Corn Report: It sprouted!

The corn is above the ground! We were wondering if it was going to ever happen to be honest. First of all it was a long, cold spring. And corn doesn't come with mittens so that means that the tractors sat idle. And then it rained, and rained. Which was needed, but again slowed us down. Finally, the conditions proved to be right and in eight days we planted nearly 6,900 acres of corn and soybeans thanks to the help of the Farmers United Network (that is what we call our farming group).

It wasn't until we got back from my sister's bridal shower that the corn finally broke through the soil. 

This was the dress I wore for the second of ten weddings we have this summer. (It is this season from The Limited, but I couldn't find it online.)

Now, I don't check corn in my party dress all the time, but it does happen. If you are a longtime reader of this blog you will know that the Boy has fed the cows in a tux and I have worn my heels to feed more than once. 

I hope each week I can take a picture of the corn to show you its progress over the summer. Although, we have had lots of moisture (we are now out of the drought) some parts have had too much moisture and many low laying areas are under water. Also, the fields are too wet to get into right now so we can't spray pesticides or herbicides. I've noticed a lot of weeds growing in fields and those weeds are taking away nutrients to the corn plants. 

To follow along with all the Corn Report posts check out the Watching the Corn Grow tab at the top of my blog. 

He cleans up pretty good too. 

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A week of Instagram: Shellac, Beef and Poshmark

The weeks are flying by. I seriously can not believe that we are almost through May. When June 1 hits our crazy life becomes crazy. For work we have several big events that we are a part of that stretch over 42 day, and 30 of those days I am on the road. Oh, and did I mention we have to pack and move to our farm in there? Yes, it's crazier. But we are also incredibly blessed so I am just going to keep rolling with it. So what was going on this week?

We finished planting all our corn and soybeans! The boy, his family and the other members worked nonstop (and I do mean nonstop) to get all our crop in the ground. I spent a little bit in the tractor one night riding with the Boy. Now we wait for it to sprout out of the ground!

Poshmark = Addicting. I have sold more than $100 worth of items on Poshmark now and it has become additive to see what else I can find in my closet to sell. It has also really made me decide what I wear all the time and what can go. I figure the cash is helping pay for all those summer wedding dresses I bought and less clothes in the closet means less to move in July! (If you are on Poshmark leave a comment with your name, I'm Crystal Cattle). 

I had to share this cute picture of this baby calf we call Orb. He was born on the Kentucky Derby and therefore was named after the winner. I was really hoping we would have a Triple Crown Winner this year, but no such luck. This calf looks different than our others because he is out of this black cow and a Hereford bull resulting in the a color pattern we call brockle face. He's cute. 

I've been getting my nails Shellacked (is that how you spell it?) with all these weddings/events we have had going on. My Instagram capture for this was "I don't think this is what they meant by a statement nail." I was so good and went almost two weeks without picking at them. I got them redone the other night in a pale pink and would show you but my hands are a little pooped stained from working cows this morning. That's what farmers do - get poop on their hands so you don't have to. 

And speaking of food... this is some of the beef we raised. I am really proud of the beef the Boy and I are selling this year. We have sold a lot of it privately and then some will be available through Bass Farms in Mount Vernon, Iowa. We have got steaks sitting out for lunch (yes lunch) because tonight we jump on a plane for Canada to spent a weekend with my sister and rest of the family for her big bridal shower. 

I hope you have an awesome holiday weekend planned, and for my Canadian readers I hope you just had an awesome holiday weekend!

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Corn Report: How much corn is in that field

Me, the men and the corn. 

On Friday, I went on a brand new adventure called a crop tour. The Boy will tell you about how geeked up I was about the whole deal, but seriously I was pretty excited.

So what is a crop tour? Well, our crop tour was just in our county. People divided up into teams (teams does not mean a competition I found out) and explore corn fields in the area to try and determine the possible amount of corn that will be harvested.

Have you heard on the news how this year's corn crop is going to be way down? How in the world do they determine that before the corn is even harvested. Well there is a formula and I learned all about it on the crop tour.

First you need 30 feet of rope. You lay that rope down against a random row, and count how many ears are along the 30 feet. Next they picked the ears off of the 3rd, 8th and 11th stalks and brought them in for counting. You do this in a couple different spots in the field to get a more accurate idea.

OK back at the truck now. There is a formula where you count how many kernels around the corn is (16 is ideal) and measure how long it is and then include the pervious stalk counts in your calculation. Boom you have an approximation of how many bushels an acre you will get in that field.

Now what does any of this mean to you that don't live on a farm or have anything to do with a farm. Well the bushels (bu) in our area are going to be way down. The fields we did were anywhere from 80+ bu to 211 bu. Our area of the country is corn country, and is known for consistently producing 200+ bu corn. Bottom line. Food prices are going up. 

You can see that there was a lot of variation, and that guy at the bottom
isn't very healthy. All these ears came from the same field.

Because livestock are fed corn in addition to forages like grass, and corn syrup is found in all those sugary sweets we enjoy like pop our country needs a lot of corn, and there isn't going to be a lot of it this year. If you want to see more pictures you can check out www.newscoffeeshop.com or on Twitter find the hashtag #croptour12

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Corn Report: J.Crew and dry corn

Fashionable in the corn field. 

After being gone from home for the past week, I could really notice a difference in the corn field. It was dry before, however it is really dry now. So although, we are a little bummed about the corn I had a rocking outfit to wear to the wedding we went to this weekend. Win some, lose some I guess.

Who says you can't wear heels to the corn field. I wore them to the barnyard to feed cows last week.

Heels Nine West

It's been back to back wedding weekends for the Boy and I. Our cows are going to expect us to come dressed up to the barnyard all the time. 

I look cute, but our corn kind of looks sad. And thirsty.

Jacket Banana Republic (similar jacket), dress J. Crew Outlet, turquoise necklace J. Crew Outlet. 

Two weeks ago the corn leaves had started to curl and roll a little. In those two weeks we only got a couple tenths of an inch and that has not helped the situation at all. Healthy corn plants will usually reach about 8 feet tall by mid-summer, and their roots about 6.5 feet deep. Obviously, we can't see underground so the leaves are telling us what the plant is going through. One a positive note our crops had good soil and moisture conditions at the beginning of the season so these corn plants that you are looking at should have strong healthy roots. 

Now if any of your live in Florida we would love you to send us some rain. Also, please send some rain to Colorado. We certainly have all the people affected by the fires in our prayers.

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Corn Report: It's a little shady in the cornfield

The third corn report.

You can tell summer is flying by looking at the cornfields. Last week I was in Des Moines, Iowa for the World Pork Expo. We are talking more than 2100 pigs and a lot of kids and parents all loving agriculture! It was a really fun event to be apart of, plus I don't think I have ever ate that much pork in one week. We are talking about ribs, sausage, pork loin, pork chops and bacon.

This weekend the Boy pointed out two changes in the cornfield. One the corn is becoming shaded. That means that the corn leaves are covering the rows so you can really see the dirt anymore. This is helpful because since the is less sunlight where the weeds will grow they will normally die on there own.

You can really tell a difference compared to two weeks ago. This picture was take on May 5. 

And this was the corn on June 10. I am currently in my golfing attire. The Boy and I decided to sneak away from the farm on Sunday afternoon to get in a round. 

The other thing that the Boy pointed out was how dry the corn is. See how the corn is curling, that means it is dry. We got a tiny bit of rain on Monday night, but we'll need a lot more. Especially as the plant grows taller. Just like growing kids, growing corn needs a lot of nutrition. 

Did you know in 2011 Iowa corn farmers 2.3 billion bushels of corn on 13.7 million acres of land. A bushel of corn weighs about 56 pounds. 

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Corn Report: Have you heard of corn pop?

Yes corn pop, not pop corn. 

It's time for the second edition of Watching the Corn Report. Every other week I plan on posting picture of our cornfield.

The corn is growing like crazy as you can see below. We are lucky that the corn is growing so well because we definitely could use some moisture, and we are about to get some cold weather. The corn that was plated smaller might be a little chilly the next few nights. In this post though I also want to share with you a by-product of corn. Just keep reading and you'll learn about a little thing called Corn Pop.

This was the corn on May 15. I read the initial corn report click here. 

This is what the corn now looks like on May 30. Way bigger.

And this is what Corn Pop looks like. Actually, the technical name is Sweet Corn Soda.

Awhile back on a work trip though Oklahoma one of my coworkers and I stopped at a store called Pops. I am pretty sure they had every flavor of pop that you could ever imagine. I had to buy a bottle of the Corn Soda. Tonight was the big taste test, I plan on reviewing the five other flavors including bacon later in the week. 

The Boy, his parents and myself were the taste testers. Reactions were as follows:

The Boy: I'm not drinking this. 

The Mom: This tastes like the juice from can corn

The Dad: Like the water from boiled corn. 

Me: This is not good. 

The Boy: Ok so it wasn't as bad as bacon. 

Me: So maybe this wasn't a good idea

The Mom: I think I can taste butter

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Corn Report: It is out of the ground!

Another season of watching the corn grow. 

I am excited to start blogging again about the corn. Especially, since the Boy and I have our own field. This is also a little scary because it costs a lot of money to buy all the seed, fertilizer, rent the equipment (we call these input costs). We definitely need to have a good crop to cover all these initial costs.

We are farming just over a 100 acres this year. There are 1.3 acres in a football field to give you some perspective. 

The corn was planted a few weeks ago, but it took a really long time for it to finally pop its little head out of the ground. Who would have ever thought I would be so excited when the Boy texted me last week that the corn hard arrived.

Each week I will take a photo of the corn to show how much it grows. And trust me it grows really fast. There is a little saying "knee high by Fourth of July," last year the corn exceeded these expectations. It has been fun to see the green tint appearing in all the Iowa fields.

p.s. check out my new running shoes! And please don't judge my white legs. This was literally the first day (other than the honeymoon) that I have been able to wear shorts. Plus, this Canadian girl doesn't tan very well. 

As the Boy like to say we are outstanding in our field ;) It has been a great year for planting corn. According to Monday's USDA-NASS weekly Crop Progress report 90% of the nation's corn has been planted. That well ahead of last year's schedule when only 56% of the corn was planted at this time last year.

Be sure to tune in each week for more pictures and corn facts. Also, if you want to go back and read last year's post check out the Watching Corn Grow tab. And if you have any questions that you would like answered through the summer you can find my email under the About tab. 

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Corn Report: Life lessons learned in Chicago

Really good insight 

No matter where I go I
always seem to find a cow.

As I mention this week I took part in the Tomorrow's Top Producer conference put on by Farm Journal. If you aren't from a farm keep reading, I think you will really enjoy some of the information. It was one of the best conferences I have ever attended. I wish I could have stayed for rest of the event, but the Boy was staying, and I had a job back home and cattle to look after. (We are really lucky to have someone that helps us out when we are away, but try not to rely on him too much.)

Here are the little nuggets of life impacting advice. And if you don't read all the way through at least scroll down to look at the pictures. 

You can have everything in life you want, if you just help enough people get what they want – Zig Ziglar A philosophy I think everyone should incorporate into their lives. 

It's who you know, who you read, who you share information with, and good timing that will get you to the top. Why do the same eight famers choose to sit with each other every day at breakfast. Expand your network. 

Allowing people to make meaningful decisions allows them to take ownership.

Giving your employees a sense of entitlement allows them to take accountability. 

Chris heads up our farm's
marketing group. 

Not making a decision, is making a decision. 

Are you a win-win person? Strive to be the business that always goes more than half way. 

When times are good for the company, time should be spent preparing for the downturn. There have been cycles in business for 200 years, and as long as people continue to have greed and fear there will continue to be cycles. 

There is not a human that doesn't have fear, but courage outcomes fear. 

The farms that are growing the fastest are the best communicators. 

Most popular communication style for farmer is the Teller. Their communication tendencies are fast-paced & outspoken and questioning & skeptical. The fear is loss of control. They need to know who is in control, can be very direct (this sometimes leads to hurting others feelings, and are results oriented. They represent 40% of all farmers. 

Planner is 2nd most popular #farmer communication style - cautious & reflective and accepting & warm. They manage their fear of change through planning for it. They avoid communication conflict.  26% make up this group.

19% of farmers are detailed communicators. They are questioning & skeptical and cautious & reflective. They stick with what is proven. A downfall is that they can have analysis paralysis. They can also be sensitive to suggestions and take it as criticism. 

Only 15% of farmers are socializer communicators. (This is me). The will let you know what's on their minds. Fast-paced & outspoken and love being around people. Find their ideas by talking out loud. Fear not being accepted and they need to be recognized. 

70% of farms or agribusiness will not be passed from 1st to 2nd generation because of failure in succession planning. The failure rate from 2nd to 3rd is 90%, and 3rd to 4th is 96%. Pretty scary fact. 

What is your praise/criticism ratio 

Three kinds of toxic employees that have to be removed from companies – victims, know it alls, non-believers 

People can change, but you can't change them. They have to want to. 

Those that are part of the generation that are 35 years and young fear failure the most. The situation may work out, but it is not the exact way they envisions they find that to be failure. 

Whoever paints the best vision will be the person that people will follow. 

I will definitely be attending more of the Farm Journal series of seminars and conferences. Even though I might not know how to plant a field yet (ok let's be honest, I don't know how to really do anything with a tractor) the information that these speakers gave really impacted me. 

Now for a photo recap:

This is what you where to a farmer's conference

I think I could have counted on one hand how many female participants there was at the conference. 

These conference usually mean a few good meals. The first night the Boy and I went to Morton's (an awesome steak house, but Sullivan's is still my number one). The second night was The Chicago Firehouse. Definitely recommend it. 

We stayed at the Chicago Hilton, which is an amazing hotel, with tons of history. Every President of the United States since the 1940s has stayed at this hotel, and more specifically the Conrad Hilton suite was the room most resided in, including the Obamas. We got to go up to the Conrad! This is the beautiful view from the two story room. If you looked off to the right you could see the helicopter landing pad.

This was the staircase that brought you down to the bedroom floor. It was also the staircase that was used in scenes from Home Alone 2.

I think I could make use of a bathroom like this. 

I have never seen so many beautiful chandeliers in a hotel. The main ballroom was once a skating rink, and could fit 10 two story houses in it. 

Farmer's helping feed the world. 

Wait, how did that get in there? I mean maybe I took a quick trip over to Nordstorm's and Top Shop and did a little bit of shopping. I didn't buy this beautiful Kate Spade purse, but next week I'll show you what I did find. 

It was a whirlwind of a trip, but I left energized and ready to make a difference. I hope you have a great weekend, and don't forget you have until 6 PM CST on Saturday to get you entries in for my Turquoise Thursday Giveaway.

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