Delays...

Spring time here in the mid-west is always interesting.  We can get storms that dump several inches of rain in a short time to tornado's or maybe no rain at all.  This year however, it's been all rain and a few severe storms which brought ping-pong size hail and high winds and more storms are in the for-cast for the next week or so. While I'm not sure any farmers in the area planted corn, some farmers just west of us about 40 miles are planting or done! Crazy eh?

So, what do farmers do when the ground stays wet for weeks on end? That is a good question. Equipment always needs attention; some needs wiring re-done, tires adjusted, accessories built, or maybe just a good bath. We have been doing all those things along with with cleaning up around the shop and barns and finalizing reports. 

We have the liquid applicator ready to go after replacing all gauge assemblies, all jets, 20 feet of hose, lots of little pieces, and bending most of the jet assembly arms. The nurse tank for the applicator is completed and pump has been mounted and ready to go.

Due to the fields being so wet and needing to place herbicide and pesticide to our wheat acres, we had some airplanes fly on the chemicals for us. It's pretty cool to see the pilot dive past the power lines and spray the field only to raise the plane up just before the treeline!

The planter is ready to plant our tilled acres then it will come back to the shop where a different style of closing wheel will be installed that will help close the seed trench while maintaining a light, fluffy soil but minimizing soil loss.   

  
Hopefully, our next blog will show tillage, liquid N application, and of course corn planting!

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Springtime in the mid-west.

It's often been said: "if you don't like the current weather, just wait 15 minutes 'cause it'll change".  That's right for the past several weeks on the farm.  One day it's 80 degrees and the next it's blowing sleet/snow and end up with 8 inches of snow on the ground. It's hard to believe that it's officially Spring time and we have 6 inches of snow on the ground currently with a layer of ice under the snow.  We did need the moisture though as most ponds were dry and the fields was nothing but dust.


We have been asked by a school in Olathe, Ks to do a presentation to the school kids about Agriculture and our farm during the summer.  More details will be available later! 

We were able to spend some time and got the liquid applicator basically ready for the field.  We replaced all the jets and sight gauges along with some hose.  We will also do some work to modify it to better fit our farm. The planter has just a few hours of work left before it's ready to plant corn but shouldn't take long to make ready. Our JD 4840 had GPS/auto-steer installed last year and we loved it so much we decided to put another system on our JD 4440 as well and that was completed last week thanks to Record Harvest in Nevada, Mo.

The new pieces before installing them

Ready to go!

During a recent rain/snow storm we noticed that the runoff from our cover crop fields were less than that of our other fields and the snow melted sooner on the cover crop fields as well.  One wheat field is across the road from a cover crop field and you can see the water standing and how muddy it is while the cover crop field has no water standing and is drier overall:

  While we were waiting for new add-ons and parts to be shipped, we took advantage of the warm weather to burn some brush piles in the pecan groves that were cleared last fall. 

Another project for our liquid applicator was to build a nurse tank to shuttle liquid NH3 from a base tank to the field.  A local grain elevator had two frames off dry fertilizer spreaders so we purchased both of them and took one to a local machine shop to have the frame extended and to set the tank. The other frame will be modified later to hold a service body, fuel tanks, or whatever is needed at that time. 

The tank next to both cart frames

The frame after having the hitch and old frame removed. The frame will be extended this week.

That's about it for this time.  We hope you enjoyed reading and don't forget about our Facebook page where you can ask questions or comment on our farming operation: www.facebook.com/morrisfarms!

Putting it all together.

Mother Nature continues it's teasing of warmer than normal weather for our area while other parts of the Country see record snowfall. With warm weather, comes time to work outdoors and assemble new purchases. 

We headed out Tuesday for Baldwin City, Kansas (about 120 miles) to bring back our 16 row liquid applicator. With 20 miles of narrow highways to travel before coming to a four-lane, we had the dealer take the wings to reduce the width from about 23' to about 20'.

Loading the wings onto the trailer.

After the wings were loaded and the main frame hooked up to the semi, it was time to head back on the 3 hour trip.

We made it down the narrow roads without much problems and only had two drivers who raised our blood pressure by not making room for us. After lunch, we took down 69 Hwy which is four-lanes. 

                                                     We made it home safe and sound!

 The next day it was sunny and warm so it was time to re-assemble the wings, hoses, hydraulic system, and wiring. 

          We have a few things to fix and improve before we head to the fields but it's really close!

This past week we purchased two frames that used to carry large fertilizer spreader boxes. One of these will be used to carry our nurse tank for the liquid applicator while the other one will hold a flatbed that will carry a large fuel tank and some large tools not on the main service truck.

We also received our new Parker grain cart last week.  This will be going into the barn for awhile but come harvest, it will have a few cameras installed to assist us to see behind us along with a little better view while filling semis.

We hope you enjoy our blog and be sure to follow us and like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/morrisfarms

Ag Connect Expo.

With all the farm shows and trade shows in the world of Agriculture, one thing is lacking: training.  Sure, we have the internet and online classes along with dealerships which help us understand and prepare for the year ahead, but what about the big picture? What about the different things we as producers could and should do to help not only our operation but also the world? After all, we do feed, clothe, and supply the world. That's where Ag Connect Expo comes in. It's not just a farm show; it's a training opportunity.  With over 20 advanced classes and tons of smaller classes and workshops, you're sure to learn something.

Both Jerry and Michael attended classes all three days of the Expo. These classes included: Advanced marketing, Planter set-up, Corn clinic, Managing cattle for profit, Using cover crops, and Managing farm data.  Though the Expo is rather high in price, the rewards and returns are great.  The teachers are all experts in their areas and bring valuable information to the table. We had a great time learning, networking, and obtaining answers to questions we had. 
 

Here is Michael looking over a Kinze planter unit prior to the planter clinic.

Michael was chosen to be part of a small group of producers from different parts of the U.S. to give advice on future Ag Connect Expos and speak of their own farming operation to other producers within the group. "Overall, it went very well," said Michael. "Our Facebook, Youtube, and Blog were brought up several times in the group, and others showed interest in doing their own social media for their operations."  Michael also said, "There were good things about the Expo, such as small class sizes, high quality of education, and the ability to see first hand new equipment, not only from U.S. companies, but also from companies overseas who are expanding their brands to the U.S. We had some concerns, such as parking, future classes, location, timing, and lack of cattle/ranching courses."

"We want this Expo to be all about you (producers)" stated Steve Suhm, Marketing Manager for the Expo.  "If we can't meet your needs, what the point of having it?" he added.  Michael said that the managers were all open to new ideas and welcomed the feedback.  "They brought up some new things that producers may see in the next Expo and gathered new ideas from the producers as well." 

After three solid days of classes, it was time to head upstairs to the showroom.  New items from around the world were showcased, and some even made their first public showing.   Here are some pictures:

While it is only the third year for Ag Connect Expo, the amount of equipment, dealers, and products (over 400) was amazing.  The high quality of education that we received was very valuable, and we look forward to attending the Expo in the future.  

Awh, spring...

Sorta.  Missouri weather is great; one day it's 70 degrees the next day, it's 30 and blowing snow.  Lately, however, it's been a run of nice days with temperatures in the 60's and sunny. 

Jerry and Michael will be attending the annual Ag Connect Expo in Kansas City, Mo. this coming week and will take part in several clinics about setting up equipment, marketing, chemical usage, and farm management.  Michael will be part of a small group of farmers from across the U.S. giving advice on the Expo and will speaking about their farming operation to others.  Michael will also be part of a networking seminar where young farmers unite to exchange tips and hints and make new friends.  More information on the Ag Connect Expo can be found at:  http://www.agconnect.com/

We recently showed some new purchases and we have since made another.  Here is our new grain cart.  It's a Parker brand and holds just over 600 bushels of grain.  It's been used one season and the owner wanted something bigger so we purchased it.  This will replace the current cart that is about 15 years old and only 450 bushel. 

We have also been playing some more with the 724 mulch finisher and have a short video on our You Tube channel if you would like to see it, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8pp-sfZDt4

The home office window was getting older and was not sealing well so it was time for a new one!  Here is a picture of the new window being installed.

We currently have a custom NH3 (anhydrous ammonia) application company (a local grain elevator) applying NH3 on fields that will have corn planted. The applicator they use will "knife" the NH3 into the soil.  In other words, the NH3 is applied through a shank going through the soil.  This method will not only allow for the NH3 to be applied but also give a pass of tillage to the field.  We will come back and make another tillage pass to smooth it out before planting.  Though we don't have a current picture of this operation, here is a picture from last year.

Our former CRP fields have tree stumps under the surface of the soil along with roots and other foreign matter that would pose a danger to a shank going through the soil so our liquid applicator that uses smooth discs to apply the NH3 will be used.  After this pass, corn will be planted without another pass.

We currently have most of the CRP clearing complete and was recently featured on Google Earth (lol).  Here you see two CRP fields after a tractor and mower was used and some trees cut.  Only 50% of each field can be mowed and cleared at a time (in this case, the contracts expired after clearing 50% so 100% of the fields were later cleared) which is way the fields look a little crazy. 

 

Started the year off right.

Well, its a new year and spring isn't that far away.  With a new year comes mountains of paper-work and taxes...we'll stop there.  Anyways, we finished our 2012 Farm Movie and it can be found on our Youtube channel by either clicking: www.youtube.com/morrisfarmmo or find a direct link to the right of this page.

We will be acquiring some more land to farm that is mostly river bottom next year therefore some updated tillage equipment was in order.  We found a terrific deal on a later model John Deere 724 Mulch Finisher at a local dealer and made the deal final.  The idea with this tool is you get a basic disk then a cultivator right behind that.  It's like a vertical tillage tool but just a little more aggressive.  

 

                                 Of course after you get a new tool, you have to play with it!

As we clear former CRP ground, we cut the trees and brush at or below ground level however, taking anything with a shank through this ground would be very hard and would probably damage it.  So, we decided to go with liquid fertilizer instead of Nh3 on this ground.  We found a liquid applicator about 110 miles away at a dealer that was setup on 15" centers for pre-planting application and you can take every-other row off and make it 30" centers which is perfect for side-dressing corn.  We can also use the toolbar for strip-till if we wanted.  It's currently setup for 16 rows but we will most likely make the wings fold twice making it easier and safer on the road and we can side-dress 12 rows or 16. 

Speaking of CRP clearing, we are finishing some of the more grown up land.  Several more hundred acres remain to clear but the worse is nearly done. 

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A long road...

What a year it's been!  Yup, we haven't blogged for over a year so I guess it's time.  You have really missed a lot but we will do our best to bring you all up to speed. 

We finished our 2011 harvest in good time and with decent yields for the dry year we had.  Our winter was busy washing, fixing, upgrading equipment with GPS/Auto-Steer, along with some field work and CRP clearing. We also attended several Ag workshops and classes in the Kansas City area to better educate ourselves with new farming practices. In late winter, we began building Janet a Garden Shed for her to grow and produce our own organic herbs and vegetables and also help with the upkeep of her several flower gardens. 

We also built a work shop for smaller equipment storage, repairs, along with seed storage.

 In the Spring of 2012, we hired a local farmer to Strip-Till several acres for us on some corn ground. This process allows for the dry fertilizer to be placed directly in the row for planting and also creates a raised row much like you do in your gardens with raised beds.

Mid-Spring came with the hustle and bustle of clearing CRP, corn planting, drilling soybeans, preparing for wheat harvest, and unloading our Tu-Fu beans. 

With over a thousand acres of CRP to mow along with the regular pasture and road ditches, both of our brush cutters were worn out.  It was time for a new one!  We headed out during a wet week to pick it up.  It's a 2011 John Deere CX15 with all options.  Check it out!

 In the Summer months, everything was looking good but mother nature had other plans.  It started to get hot and dry.  Very hot and dry.  In fact, it was the hottest and driest summer on record in many places.  The green fields quickly turned brown and began to die.  Fires raged all over and some for several days fueled by the dry weather and high winds.  We all wondered if harvest was even going to be needed. 

Finally, we got a break.  The temperature dropped, the winds diminished, and small amounts of rain began to fall.  As Fall rolled around, the crops began to gown again and to everyone's surprise, the combine was being made ready.  Harvest 2012 was about to start!

Even Lucy was excited to see the combine rolling.

The corn harvest went smoothly and quickly since not many trucks were needed.

We began drilling Tillage Radishes and Rye Grass this year as a Fall Cover Crop.  The idea being the Tillage Radishes grow and will loosen the soil and reduce compaction while the Rye Grass grows to cover the ground preventing weeds from growing.  Both the Tillage Radishes and Rye Grass provide nutrients in the soil as well.

Finished this field in pouring rain.  It was a welcome sight though!

Here is an early picture showing the Cover Crop among some volunteer corn.  

With corn harvest complete it was time for soy-beans.  Given the year, the beans were not very clean and we were getting a lot of pods in the tank.  Many area farmers were having the same problem and there only was only one solution: a grain cleaner.  After a week or two of searching, we found one in Illinois.  It took several days to arrive but we finally got it and began to unload the bin while we waited for the longer variety beans to mature.   

Finally it was time to dive into the later soy beans.

So I think that has us up-to-date.  Finally.  Be sure to check out our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/morrisfarms and our Youtube channel at: www.youtube.com/morrisfarmmo