# Would've Done Differently



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

What farmers say....

Regards, Mike

http://www.agweb.com/article/farmers-share-what-they-wouldve-done-differently-in-2015-naa-ben-potter/


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## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

This Fall a nice giant umbrella would have been nice 

Another 1.5" overnight. Our son did get 8 more acres of Oats drilled yesterday and the last field the soil was starting to stick to the packer wheels pretty bad so he stopped. May not get back into the fields until Spring now. Many people around here never got their soybeans harvested.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I would've sacrificed a few more virgins to get the rain to stop sooner.

most of the heavier ground went from 200 bpa on the hilltops or over the tiles to 100, 90, 70, 50, to nothing in the low spots. Kinda like walking uphill in the snow both ways, never realized just how many low spots we really had with so few hilltops.


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## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

I've started adding water breaks like crazy. Anything to keep the water off the fields. Including managing the water in the woodlots as well.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

I did # 3 in a huge way.Put in 135,000' of drainage tile.


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## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

mlappin said:


> I would've sacrificed a few more virgins to get the rain to stop sooner.
> 
> most of the heavier ground went from 200 bpa on the hilltops or over the tiles to 100, 90, 70, 50, to nothing in the low spots. Kinda like walking uphill in the snow both ways, never realized just how many low spots we really had with so few hilltops.


Yep, BIL's was the same way over in Rochester... why we finished so early...

Not enough gravelly beach sand hilltops to make up for the drowned out and stunted low ground... beans did pretty good though...

Later! OL JR


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

swmnhay said:


> I did # 3 in a huge way.Put in 135,000' of drainage tile.


How many years before you hit the break-even point Cy......and then reap your rewards.

Regards, Mike


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Vol said:


> How many years before you hit the break-even point Cy......and then reap your rewards.
> 
> Regards, Mike


it varies but about 7 yrs


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

luke strawwalker said:


> Yep, BIL's was the same way over in Rochester... why we finished so early...
> 
> Not enough gravelly beach sand hilltops to make up for the drowned out and stunted low ground... beans did pretty good though...
> 
> Later! OL JR


Over in Rochester eh? Seen a lot more irrigation going in that way, generally lighter ground than we have, but I also think Plymouth on south got even more rain than we did.


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## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

mlappin said:


> Over in Rochester eh? Seen a lot more irrigation going in that way, generally lighter ground than we have, but I also think Plymouth on south got even more rain than we did.


Yep, lot of pivots over that way... lot of rocks too... LOL Something we've never had to contend with down here in TX... at least not here on the Coastal Plains... heck you have to dig down about 25 feet to even hit any gravel pans...

Yeah, June was the killer for them... lots of stuff drowned out, lots more just swamped to the point it was stunted and never snapped out of it... Last year a bunch blew down in a July storm, makes you wonder what next year will bring...

Yall finish harvest?? BIL and niece sent pics from the deer stands yesterday-- got about 6 inches of snow I understand... very pretty...

We were at Keira's fall softball tournament, and it was windy and cold (for us) and damp, which made it worse... at least the sun shone yesterday...

Later! OL JR


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Have less than 125 acres of corn to go.

Been short on help all fall, usually have enough help that Dad can cut soybeans while I start in on corn, if nothing else I go around to the close ones and get em opened up to make it a little easier on the hunters.

This year we had our first help with harvest Friday before the snow fell. Retired guy that helps has been taking care of his wife most of the fall, about every time she about gets over the shingles it comes back somewhere else, was getting dangerously close to her eyes this last time.

Other two guys that help are both operating engineers, weathers been so good that one of them finally just got laid off Friday afternoon. The other one will most likely work most of next week putting the asphalt plant to bed for the winter.

Can't get a lot done with just two people and long rows, I'd stay in the field, running the grain cart, get all the trucks full and the cart and combine, shut those both off and we'd both take trucks home to unload. Not real productive compared to actually having enough help.


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## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

I hear ya... We were done with the BIL's in record time this year... with the elevator prices and drying charges as low as they were, he didn't put a kernel in the bins... everything went straight to town...

I ran cart all season, that and drove trucks. He ran the combine pretty much all himself this year. Got a newer 8 row corn head and a newer 30 foot platform to replace the 25 foot he had been using, and was worried about rocks I guess... He and the nephew-in-law are teaming up on equipment purchases now and upgrading some stuff... plus they want to trade up a little on combines... got a nice 9600 but he wants maybe a 9610 w RWD and wider duals on front. The nephew-in-law (NIL) farms a lot of muck ground, and I spent a lot of time last year on an 8630 pulling the combine out when they'd stick it. They were running a 6 row corn head but moved up to an 8-- last year was h3ll with all the blown down corn and the 9600 is about 4 inches wider than the six row head! Leaned over rows, you had to drive down the planted row and flip them up, otherwise you were flattening out the next row on the next pass... I picked some and it was a royal PITA... Woulda been much easier if it could have been picked as it was goosenecked...

Heck, if I'd known you needed the help, I'd have been glad to come over and work for ya... we were actually done by around October 15th... earliest he'd ever been done... I goofed around with truck repairs for two weeks before I came home, just to "get outta Dodge"... LOL

Anyway, here's hopin' things wrap up smoothly and safely for ya...

Later! OL JR


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