End Game

For the first time in my farming career, I do not have an assignment on the Spring Fieldwork Team. Bert assumed full responsibility for planning and oversight of field operations this year. This did require him to relinquish his position as the "Most Valuable Planter" operator, which was a tough decision. Filling the productivity gap his absence created is not a certainty. Yet, we have men on the Team who could rise to the occasion. Welcome opportunity. 

It appears the boys are getting along without me. So far, we have had two fieldwork windows. One began on 4/5 and another started on 4/15, both followed by significant rainfall events.

As of this date, our planting progress is just under fifty percent. The quality of our work continues to improve and although not record-setting, the amount of work done per day was satisfactory.

There have been two major improvements this spring. The first one is the standardization of our seedbed preparation tools. This year we are using 70' field cultivators equipped with rolling baskets. After many trials, we believe this machine results in the best seedbed in a corn-on-corn environment following a disc ripper. As tillage tools are constantly changing, I would be surprised if we were still using these machines in five years. Still, it feels good to be at a moment where we have the correct tool for the conditions. In addition to being highly productive, the field cultivators are low maintenance. Keeping ground worked ahead of the planters has never been easier. Exciting stuff!

Another major improvement has been the overall reliability of the fleet. When over a dozen field operations are occurring simultaneously in a coordinated sequence, it is not unlike a seedbed preparation assembly line. Stoppage in a leading stage ripples downstream, impacting subsequent stages. Keeping these interruptions to a minimum is a science we have invested in heavily. Though the collective age of our fleet has never been higher, we are seeing significantly fewer machine down hours than in the past. We are learning how to achieve an acceptable level of reliability with mature machines while keeping our repair costs in line.

Every year, my contribution to Pinicon's success diminishes. My absence from the spring crew is the latest example. Building a sustainably profitable organization around a Team that can run the company in their absence is a goal most business founders share. And though I should feel a sense of accomplishment being on the cusp of that mission, not having an assignment on the Spring Plan for the first time in my farming career leaves me with mixed emotions.

But don't feel too bad for me. Last Wednesday I left the office at 2:30 in the afternoon, took the scenic drive to Forestville while inspecting a couple of farms, and capped off the afternoon with an eight-mile trail run on a gorgeous April afternoon. For every door that closes, another one opens.

Someday, I'll tell you about my latest project. 

Jim

Jim did a quality control check on Deon and Travis at the Winkel’s farm.