Corn is done! What a rollercoaster of a year...

[John_PA]

I'm just happy it came out as good as it did. I know I beat teh national average, but since I lost acreage to pipes and fallow ground, I don't know exactly how much, yet. ...not to mention I don't have all teh elevator tickets in yet, and probably 300 bushel that wouldn't fill a semi, going in my 5 ton dump. . .


My highest spot yield was 303 bpa. My lowest was 1 or 2 bpa. it was a terrible year for everyone. I'm just lucky that the one variety I picked did exceptionally well. It carried my yield, as it yielded about 190-200. Again, I don't have all the math done yet. I'm just estimating.



Here's a picture of me(on the left) and my dad after taking off the best field. everything in the combine asn carts was from a 3.87 acre piece. That one piece did 262 bushels per acre! I'm so thankful!


 

[Bob Bancroft]

Here in central NY(southern Cayuga county) my corn ran quite consistently in the 160-165 bu. range. I was done about 4 weeks ago, and used less than half the normal amount of propane for drying. Given the weather I too am pleased with the results. Just up the slope east of here(a little farther from Cayuga Lake) the soil is deeper, and there were reports of numbers like you got. The bummer here is that for a couple weeks now we're back to normal- mud!
 

[JD Seller]

Looks like you got better at understanding your combine. Glad you got good yields. All is all how did you like your JD 6620???
 

[John_PA]

All in all,

It's not a bad machine for being 23 years old. I replaced a lot of chains and the like. in field I had to replace an idler pulley. That was all I did. As for how it did in corn, it did great. I let my dad do that last 50 acres and he never once checked anything. Our moisture went from 16.7% to 19.9% and he never checked anything. on the last few fields I told him to choke down the concave and increase cylinder rpms. he never did. he was blowing corn out the back like he was a millionaire. I bet we lost 10-15 bpa in those last 15 acres. I now know the machine very well. unfortunately I was running chase cart so I couldn't keep an eye on things. I know at the end he covered teh machien in starch dust from chopping ears with kernels, and blew cobs with 20 seeds each out the chaffer. I'd bet we would have done a lot better.


It's ok, though... He's 70 years old and has gone from full time dairy, being an only child, for the first 32 years of his life, to selling ford tractors for 37 years, to getting an opportunity to just run equipment and not sell it. I'm glad for him. He did great. I just hope he can do the same for another 25 years and keep me sane. He's a great great man who has lived through very hard times.

He made me what I am today. I'm so thankful, this close to Thanksgiving to have him working every day along side me. We do so good together. His dad died in a manure spreader, face down, on new years day 1969. He knows what it means to live a hard life.

He gave me such a great life that I won't complain at all when it takes him a season or two to figure things out. He was all smiles and laughs when he got to operate that machine. For a Ford guy of almost 40 years to find so much joy on a john deere... that is priceless. I will cherish this year like no other. I'm almost teary eyed now thinking of it.


Thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate it when someone goes out of their way to help. I hae done it for years, for others. I'm just glad someone has done it for me. I know now the joy that comes when others help and I won't hessitate to lend a hand as long as I live, knowing it will bring them as much gladness as I am feeling now.



I really do appreciate it all. This has been such a year, and I am sure I am not done feeling the strain, but, reading all these kind words and advice, I am going to have a bigger spring in my step.



Thank you again,

God bless you so much,

John Phillis