The Plowman's Folly: In Which Some Corn Gets Cut. (GCW 27-29)

So we find ourselves back (18 days later) Over East to try the corn again. As you may recall, we had previously needed to wait for the corn to drop below 17% to take it to our preferred elevator (Providence.) This was suddenly no longer the case. A little history: The Providence elevator was started by the "Jarvison's" and others somewhere in the neighborhood of the year 2000. The Jarvison's have a fairly good sized operation in Gray and Haskell counties and were frustrated with the distance to and unloading speed of the elevators they had to choose from. They started as cheap as they could, with all steel bins and with tractor run augers to start with, and managed to expand pretty much every year. And their attitude was basically one of, if someone wants to get their crop out of the field, we will make sure they can. So they did crazy things like accept 24 moisture corn without the benefit of a permanent drier.

So last fall (2008) for whatever reason, the Jarvison's sold out their controlling interest to the Sublette Co-op. The Co-op promptly fired "J.," the only manager that Providence had ever had. So wheat harvest comes and goes and it's really not that different for us the farmer's, other than seeing "J." driving a wheat truck instead of running the elevator. Along comes corn harvest though, and they ruin everyone's mood by saying that there is no way that they are going to put any corn over 17 moisture in a bin with nothing but air to dry it. Question for lobiwan: How often have you waited for your irrigated corn to get below 17 moisture before starting to harvest it? A: NEVER.

So as you can imagine, I was not too happy about the prospects for fall harvest. Especially because I had never intended to let my corn dry in the field below 27%, let alone 17%.

Come the last day we were cutting Rod's corn, and there was a big ol' closed door meeting at Providence. I asked Gail whether they were deciding to take corn above 17%, as I had been pretty vocal (relative to myself, you understand) about my displeasure with the new policy. She was rather vague. So on my next, (and last) load I asked her pretty directly about what was going on and so she took me into her office and told me that as of tomorrow morning the elevator would no longer be part of the Sublette Co-op and that she would (voluntarily) no longer be working there. It was actually pretty sad, as Gail had been working there for something like 6 years.

So anyhoo Dad talked to Frosty (who is on the board) the next day and he said that "J." was back as manager and that they were accepting corn up to 24 moisture again. Keep in mind that all grain you bring to the elevator is "shrunk" to a standard moisture, so that the elevator is paying for grain, not water. There is usually a drying charge on corn as well. So it is not a great deal for me the farmer to bring them corn at 24% moisture, the point is simply that I am able to look at the date and at the weather and how the crop is standing and make a decision about when to harvest, and not to have to wait for any arbitrary moisture to begin harvest.

So we cut a load, and it was in the neighborhood of 18%, so we were in business.

We did have to stop to adjust the header, though.

The next morning I decided to look and see how the wheat on Thompson's was doing. At this early stage, it was quite easy to see where I had stopped for the night on that Saturday and resumed Monday morning, (even without the big red line.)