Feeding farmers during harvest

There was a waiting line at the Ag Partners elevator in Royal on Tuesday as Clay Central-Everly FFA members took turns grilling and serving food to a line of hungry farmers. Pictured are Nick Roghair, Brandon Full and Mitch Fahnlander.

Area youth wanting to turn farmers' frowns upside down are spreading messages of safety and gratitude at local cooperatives and elevators.

Clay Central-Everly FFA members beat this week's wet weather when they grilled for farmers and employees alike at the Green Plains elevator in Everly on Monday and at the Ag Partners elevator in Royal on Tuesday. Between the two days, FFA members grilled and served 185 meals to farmers going through and hauling in grain during this week's big harvesting push.

"It was hard to keep up Tuesday," Betsy Brugman, the CCE FFA adviser, said. "A lot of farmers' wives were coming in and asking for six, eight or 10 burgers to take back out to the fields for their guys who didn't want to stop for lunch."

While the CCE FFA group had partnered with a local grocery store in years past to make and hand out sack lunches, Brugman said their focus this year was to promote more interaction between the area's farmers and students.

"It's fun for the kids to get out of school, but also be right up there and seeing the work that the farmers are doing and how many details that it's taking to complete the harvest. So, we spent about two hours at each place," she said. "It was a good experience for them to actually talk to the farmers and express their thanks for all that they do for us -- because they're certainly very important to our chapter."

"While we wanted to show the farmers our appreciation," Brugman continued, "I know from personal experience that this is a really busy time for men and women alike involved in agriculture. And so, this was a chance where we're all under the gun with this weather. So, if we can save everyone half an hour or an hour by allowing them to swing through and grab something to eat quick, then we've done a good service."

Deb Jessen, who works as the Green Plains' Spencer office secretary, reiterated Wednesday, "It's frustrating out there. It's time to be going, and the weather is just not permitting us to do that."

Jessen also serves as a Clay County Countrymen 4-H leader. The 19-member 4-H club is planning to organize a "Feed the Farmer" community service project this Monday, weather permitting, at the Green Plains Grain Co. office in Everly. There, they'll set up a snack table in which 4-H members will bring in individually-wrapped snacks and easy grab-and-go items such as cookies, bars, caramel corn, apples and other goodies. The intent will be for area farmers to take a break and relax.

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Wet crops yielding premiums at local elevators

By Kris Todd

Daily Reporter Staff

While today's local forecast is calling for more rain and Friday's has a possibility of raindrops and snow falling in it, area fields are imitating the information outlined in the latest weekly crops and weather report.

"This has been a bad fall. We're really behind," ISU Extension Field Agronomist Paul Kassel said Wednesday afternoon. "I know lots of people who are done, but there are people who are way behind, too. If you drive around the countryside, there are quite a few bean fields yet to go. And, of course, it's a good crop to harvest. We just can't get it done."

The weekly report shows 37 percent of the soybean crop has been harvested statewide to date. This compares to 48 percent of northwestern Iowa bean fields -- which were 78 percent harvested last year and are normally 85 percent harvested by this week.

Corn fields are reporting a similar slow moving harvest experience this fall. Statewide, 10 percent of fields bearing corn have been harvested. Northwest Iowa is officially reporting 7 percent of its corn harvested in the weekly crops and weather report.

"Around here, we're probably more like 10 or 15 percent (complete). Last year, we were at 12 percent -- and normal is 33 percent," Kassel said. "I'd ignore that report, though. We're typically done with beans the first 10 days of October, and most people are well into corn by late October. So, we're about two to three weeks behind."

This week's offering of premiums by elevators and cooperatives also reflects the lack of harvested crops throughout the area.

"A lot of guys wouldn't have been combining (Monday and Tuesday) if there wasn't the premium," Betsy Brugman, the Clay Central-Everly and Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn agricultural education instructor, said of this week's earlier harvesting activity. "(The Green Plains elevator in) Everly was giving out a premium of 15 cents per bushel for even bringing in wet corn because they needed the corn. So, some guys who probably wouldn't have been otherwise were bringing it in because they needed it. Moisture levels Tuesday were about 13-15 percent for soybeans and 20-24 percent for corn. Ideally, we'd like to see corn at 15 percent, so there is a ways to go -- especially with Wednesday's rain."

"Everyone's short of corn," Kassel added, "because we had a big crop last year, but we used it all with ethanol, feed use, exports and so forth. And then, because we're being pushed so far behind on harvest this fall, ... some of the elevators are giving incentives of higher grain prices or they're offsetting part of the drying cost. I'm aware Green Plains has done it. I think First Co-op of Marathon has also. I'm sure others have, too."

While the ISU Extension field agronomist said the most common question he's fielding from farmers is about the drying of soybeans, Kassel forecast if the current wet conditions don't turn around soon they'll make it even tougher for farmers interested in tilling, fertilizing or baling their fields yet this fall.