View from the Cab: Harvest time

We are all becoming old pros at running equipment now that the first full week of harvest is under our belts.

Central Illinois farmers experienced a beautiful week of weather to get corn, and in some cases soybeans, out of the field. Early yield reports are mixed as a few growers are reporting good yields and others…not so much. I really haven’t heard the term “exceptional yields” yet this fall but it is still early. USDA raised its yield estimates last week but we’ll soon know the truth as harvest is completed. That report sure didn’t help the markets.

I know you may find this hard to believe, but I harvested an entire corn field the other day without even turning on the radio. I guess I just wanted to enjoy the quietness of the cab and gentle hum of the combine. Plus, it is early in the season and that is when I like to devote all of my attention to what I am doing out in the field. In about three weeks, it will be a different story as the tunes will be playing once again.

We haven’t ventured out into the soybean fields quite yet, but that time could come any day now. Those early group three beans are really moving along but the fuller season varieties still have quite a bit of green and yellow on the leaves. Several combines were kicking up bean dust in Livingston County by last Wednesday, taking advantage of clear skies and warm sunshine. It sure beats trying to get beans out of the field during the cool, cloudy days of November.

I’ll be the first to admit I wasn’t quite ready for an early harvest this year since I had to give up my other daily routine a bit sooner than usual, but it is always a nice feeling to get everything done when there is plenty of the fall season left. Heck, it isn’t even officially summer yet. The corn harvest really didn’t take off last year until the last week of September. We should get a lot of post-season fieldwork done this fall too – as long as the weather holds.

Maybe I’ll see you at an area football game this Friday night. Our CIFN Sports Central coverage of high school sports is going great. Just stop by the Central Illinois Farm Network Facebook page each week as we chat with local FFA members and have live drop-ins from that school’s football game. Area broadcast veteran Eric Stock is helping out with the play-by-play portion of the broadcast.

(The View from the Cab blog is powered each week by Petersen Motors in Fairbury)