This week for my blog, i decided to changes things up a little bit. Most of my past blogs have been about farming and the harvesting season, but this week i decided to talk about the winter months approaching and how important it is to take care of all of your animals. The reason i decided to do this topic is because in past years there have been some very cold winters and i know that not all people have the same mind set when it comes to their animals being out in the elements. The number one more important thing to remember is that you have at least some place for the animals to go to get out of the wind and snow, or better yet somewhere inside. Always make sure that they have fresh water to drink. Sometimes when a bucket of water is left outside for the animal and isn’t checked on, that water will freeze and then the animals have no way of getting to that water. If you are going to water animals outside, use a water heating element to insure that that water does not freeze over. Also make sure to put out fresh feed or hay out frequently. We never know what winter will have in store for us, but just remember to keep a close watch on your animals and be safe out there.
Cold Weather Equals End of Year
Over this past week it has slowly but surely started getting colder and that can only mean two things; winter is going to be coming soon and the farmers are all but just about wrapping things up in the fields. By about this time of November the farmers are just about finished spreading on lime and working it into the ground or knifing anhydrous ammonia. Both of these fertilizers will go dormant during the cold winter months and when spring comes back around they will thaw out and begin working when the ground temperature becomes adequate. This year overall was a great one and i don’t think there were too many farmers who had a hard time getting their crops out and fertilizers in. Let’s just hope this winter isn’t too brutal on us this year and allow the farmers to get back in the field at a decent time next year.
Good News From A Weekend of Traveling
Last weekend I was finally able to make a trip up to Illinois. This was the first time I had been back since I moved down to Missouri back in June. As soon as i crossed the Mississippi River, it was a sight to see that the majority of the crops had already been harvested. As i traveled on I spotted a few fields that had not been touched yet, which is normal most years. As I finally made it back into central Illinois towards home, it still looked the same as i remembered it. It was good to finally be back home to see the family. I had a nice long conversation with my grandpa over how well harvest went for him. He explained that this year was the best yield he had seen in years, but he would probably not get that good of a yield for years to come. He also mentioned that the markets were at an all time low, $3.45 I might mention. Overall it sounded like the majority of farmers back home had a pretty successful year and could not complain too much.
Bad Luck Is In the Past
As this years harvest season is coming to a close, it’s pretty clear to tell that this year has been the best in a couple years. The crops this year as well as the yields have done a substantial job at keeping the farmers happy. Dating back to 2012, the weather, crops, and yields were all at an all time lost. Yields did not hold out thus creating a loss in profits and really attacking the farmers pocket books. This year for sure has given the farmers new hope and have allowed them to keep going strong and give them a reason to get up early of a morning and reap the profits that they some much deserve. I feel its safe to say that this years harvest has been a great successful one at most.
First Podcast Interview
In my Public Relations in Ag class, we are currently talking about creating podcasts and how to share them in our blogs. The process behind adding podcasts to our blogs is just another way to expand our social media experience and gives us a better understanding on how to spread the word about agriculture.
I did an interview with Samantha Warner, a graduate of Missouri State University and current instructor at the School of Agriculture. She was very excited to receive the opportunity to teach at Missouri State, especially in the Ag division. When I asked her if she was happy to come back and have the chance to teach she said ” Yes, it was a really exciting phone call when Dr. Elliott called with the potential opportunity that this position was going to be a reality and going through the interview process and the official letter that said congratulations, we’d like to welcome you to Missouri State, I was ecstatic”.
Adequate Rain and Still Going Strong
Over the last two weeks rain had hit the Midwest in ample amounts, some days a little more than usual. A few of those days it rained long enough that it left water in the fields which kept the farmers out of the field, stranding them from harvesting. I can’t say that it was a bad thing considering the few years after not having enough rain following the 2012 drought. I had a conversation with my grandfather Jack Getz the other day and he told me that he couldn’t be any more happier with the rain that he has received in central Illinois. He also told me that yields in corn and soybeans are the best he’s seen in a few years and he was just tickled to death to see it increase. As we enter this week, most of the farmers out there are starting to harvest soybeans as the leaves are dropping and the pods are turning brown.
Who Knew That Tree’s Could Talk
In my Ag Public Relations class, we are talking about the different ways to interact with other through social media. Last week in class a few of my classmates and I made a video that gave a brief explanation about the Missouri State agricultural program.
Ready, Set, Let’s Harvest!
As the morning sun starts to peek over the horizon and the dew is glistening on the grass, you start to hear the faint sound of combines fire up and getting warmed up for another hard day of work in the field. That’s right, it’s harvest time! All over the Midwest, farmers are beginning to harvest their crops for the year and reap the rewards that they worked so hard for. For those who follow the commodities market, this year is going to be a tough year for those farmers. As the markets fluctuate, the corn prices seem to be staying right around the $4 mark and don’t seem to be going up any time soon. If this continues, the farmers may not make as great of a profit as they’d hope for. After talking to my grandfather, he says that the corn yields are up around the 270 range. This news just blew my mind after the last few years not being too great, as well as the 2012 drought that occurred which affected the Midwest and the farmers felt the hurt. I believe this year is going to be a great one and I hope the farmers get the profits that they so deserve. Good luck to all of the farmers out there.
About Me
My name is Lane Getz and I am a transfer student from Central Illinois. I am currently twenty-one years old. I have lived in Illinois all my life until this summer, where I moved down to Mountain View, Missouri. I am currently an Agricultural Business Enterprise Management major at Missouri State University.
I was born and raised on my family farm in the little town of Findlay, Illinois. I grew up around machinery and crops. In my free time I love to be outdoors and do anything that has to do with the outdoors. Some of my favorite hobbies include fishing, hunting, riding four wheelers, horseback riding and competitive shooting such as trap and skeet. Some of my favorite fall activities include going to truck and tractor pulls, country music concerts, mud drags and drag racing.
Prior to moving to Missouri, I graduated from Lake Land College with an Associate’s degree in Agricultural Applied Sciences. Upon graduating from Missouri State with a Bachelor’s degree, I plan to pursue a job in the agricultural field. I hope to get a job managing a farm or a crop business.
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