Dare To Be Different

Earlier this spring at Rachel's eighth grade graduation, Andy, the speaker for the evening and youth pastor at the Nazarene Church here in town, talked about daring to be different. He challenged the graduates not necessarily to be well adjusted in our current culture. Thanks for the picture BJ.

Monday evening at a get-together in Pella, Curt told about folk's that had amazing life stories. Then he said all of our lives are a story. Think about your life's story a minute. I dare say many of you would agree that your story is different than you expected and maybe even more than you planned. Curt concluded his thought by saying we all have amazing stories when we live our lives according to what we were created for.

There is a Bible story about an ordinary farm boy who became a king. David was the youngest of eight sons. His parents were common farmers. His great grandmother, Ruth, was a foreigner from the country of Moab. He took care of his dad's livestock. He liked music. He was good at writing. He dared to be different and killed a giant with a slingshot and a stone.

On the farming front Karl has finished selling fat hogs and is getting ready for his next batch of baby pigs. Thanks for the picture Kasey.

We spent a couple of mornings this past week cleaning up bin sites and yards away from home. We shuffled machinery, mowed the grass, and sprayed RR.

On one of our rented farms we have a house we get to use as a home base while we work there. It was in need of a good cleaning. Thanks Pablo. It was so clean I took my boots off to get to the refrigerator.

On the way home from that farm I stopped and mowed the highway ditch along the Pella Christian High School campus. If you notice when you travel on Hwy 163 you will see how tall and thick the trees have become in the ditches. I want PCHS to continue to be visible and welcoming when folks come to the Pella community. 

BJ and Mike have started a summer dirtwork project. They are building a pond on one of BJ and Cassia's farms just south of Hwy 163 on the Oskaloosa bypass.

One of the ways we dare to be different on the farming side of things is that we flip-flop our seed corn maturities. Around the first of April if the soil moisture is conducive to planting we start with early hybrids and finish with fuller season hybrids. On a normal year that allows us to harvest and deliver corn to Eddyville most of the month of September. We store some October harvested corn.

When you deliver corn to a processor straight out of the field it just about always needs to be sold ahead of delivery. That forces us to know our cost of production, watch the markets closely, and sell when we see a profit. As we have visited about previously, in mid May, December corn on the board was a dismal and depressing $3.63/bu. In just a month the market's focus went from trade to weather and raised to $4.73/bu. However weather markets have short tails meaning many times they don't last long, and in the last 6 weeks have dropped .70/bu. Many folks are hoping the August 12 USDA crop report will turn that back around again.

Below is a map with the blue areas showing where the corn crop did not get planted in our major corn growing areas. Thanks for the picture Pat.

Remember that less than perfect sweetcorn patch we have been visiting about. We have picked and froze corn twice. We have encouraged others to come pick. We have had corn on the cob for meals about every day. And we have brought corn to others. We're bringing some to our produce table at church this morning. One evening Jan and I picked a bunch and went around and visited friends that don't get out as much like Gerrit and Sis in the picture below. The conversation and fellowship is more valuable than the corn. Isn't it neat how God can take something less than perfect, bless it, and get so much good from it.

We are looking forward to and getting ready for harvest. The combines and graincarts have just a few repairs left on the list. We're getting worn tires replaced. The semis need their annual inspections yet. The early planted, early maturing hybrids are about 600 GDUs away from black layer (maturity). We get around 25 GDUs (growing degree units) a day with normal daytime and warm nighttime temps.

David, that ordinary farm boy that became king wrote many Psalms. You can read David's heart in what he wrote. We often use his Psalms about when he was down, or being chased by his enemies, or grieving, or needing forgiveness. However this past Wednesday morning at 6am prayer group in Ottumwa the leader had some thoughts about a Psalm David wrote when he was at the top of his game. When he was the second king of Israel. When he was conquering lands and destroying Israel's enemies. What does he write about?

Your homework today is to find a Bible app on your phone, find a version that's understandable to you, and read Psalms 144. I use the New Living Translation. Jan uses The Message. David starts by praising God, giving Him honor, and giving Him credit for accomplishments. Then in verse 12-14 he ask for three blessings. He asks God to bless his family, his workplace, and his community. Wow, sounds kind of applicable for today even though it was written 3000 years ago.

It's shop cleaning time. When we empty out all the unfinished projects, all the leftover loads from the back of pickups, all the tools and equipment, and we start powerwashing. Then we get down our tables and chairs and get ready for a fun evening of food and fellowship before we get busy with harvest. Jan has been preparing for most of the week. Kristin has made trips to Des Moines for supplies.

This coming Wednesday evening will be our 30th annual appreciation supper for customers, landlords, crop input suppliers, bankers, and friends. We value friendships and you're invited. 

As we finish out our summer let's dare to be different from the culture we live in. As David did let's honor God, let's find ways to bless others, and let's continue to make our life's story amazing.