From the Fields: Keeping fingers crossed

BREMEN, Ind. — Between harvest and preparing for the state corn-husking competition, From the Fields contributor Clay Geyer has a busy October ahead of him.

He took a short break to share an update with AgriNews.

Q: When do you anticipate harvest to start?

A: So far, we have shucked enough corn from the husks to make 60 corn fodder bundles for the town of Lakeville, so they can decorate for their upcoming fall festival.

It is my hope with the projected forecast for the first week of October that we can finally begin our harvest of the soybeans and possibly make a dent in the early Group 2 soybeans by late in the week.

But on the other hand it is Indiana and the weather can change in a heartbeat. I have my fingers crossed that the next hurricane will hold off, as it looks to be a fantastic week for harvest with plenty of sun and wind.

Q: How do plant stands currently look? Any concerns in the field?

A: We received about 5 inches of well-deserved thunderstorms that came in on Sept. 20 and lasted over a 10-day period to help aid in the dangerously dry field conditions before us.

The same storms over the course of a week’s time were also responsible for multiple tornadoes across northern Indiana.

This precipitation would have been more beneficial during the pollination stage of the corn and especially helpful during the filling of the soybean pods.

The lack of rainfall after Labor Day mixed with the extreme heat helped cook the crops and shrink the size of the soybeans to BBs.

Q: How’s your farm been impacted by the remnants of the hurricane?

A: We really didn’t receive much measurable rainfall from Hurricane Helene, but the 40-plus mile per hour winds and the overcast skies were enough to put a stop to soybean harvest for area farmers.

I saw there’s more hurricanes in the Gulf that is stirring up more trouble, so we shall see if this will follow the same path as Helene, all while compounding the problem for many states to the south and east.

I expect to see a jump in building supplies and fuel prices as they will most likely soar after all this devastation that we have seen from the destructive hurricane.

Q: How do you balance farming and everything else going on during the busy season?

A: It is not always easy and can become quite stressful at times. I am not one to delegate my responsibilities, but I am thankful I have amazing friends that check in from time to time and we meet up often to offer help to one another in the busy times of planting and harvest.

Thankfully, we live in an agricultural community where we can rely on friends and neighbors to pitch in and help one another through busy and trouble times.

Q: With the election right around the corner and the farm bill in the works, what are some legislation topics or issues that are important to you as a landowner and a farmer?

A: In all honesty, I believe the farm bill needs a major overhaul. The original farm bill was passed in 1933 in direct response to the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. The bill was designed to bolster our food supply, protect natural resources and keep food prices down.

I would be willing to bet many of our farmers and others that are directly impacted by the farm bill have no idea what is even in this piggy-backed 1,000-page catalog — it is a difficult enough and a challenge for policymakers to sort it all out, let alone the average citizen.

The Congressional Budget Office reported the 2024 baseline for the U.S. Department of Agriculture mandatory farm programs and supplemental nutrition assistance programs for the projected outlay in the farm bill to be at $1.46 trillion over the next 10 years.

The current farm bill pie chart consists of 70% nutrition assistance; 13% farm, conservation and commodity programs; 12% other; and 5% forestry.

First of all, if crop insurance is so important and needs to be included, why does it need governmental support and why can it not stand by itself?

Between the crop insurance and some USDA programs, the larger farmers already know how much they can skim off the top of these programs before the first acre is rented and before the first seed is planted.

If we remove the crop insurance and the government subsidies from the farm bill, then maybe it would be a different playing field for all farmers and everyone would be held more accountable and do a better job living within their means with less acres while making every acre and bushel count — instead of giving it half of an effort, all while knowing insurance and governmental programs will pick up the slack.

Meanwhile, every politician has their own political agenda, and we can only pray they have our best interest in mind when the polls close.

The real issues before us should begin with the long-term effects of carbon sequestration, climate changes, water scarcity, water aquifers being depleted or polluted, loss of farmland to urban sprawl and commercial and industrial development.

Q: What might a typical day on the farm look like this time the year?

A: Once the soybeans and corn acres have been harvested, I plan to cover every acre with soft red winter wheat as my cover crop. This year, I will have grid soil sampling pulled across all of my farms.

We are currently preparing and doing maintenance on our New Idea ear pickers to fill our wood ear corn crib with 1,800 to 2,000 bushels of ear corn after we finish adding additional bracing to the existing structure.

The hay equipment has been power washed, greased and parked outside as it awaits its final storage position in the machine shed upon completion of harvest.

I plan to continue delivering loads of hay and straw to customers and weekly hay auctions well into next spring.

Q: What’s one of your favorite parts of the corn-husking competition?

A: Preparing for a state corn-husking competition is rewarding in itself, and especially after a year’s worth of promoting and preparing, it is pure joy to reunite with everyone.

Every husking contest is like a large family reunion. It is all about the people participating in a competitive contest that brings all ages together for a day of family fun, excellent food and excitement in an agricultural community.

Q: Anything else would you’d like to mention?

A: I’m praying the yields are a bit higher than I have been hearing from others, especially considering all the expensive inputs that were placed before this crop. I want to wish everyone a blessed and safe harvest this fall.