What can go wrong...

...if I plant some corn? This is what I asked myself in the fall of 2013. Can't be that hard! Not like hay! Besides, price is thru the roof! Well....

1) We could have a record snowfall leaving the ground packed and saturated.
2) It could rain almost constantly for two months after snow melt.
3) Tillage might be harder than it looks.
4) The new to you equipment that you have never used before could have a higher learning curve than expected.
5) Your fertilizer application skills may need practice.
6) Ditto Roundup application.
7) Woodchucks will spend the summer eating your nice young plants.
8) 100 day corn may take 200 days to dry if you plant it a couple weeks too late.
9) When it doesn't dry you learn that the nice fella at the elevators favorite saying is "bend over".
10) You will see more deer on the farm than you have ever seen before, but you can't shoot them because they are in the corn.
11) You will walk out one day and see the most enormous flock of blackbirds you have ever seen and, boy oh boy, are THEY happy!
12) Squirrels will now turn up their noses at the black walnuts in favor of your corn and you will step on one and roll your ankle.
13) The amazing price point of a bushel will fall like a meteor during the year and destroy your home world.
14) While you are waiting for it to dry you get bored and start playing around with the dead trees in the woods...that's another story...ouch!

Have I missed anything? I am sure I must have.

Nailed it!

Dave,

I have been following your trials and [sarcasm]sparsely scattered[/sarcasm] tribulations since you first started. It seems that the old saying, "If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you." is not lost on your adventures. However, through everything, you have not given up!

I have had bad years. I have had years where the farm didn't get mowed, let alone planted with anything. Sometimes, the money just wasn't there, or things went wrong. However, you have no given up, you were able to get something in the ground, and even though it is wet, it is there and there is a possibility that it could still be there in April or May... Or, we could get lucky! remember it wasn't too long ago that the soil was drying out, and temps were in the 50's in February?

It's been 5 years. Maybe that kind of weather will cycle back around?

In the time you have waiting, maybe you have a 275 gallon oil tank and some 2 inch steel pipe laying around? Saw a corn dryer made from that set-up that burned wood, and could drop 10 points out of a gravity box load in about an hour. It did toast quite a bit of the corn, but I was surprised.

At any rate, it is farming and you enjoy it.


...even with one ear...


Next year will be better, because you know so much more now. I have faith in you. That is mostly because anyone who gets into as much trouble and tight spots as you do, and still doesn't give up; is destined to succeed. Remember what Henry Ford said.


"Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you are right."

yup,sounds a lot like farming to me!

If farming were easy, everyone would do it....

Can't wait for next year.

Paul

All good points lol. I remember a friend of mine was over one time talking to my dad and told him "Maybe next year will be better". and my dad said to him "That's what you said last year..." and then he smiled. My dad was a kidder lol.

You are catching on Dave

Publish that and broadcast it so everybody in the USA can read and hear it. Welcome to the world of farming.
Guess you thought somebody was joking when you heard "If it was easy,everybody would do it". LOL

The farmer renting my ground complained all summer about the deer destroying his corn. I offered to shoot a few when season came in but he did not want me destroying his corn to retrieve a down deer. (They will always run deep into the corn field to die) I set up some trail cameras around where the worst damage was and got the best pictures of raccoons, as many as 8 at a time, with a few deer from time to time. Once the corn was harvested, I may get a deer picture every 4 or 5 days, and always between 10:00pm and 2:00am.

Why don't you go buy some high priced feeder cattle to feed that wet corn to......beef prices will stay high....

Come on,I have to make a living on those things. If you get Dave in to it,I'll loose my backside. lol

So True. I've been telling my Dad and myself that every year after we pay all the bills from the calves we sale. One day I'll be right. haha

Good one.

I wish I had a good comeback for that! But it is all too true...ROFL!

That quote of Ford's is one of my favorites. I thank you for the kind words, it means a lot. Not like I did not want to give up a few times! Oh well...life is an adventure! Just keep moving forward...

I won a 5# bag of sweet corn seed at a farm show last fall, so for fun, planted 2 acres with neighbor's 3 row 3 point planter in May. sprayed, cultivated all summer, just about the time it was ready to pick, raccoons got into it, and wiped it all out in one night, they must of had a convention or something. I got about a dozen edible ears before it was totally destroyed. I set traps, and caught 16 of the buggers even after ears were gone. Next year I may try my hand at making coonskin caps, gotta be a profit somewhere.

Oh, I don't know Randy. Letting Dave manhandle (or try to anyway)a herd of obstinate, orney, bullheaded angus for a few months might just be enough to keep him outta the cow business forever. (chuckle)

Sounds like things are going about normal, Dave. hang in there. You will learn and you will improve a lot over the next year or so.

Welcome to farming.

And My dads favorite saying was that everyone always told him. Don't worry it could be worse and he said they were right it always got worse
John

I planted a patch of corn this year, part of the reason being trying to attract the deer during hunting season. There were so many acorns this year that the deer haven't messed with corn much.

Ya didn't mention all that crap laying/standing all over the field after you're done harvesting and how much more time/fuel/headache it will take before you plant the next crop. You at least have to pack it down assuming you own a nice no-till planter and don't want to run all those stalks through your combine when doing soys next. Soys /winter wheat / hay in that order. Leave corn to the BTO,s.

I do have a no till planter and I also have a IH 720 on land plow. The last item pretty much erases anything above the ground. Buries it. Fella I bought it from used it for the same thing...plowing corn residue. I dunno friend, corn is one thing I have a ready market for. And in spite of what sounds like a rant...I like growing it. Going to give some other things a try also. Just not hay...I already have plenty of acreage in hay.