Newsletter Archive

Time to make fertility plans for next year by Nick Schechinger, Newton Location Manager

Heart to Heart, October 2009 Connections

Hello from Newton!  By the time you read this, we will probably be getting a good start on harvest. Things look very good and we are expecting some very good yields based on reports from other parts of the country. Like last year, corn will be coming out of the fields wetter than we would probably like. We ask you have patience as our dryers will be tested again this year.

As you are harvesting your crop, remember with high yields comes high removals of P and K. It may be a good time to make a fertility plan with your local agronomist. Make sure you have an up-to-date soil sample from your farm. If you don’t, let us know so we can sample as soon as the crop is off this field.  There’s good news in that P and K prices have come down from last year. That means it may also be a good time to catch up on some of those fields from last year that were shorted due to high prices. One more thing to remember as you’re harvesting is to be thinking about your seed order for next year. You may want to be sure you get the numbers you like by booking early. 

I look forward to seeing everyone at harvest. We will continue to do everything we can to make harvest go as swiftly and efficiently as possible. 

Please remember to be careful this harvest. Just to highlight the importance of safety during harvest, the Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released the ten occupations with the highest fatality rate. Farming came in at number five. According to the Bureau, there were 40 deaths in the farming industry in 2008. Moving into the busiest time of year for our industry, it serves as a good reminder to stay safe this harvest. Yes, we are trying to get as much work done as possible with limited hours. We are all definitely tired, stressed and rushed. Please use caution by taking extra time and using good judgment.

As always, we appreciate your continued support and patronage.  Please give us a call or stop in Newton and see us.