Vampire Farmers

john in la · Mar 15, 2023

In my nightly travels up the same highway for the past two nights; in the 11 to 12 time frame; I have seen guys out in the fields planting corn.

Got me to wondering why they are out here so late.
Next rain chance is this weekend so I would not think they are trying to beat the weather. I have heard of planting by the moon but that would be by the stage of the moon and last for days. Not planting under the moon literally. These also seem like rather large farms for a part time farmer with a 40 hour a week off farm job during the day.

So is there an advantage to planting corn at night or are these guys that are most likely biting off more than they can chew.

Geo-TH,In · Mar 15, 2023

Maybe they have day jobs.

jon f mn · Mar 15, 2023

Can't think of any reason to plant after dark unless time is an issue. Wouldn't seem like that would be the case where you are, but its very common here. Some years we only get a few planting days for the whole year.

38 Sears Roebuck · Mar 15, 2023

I used to deliver feed for a now defunct feed company. One morning around 3 I was talking to one of my customers that was hauling manure out to his fields. I asked him why he was starting so early? He said that the city neighbors were complaining about the smell. Since he started before daylight the complaints stopped. He said if they don't see you spreading then they stopped complaining. Seems like those city folk just want to b---h about. Hey, we didn't force them out here to the country or invite them to plant houses on perfectly good farm land. Could be that this farmer was up against the same situation?

ss55 · Mar 15, 2023

GPS ?
Two shifts ?
Contract/Custom planting for hire to pay off expensive equipment ?

Philip d · Mar 15, 2023

Could be custom planters and they have many thousands of acres to do

moresmoke · Mar 15, 2023

The maximum potential for a seed is when it is in the bag. The moment that seed leaves the bag, yield potential is continually lost. If conditions are right to plant, the most potential for the crop requires getting it in the ground as soon as possible. So, why not line up the help and plant 24/7 if you can? Plenty of other businesses run 24 hrs and nobody questions?

Bruce from Can. · Mar 15, 2023

I have planted corn in the dark several times. I had taken a cutting of hay off of the field in the last days of May. Then ploughed ran over with the disc and harrow, and planted silage corn after night milking. And switched bad to haylage chopping again the next day.

ADB-Ia · Mar 15, 2023

Maybe they are like my brother. Even if he had only 20 acres to put in, he would stay up all night to be the first to get done.

chuck from neb · Mar 15, 2023

I've planted a lot in the dark. With the great lights on tractors now days and early planting for better yield it makes sense

mrhud · Mar 15, 2023

dont forget about the auto steer and gps and seed moniters

ss55 · Mar 15, 2023

$25 per acre for custom corn/soybean planting without chemical or seed costs?

2023 Iowa Farm Custom Rate Survey
Iowa State University
https://store.extension.iastate.edu fm1698-pdf

tall german · Mar 15, 2023

Probably not Kinze driverless corn planting. They don't use markers or lights.
Tall German

This post was edited by tall german on 03/15/2023 at 08:54 pm.

gene bender · Mar 16, 2023

it dont grow in the bag and when its time and you have a lot to plant means its time to go. Then with the new stuff why not

BarnyardEngineering · Mar 16, 2023

No matter how a farmer chooses to operate, there is someone out there that will say they're doing it wrong.

Good help is hard to find, so farmers have to do everything themselves. That's why equipment is so large and why they have to operate after dark. It's be nice to run three 12-row planters 10 hours a day instead of one 24-row planter for 16 hours a day, but where you going to find two guys willing (and capable) to run the other planters for $10/hour? You can't even find one guy that'll do it for $20/hour these days.

DoubleR · Mar 16, 2023

With GPS it doesn't make any difference whether its day or night. BTO friend has a guy that fits ground all night long for them, they run the tractor 24 hrs a day when planting.

the tractor vet · Mar 16, 2023

Well i sure was NOT A BTO but i did have a day job keeping others in the fields and when i had the chance ti go do my farming it was usually after dark and the lights burned into the night . It usually took me four good nights to do just the plowing with four bottoms and a couple nights to disc. . Planting was done on the weekends and since i did not have fancy electronics i would put there full rounds around the fields in daylight then now that ya have the row maker marking your path on everything then you could plant into the night and end up with straight rows . Same with plowing i knew how much i could USUALLY get done in and evening and i would open a couple fields while i could see the other ends then i could keep going . Learned long ago never open a field at night when ya can't see the other end and even worse when done after being at the local watering hole . When the sun does come up it ain't pretty . Also to me it was vary relaxing and removed stress .

dhermesc · Mar 16, 2023

BIL Worked full time, had 6 kids and worked late and got up early to farm for 35 years. He did this with two early 970 Case tractors both with big light bars. He did this well into the late 2000s. Just about the time he quit his job he could finally buy new equipment and moved up to tractors that were only 3 to 5 years old. For 35 years they lived off their salaries and anything the farm made was rolled back into the farm. He's one of those millionaires next door that has never owned a new pickup and hadn't financed anything but his farmland since he was 30.

Vampire Farmers

john in la

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Geo-TH,In

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jon f mn

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38 Sears Roebuck

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ss55

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Philip d

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moresmoke

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Bruce from Can.

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ADB-Ia

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chuck from neb

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mrhud

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ss55

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tall german

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gene bender

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BarnyardEngineering

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DoubleR

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the tractor vet

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dhermesc

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