Post Thanksgiving Update

 We finished harvest (except double crop soybeans) on the 24th of October.  I did have one little problem towards the end of harvest.  Something I hadn't done in about 20 years.  We were opening up a field after dark, and I forgot to fold the auger after unloading on the front end-rows.  There is a pine tree at the corner of the field and as I turned the corner to open up along the side of the field, the auger and the pine tree became intimate.  The hydraulic cylinder that swings the auger out bent and snapped.  We were done for the night.  First thing in the morning I drove to our dealer and purchased the one cylinder that they had in stock.  By nine o'clock in the morning we had the cylinder replaced and headed back to the field.  Fortunately there wasn't any other damage.  Overall, it was a good, safe, productive harvest for which we are grateful.  We had good weather to work on the tillage that needed to be done.  We are fortunate to live close to the CaseIH tillage manufacturing plant, which is in Goodfield.  They are often looking for acres to run new or improved machines over for testing.  They tilled a field for me with a new high speed disk for the cost of fuel.

Niece nurse Kacie spent a morning with me in the combine.

We spent a nice beautiful fall evening in Gridley at the Schlipf's.  It was the only wiener roast we attended this year.  Most of our family was able to be there.

One weekend, D#2 and kids had a sleepover at our place.  The male cousins and inlaws headed to KC for their almost annual Q Fest.  We had a nice time with the grandkids, but one of these years I think some of us old guys should tag along for some good KC BBQ.

We had a good apple crop this year, but couldn't find a good time to make cider.  Finally, we found a night while the Q Fest was happening that those who were still around could help.  It was cold, dreary, and drizzling, but we were able to get a several gallons of fresh cider made.

One day I came into the house and went to the basement to wash up for lunch when I was surprised by a starling flying around the basement.  It must have fallen down the chimney and made it into the furnace open draft duct.  Anyway, I found a fishing net in the garage and chased it around the basement for ten minutes until I was finally able to snag it.  I was hungry, so I didn't take the time to find a cat.  I just turned it loose with instructions not to make that mistake again.

I got the double crop soybeans out the week before Thanksgiving, and started emptying my manure pits for the last time.  I finished just before a rain and the holiday, and was able to disk the field the Saturday evening after Thanksgiving.  My field work is officially done.  Now I am cleaning up equipment and rearranging the shed.

I have also gone back into the hog houses and started to remove and put equipment up for sale.  Some needs to be dismantled, some cleaned, and some removed.  I've tried to spread the word and have started to get some interest.

I read some statistics prior to Thanksgiving about food cost in America.  Americans spend only 6.7% of their disposable income on food.  This is the lowest of all the countries in the world that the USDA tracks.  We are 20% lower than the next lowest country; Singapore.  Only 15 cents of each dollar spent on food in America goes to the farmer who produces it.  The rest goes to processing, packaging,  transportation, wholesale, and retail.

And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.             Exodus 23:16