From a Kernel to a Chip: July Update

In my last From a Kernel to a Chip update, I said we started off with a wet spring and then went to a dry summer. That was true until the middle of July when things started to cool off and we started seeing rain again! The cooler weather was definitely welcomed as the corn began pollinating. Sometimes, like last summer, when it is too hot and does not cool down during the night it can lead to kernels being aborted and an ear of corn not filling out completely. Thankfully it looks like most of the corn has pollinated well this year.

As I mentioned earlier, the beginning of July started off warm and dry. That meant the pivots were running full bore and irrigating seemed like a never ending job. Right after the fourth of July it felt like we almost couldn't keep up due to it being so dry and hot. While we were fortunate to not have too many breakdowns, we did run into a couple stuck pivots. Trying to get a pivot out that is in corn is not fun, especially when it is hot and humid. Unfortunately though, we can't let the pivot be stuck too long or otherwise we would have gotten behind and stressed the corn. However, by the end of July we started getting much needed rain, which allowed us to turn the wells off for a few days. It also helped out the dryland corn. However, some of the dryland corn ended up burning up because it didn't get rain earlier in July.

So far all of our irrigated white corn looks good and we were fortunate to miss bad weather that crossed South Central Nebraska the last week of July. If we can continue to get rain and have decent temperatures, we should end up having a decent crop this year! Only mother nature knows what will be in store for August, and right now it looks like we are going to be seeing cooler temps with a chance of rain almost everyday! So time will tell!

Below are pictures of the white corn during July:

Tassels are just starting to shoot out of the corn. Within a couple of days, all of the tassels popped out of the corn.

In June I showed/talked about creating a ridge in the corn so that water can flow down it. Here is an example of that. We use furrow irrigation on pivot corners or fields where a pivot doesn't work the best.This involves laying out pipe on the headland an then opening up gates to let the water flow out into the rows.

What an ear of corn looks like before the pollination process begins. In order for kernels of corn to develop the pollen must fall on the white silks, which then leads to the development of a kernel.

Once the pollination process has been completed the silks will turn from white to a purple/brown color.

Once pollen has fallen on the silk, it creates the kernels. This is actually called the "blister" stage because the ear of corn looks like it has blisters but is actually the beginning stages of kernel development.

What I usually saw after an evening of irrigating. You just can't beat Nebraska summer sunsets!

Be sure to check back on September 3rd for the next "From a Kernel to a Chip" blog!

From a Kernel to a Chip: June Update

Wet Spring - Dry Summer. So far that is how this growing season has gone. It seemed like back in April/May we weren't going to even get a crop in the ground because of how wet it was. Now, it looks like the dryland crops might burn up if we don't get a rain the first part of July. However,  I can't say that has been the case for everyone. Some places around the U.S. are still wet and would be glad to give us some of their moisture. Too bad there isn't a way that we can exchange weather patterns with others!

Since my last "Kernel to a Chip" update, June has ended up being a busy month! The first part of June we cultivated the white corn on the farms that got ridged. The purpose of cultivating is to clean up any weeds that might be growing, which allows us to not have to spray the crop a second time and keeps weeds from using water that could otherwise be used by the corn plants. It also loosens up the soil so that it is easier to ridge the corn for the field that we lay pipe on to furrow irrigate. Due to pivots, we only have to furrow irrigate pivot corners and fields that pivots won't work on due to the lay out of the field. After we ridged the corn (ridging corn creates a ditch for water to flow down), we then laid out the pipe. After the pipe was laid out, irrigation began taking place. We have been irrigating our white corn the last couple of weeks of June due to how dry it has been. We haven't had a good rain for a couple weeks now and the forecast isn't calling for much moisture anytime soon.

As we move into July, we can only hope that Mother Nature will bring us some much needed moisture before our dryland crops shrivel up and start looking like they did last summer! However, not matter what the weather does, we will get through it and hopefully end up having a bountiful fall harvest!

Below are pictures of the white corn during June: 

Cultivating the white corn to remove any weeds that might be developing out in the field.

On the left is what was cultivated and on the right is what was ridged. The purpose of creating a ridge to allow the water to flow to the other end of the fields so that the crops can get water.

The corn has really taken off due to warmer temps!

A sight that is seen almost every evening during irrigation! Gotta love summer time!

Even after the corn has grown and now has many roots, you can still see the seed coat of the seed that was planted back in late April.

It might look like a jungle, but it is only corn plants. As the white corn grows taller, it begins to canopy. This shades off the ground and can prevent weeds from growing while also helping keep the moisture from evaporating so quickly after a rain or irrigation event.

In a couple more weeks we will see this come out the top of the corn plant! This is the tassel which will pollinate the corn plants!

This year we are using a water probe that measures the soil water content and salinity. It will help us schedule our irrigating and tell us how much water is in the soil profile. It is also a tool that is helping us increase our water efficiency.

Be sure to check back on August 6th for the next "From a Kernel to a Chip" blog! 

 

From a Kernel to a Chip: May Update

Who would have thought that we would go from a drought in 2012 to seeing almost too much moisture in the spring of 2013?! Over the last few weeks, we have received over 5 inches of rain, way more than what we saw between July and November of last year! However, the moisture we have received has been a blessing and much needed as our soils were bone dry due to the drought last summer. Pasture ponds are starting to fill back up and the grass that we have our cattle out on is looking much better. However, due to the large amount of rain that we have received the last couple of weeks, there has been some fields that have had some flooding issues. This has lead to the drowning out of some crops. Overall, we will take the moisture and I hope that mother nature wont shut it off!

The white corn is looking good and is starting to grow. It started off sluggish and took a little longer to sprout than normal, but that is due to the colder temps that we experienced in late April and early May. However, the white corn has emerged and is looking good; it just needs some more sunshine and warmer days, which corn thrives on. We will soon be cultivating and ridging some of our white corn to get rid of weeds and also create a ditch so that we can irrigate the places that the pivot doesn't reach. Overall, the white corn crop is starting out good and hopefully will turn out good come next fall!

Below are pictures of the white corn during May:

After a week, the white corn seed began to sprout. The root is the first thing to emerge, which is shown in the picture.

Once the root has emerged, then the shoot emerges. Basically the shoot looks like a green spike sticking out of the ground when the corn is emerging.

A few days later the corn plant's leaf's started to show and the root started to grow deeper into the soil.

Thanks to GPS, we can have nice straight rows of white corn! In a few more weeks, this corn will be much taller and will be a darker color of green.

One of my favorite pictures I have taken! I was lucky to be able to catch a double rainbow and put my favorite brand of equipment in the picture! This was actually taken while I drilled soybeans, but I had to share!

Be sure to check back on July 2nd for the next "From a Kernel to a Chip" update!

Getting a New Farm Bill Completed!

Like everyone else involved in the Ag industry, I was starting to wonder if our politicians were ever going to work on a new Farm Bill. However, it seems like we have finally gotten our answer, and it looks like our Senators and Representatives are now serious about getting a Farm Bill passed after letting the previous Farm Bill expire, which led to an extension of the 2008 Farm Bill.

When we hear the word “Farm Bill”, a lot of the time people will think that it is a bill that is just for farmers and the farming community. While the first Farm Bill may have started off that way, it has transpired into a much broader bill that now includes nutrition, trade, commodities, conservation, and more. Because the Farm Bill includes so many different things these days, it makes it much more complicated to get a Farm Bill passed that addresses the issues that our country currently faces. In 2012, over 80% of the Farm Bill spending went to nutrition while the rest of the Farm Bill spending went towards the agriculture industry and rural America.

So then what should a new Farm Bill look like? Well that is a tough question to answer and it actually depends on who you talk to. Some might say that a new Farm Bill will not make any cuts to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and will reform how farmers are assisted when disasters strike. Another person might say that the SNAP portion of the Farm Bill needs to be reformed and the farmer assistance programs left alone. Like I said before, it just depends on who a person talks to and what they believe in. The way it sounds, the next Farm Bill will definitely have cuts made to different programs, however, at this point no one knows how big those cuts could be.

While I could go on and on about the Farm Bill and what could be cut and what might not be cut, one of the biggest concerns for me in the next Farm Bill will be how our Senators and Representatives handle crop insurance. Crop insurance has become one of the greatest risk management tools for farmers, and can provide assurance that when a farmer has a bad growing year; they can still keep their family farm going and hopefully be able to recover in the following year. The best example of this so far is the drought of 2012. Even though there was a large crop insurance payout in 2012, it should be remembered that this isn’t a year to year thing and the reason for such a large payout was due to the drought in 2012 that devastated America’s crops. Another key point that should be remembered is that due to the crop insurance program, there was no need for a disaster assistance bill, something that could have cost more than what crop insurance paid out in 2012. Also, farmers aren’t getting crop insurance for free. They have to pay a share of the premium as well, and buying crop insurance doesn’t mean they will get a payout every year. It will only be in the years where they struggled to get a crop grown.

As I mentioned before, I could go on and on about a Farm Bill and what could be in it and what might not be in it. But at the same time there is already plenty of that going around. However, I encourage everyone to let their Senator and Representative know the importance of a Farm Bill! A Farm Bill is a bill for jobs, food, feed, energy, fiber, and can be a powerful economic engine for Rural America! A Farm Bill is what can lead to a bright future for not only the agriculture industry, but also our nation!

From a Kernel to a Chip: April Update

As most of you probably know, this has definitely been a spring that will be remembered! Actually, I don't even know if we can call it spring because spring doesn't include freezing temps and snow! At the beginning of April last year, we had a good start on corn planting but that was the complete opposite this year. We were lucky to get a few days in the field at the beginning of April, and that only included wrapping up some fertilizing and tillage. Unfortunately, due to very cold temps and snowy/icy/rainy weather, we weren't able to start planting white corn until April 27th. Most years, we try to start a lot sooner than that but that wasn't the case this year. Not only was the weather colder, but so was the soil temperature. Under most circumstances, we want the soil temperature to be at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit since that is the temperature that corn seed will begin to sprout. However, corn/white corn can get planted in soils that are 41 degrees Fahrenheit or greater but it will slow the emergence of the corn crop. Most of the soil temps in our area were just above the 41 degree temp but not quite to 50 degrees by the time we started planting. Usually our soil temps are a lot warmer by the time planting starts!

While white corn planting may have started late this year, we were able to get a lot done once we did get some better weather. We have finished all of our white corn and also finished our field corn. Now we will move on to planting popcorn and drilling soybeans. The way the forecast sounds, I think spring might finally be arriving with much warmer temps! However, I hope that mother nature won't shut off all of the moisture we have received in the month of April. The moisture we have received has been great for our soils and is helping recharge the moisture in our subsoil which almost was completely depleted last summer due to the drought!

Below are pictures of white corn planting!

This is something that a person really doesn't want to see in the middle of April. While we are thankful for the moisture, we would much rather have rain!

Pioneer is the only seed company that has white corn hybrids. So here is a bag full of seed waiting to be planted!

A box full of seed that will soon be put in the ground! Hopefully each seed will produce a good ear of white corn that will end up yielding well!

The tractor and planter. The front tank on the tractor is where we put our liquid starter, which is a fertilizer. This helps get the seed to emerge quicker.

A view from the cab! It is nice having GPS which makes for nice straight rows of white corn.

The white corn seed is placed roughly two inches deep into the soil.

Once the planter puts the seed in the ground, closing wheels will push dirt on top of the seed.

Be sure to check back on June 4th for the next "From a Kernel to a Chip" update!

From a Kernel to a Chip!

Chips and Salsa! The most common type of snack at a get together along with the most common type of appetizer found on a menu at most restaurants. Yet, have you ever wondered how that chip ended up in that bowl? If I had to take a guess, you probably haven't. Even when I have chips and salsa, I don't even think about how that chip got there. However, chips don't just magically appear in a bag, and a chip's life doesn't begin in a grocery store.

The corn tortilla chips you have with your salsa dips, nachos, or taco salads actually come from kernels of white corn that are grown in fields across the Midwest! In matter of fact, some of those kernels in your chips might have actually come from my family's farm in Nebraska!

 Every year my family's farm grows white corn that eventually gets sold and made into the corn tortilla chips that can be found in your grocery store's chip isle! Now, growing white corn doesn't just mean putting a few seeds in the ground and then waiting until next fall to harvest it. It takes hard work and care to make sure that we produce a high quality crop that will eventually end up in the food supply! We also make sure that we are supplying consumers with a safe product that they will eventually serve at their get togethers with friends and family!

As consumers continue to grow more curious about where their food comes from, I have decided to do a series again this year called "From a Kernel to a Chip" that will show how white corn is grown as well as the different growth stages of a white corn plant. The series will begin with planting and continue through harvest, which will take place next fall! This blog series will be similar to my "From the Field to the Movie Theater" blog series last year that focused on popcorn production. The first Tuesday of each month I will publish a blog that gives an update about the growth stage of the crop along with some other interesting facts. Not only will I be posting an update, but I will also be posting pictures that will show what the white corn plant looks like as well as the development of the ear of white corn! So I hope that you will find the blog series interesting as well as being able to learn about where your food comes from, in this case where your corn chips come from!

So be sure to check back on May 7th as I will post what has all happened in the month of April! Hopefully by that time, spring will have arrived with warmer weather and we will have put the seeds of white corn in the ground!!

If you are interested in popcorn production, click here!

The Twelve Pillars to Success

Almost everyone on this planet wants to achieve some type of success in their life, whether it is getting promoted at work or growing their business. However, "success" doesn't happen on its own. It takes hard work, dedication, and self motivation. Over the last couple of weeks I have been reading a book called "Twelve Pillars" that focuses on how a person can become successful in life. The book focuses on a man named Michael who is struggling to understand why he isn't being successful with his life. One day he stumbles upon a mansion that has twelve pillars. He is amazed by this mansion and wishes he could be as successful as the person who owns it. Michael then meets Charlie who tells Michael about how the twelve pillars on the mansion stand for the twelve ways that lead to success. While I don't want to give away the entire book, and would encourage anyone to read it, I do want to highlight a few of the "twelve pillars" that I believe everyone should reflect on.

The Gift of Relationships
Twelve Pillars goes in depth about how we need to value the relationships we have with others. Sometimes we can get so caught up with work or other things in life, and then forget about the relationships we have with our family and friends. When this happens, our relationships begin to fall apart and can eventually lead to relationships ending. If we don't want this to happen, we need to make sure that we put value into the relationships we have with others. This might mean taking some time away from work or the "busy" life. It also might mean taking time out of your day to call up a friend our family member and take interest in what is going on in that persons life. In order to be successful in life, we must first be successful with the relationships we have with others.

Achieve Your Goals
Do you have certain goals you want to achieve in life? If you do, is there a plan for how you are going to achieve that goal? Often, we all have goals in life but unfortunately we don't always achieve the goals we set for ourselves. Most often, it is not because the goal is impossible to achieve, but it is from the lack of effort in trying to achieve that goal. In order to achieve success, a person must be able to set goals and then have a plan on how they are going to achieve that goal. However, goals don't always have to be "BIG".  A person could have a short term goal and a long term goal. For example, if it is a college student, their goal might be to get an A on their next exam. That would be considered a short term goal. Now an example of a long term goal might be a person wanting to build a new house. Whatever goal it is that you set, be sure to have a plan on how you are going to achieve that goal and then be sure to implement that plan. Goals can be achieved as long as a person puts in the effort and dedication!

Be a Leader
When a person thinks of a leader, we often think of someone famous, such as a president. However, a "leader" isn't just a title for someone who holds a powerful office. A leader can be anyone, it could be YOU! If you do something that is selfless, kind, helpful, you could be considered a leader. Anyone can be a leader, and we all know that not only does our nation need more leaders, but our world could use some more as well!

So if you are wanting to be successful in life, be sure to take a look at your relationships, goals, and also how you can be a leader. If you want to learn more about the "Twelve Pillars", be sure to check out the book that was written by Jim Rohn and Chris Widener. It is definitely one that will give you an new perspective on success!