StillwatersIowa

I read some discussion questions written by my son-in-law that got me thinking this week. Our families, our friends, our co-workers, even the non profit charities we support, have such different looks, different personalities, different abilities. Our crew here on the farm are different ages. We cover three generations. We drive different brands of trucks. We have multi colored machinery. Our jobs are more diverse than most farms. We recognize, accept, and even celebrate our differences. However together, we all pull in the same direction. We are unified in our purpose, mission, and goals. Mike rented farm ground for a little while after he got out of the Marines. However his love was pushing dirt. I encouraged him to buy his own dozer. His first job with it was volunteering his time and equipment working on the new Pella Chr. High campus a dozen years ago. He was a key part in the construction of the football field. Today he coaches on t...

Spring break needed a double jump getting started this past week. It felt and looked like winter with cold temps and snow on the ground.     Up until yesterday the NH3 tanks were parked waiting for warmer and dryer days. With the grandkids out of school for the week Jan had extras Monday. Malaki is checking out a CaseIH tractor quilt Jan is working on. Jan has also found material with  John Deere and Cat construction equipment on them. I have had an interest in the Ag program at Dordt College for 15 years and have stayed in touch with the ag staff there since. Jan and I have had the privilege of being part of a class where the kids actually buy a partial pen of feeder cattle, purchase and keep track of cost, and decide when to hedge or cash sale their steers. This past week I was invited to visit and participate in the class. A local banker, Eric, from Sioux Center is visiting with the class about lending. Eric and I have a mutual friend, Jim, ...

This is the time of year when we never quite know what to expect. We got up early. We have our work boots on. We're dressed and ready to go. However sometimes we just have to wait.   There are so many things that go into a successful crop season. Lots of planning and practicing including soil samples, tillage, drainage, nutrients, hybrid selection, counting the cost, and arranging the financing. However we all know we also need the right amount of sunshine and moisture and the gift of getting life out of a dead seed. So it's a joint venture. We set aside a service at our church to ask God for His intervention on our year.   Kurt, Alex, and Andy spent most of the week applying fertilizer around the Ottumwa area where the soil conditions were dryer. It's a gift to be able to be in the field the second week of March. Parents sometimes aren't quite sure how to handle a young one when they get outside their boundaries. Just like this ...

I learned a new word this week. It's different than renewed, restored, or retrofitted. Repurposed means taking something and using it in a different way or for a different job. Forty years ago an IH 1456 was the big horse on the farm. At 175 hp it did all the heavy field work.  Today it's used for much smaller and menial jobs. Now tractors two to three times it's size are depended on for the tough pulling.   In 1975 this building was built as the main storage for machinery on the place Kurt and Emily bought last year west of Leighton. Kurt is repurposing this building from a machine shed to a farm shop and on Monday everyone helped pour concrete.  Kurt is explaining to his son Jackson that it's still too wet to walk on, and both of them are excited about the new opportunity. A farm shop serves lots of purposes. It keeps a farmer organized. It helps him get equipment ready when it's too nasty to work outsi...