March Maintenance

As February goes out with a bang… Snow, rain, and freezing rain, along with lower-than-wanted market price for corn but then also a decrease in fertilizer prices… We’re eager to see what the March maintenance period has in store for us!

Despite the weather conditions, and the guys having to plow snow and salt, we remain in a good position going into March. February allowed us to get our contracted corn delivered, service all tractors and combines, and make significant progress on our farm planning. On the 13th, Paul drove down to attend the National Farm Equipment Show in Louisville, KY. I joined him for two days. My main focus was looking for new strip-till rigs as well as the varieties of cover crop applications. While the John Deere portion of the show was a bit disappointing, with their equipment appearing to be used and at least a year old, other companies showcased their latest and greatest machinery.

Currently, the team is working on assembling our new side dress toolbar in the shop. This includes installing the liquid plumbing and Y-drops to apply nitrogen next to the growing corn plant. They’re also going through our JD1990 Air Seeder to ensure it’s ready for soybean planting. Afterwards, we’ll bring in our corn planter. Hopefully, we won’t have much to do other than re-run the liquid fertilizer plumbing to enhance it for us. Next up, we’ll check our fertilizer and seed tenders for any issues with pumps, tires, wheel bearings, and other components. We’re still waiting for our new 8RX tractor and the Dawn strip till machine to arrive.

This month, we’re hopeful that the corn market will rebound, allowing us to move more corn. We’re also looking forward to the weather improving so we can get into the fields to trim tree lines back. I plan to finalize our farm plan and secure the rest of our chemical and fertilizer needs. Lastly, John Deere will be updating all our JD equipment displays to ensure they are up-to-date with the latest software. After the March maintenance period is over, spring will be here before we know it!

Written by Tyler Emhoff