What Does Holtz Farms Do in February?

Due to Wisconsin’s unpredictable weather in February, we’ve watched the reports daily to help us decide what the most productive task will be for that day. Paul, Rich, and Shaun have been working in the shop for the most part with the winter still upon us. They stay busy, between helping plow snow for the Holtz Companies facilities and maintaining our equipment. I have been working diligently on farm planning for our 2023 crop.

So far in January, we’ve had John Deere come to our shop and do an inspection of our combine to see what may need to be replaced after our fourth season. Overall, everything looks good. We are replacing the feeder house chain, front drum, and the feed accelerator paddles. We are also extending the unloading auger to accommodate a wider grain head for the 2023 season. Other than that, the rest is mostly basic service and maintenance. The 9RX is getting serviced with a new seal being installed in the hydraulic pump. The 8345R was serviced and the valves had to be adjusted since it has over 5,500 hours. Upkeep maintenance like this really helps us spread the work out prior to planting season. It also allows us to perform at our best when we do get into the nitty gritty of Spring.

When the days are warm, Rich hauls corn to the Marquis Energy ethanol plant, which is about 50 miles from our farm. This year’s corn prices started out higher than years past, but all of our farming expenses have gone up as well. With the days getting noticeably longer, and February being a short month, Spring will be here before we know it. I think everyone is ready for warmer weather though this winter has yet to be as harsh as past ones.

Written by Tyler Emhoff