 pair of work and church boots, and a shirt.

Grieving a loss and celebrating a life with a funeral is getting less and less popular these days. Twenty three year old Cayden from Prairie City, Illinois was killed this fall when his combine came in contact with a power line.

On Tuesday our country has the responsibility of electing leaders. We will go to our city halls and community centers and cast our votes. We have no perfect candidate. And it would be ill advised to put one on a pedestal and look to them as the deliverance from our declining and Godless society. We do however have an obligation to vote for the person who's principles and values most reflect our own. This is where life gets real. And our country's future depends on good folks making their voice heard.

Does the church have an obligation to engage in our culture or should it continue to stay in the background? Not politically, but I think it does need to help point out where evil is taking over, and encourage Christians to engage. Our country's number one problem these days is there is no push back or accountability of all the Godless things happening.

Actually, you and I and others are the church. We have a choice. We can stay simple and comfortable and in the background, hoping someone else saves us. Or we can use prayer, our civil responsibilities, and our God-given abilities, to push back and do everything we can to protect our culture for our grandchildren and our future great-grand-children. That's when life gets real.

pp

Rock-Solid

Last week during a baby dedication at Sunday church the pastor mentioned the parents were "rock-solid". That got me thinking about what rock-solid means. It means reliable, strong, dependable, trustworthy, grounded, someone you could lean on.

                                 

When Jan and I were first married we harvested together. I built this auger pit in 1980, mostly for safety since we both had our small children helping us in the combine and truck. Our truck and wagon loads were around 300 bushel. The pit has been revamped a couple of times since as augers have worn out.

Today we have grandsons about the same age I was back then driving semis, unloading 1100 bushel in our grain leg pit at our new grain facility. Harvard recently did a study that concluded what we have known for a long time. The study says if you give kids jobs and responsibility when they are young, they will more likely become rock-solid citizens in their communities when they're adults. Solomon said the same thing 3000 years ago. "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it". Proverbs 22:6.

We combined a couple of hundred acres of replant soybeans this past week on the South Skunk River bottom. I also cut some CRP acre soybeans planted June 25 with our smaller combine. Below Cassia is slicing her home-made bread that she brought us for supper along with meat balls, cheesy mashed potatoes, and green beans with bacon and brown sugar. A meal like that will keep one going well into the night!

Yesterday morning we wrapped up the last field of our family's crop. Any guesses where this field is at? Nope. Not the front range in Colorado. It's a field next to the Mahaska County Landfill.

I mentioned last week we tried out our pit and leg last Saturday afternoon. This past Monday and Tuesday we filled the new bin with corn from Keith, Karen, and Kathy's farms in northern Mahaska and Jasper counties.

Has God ever communicated with you in nudges, answered prayers, or some other way? This is a little personal but I'm going to try and explain this interesting picture. This past September I asked A.I. (artificial intelligence) on the computer for an image of how to light a grain leg. Is this coincidence or can God speak in nature or even pictures of nature?

Twice I can think of Jesus talking about rock-solid. In Matthew 16, Jesus tells Peter that he is a rock, and on that foundation He would build His church. Also in Luke 19, a week before He was killed the Pharisees told Jesus to tell His followers to be quiet. Jesus replied that even if they kept silent, the rocks would cry out His praise. Or maybe today artificial intelligence. 😊

I'm encouraged by Jesus using Simon Peter as a pillar of faith. Because early on he was just an ordinary fisherman with inadequacies that God repurposed. What about you? Are you and your family rock-solid? We can't be rock-solid on our own. I asked my friend Jon for a definition. He had a good answer and said rock-solid folks get what life is all about. Be rock-solid in a shaky and digressing culture today by leaning on God, our rock. Blessings.

Accepting Change

When Jan and I got married my dream was to live and farm 200 acres southeast of New Sharon. That neighborhood was the only world I knew. When that farm sold a year later we had to make a change. We have lived and raised our family at this current location just southwest of Oskaloosa for 48 years.

Accepting change can be challenging. My advice is to view change as an opportunity. Let go of what is beyond your control. Be open and flexible. Bounce ideas off of others you trust. Thanks for lunch in the field Brent and Nutrien.

On Friday Jan went to Amish and Mennonite country in Cantril. Claire and his family started Dutchman's 35 years ago in an old building downtown. The old store, reasonable prices, and friendly help had appeal. When the family wasn't scared of the 2020 pandemic like everyone else was, his business exploded. The huge growth and old buildings required them to make a change. Were there hurdles? Some were just about insurmountable. But today their new large building sits just outside of town on Hwy 2. Is it different? Yes. Was a change necessary? Yes.  Thanks for the picture of a local Amishman harvesting Jan.

                             

We are in week 7 of harvest. We are currently making the loop west of Pella, north to Galesburg, and then over to Peoria and Sully combining both our own and customwork. Fortunately our breakdowns have been fixed in a matter of hours and not days. Thanks to a great crew.

We did go down to Lovila on Thursday and cut 200 acres of soybeans for Gary. Thanks for the picture Kasey. Thanks for hunting us up with lunch Jeremie and Newfields Ag.

In the mid 1980s there were rumors a corn processor was coming to southern Iowa. They purchased an old power plant along the Des Moines River in Eddyville. This change worried local grain elevators at the time. In 1985 they started buying corn from both farmers and elevators and processing 65000 bushel/day. Early on we brought them corn day and night since they were open 24 hrs/day. Because of continued growth today they process 275000 bushels/day.

Our family has brought this processor corn for 40 years and will continue to do so. We are an integral part of each other's operations. For 20 years 90% of our corn crop went straight to Eddyville in September and early October. However corn receiving at this plant has not kept up with their growth. And more and more farmers are utilizing the benefits of fall delivery.

So in early September our family started phase one of a corn storage facility at Morgan corner just east of where we live. This is a change I drug my feet on for many years. Life was simpler bringing the crop straight to town. Especially since we forward contract most of our bushels. However we need to better manage the hours we have for fall harvest. Yesterday was the first day we dumped corn here.

When I was a kid our family would go visit John and Louise's family when they lived near Rose Hill. Both families had six children. Our helper Papa Jon is one of those children. Kurt's wife Emily is a grandchild. Emily brought Grandpa John to the field. We enjoyed visiting about old times and all the changes. John taught me how to roller skate at Edgetown Roller Rink on a wooden floor 60 years ago. Thanks for the picture Emily.

We have been making good progress hauling hog honey(manure). Thanks for the help Roger.

Jan and I continue to watch The Chosen series on Sunday evenings. The church leaders of Bible times would not accept the change from all their man made rules to a relationship with Jesus. So they killed Him. However that was God's plan. Jesus died for our wrongs. If we accept that gift, we have the assurance of help on earth and eternal life in Heaven.

Are you struggling with accepting change as I sometimes do? Don't regret the past. Don't worry about the future. Even in our non-Godly culture today. Focus on the present. Enjoy every day you're given. And allow God to work His purpose through you. Until next week, Blessings.

Fall Partners

Farming is a family affair around our place. Last evening Jan picked up 7  pizzas and brought them to the field where we were custom combining corn. If you would like to try some good pizza, try Mike's Pizza and Steakhouse sometime on the north end of Ottumwa. Thanks for the picture Jan.

                             

On Monday after school 9 year old Malaki ran grain cart while Grandpa combined beans around home. The crew and two bigger combines were up north cutting custom beans. On Friday 10th grader, Elliot, followed the combines with the batwing mower, mowing field edges, terraces, and waterways. Yesterday Elliot and his older brother Ezra both ran graincarts for custom combining corn. 

We continue to harvest both corn and soybeans. However the bean harvest is down to some later planted bottoms. ADM Des Moines, one of the places we sell soybeans, is closing this coming week for 6 to 8 weeks of maintenance and repair.

There is wisdom in handling and solving troubles with multiple heads. BJ and his son John, And Dean and his son Matt, are helping Karl fix an electrical issue on his roll tarp. K & K AG is Karl and Kristin. There are four sons that own their own trucks.

We finished the week harvesting corn. No one talks about it much, however I think harvesting 13% corn is less yield than harvesting 22-25% corn. And I'm not just talking about drydown and field loss.

Thursday and Friday  we hauled around 75 semi loads to the processor. Having a close market for corn that grinds 275000 bu/day is a blessing. and in a week or two I'm going to write a story about the history of that blessing starting 40 years ago.

Yesterday we switched from our own acres to custom acres. And brought about 40 loads to the local elevator and storage bins. A huge thank you to our extended family, our full time and part time helpers, who all contributed to another huge week. And a special thanks to Papa Jon who offered to take the after supper shift for me to watch the bin auger, so I could pay my grandkids and pick out pictures for this morning's story. 

On Thursday a group of friends and neighbors got together and took out crops for a friend who passed away after just 5 weeks of cancer. Mark and Stacy's Ethan helped haul corn to DFS elevator. Our community had another loss Friday evening when a car hit a tractor, killing two parents and seriously injuring a child.

I've been reading some historical fiction where the author writes stories about her Norwegian descendants immigrating to the Red River Valley in North Dakota in the late 1800s. The 20 book series are stories about triumphs and tragedies, of grit and gratitude, of faith and family, as they start farming in a new country.

As of the latest USDA data, about 1.3% of our U.S. workforce is directly employed in farming. Yet, whether you farm or not, I'm sure most all of you can look to a time in your family's history where farming had an impact on your purpose, responsibility, and work ethic. It's also nearly impossible to farm without a faith in a Creator.

I feel blessed to be part of a family that's in that 1% of farmers feeding the world. And I'm convinced that part of the downfall of our country is the devil trying to break up the family structure, including the extended family. Below Karl and Kristin's, Tatum, is snuggling up to Uncle BJ after our supper in the field. Blessings. 

 

Our Journeys

A journey is going from one place to another. It's often physical to a destination. It can also be metaphorical like personal progress. Our visit this morning is about the process and not the destination. Journeys come with challenges, accomplishments, growth, and learning.

Week six of our harvest journey was long and productive. And as we stopped for bacon cheese burgers, french fries, and onion rings from the Longhorn Saloon in Barns City last night, I felt a little like Jacob and Malaki below, who are resting against a toolbox in Kurt's pickup while eating their meal. I usually don't mention yields. However we experienced an inverted situation this week. Early in the week we harvested on poorer soils with bean yields in the 70s and 80s/bpa. As we looked forward to harvesting on better dirt in a different community we were surprised at bean yields in the 50s and 60s/bpa. Yields were affected this year by planting date, early spring aggressive cover crop, and where it did or didn't rain in August.

I can't put my finger on it, however I feel a sense of urgency for getting the crop in this year. Two unique things happened this week. It's the first week of October and the coops and grain elevators are close to full of soybeans for a couple of reasons. Some folks didn't sell last year's stored beans because of down prices. And good 2024 soybean yields. The other unique thing is how fast and how far this crop in the field is drying down. We've heard and experienced 7-8% beans. And 11-13% corn. This actually hurts yield because of weight loss, harvest loss, and that phantom yield loss on drying grain we talked about a couple of weeks ago. Below we rented a bin to a customer we're harvesting soybeans for.

We visited about last weekend's journey to southern California. I was surprised that the plane cabin is kept dark during the day with window covers down and lights off. Everyone is on their phones and iPad.

Our helper Alex and his fiancé Alexis took some time off this week, flew to Colorado, and hiked up a mountain over 14000 feet tall. Good job kiddos. And thanks for the picture.

We had guests come this past Wednesday morning to experience harvest and ask questions about farming. They were from all over America, Mexico, and Europe. They were corn syrup buyers and users. And represented most soda pop companies. Thanks for helping out Mark and Ethan.

Wednesday noon they were invited to watch our grandson Ethan empty a load of our corn at the west dump in Eddyville. Thanks for the new friendships folks. And thanks for the picture Brenda.

Wrapping up I'd like to close with three questions. How is your relationship journey going? Are you caring, nurturing, and investing in others, giving them a greater sense of purpose?

During an evening meal in the field at Galesburg little Sydnie (at the table with Kristin and Rindy) was asked to pray. She used the Lord's Prayer word for word. I also like personal prayers, but Wow! What a blessing to hear such a little one talk to her Heavenly Father.

How is your sharing and giving journey going? When we start with the premise that everything we have is God's, there is such a joy in giving. Most folks think people are blessed and then they give. That's backwards. One gives and then they are blessed, even though giving and sharing must come from the heart. It starts with sacrifice, trust, and faith.

How is your faith journey and where are you headed? The previous two journeys don't come naturally without a relationship with our Creator. Life is lonely if our purpose is self. Also journeys eventually and inevitably lead to a destination. Three friends about my age from our community finished their journey on earth in the last ten days. All three spoke of their assurance of eternal life. Our faith journey is a big deal. "I think I'm ok" or "I hope I'm good enough" isn't enough. Blessings.