tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90186760550444351902024-02-06T19:22:12.778-08:00Jarzen FarmsWelcome to Jarzen Farm's blog. I'm Peter Jarzen, I am a first generation farmer from Jacksonville, IL. Follow this blog, and watch my farm grow.Jarzen Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14433013146849602904noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018676055044435190.post-67414817518034950052013-03-24T17:41:00.001-07:002013-03-24T17:43:08.855-07:00Start of spring brings snow, lots of snowWhile it may officially be spring we were greeted today with a heavy blanket of snow here in Central Illinois. Just doesn't seem right to have snow today when last year there was corn planted at this time. On the positive note, we at least go enough snow to add to our ground moister.<br />
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In the shop: We are still working on getting the sprayer plumbing finished up. It shouldn't take too much time to have that done, then go over the planter. We will be taking delivery of a small portion of our seed on Friday. As of now the weatherman is predicting it to be 54 degrees that day, so at least we wont be dealing with snow getting the seed unloaded. <br />
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In the office: We are looking at plans to concrete and finish off a shop in our machine shed this summer. Looking at our options and our long term goals when preparing for this. I'm really looking forward to this, as it is not much fun working on equipment on cold gravel. We are also looking at plans to build a office for the farm inside the shop, or possible putting up a separate building. <br />
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Here are is a picture of today's snow<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaVHqj76XB9LvCaZ1OSPg5UXaMcBwlXfl2uv6EcBt5aru_LeuZEk1gL8wCihOWulhNKmeODPQ35cMdihrhBcXaKBXGnH3D-16UET3XaIZ8pywQ1R6_9Ti0Qp0wfsrkbYG1a-U6DrJIgSI/s1600/305218_10200437217106651_493767032_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaVHqj76XB9LvCaZ1OSPg5UXaMcBwlXfl2uv6EcBt5aru_LeuZEk1gL8wCihOWulhNKmeODPQ35cMdihrhBcXaKBXGnH3D-16UET3XaIZ8pywQ1R6_9Ti0Qp0wfsrkbYG1a-U6DrJIgSI/s320/305218_10200437217106651_493767032_n.jpg" /></a><br />
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Thanks for reading! Jarzen Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14433013146849602904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018676055044435190.post-63611711675816548662013-03-19T21:44:00.001-07:002013-03-19T21:44:14.238-07:00Getting ready for springIt has been pretty busy around the farm for a while, sorry I haven't posted in a while. Last Friday we got to enjoy some warmer weather, which prompted us to get moving on getting stuff ready for spring. Its too bad that the warm weather only lasted a day, and now we have 10 days of cool weather in the forecast. Its funny to remember that there was corn planted at this time last year. Its hard to say when planters will start rolling in the area, but I'm sure it won't be till April.
I would say that we are moving along on scheduled with getting the new sprayer set up, but we still have to go over the planter. I'm hoping we have the sprayer finished by next week, then we can go through the planter and we should be caught up well before we plant.
Here are some pics of the sprayer project, we added the saddle tanks to the planter to add more capacity. Now we just need to plump it all up. I will have a total capacity of 800 gal, or 50 acres per fill.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJuSVm79dLYXcRCUn_abDAw3T4_3AOBC5UzryAb7y2WuZrUQzpi7IfQFA5T8dVBVCg9SIwE9OT0VLUglMFnVv16QNAxtpBtI5CD6IvwxXNYVD6IXqqrakHcScnGqVFS9UQ5xqRrBbskU/s1600/74450_10200405985485880_2016437395_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJuSVm79dLYXcRCUn_abDAw3T4_3AOBC5UzryAb7y2WuZrUQzpi7IfQFA5T8dVBVCg9SIwE9OT0VLUglMFnVv16QNAxtpBtI5CD6IvwxXNYVD6IXqqrakHcScnGqVFS9UQ5xqRrBbskU/s320/74450_10200405985485880_2016437395_n.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQIlevivJf0vkXSdaYj7jaheXc8Li81ff8rNorB26Wq7auL5kwtRo7pFygY1SVap_egpITJY8DkcnQynOpEvd3qclTzjomwh3u3Oiev2DwMpnuKiLzDylnikabUGvRqNlpbG1wtvTdn_U/s1600/486410_10200405985085870_1665061815_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQIlevivJf0vkXSdaYj7jaheXc8Li81ff8rNorB26Wq7auL5kwtRo7pFygY1SVap_egpITJY8DkcnQynOpEvd3qclTzjomwh3u3Oiev2DwMpnuKiLzDylnikabUGvRqNlpbG1wtvTdn_U/s320/486410_10200405985085870_1665061815_n.jpg" /></a>
In the last couple weeks we have gotten some much needed rain. It comforting to know there is some moisture in the ground going in to this growing year.
Thanks for readingJarzen Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14433013146849602904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018676055044435190.post-45726115255001088872013-01-18T23:54:00.000-08:002013-01-18T23:54:03.737-08:00New Sprayer Arrived!I was a pretty eventful week here at the farm. I ended up deciding to get a sprayer bought on Tuesday. I drove about a hour south to look at it, I was pretty happy with how it looked. I priced a few more on the drive home and as I pulled in to the shop drive way I called the guy and ended up getting it bought. I think it will work pretty well for our operation. I look forward to getting to try it out once it gets warmer. We ended up getting the sellers to deliver it for us, so the sprayer showed up Thursday afternoon. I will probably go through it and put all new tips on it, and probably some new hoses. All said and done, I'm really happy with this purchase.
Here are some pics of it on the 4630 tractor as we unloaded it.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_LQVnK_hcQLQepf9jU3PieJC4fVl9bKUld1DIStz_VUkPA80SXMm5X1fv7CoAR2purMWdNxl8Ksdpu48AY2ASQ8KDLQJ0nH3GBcWrL0_p-VwdjEqr8wX02ELJLoDZPGR77Hd1wKslyGw/s1600/150672_4860268578246_1634411754_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_LQVnK_hcQLQepf9jU3PieJC4fVl9bKUld1DIStz_VUkPA80SXMm5X1fv7CoAR2purMWdNxl8Ksdpu48AY2ASQ8KDLQJ0nH3GBcWrL0_p-VwdjEqr8wX02ELJLoDZPGR77Hd1wKslyGw/s400/150672_4860268578246_1634411754_n.jpg" /></a>
Here is another picture.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQ_YizUKnaQAapqYGyNr-aHE3rH7vFTSr-XeZYLflZP-Es1SVvNXfoFhZrmiMa2GejyixKzgrSbSAh6t2WEl2H3fjRkkE7Sc20kAuqm5PDzcBS-r0Eo01Hl7IN4e51P20plnVmQCtnsk/s1600/312496_4860269338265_97890789_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQ_YizUKnaQAapqYGyNr-aHE3rH7vFTSr-XeZYLflZP-Es1SVvNXfoFhZrmiMa2GejyixKzgrSbSAh6t2WEl2H3fjRkkE7Sc20kAuqm5PDzcBS-r0Eo01Hl7IN4e51P20plnVmQCtnsk/s400/312496_4860269338265_97890789_n.jpg" /></a>
The sprayer is a Great Plains 3P300. It has a 60' spray boom, and a 300 gallon tank. This alone will let me spray roughly 30 acres a fill. I also have 2-250 tanks that I can put on the tractor making a combined capacity of 800 gallons. This would allow me to spray roughly 80 acres a fill.
Thanks for reading.
Peter Jarzen
Jarzen Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14433013146849602904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018676055044435190.post-24224750106695205682013-01-12T23:30:00.000-08:002013-01-12T23:30:35.650-08:00Farm plans for 2013It seems the last 10 post I've made have started off by apologizing for not posting more often. Again I'm sorry, I'll try my best to keep this updated.
As mentioned in the topic, I want to share some of the plans I have for the farm for 2013 in this post. I'm happy to share that we have expanded our acres for 2013 by 30%. With the help of a few friends, I am now working with a few more great landlords. I look forward to working with them, and I appreciate the opportunity they have brought us. I may have brought this up before in a previous post, but as of now we plan to buy a sprayer and do our own herbicide spraying this year. We have had good luck with our CO-OP spraying for us, but the return on investment on a sprayer is just too good to pass up. Being able to spray our fields right when they need it, and the savings of doing it ourselves make this decision an easy one. I have been looking for one for a while, and I plan to have one bought here before too long. I will post a picture on here when I get one bought.
In The Shop
Winter is defiantly been a slow time for us. We have been working on a few small projects this winter, but nothing too exciting. In late February or early March I will start going over the planter and getting them ready for planting in April.
In The Field
Since fall we have been working on cutting brush back along field edges. Its a never ending chore, but it needs to be done.
In The Office
I finished up getting out seed order ready for this year back in December. I had some last minute changes and I decided to dedicate some acres to soybeans. We grew 100% corn in 2012, but on a couple of our rougher fields we are going to plant beans. We will be roughly 80% and 20% soybeans this year.
Thanks for reading!
Peter Jarzen Jarzen Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14433013146849602904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018676055044435190.post-87217380543044555072012-11-11T22:42:00.002-08:002012-11-11T22:42:41.958-08:002012 is winding downI'm happy to start this post off by saying we finished harvest! Friday November 2nd at around 9PM I picked the last 8 rows of corn. I have successfully completed my 3rd year of farming! As I look back on this year I realized how much I learned from this historical year. I have dealt with new challenges, people, business, and weather I have never had to deal with before. This will be a year to remember that's for sure.
In the Shop: We purchased our first strip till bar last spring off a friend. The bar was originally used for applying liquid nitrogen. I prefer to use NH3 for our primary form of nitrogen. So we plan on taking off the liquid nitrogen equipment and redoing the bar to be a NH3 applicator. This should be a fairly simple project. Other then that we washing and putting away equipment for the year.
In the Field: Although we plan on doing the majority of our corn next year in strip till, I am wanting to try some full tillage. I have had a later start to fall tillage, and it has been delayed even more by the rain today. Once it drys up enough to get back to plowing, we should be able to get caught up in about a week. After we get the NH3 bar done, I will begin to putting down the nitrogen for next years corn.
Thanks for reading!Jarzen Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14433013146849602904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018676055044435190.post-7154280367696419202012-09-24T19:32:00.005-07:002012-09-24T19:32:56.635-07:002012 Corn Harvest is well on its way!Sorry I haven't been keeping up on here. Corn harvest has started a couple weeks ago. Since we has later planted corn, our harvest started a little later then most around here. We are probably just under 50% done, and are now waiting for later planted corn to dry down. Yields have been right in line with what we have expected for an average. We had some fields do better then we thought. I felt that we did an excellent job matching hybrids to soil types this year. Even with the drought we could see that the corn "liked" the soil it was on.
It took a few more days and parts then I expected, but I got the new to us Caterpillar 8 row corn head on the the new to us John Deere 9600. Together they are a pretty sweet set up. The Cat does leave a few things to be desired, but all in all a nice setup. I was able to run 5mph and unload on the go, which allowed us to increase our harvested acres per day by over 100% over the 7700. I'm very happy with the combine, only one little break down so far, and that was operator error. I do wish it had a larger hopper, but I may just be used to the 7700 :)
I will be sure to have some harvest pics on here before too long.
Thanks for reading! Jarzen Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14433013146849602904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018676055044435190.post-13194715206224991872012-08-15T07:50:00.002-07:002012-08-15T08:01:03.766-07:00Getting ready for fall!As anticipated because of the drought, and early planting harvest is way early this ear. I took a ride with a friend as he was picking corn on 8/14. Yields were better then I expected, and moisture was 18%. I would say that I'm about 2-3 weeks away from starting. I'm just hoping it don't all get ready at one and start dropping moisture quick. It will be interesting to see how the corn does, some fields I think will surprise us.<br /><br />In the Shop. I have been working on the combine. I'm about to put cylinder bars on the 9600 and do a few other things with it. The 7700 for the most part is ready to go. Been trying to get the shredder serviced and put a few parts on it. Grain truck is serviced and inspected ready to go. Once I get the combines finished I shouldn't have too much to do in the shop.<br /><br />In the field. Once the shredder is put back together I will be doing some road ditches for the last time this year. I have a couple grass patches for a landlord that I will get cut, then off to mow 50 acres of CREP before harvest for dad. It will be nice to get stuff caught up so I can go straight in to harvest and not have to worry about doing other stuff.<br /><br />Just looking forward to fall, hope it will be a quick stress free harvest. Looking forward to getting this drought year behind us, and ready for next year. Have a safe harvest!<br /><br />Peter JarzenJarzen Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14433013146849602904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018676055044435190.post-80706039445378675942012-06-24T22:08:00.002-07:002012-06-25T12:16:42.056-07:00Summer time on the farmWell its officially summer, sorry I haven't had time to post any planing pics. I will get them on here soon. To summarize 2012 planting season I would say "interesting" sums it up pretty well. With switching the new planter from a finger pickup to a vacuum planter, it brought long some unexpected hiccups. All in all I am very impressed with the system. I was able to planter 5mph or faster all spring and still have a uniform stand. The planter itself has more issues then the vac system. As it is with most planters. The 1 year you have it, normally gives you the most trouble. It took about half the planting season, and 3 set of row cleaners to finally get it worked out. All in all I am very happy with the planter. There is a chance I will upgrade to something different for next year, but that is because our needs have changed for 2013. <br /><br />In the field. The corn is coming along surprisingly, considering the lack of rain. I was walking our first planted field my the shop this evening, and we are probably 1 week for tasseling. There has been tasseling corn in our area for a few weeks now, but that doesn't concern us too much. I feel we have somewhat of a better chance of getting some crucial rains during tasseling. The stuff that is tasseling now, my not have as much moisture as it may need for a successful pollination. Its going to be an interesting harvest this year. I can't help but wonder what our corn yields will be. I know some areas of the US they are in a lot worse shape then us. I think that we will be in a simmer situation as last year. Not much we can do now, just pray for rain.<br /><br />In shop. With as hot as its been the last few weeks shop work has slowed down some. I have been getting the combines ready for an inspection. I will have a friend look over the combines really well. He knows much more about these machines then me. He will be able to look at belts, augers, wear spots, etc. This will tell me what I need to fix, replace, or keep an eye on during harvest. I'm just trying to get everything set up for as little down time as possible. To help smooth things out for fall, I have purchased a grain cart. Its just a small 500 bu John Deere 500 cart, but I got a pretty good deal on it. I plan to paint it up for this fall, it will be pulled with the John Deere 4630. Using the cart should mean that the combines shouldn't have to stop as much, as long as I can find an operator to run it and then we can unload on the go.<br /><br />I will get some Pics on here soon of planting, and a few of custom baling. I appreciate all those who read, feel free to ask questions.<br /><br /><br />Peter JarzenJarzen Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14433013146849602904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018676055044435190.post-79022350655839011102012-03-25T22:30:00.002-07:002012-03-25T22:59:04.386-07:00Big Changes for 2012Again, I'm sorry I didn't get around to posing updates like I said I would. There is so much going on, I almost forgot that I even had a blog for the farm. There has been so many changes for the farm this year, that I don't even know where to start. I guess the best place to start would be with how we have grow. Last year we were farming just 100 acres for corn and soybeans. This year with with help a few leases and my first purchase for ground we are farming right under 500 acres. It is very exciting being able to grow that much. With the new acres, came looking at new ideas for the farm. We decided that this would be the year for some big changes on the far. <br /><br />I would say that the biggest change on the farm, is what we grow. This year is the first year that we will only be a corn producer. In the last 2 years that I farmed I had always grown at least 50% soybeans. I have always had good luck growing soybeans, and have always had good yields from them. That's great and all, but I had a hard time making them show a better profit then corn. I grew an awesome bean crop last year, my corn was not all that great. I marked my beans probably in the top 10% last year, by corn was probably not in the top 40%. With all that said and done, my corn netted much higher then my beans. I'm not saying this is true for every year, but for 2012 we will only be growing corn.<br /><br />With the extra acres, came the need for bigger equipment. I have been lucky to find some great deals on a few big dollar pieces of equipment that were exactly what I as looking for. For this spring I now have a 12 row John Deere 1770 corn planter. I will be pulling with with my new to me John Deere 4630 tractor, that I bought off a really good friend. I had been looking for a tractor since December, and finally last week I said enough is enough and was able to purchase this tractor just in time for spring. I have also added a John Deere 9600 combine, that I will have a 8 row Caterpillar corn head on. It won't exactly look right, but I think it will be a really nice setup. I was able to get the Caterpillar corn head much cheaper then a same age Deere corn head. We will see how it does this year, but I think it will do great. I have also purchased my first striptill bar. I have been striptilling 100% of my ground since 2011. To me it made the most economical since to bring my cost down by doing the stirptilling myself. I have to change a few things on it, but it should be a fun summer project. <br /><br />For right now we have been really pushing to get the planter ready for spring. We are changing the 1770 planter from a finger pickup, to Vsets. I was a little overwhelmed on how difficult this project would be at the beginning. Luckily with the help of a few friends it has been a ton of fun. I plan to have the planter and tractor ready to go by April 1st. Lots of guys around us are planting corn, I can't get all that excited. With seed corn in as tight of a supply as it is, I don't plan to plant until I know its time. <br /><br />Thanks for reading, I will try my best to post some pics of the new equipment on here some time. I will make sure I get some pics of the planter transformation posted once the project is complete. <br /><br />Peter JarzenJarzen Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14433013146849602904noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018676055044435190.post-36533762030451178482011-12-16T10:51:00.000-08:002011-12-16T11:18:04.752-08:00Saying goodbye to 2011First off I would like to wish everyone a marry Christmas. As we look back on 2011 how stress full of a year we all had with weather. Its a good time to remember how thankful we all should be. This most likely will be my last post for 2011. One of my new years resolutions will be to keep this blog more up to date. I appreciate all those who read the blog in 2011, and I hope you continue in 2012.<br /><br />We have had a few changes on the farm the last month. We have decided to branch out in to custom hay production. Last week I purchased a John Deere 510 hay baler. I will have some time this winter to replace a few belts and chains. I look forward to using it in 2012. At this point we are shopping for a hay mower. We are leaning toward getting a self propelled haybine. With my limited about of time in the summer, I think it should speed up the cutting. I have a little hay ground that I will bale to sell the hay. I have also talked to a few friends and neighbors about doing some custom baling for them. With how hard it is for a young farmer to find farm ground, I think this will be a good way to "get my foot in the door" and get my name out there. <br /><br />Also on the farm, we have been getting the shop organized for the winter. We are just moving equipment out off the way that won't be used till fall. We have some work that need to be done on the spring equipment, but for the most part its ready to go.<br /><br />I have been working on getting more seed sales for Channel seed the last month. I even ran an ad on a local radio station. I have sold some to a a few friends and neighbors, but I am looking to improve my sales next year. Along with seed sales, I am in the beginning stage of possibly selling some equipment also at my shop. I have always wanted to sell used equipment, so I think selling for a few farm implement manufactures would also be a fun opportunity for me. I will be finding out in the next week more details. I will make a special post on here if I get to sell for the companies. <br /><br />I will be be building a few workbenches for the shop in the next week. It has been long overdue, hopefully I won't have to work on stuff on the ground anymore. I also will be building a few storage shelfs so we can keep all the odds and ends (paint, oil, bolts, cleaners, etc.) off the ground and easy to find. As of now we will be pouring concrete for the shop after planting next spring. At that time I will finish off the shop area by putting in insulation and finishing the wall. I will also be putting in a small office which will be nice for seed and equipment sales.<br /><br />I also would like to announce that in 2012 we plan to launch a website for Jarzen Farms. I plan to use this as a way to keep people more up to date on the farms activities. I will post pictures and videos of the farm on it. I don't have a set date to get the website launched, but it will be in 2012.<br /><br />Again, thanks for reading<br /><br />Marry Christmas!<br /><br />Peter JarzenJarzen Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14433013146849602904noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018676055044435190.post-41548810000574192562011-10-30T21:50:00.000-07:002011-10-30T22:08:32.450-07:00Harvest is done!I know it has been a long time since I posted on here. It seems like I just keep forgetting to post something. Well I'm posting now, and that's all that matters! :)<br /><br />Well we finished corn a soybeans a few weeks ago. The corn didn't do all that great, but it did better then I though it would. I don't know what happened. I question if my co-op didn't spray the corn or if the chemicals they used didn't work. I had some really weedy corn this year. Some areas were better then others, but I found 20 acres that was so weedy, I couldn't even see the snoots on my corn head. I do feel blessed though. For how dry and hot of a summer we had, I sill was able to pay down on my bills. My soybeans did really well this year. I had 5 variates in my bean plot, I don't think I had a number do less then 65. My highest was Channel 3701 and it made 70.7! From this wet spring I was really able to see where I need to put some tile in on my new farm where I put up the shop. My total yield was less then any of my numbers, but not much. Had that farm been tiled, it should have been over 65.<br /><br />Since my last post, obviously Morton finished my shed. I got everything moved in over the summer. I ran electricity, but that it. I hope that next summer I can pour concrete in a 1/3 of it for a shop. That would sure be nicer then working on the gravel all the time. I do appreciate having gravel, it is a lot better then just working on dirt! I don't know if I will ever get around to it next year, but I would like to run water to the shed. I bought a sprayer over the summer, and it would be convenient to just fill it up at the shop and go spray. The sprayer I bought is a 220 spa-coup. It needs some work, but I got it cheap enough that I can afford to put some time and money in it and get a nice sprayer.<br /><br />Right now I have been getting everything put up in the shed for the winter. I have also been shredding around the edge of my fields, trying to get it all cleaned up. After I get done shredding, I will keep working on cutting back the overgrown timber from the edge of the field. You can tell the farm had been neglected until I got it. It takes a lot of time, but I bet all the way around the field I can easily cut back 10' of over grown timer from the field. This will let me plant that much more, and hopefully have less shade and root pressure on my crops. I have been saving all the wood that I can when I cut back the trees, I hope that by next year I can sell it to people for fire wood because I will have a ton of it!<br /><br />Well that's it for now, I will try to get a post on here soon with some pics from this years harvest.<br /><br />Thanks for reading!<br /><br />Peter JarzenJarzen Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14433013146849602904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018676055044435190.post-77714004193129688732011-06-02T10:05:00.000-07:002011-06-02T10:22:23.002-07:00They started on the shed!Well yesterday, June 1 they started on the shed. I am really glad they finally go going on it. When we agreed to purchase the shed back in February, they said it should be done by the end of May. They are a little behind, but they say that it should be done in about a week. I won't hold my breath especially with all the rain we got last night, but I think they can do it.<br /><br />Here are a few pics of what they got done yesterday.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture007-4.jpg?t=1307034787"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture007-4.jpg?t=1307034787" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture013-3.jpg?t=1307034865"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture013-3.jpg?t=1307034865" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture012-3.jpg?t=1307034946"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture012-3.jpg?t=1307034946" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture011-3.jpg?t=1307034984"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture011-3.jpg?t=1307034984" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture009-4.jpg?t=1307035058"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture009-4.jpg?t=1307035058" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture008-3.jpg?t=1307035091"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture008-3.jpg?t=1307035091" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />The beans got a little hail damage last week, but I don't think it will hurt them much. They are getting taller!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture025-1.jpg?t=1307035159"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture025-1.jpg?t=1307035159" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture024-1.jpg?t=1307035240"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture024-1.jpg?t=1307035240" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />That's it for now, I will get some more pics up here tomorrow.Jarzen Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14433013146849602904noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018676055044435190.post-9529999461232021922011-05-10T20:03:00.000-07:002011-05-10T20:25:52.389-07:00Planting is done!This past week as been busier then heck! I got started on planting corn late Friday night. I didn't quit till 3 in the morning. When I quit I found out my planter was not working right. The day after I found out that the planter was not working right, I went a borrowed a friends tractor and planter to finish planting. I spent all day Saturday planting corn and Sunday morning. I really really really hope it comes up good. I think it will, but with it being my first corn crop I don't know what to expect. The stuff from Friday night, I will have to wait for it to come up then I can go back with a small planter and spot in the stuff that didn't get planted.<br /><br />I got the soybeans in today. I borrowed the same friends tractor and planter again and got them in. I probably started planting around 9 or so and I finished around 2. Beans went really smooth. That was my fist time planting on good flat ground, and what a difference it was from my corn ground where it seems like everything is on a hill and you are always turning around on steep hills. I also put in a soybean test plot for Channel seed. I have 5 different varieties in it, and I will be really neat to see how each does on my farm. <br /><br />While I was planting. Morton Buildings brought in 2 semi trucks with the shed materials on it. It was pretty neat to watch them unload with the forklift on the back of the semi.<br /><br />Here are a few pics of planting soybeans and the building materials.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture010-3.jpg?t=1305083824"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture010-3.jpg?t=1305083824" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture007-3.jpg?t=1305083880"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture007-3.jpg?t=1305083880" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture016-2.jpg?t=1305083926"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture016-2.jpg?t=1305083926" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture018-2.jpg?t=1305083994"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture018-2.jpg?t=1305083994" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture015-2.jpg?t=1305084037"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture015-2.jpg?t=1305084037" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture011-2.jpg?t=1305084074"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture011-2.jpg?t=1305084074" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture012-2.jpg?t=1305084109"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture012-2.jpg?t=1305084109" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture014-2.jpg?t=1305084152"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture014-2.jpg?t=1305084152" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture005-3.jpg?t=1305084189"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture005-3.jpg?t=1305084189" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture002-3.jpg?t=1305084223"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture002-3.jpg?t=1305084223" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />All in all, planting started off really rough but ended fast and smooth. I am glad I had good friends who were able to lend me their tractor and planter. I can't thank them enough!Jarzen Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14433013146849602904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018676055044435190.post-50875650288957065812011-05-02T19:05:00.000-07:002011-05-02T19:50:55.124-07:00Its May already and we don't have a single seed planted!Well Its May already and the tractor and planter are sitting, waiting for the ground to dry up a little so we get get going!<br /><br />Since my last post (which was a little longer then I intended) I have 100% finished up the planter. It look a lot longer then I expected, not because it was really hard work, but because I had trouble getting all the right parts from my parts dealer. It seemed like I would spend a week waiting on one part to only find out he ordered the wrong part and then I had to wait another week. I finally got it done and it is ready to go. Here are a few pics of the finished product.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture043.jpg?t=1304389072"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture043.jpg?t=1304389072" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture049.jpg?t=1304389129"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture049.jpg?t=1304389129" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture041.jpg?t=1304389174"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture041.jpg?t=1304389174" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture052.jpg?t=1304389238"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture052.jpg?t=1304389238" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture050.jpg?t=1304389376"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture050.jpg?t=1304389376" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />The shed is getting closer and closer to being built. The date for the delivery of the materials will be Wednesday May, 4. Once the materials are delivered they should get started building it with in a few weeks after. We had a nice day last week "not dry enough to plant though" so we decided to put in part of the driveway. I have included photos of us installing the drive way. The first step to put down the driveway fabric. This gives the gravel a base to pack against and not to seep in to the ground making potholes and bare spots. We only put in part of the driveway so the truck can pull in to deliver the shed materials. When the shed is done we will finish the driveway, when we know exactly how much room we will need. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture003-2.jpg?t=1304390111"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture003-2.jpg?t=1304390111" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture011-1.jpg?t=1304390177"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture011-1.jpg?t=1304390177" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture013-1.jpg?t=1304390404"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture013-1.jpg?t=1304390404" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture024.jpg?t=1304390488"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture024.jpg?t=1304390488" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture036.jpg?t=1304390596"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture036.jpg?t=1304390596" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture037.jpg?t=1304390780"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 600px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/Picture037.jpg?t=1304390780" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Well that's it for now. I will get some pics later this week of the building materials.<br /><br />Thanks for reading!Jarzen Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14433013146849602904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018676055044435190.post-59685735736094798382011-04-05T20:31:00.001-07:002011-04-05T20:46:42.410-07:00Planting is right around the cornerYou know spring is really here when the planters start going. There have been a few guys in the neighborhood start planting corn. I think its a little to early, and the ground temperature is a little to low to be planting. I will wait it out, especially after this rain we had. I don't expect to be plating till around the 22nd of this month.<br /><br />I am planning to get the planter 100% done this week. I just have a few odds and ends to finish up, and then it will be ready to go. Last week we also got our Nitrogen applied on our corn ground. The ground worked really well and we should have a great seedbed to plant it.<br /><br />Here are some pics of the Anhydrous Ammonia getting applied. (click on the pic to enlarge it)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/P3310072.jpg?t=1302061328"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 120px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/th_P3310072.jpg?t=1302060623" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/P3310073.jpg?t=1302061328"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 120px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/th_P3310073.jpg?t=1302060623" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/P3310074.jpg?t=1302061328"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 120px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/th_P3310074.jpg?t=1302060623" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/P3310075.jpg?t=1302061328"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 120px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/th_P3310075.jpg?t=1302060623" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/P3310077.jpg?t=1302061328"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 120px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/th_P3310077.jpg?t=1302060623" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Here is a pic of the "strip" of tilled ground where I will plant on.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/P3310080.jpg?t=1302061328"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 120px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/th_P3310080.jpg?t=1302060623" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />That's all for now. I'll post some pics of the planter when I have it 100% done. I also will post some pics of the shed site. Pretty much all of the fill dirt has been brought in to make a level building site. The shed materials should be delivered by the end of the month and it should be be finished by the end of May.Jarzen Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14433013146849602904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018676055044435190.post-62744405068900519882011-03-14T18:25:00.000-07:002011-03-14T19:03:24.340-07:00The planter is coming along well.Well I have been working on the planter for the last two weeks. I have only worked on it here and there when I had a few hours to spend so its not going extremely fast but a lot faster then I thought it would.<br /><br />So far I have pretty much removed every moving part. I have sanded and painted all the row units. That took a lot of time because I could only do one side at a time on the row units or I would get paint on me. Thankfully I am done painting them now. I have stated putting it all back together now. I have installed the Yetter T adjust closing wheel brackets and I have also installed the accuplant independent gauge wheel are controller. I am going to start sanding and painting the gauge wheels, and start installing the Martin double spiked closing wheels.<br /><br />I still think I will have ti done by the end of the month, but I have a lot of work left to do. Planting is just around the corner and I need that planter to be in tip top shape!<br /><br />Here is a few pics of the planter before and after. Click on them to view a larger image.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/shredder070-1.jpg?t=1300153128"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 444px; height: 333px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/shredder070-1.jpg?t=1300153128" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/shredder073.jpg?t=1300154384"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 120px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/th_shredder073.jpg?t=1300153504" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Current<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/P1010030.jpg?t=1300154415"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 120px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/th_P1010030.jpg?t=1300153495" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/P1010029.jpg?t=1300154453"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 120px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/th_P1010029.jpg?t=1300153495" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Old parts and new parts side by side<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/P1010032.jpg?t=1300154472"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 120px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/th_P1010032.jpg?t=1300153495" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/P1010033.jpg?t=1300154472"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 120px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/th_P1010033.jpg?t=1300153495" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/P1010034.jpg?t=1300154472"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 120px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/th_P1010034.jpg?t=1300153495" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I'm glad I used the mask!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/P1010035.jpg?t=1300154519"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 120px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/th_P1010035.jpg?t=1300153495" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I still have a lot more parts to put on here is one of the piles.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/P1010038.jpg?t=1300154519"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 120px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/th_P1010038.jpg?t=1300153495" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />That's about it for the planter. I got a few pic of the fill dirt they brought in for the shed site.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/P1010045.jpg?t=1300154569"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 120px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/th_P1010045.jpg?t=1300153495" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/P1010049.jpg?t=1300154591"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 120px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/th_P1010049.jpg?t=1300153495" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Well that's it for now I will post some more pics next week to show what else I have done. Thanks for reading!Jarzen Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14433013146849602904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018676055044435190.post-36219515259852489172011-03-01T19:07:00.000-08:002011-03-01T19:17:01.257-08:00Got a corn head today!Well after looking for about a year, I signed a check for a 643 corn head today. I didn't grow any corn last year so I really didn't need to buy one but I wanted to get one early enough in the year I can go over it really well before harvest so I can have it ready to go. Its just a older metal high tin model, but it should work well for my operations.<br /><br />I did end up getting the rest of the planter parts today, and I will officially start tearing the planter down tomorrow. I have a lot of work ahead of me, I plan to get the kinze in tip top shape before April. I will post pics of my progress along the way and do some before and after pics. <br /><br />We did sign for the shed last week! I have been looking forward to getting a machine shed put up since I bought my first tractor, actually I wanted one before that so I would have a place to put it. I went with a Morton 60' by 120' machine shed. With 2 doors. A 30' double sliding door on one of the 60' sides. And a 18' electric roll up door on a 120' side on the opposite end as the 30' door. It will be plenty big for the equipment that I have now, but it will give me room to grow and not worry about out growing my shed storage in a short time. The materials will be delivered in late April and the shed should be done by the end of May. I cant Waite for it to be done! I will post pics of it along the way. <br /><br /><br />I think things are about to get real busy around the farm, before you know it mowing season will start up again.Jarzen Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14433013146849602904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018676055044435190.post-91963895219630519562011-01-18T21:05:00.000-08:002011-01-19T17:00:02.050-08:00The start of 2011Well 2011 is off to a great start. We are in the process of getting a machine shed put up. Right now were are still waiting on getting the site prep work done. We are going to have about 20 truckloads of dirt hauled in to make level.<br /><br />As I said last year, we added a little more ground this year and the shed is going on the new ground.<br /><br />In the next week I am going to pick up part to rebuild my planter. I am rebuilding the whole thing. I am putting new seed disks, scrapers, seed tubes, spiked closing wheels and new adjusting brackets, I will also be getting new precision planting corn meeters and much much more. I have been looking forward to rebuilding this planter, it should be really nice when I am done.<br /><br />I will try a lot harder to keep this blog updated this year, I really slacked last year but this year will be different.<br /><br />I can't wait till the ground dries up and I am in the field, but before that can happen I have a lot of work to do.<br /><br />Thanks for reading!Jarzen Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14433013146849602904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018676055044435190.post-16974899100693742502010-10-24T20:09:00.000-07:002010-10-24T20:23:21.170-07:00Harvest has come and goneWell harvest has come and gone. I learned a lot this year, and I am a little less intimidated of the combine. It actually did not break down at all this year, I just had some trouble getting the head to feed right. This year was a big success. I had really low inputs, and I got above average yield. This was the year to start farming! <br /><br />Right now I am getting the shredder ready to shred around my field, and then I have 50 acres of CREP to mow. I hope that I can get that done before we get much more rain.<br /><br />Its time to start thinking about next year. I am increasing my acerage by about 50%, and I will be planting both corn and soybeans. <br /><br />I have already had my soybean ground for next year strip tilled and I look forward to seeing how well that helps the plants grow and if I can see a yield advantage.Jarzen Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14433013146849602904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018676055044435190.post-37679852250936640962010-09-18T21:34:00.001-07:002010-09-18T21:38:24.651-07:00Less then 3 weeks to go!Well I went down to the farm this evening and looked at the beans. They have really turned yellow, I may be in the filed as soon as 2 weeks. The crop looks pretty good, but we got some hard rain tonight and hopefully is went just north of the farm. Storm damage is the last thing I need right now!<br /><br />I took my tractor in to the dealer to get the steering fixed (it would go craze on the road and you could only go about 10 mph) about a month ago. Well they are just now putting it back together. I really hope they hurry up, I need the thing to haul my soybeans to the elevator this fall. <br /><br />Pics are not working right on this site so here is a link to <a href="http://s290.photobucket.com/home/farmerpete2400/index">Photobucket</a>Jarzen Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14433013146849602904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018676055044435190.post-89111931579301864432010-08-26T19:57:00.000-07:002010-08-26T20:05:30.095-07:00Combines are starting to roll!Well I guess its that time of year. You go outside and smell the air and there is that hint of fall. The corn is turning brown, and the beans are just starting to turn. This year, it seems fall came early. I'm not complaining though, fall is my favorite season hands down.<br /><br />Things have been really busy the last week. I have just a few things to do to the combine before I take it to the field. I don't think I will need it in my filed for a while, but it will be nice to know it is ready to go when the beans are ready to be harvested. <br /><br />So far I know of 4 farmers who have started harvesting (some just opening fields). I think that in the next week you will see some more guys get going. I am wondering how this fall will go. It seems that everyone has some high moisture corn, with some lower moisture corn. This may be a year where we start corn early but it takes a while to get done. I just hope is is better then last year.<br /><br />Well thats all for now, I will try to get some harvesting pics up here soon.<br /><br />Jarzen FarmsJarzen Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14433013146849602904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018676055044435190.post-56342128306109030242010-07-24T21:00:00.000-07:002011-03-07T16:34:13.975-08:00Getting caught upWow, I looked an I haven't posted since I finished planting. <br /><br />Well about a month after planting I discovered some Frog Eye Leaf Spot in my beans. I got really worried! Well after a few weeks the beans put on more leaves and the disease has not gotten worse. I will have to wait till R3 when the pods begin to form to decide if I want to have a fungicide put on. <br /><br />So far I have had the local co-op spray 2 times. A spring burn down and then a post emerge about 2 or 3 weeks ago. The beans are getting bigger and getting closer and closer to canopy. After getting the break out of the frog eye I put the pencil to the paper and decided that I need to look at getting my own sprayer. In a typical year I may have 3 sprayings done. This year I was worried about having 4 with the extra 2 being later round up and maybe the fungicide, and the other being a fall burn down. Well 4 trips at $6.50 an acre it adds up really quick! That would be $1,267.5 on a typical year and $1690. on a 4 passes year. I could pay off a nice sprayer in just a few year. So I am looking for a older self propelled sprayer, and I hope to have one in the next 2 year.<br /><br />I did get the bat wing shredder going the other day. It has been under water at least 10 times sense this fall when I got stuck down by the creek. Well i greased it and made sure that there was no water in the gear box and I tried it out. It is working fine, I got some roadsides done today and I also mowed around part of the bean filed. <br /><br />Also this week I purchased a bean head! I got a John Deere 220. It will need a little work before fall, but nothing to big. I will post some pics of it below.<br /><br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/DSCN1044.jpg?t=1280024079"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/DSCN1044.jpg?t=1280024079" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/DSCN1050.jpg?t=1280023929"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll266/farmerpete2400/DSCN1050.jpg?t=1280023929" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Well that's it for now, I plan to get the combine out next week and get it washed and waxed for fall. I will try to grab some pics the.Jarzen Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14433013146849602904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018676055044435190.post-3463019932702355492010-06-06T18:04:00.000-07:002010-06-06T18:23:07.363-07:00Plating is done!I started planting on Sunday May 30 and ended on Tuesday June 1. We had our struggle of problems with the planter (broke two row cleaners) but we made it through it. From my first year of planting I learned some valuable information that some of which no one had ever told me.<br /><br />1. planters can only go in one direction, FORWARD!!! I did that on accident 2 times and after that it never happened again. I spent quite a bit of time taking off seed disks and seed tubes to clean out the pact mud.<br /><br />2. When plating Soybeans at a population of 150,000 an acre you go through a lot of seed. I started with 75 bags and had it get 3 more to finish. After the first 3 fills you start to get tires of loading half a bag, adding inoculant, adding the rest of the bag add the rest of the inoculant, add graphite and stir, Repeat 5 more times... I was really glad to be done with plating, corn should be a lot nicer putting down 1/5 of the amount of seed.<br /><br />3. Just because its a 6 row planter does not mean it will be easy to pull. When I got on the hills of the farm and it was still a little wet I would spin out going up the hills. That Kinze planter is really heavy for my 806.<br /><br />4. No Air conditioning stinks!<br /><br />6. Plating a straight row is easier said then done.<br /><br />That was about it, I made it through the 2010 plating season with the tractor that should not even be running. It did great, other then it was a little light. I plan on fixing up the planter this winter and getting it repainted to make it look sharp. I think next year will be a lot more fun and go a lot smoother and quicker.Jarzen Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14433013146849602904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018676055044435190.post-48149636168625511802010-05-25T14:25:00.000-07:002010-05-25T14:31:15.838-07:00Ready to plant!I did the final work on the tractor and planter today, I think I have them both ready to go for planting. <br /><br />I talked to the guy from the co-op today and they said they were going to be putting on the Potash today so it looks like maybe Friday or Saturday I will be planing beans.Jarzen Farmshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14433013146849602904noreply@blogger.com0