The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Greetings to ever one in Western Illinois and all readers of The Quill.
Next Monday, September 22, is the Autumn Equinox. Then it is full bore ahead, here we are with all the trimmin's of fall.
Harvest Time
There was some rain and snow up north and frost burned some soybeans. It is enterest'n ta note some varieties of beans were affected more severely than other varieties.
It's the luck of choice, I suppose, if'n frost in those areas that had frost did not adversely affect your beans.
I don't know of any crops that were affected by frost in our area. Some fields of soybeans are beyond any danger of frost anyhow. In fact several fields of soybeans have already been harvested.
Corn is also be'n harvested in our communities now. Moisture levels are reported at around 22% and upwards to 30% and beyond.
One young anxious farmer hand checked some corn and found the sample to be around 24%. He talked his reluctant father into get'n the combine out and shell'n a load. At the elevator it tested 30%. Seems ta have picked up moisture after it was run thru the combine.
The young feller originally was worried about phantom yield loss as corn dries down naturally in the field. After he figured the dry'n cost and shrink factor of 30% moisture corn, he urged his father ta put the harvest'n equipment back in the shed for a spell longer and risk phantom loss. He figures it was real cost vs. possible phantom loss. At todays corn prices his choice was easy ta make.
Some farmers and elevators are utilize'n their dryers on propane fuel whilst others have the advantage of natural gas. The natural gas fellers have a huge economic advantage over the natural gas utilizers.
Depend'n on which energy choice ya is a use'n affects your choice on how high a moisture corn ya wants ta be a harvest'n. The propane user's are a hold'n off fer the corn ta dry naturally fer a spell longer. It's a balance betwixt drying cost and field loss cost if'n fowl weather comes along whilst ya still have stand'n corn out in the field.
Yield reports fer corn seem to fall in the 220 bpa ta 240 bpa area fer early picked corn. Those are good yields in anybody's book.
Additional Wisdom
Fer a little wisdom this week I'd like ta share some thoughts from William Wordsworth Phillips Brooks and Charles H. Spurgeon.
The best portion of a good man's life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love. William Wordsworth
Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble. Charles H. Spurgeon.
Be such a man, and live such a life, that if every man were such as you, and every life a life like yours, this earth would be God's paradise. Phillips Brooks
Time and Change
And then there are these thoughts on time and change, author unknown:
How soon does Time
create a change
Within this present life
As man and nature,
both alike,
Yield to relentless strife.
For life is like the passing day -
Each season soon is gone.
From youth to age
is but a span,
As spring to winter's dawn.
The budding tree
and greening sod
Hold promise in their wake,
Like little children,
fresh and sweet,
As those first steps they take.
The smallest buds
mature to leaves;
The grass grows lush
and thick.
While children soon will
reach their prime
In years they fly so quick.
The tree then casts
a lovely shade
Upon the ground below.
The shelters of its
mighty limbs
Protects while cold
winds blow.
Man, too, in his maturer stage
Has his productive years
When he is healthy, well
and strong...
But autumn soon appears.
The autumn's chill and
shorter days
Will cause the leaves to fall.
Through summer storms, a few may drop -
The frost will take them all.
And so it is with frail mankind;
He, too, must fade away,
For man and nature both have proved
No match for time's decay.
But then there is a place
and span
Called the eternal years,
Where time and changes will never touch;
Nor sin, nor age, nor tears.
Where budding trees
in beauty grow
Beside the crystal sea,
And all the holy angels sing
A song so pure and free.
Where fragrant roses
softly brushed
With heaven's fairest dew
Bloom there amid the
streets of gold
Within the Master's view.
Oh, happy Home,
untouched by time -
I yearn for safety there
Where change and
changes never come
Within its gates so fair.
A good friend gave me the follow'n thoughts on why he farms. I'm a pass'n those thoughts along to you'ns just as he gave them to me. Hope ya finds his thoughts enterest'n:
Why Keep Farm'n
"When people ask my father why he keeps on farming, he simply replies, "I just can't think of anything I would be as good at or love as much."
"My hopes are that by raising my children on a farm they will learn that miracles don't happen only in fiction. I want them to learn about the miracles that turn sunlight and water into something we eat. I won't mind if they choose not to farm as long as they have an appreciation for the people who do."
"We've all heard that morality and our country's children are in trouble. We also know there are fewer and fewer farm families. Has it ever occurred to anyone that these two facts may have some connection?"
"Asking my why I farm is like asking me why I breathe."
"I have always said that I hoped I could retire at least by the time I reached 70. But the older I get, the younger that seems! Maybe I'll just retire when I die."
"I farm because nature is putting on a 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week show and we have a front row seat."
"In the struggle for profit, we sometimes forget the real reasons we farm."
There ya has it then, food fer thought and reflection. I'm a hope'n you are have'n a good week and thankful fer your many blessings.
Hope'n ta see ya in church this week. Where ever ya is, what ever ya be a do'n "BE A GOOD ONE!"
Keep on Smile'n
Catch ya later
BARNYARD BRUKE