News
North Iowa farmer harvests “unbelievable” crop
A north central Iowa farmer has wrapped up a remarkable harvest.
April Hemmes of Hampton says her corn and soybeans performed extremely well considering the dry growing season.
“With half of the rain I usually get, I brought in a record crop. Unbelievable.”
She tells Brownfield her area received a total of eight inches of rain the entire growing season.
“But it just came at the right time.”
Hemmes says this was also one of her earliest harvests.
“I have finished middle of October a couple times when we had very dry years, and since this was one of those, I mean my corn was coming out between 14 and 16 (percent moisture) at the end, so you just put it right in the bin.”
She says harvest progresses a lot faster when you don’t have to dry the corn.
I am glad you gave farmers the credit they deserve. Here in Oregon we have Land Use Laws designating what type of land can be paved over, built on so the good fertile land is reserved for food production. City folk and real estate developers forget where their food comes from and would rather sprawl out covering farmland in the pursuit of the all mighty dollar. Live and learn people.
Current governor staff have overridden done and talking about more.
So what.
So what?
Where’s the Team Spirit in that comment?
Farmers Feed the World, Doris.
Never forget that.
You would get hungry pretty fast if all the farmers just up and quit. On the other hand, with no Speaker of the House, Congress has done little or nothing for several weeks. Yet the country just keeps on ticking.
Everything in done by the weather in farming. Field is wet, you don’t plant/harvest. Then that time window to get in the field is shortened such as planting. If that planting window closes, no crops for the year and no income to pay the bank loans, etc… .The farmer had a record harvest during a dry season yet got lucky with the weather. But so what, right? I’m happy for the guy. Farming is a thankless job, your response is proof of that. I’m glad we have farmers to provide America’s breadbasket. They allow us to seek our own non-agricultural interests so we are not concerned about where our next meal comes from. I hope he has another great year next year!
Hopefully, you meant, “So what was the yield? How many bushels per acre?”
Poor farmers always have heard about them never met one
Know and met a lot of them, if you think it’s so profitable you can try your luck at it. Most of the farmers I know still have to have at least one spouse working outside of the farm and sometimes the other one will do part time work in the off season. It’s just plain luck if the rain comes at the right time and everything else falls in place from planting to harvest. You can try your luck at anytime and then try to get someone to have faith in you to loan you the money to farm beside having something of value to mortgage.
Look up the definition of FARMER in the world book of encyclopedia!!! most important job in the world!!!
That is so great to hear. With many other crops failing. We should praise the Lord and thankful for all your hard work and many other farmers.
Thank you
Just a thought… but maybe in outstanding years of yields and profit, a profit sharing plan could be integrated into the next Farm bill to pay back taxpayers for subsidizing federal crop insurance that guarantees a profit no matter what the weather conditions are
So then the farmers would never have a year to get ahead and would all have to hang it up. Sounfs like a great plan. Good thing the government cares more about food security than some readers here. Maybe you should tackle farming sometime.
Maybe we should stop the government from interfering and forcing farmers to literally burn their excess crops in order to keep the cost of the product high? Best season ever for cherries?? Great… Destroy anything above 110% of last year.. don’t even think about donating it to food banks not keeping if for yourself,giving to friends and neighbors.. no, we will find you so much you’ll lose your farm.
Until then, your idea shouldn’t be implemented…
Yea Gary, we will do that as soon as we make $30 an hour. Have someone provide 85 percent of our health care insurance. And provide a 401k with matching benefits. You are ignorant if you think we do not lose money when we receive a crop insurance payment.
Become a vega we don’t need your business.
Taught by Natives. Your evil ways cause cancer. The indigenous are truely the ones who feed 60% of the world with corn. Cornfields are older than Columbus on Turtle Island and will be returned.
The ignorance of that statement is beyond belief. 90% of the “Farm bill” is food stamps. Crop insurance only pays for the cost of planting the crop. You still are getting zero profit from that crop, the insurance just keeps you from going deeper in the hole. By the way its not free.
As a farmer I appreciate public comment about farmers. We are overworked but never complain about it. We love what we do we just wish that the public understood how much our heart is in the work and how little politicians care… Prices of fuel being so high and the prices of commodities being so low. We are struggling, fertilizer prices are through the roof but yet the government controls the price of milk for the dairy farmers, in return all of us pay with blood
In SE Wisc weather has been hit and miss with 5 miles away getting soaked & here nothing or a flood. I’m a small market farm. Irrigation has become critical. Timing has become critical. I now plant water tender plants on row ends for tell-tales & irrigate just enough to keep them alive. Mulch, no till, compost used to revolve around plant health. Now it’s moisture control. All my plots are 4 % sloped to drain. Never had to do this 30 years, 20 years, 10 years ago.
Federal crop insurance doesn’t even come close to guaranteeing a profit.maybe get a farm and trying it for a year or two. It’s a tough way to try and make a sustainable livelihood.
Doris, it is such a hard job to raise a good crop, any cropthat when it all comes togeather for a record crop it is a very big deal. If you want food to eat,
Eight inches of rain is plenty with today’s technology especially if it came timely. What a stupid article!
Thrilled to hear this!! Thankyou for all your hard work💜
Most folks have know idea your livelihood rests on weather, bugs, markets, etc! How many new farmers do you see in this country? The rich farmer is from years of old money of generations before past down like the land they farm! Their banter year will lead to lower prices at the co-ops. Keep up the good work! I like to eat!
Since when do insurance companies guarantee anyone a profit besides themselves. Insurance policies are designed so people can survive the disaster and move on. I never heard of anyone retiring because they made a profit when their house burnt down.
Amen Richard pelletier I’m not a farmer but I had family that was and I appreciate what you guys do for the world. I’m a truck driver and I know what it’s like to be over worked if it wasn’t for farmers truck drivers this world would be hurting and your right about the politicians they don’t give a crap they can’t even control the white house. If the democrats and Republicans would work together instead of acting like a bunch of jack asses they might get something done. I thought they were put in office to fix the problems not make them.
Congratulations 🎊 🌾🌽🚜🚜
Some years are better.
I would like to reply to Gary Siegwarth comment.. The government controls the farm commodity prices. That is why they came up with federal crop insurance. Farming is the only business in the world that takes his commodity to town and asks “what will you pay me for it”. He never gets to set a price. How many times have you thanked a farmer for putting good food on your plate cheap
Crop Insurance isn’t free you have to pay for it it is used only when needed. There used to be a bumper sticker that basically said, If you don’t like farmers don’t complain with your mouth full.
Good for her…our farmers are far more valuable than every bloviated politician in the USA.