A smooth harvest

RENSSELAER, Ind. — Harvest is nearly complete, but there are always jobs to do on the farm.

Kendell Culp, farmer and vice president of Indiana Farm Bureau, continues to balance raising livestock, working for INFB and planning for next year’s crop. He shared an update with AgriNews.

Q: How would you describe this year’s harvest?

A: It was probably the smoothest harvest from a weather standpoint that I’ve ever had. We had day after day, week after week, of beautiful harvest weather. It actually got to the point where we needed rain for a number of reasons.

For one, for safety, due to fire hazards you want some rain. And during harvest you need rainy days to catch up on repairs or, in our case, working with livestock. Those things get put off until rainy days.

It was a long time, but during our last week of harvest we finally got 3.5 inches of rain. It was much needed for the dry soil, and it certainly helped relieve some of our fears about possible fire hazards.

Q: Are you concerned about any market factors right now?

A: As far as purchasing inputs, certainly. I’m still concerned about prices and availability of inputs when they’re needed.

That’s one reason we’re going to fall-apply some nitrogen. I typically don’t like to do that.

But I have a guaranteed price if it’s applied this fall, so we’re going to some acres this fall just for that guarantee. I know I’ll have access to the products.

Q: As winter approaches, what keeps you busy on the farm?

A: In our case, with livestock we’re always busy taking care of them. From a crop standpoint, if you do fall tillage or fertilizer applications or any spraying.

You work on marketing crops you’ve harvested this fall and preparing for next year. You watch markets and try to find good prices to help you be profitable.