Thanks for a Bountiful Harvest
In Kansas the turn of the calendar showing November 17th means a few things for farmers across the state — the fall crops have been harvested, the elevators and grain bins are stuffed full and the wheat crop has been sown.
The hustle and bustle of fall harvest includes early mornings, late nights and the occasional equipment breakdowns. Due to continued hard work and perseverance, farmers are blessed with bountiful yields and abundant blessings.
Storing grain on the farm allows us to save travel time during harvest and allows us the opportunity to get more return on investment for crops to sell after harvest.
Across the 784 farming operations in Kansas, last week the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) reported the average yield of the 2021 corn crop at 134 bushels per acre.
Do you know how many pounds are in a bushel of corn? To put in perspective, a bushel of corn weighs 56 pounds — equivalent to a laundry basket in terms of volume.
There are various cropping systems across the state, but during the fall you can find Kansas farmers harvesting mainly corn, sorghum and soybeans. In our area, there are feedlots that take high moisture corn for cattle feed, which we harvest at 24 to 33 percent moisture. Additionally, there is a fair amount of corn crop that is chopped for silage. In total, NASS reported 250,000 total acres across the state that were taken for silage this fall.
Harvest view at sunset from our grain bins at Lundgren Angus Ranch.
Even though fall harvest was another busy season for us out west, we are grateful for the continued opportunity to farm, ranch and enjoy this way of life. As we begin hauling grain, preparing for the holidays and soaking up gathering with our families around the table again, we are truly grateful for the abundant blessings that another bountiful harvest brought.
