Ask Steve Dave Farm And Cow And Ranch And Tractor And Truck Related Questions

[ben ji]

Flint hills farmers showing off all their water.

[farming_cat fan]

Had the opportunity to ride on a private jet for the first time in my life. Beck's Hybrids flies farmers out to their facility in Indiana to learn about their history and why they do what they do. The one pic is of the 20'+ tall corn they breed for fun. They enter a plant in their local county fair every year and win.







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[Sandstone Outcropping]

That looks cool. Big corn plants

[Spracne]

Whoah, corn porn alert.

[Katpappy]

Had the opportunity to ride on a private jet for the first time in my life. Beck's Hybrids flies farmers out to their facility in Indiana to learn about their history and why they do what they do. The one pic is of the 20'+ tall corn they breed for fun. They enter a plant in their local county fair every year and win.







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WTF, yellow New Hollands?

[KST8FAN]

I recall yellow NH combines back in the 70s.  Combine forum claims now European mfgd are yellow and US mfgd are red?


Tom



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[KST8FAN]

That looks like a cool trip, farming_cat.  Did they feed you good?


Tom

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[cfbandyman]

I recall yellow NH combines back in the 70s.  Combine forum claims now European mfgd are yellow and US mfgd are red?


Tom



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My time in Canada must have warped me, I only see yellow NH, so that's how I spot them

[star seed 7]

Yeah I've always associated them with yellow

[Katpappy]

At the Topeka NH tractor dealer, they are only blue.  I may have seen NH farm implements that were red years ago, but I have never seen  NH yellow tractors or implements. 

[XocolateThundarr]

Had the opportunity to ride on a private jet for the first time in my life. Beck's Hybrids flies farmers out to their facility in Indiana to learn about their history and why they do what they do. The one pic is of the 20'+ tall corn they breed for fun. They enter a plant in their local county fair every year and win.







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One of the guys I work for took that same trip.  Said it was insane.  Did you get a framed pic to put in your office too?

[farming_cat fan]

That looks like a cool trip, farming_cat.  Did they feed you good?


Tom

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Turns out Beck's has a cafeteria for all of their employees to eat at. They claimed they don't charge anyone to eat there, but I'm sure that makes the entire thing a business expense and they write it all off of their taxes. So we ate whatever was on the menu that day which happened to be BBQ brisket. So I would say they fed us pretty good.

[farming_cat fan]

One of the guys I work for took that same trip.  Said it was insane.  Did you get a framed pic to put in your office too?

I'm told it will be coming in the mail.

[farming_cat fan]

The majority of Beck's test plots are planted in rows of 2. The TR (twin rotor) New Hollands are perfect for harvesting these plots since they have 2 rotors. The combines pictured have been modified with a divider down the entire length of the machine to allow them to harvest 4 rows while keeping the 2 different plots separate until the data is all recorded.

[Sandstone Outcropping]

That looks like a cool trip, farming_cat.  Did they feed you good?


Tom

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Turns out Beck's has a cafeteria for all of their employees to eat at. They claimed they don't charge anyone to eat there, but I'm sure that makes the entire thing a business expense and they write it all off of their taxes. So we ate whatever was on the menu that day which happened to be BBQ brisket. So I would say they fed us pretty good.

Do you think there is an objective difference between Beck's and other seed companies like Channel, Ohlde, Pioneer?

[farming_cat fan]

That looks like a cool trip, farming_cat.  Did they feed you good?


Tom

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Turns out Beck's has a cafeteria for all of their employees to eat at. They claimed they don't charge anyone to eat there, but I'm sure that makes the entire thing a business expense and they write it all off of their taxes. So we ate whatever was on the menu that day which happened to be BBQ brisket. So I would say they fed us pretty good.

Do you think there is an objective difference between Beck's and other seed companies like Channel, Ohlde, Pioneer?

The majority of Beck's genetics started with something from the likes of Monsanto (Dekalb, Channel, etc.) and Corteva (Pioneer). They use these genetics and breed in other traits that they like. None of Beck's hybrids will have a cross of genetics between Monsanto and Corteva. That would break their contract agreements and Beck's would essentially be no more. Ohlde is much the same as Beck's except much smaller. Ohlde most likely breeds hybrids to excel in Central Kansas. Whereas Beck's are bred to excel where there is substantially more rain fall. However, Beck's has research sites all across the corn belt, so they probably have a few hybrids very similar to Ohlde. Hybrid selection all comes down to which hybrid is best for your location, soil type, and crop management style. Some companies don't necessarily always have a hybrid that fits a farmers particular case, but another company might. Beck's head agronomist admitted that the 109-115 day corn hybrids are where Monsanto excels and everyone else is playing catch up.

[Sandstone Outcropping]

That looks like a cool trip, farming_cat.  Did they feed you good?


Tom

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Turns out Beck's has a cafeteria for all of their employees to eat at. They claimed they don't charge anyone to eat there, but I'm sure that makes the entire thing a business expense and they write it all off of their taxes. So we ate whatever was on the menu that day which happened to be BBQ brisket. So I would say they fed us pretty good.

Do you think there is an objective difference between Beck's and other seed companies like Channel, Ohlde, Pioneer?

The majority of Beck's genetics started with something from the likes of Monsanto (Dekalb, Channel, etc.) and Corteva (Pioneer). They use these genetics and breed in other traits that they like. None of Beck's hybrids will have a cross of genetics between Monsanto and Corteva. That would break their contract agreements and Beck's would essentially be no more. Ohlde is much the same as Beck's except much smaller. Ohlde most likely breeds hybrids to excel in Central Kansas. Whereas Beck's are bred to excel where there is substantially more rain fall. However, Beck's has research sites all across the corn belt, so they probably have a few hybrids very similar to Ohlde. Hybrid selection all comes down to which hybrid is best for your location, soil type, and crop management style. Some companies don't necessarily always have a hybrid that fits a farmers particular case, but another company might. Beck's head agronomist admitted that the 109-115 day corn hybrids are where Monsanto excels and everyone else is playing catch up.

I didn't realize that Dekalb and Channel were part of the same entity.

[farming_cat fan]

I didn't realize that Dekalb and Channel were part of the same entity.

There are really only 3 major corn seed companies in the US. Bayer who owns Monsanto which has several different brands of seed including Dekalb and Channel. Corteva who owns Pioneer and several others. Finally Syngenta which has the brand Golden Harvest which you may have heard of. I'm not too familiar with all of the seed brands that are in the US, but let me tell you that there are A LOT!

[steve dave]

small town kansas farmers fly personal jets irl way more than city people per capita. obviously geography plays a part but also in my experience so does just being big time at doing cow farming. also everyone has their pilots license. both my parents did and we owned an obviously non-jet beechcraft bonanza when I was growing up which I've talked about on here.

[steve dave]

also that's irl amaze that they flew that bird in to pick you up. absolutely not downplaying the eliteness of that BIG SEED business.

[steve dave]

also planes are ambulances for farmers. my dad has done two (2) lifewatch flights to wichita in them. pretty sick. I mean, sick as in cool. obviously he was sick AF too (in coolness and being sick both).

[steve dave]

technically he was found passed out in the middle of nowhere by one of his cowboys the first one and they found out he had a saddle embolism once they got him to actual medical care so not like "sick" as in a virus but "sick" as in fuckin' cool. also "sick" as in a giant blood clot south of his heart. 2x sick.

[ben ji]

What do cash crop farmers do all winter? I get that people with cattle still have things to do but if you are strictly a grain farmer what do you do between harvest and planting?



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[farming_cat fan]

What do cash crop farmers do all winter? I get that people with cattle still have things to do but if you are strictly a grain farmer what do you do between harvest and planting?



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Repair equipment in their big fancy heated shops and haul grain. I would imagine the BTOs (big time operators) have grain contracts about every month throughout the winter so they have to haul grain regularly. Some go on vacations to resorts in much warmer climates. Some probably have winter homes in Arizona.

[steve dave]

small town kansas farmers fly personal jets irl way more than city people per capita. obviously geography plays a part but also in my experience so does just being big time at doing cow farming. also everyone has their pilots license. both my parents did and we owned an obviously non-jet beechcraft bonanza when I was growing up which I've talked about on here.

The nickname of the Beechcraft Bonanza is “doctor killer”. I’ve never asked my dad how many doctors he shot down in it but will next time I talk to him.


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