We're Back in Kansas, Toto

     We closed up things at the farm last Thursday and headed for Kansas.  As usual, we forgot lots of things, like all my picture stuff, so sorry, no pictures this time.

 

     The wheat is all planted.  I planted across the paths made between windmill towers, including the underground cable routes.  It was a time-saving maneuver which saved me lots of turning and sowing over the turns.  It was like planting in flour.  Not much will come up unless we get some moisture.

    The wind farm crews are still doing lots of reclamation.  Our temporary neighbor who is the dirt foreman says they will replant the CRP grass they have destroyed and will cover it with straw as you see on the highway projects.  I don’t know what they will do about the wheat.

     We plant to check in on Wednesday on our way to the hills for our annual family get-together to see if any of the wheat is up.  So far, no moisture yet. 

     So along with the dry weather and dry (pictureless) blog, here are a few dry statistics to finish off with.

       As of today, I have invested $9415.10 in preparing and planting 180 acres of wheat.  That includes direct input costs, fuel, repair and maintenance, and seed wheat.  It doesn’t include taxes and insurance and other costs that have to be shared for the whole farm.

     I probably will add another $1000 to insure the wheat crop, so if it fails, I will have another $10,000 to try again.  So bottom line, about $58 per acre to put in the crop.

    At $6 per bushel, it will take about 12 bushels per acre to break even (figuring $12 per acre for harvest costs).

     That “tventy bushel to the acre” doesn’t look so bad.  Well, musn’t count your chickens before they are hatched.  There are a lot of “if’s” out of my control between now and harvest time—market price, Mother Nature to name a couple.

        Better check out that crop insurance.

 

      I should have my thumb drive and card reader and a more colorful entry next time.