They're combining corn!

The ethanol plants here only have 3-5 days of storage on site, the rest is stored on-farm or at other elevators. When you have to start drying corn down from 25% or higher it gets REALLY expensive really fast.

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The internet - fueling paranoia and misinformation since 1873.

LOL have you priced a 4wd Cat Lexion with a lightbar lately?? I know the big guys use the huge CIH 4wd duallies but like Dale said you shouldn't try the too wet fields. Just pulling one of those beasts out is risking tens of thousands of dollars in damages!

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Do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup........

Few years ago a fella about 50 miles north of me welded a big bracket on the back of his combine. They used the 4wd tractor with the silage blade on it (this makes it sorta like a bulldozer on rubber wheels) and pushed the combine through the wet spots to get the beans combined.

I would think it would be a pretty dirty job for that tractor!

Folks just won't leave a crop out in the field if they can help it.

--->Paul

Well, they're at it again tonight. Almost sounds like a 747 gearing up for takeoff, and it's strange to see lights back there. :baby04:

I have to say, in all my years, I've never seen them taking a crop off this late. Where I grew up, it was hay, oats and corn silage. Never even saw wheat or soybeans growing until I came down this way for university.

Live and learn!

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"Crivens!"

Half Caper Farm - breeding Saanens, Boers and Nigerian Dwarfs

Spent a lot of time trying to fix ruts left by the custom guys as we were trying to get in the last of the corn.
Dad was one that would go get the stuff rather than wait for a freeze. But he's originally from OH not WI.
We'll just rent a bigger tractor....we'll call this guy to combine, he's got 4WD(this was a loooong time ago)...etc.

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Deja Moo; The feeling I've heard this bull before.

Up here there are still a lot of fields full of corn and sunflower seeds. It was too wet last fall to finish up it seems. Now they are predicting possible floods here in the spring so I wouldn't be surprised to see some combines out there. The problem is that they are diesel machines and when it is this cold the fuel turns to gel so they can't get them going. I know that due to the glut of wheat from last year most people around here can't sell their wheat unless it is of really high protein so their bins are still full of wheat. I don't know what those farmers will do as far as their corn and flowers go.

There is a lot of corn standing yet here in west central MN as well. Our renter tried combining just before Thanksgiving and it was still at 43%. The snow is still too deep around here, I haven't seen anyone taking any out.

My buddies that I help till over 6000 acres, we had 3400 in corn last year , the balance in beans and we were done Thanksgiving week, and now have 2750 acres of winter wheat and everyday I am out there keeping snow geese off it.. but they have 3 combines with 8 row heads and a 40 ft grain platform...Never picked corn in Feb..

The farm that we're connected to finally got the last of their corn picked on Valentine's Day.
Like everyone else, we had a really weird, wet fall.

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~*~Erin~*~
SAHM, ranch wife, sub and quilt shop proprietress
the Back Gate Country Quilt Shop

Reminds of 20+ years ago, a friend in Rolla, ND combining wheat with a Deere 7721 being dragged through the mud behind a 8850 Deere!!

That poor combine was getting dragged diagonally across the field behind that huge Deere... but they got the crop out! A lot of other farmers wish they had the same set-up so they could harvest theirs, too.

I can remember picking corn by hand in Jam/Feb. Dad worked construction so we picked on Sat and Sun. I also remember dad had a 24M Corn picker on his 48 H Farmall and an iron wheel grain wagon. it was so muddy that before he got the whole thing stuck, he unhooked the wagon and left it there. When the ground had frozen hard, he went back out to get it. He didn't bring a chain and he almost pulled the wagon apart getting it out. It had big clumps of dirt that hung onto the wagon and made it twist and bend until they came off. Course, that was 50+yrs ago.\
I go here with 110 day corn, then reseed it in Sudan Grass. I get one good cutting, then plow down what regrows.

Us Kids would get the Down Row, most have no idea what I'm talking about now days.

big rockpile

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Dad had my younger bro on the row by the wagon. me in the row next, and dad on the third row. He could easily do his and keep an eye out to give us heck if we missed any.

We would always have to pick3 rows without a wagon to open up the field. Each end, and a couple spaced out in the middle. I hated that cause I knew that, after we were done, we would have to hitch up ole Florie and Dixie, and go and pick up the corn again off the ground and carry it to the wagon as we couldn't throw it over the horses into the wagon.
We had to open up the rows again when dad got a 1 row woods Bros corn picker. But Hallauah, that all ended when he got his #24 IHC 2 row mounted picker.
BUT with the pickers, we would have to ride in the wagon and shuck out as many as we could, but especially to keep out any stalks. Dad had an old style metal construction helmet. Looked like a WW 1 helmet. We would wear our heaviest coats, and flap caps, and one at a time woe would go up as quick as possible to get to the front of the wagon where we were relatevely safe from being conked on the b ack or head by a falling ear. It was when we reached out to snag a shuck or stalk, or coming back or up that was the most hardest.