Well, after many trips to the field, moisture testing, and days passing by, I had to put away the tractor and picker this season. Here in our part of southeast Minnesota, there is still some corn in the fields and there are fields with fall tillage done. On our farm, the corn just didn't dry down sufficiently to ear pick so the combine came and finished up yesterday. Moisture levels still in the mid to upper 20s. So, I can only share these photos. The first one was taken at the local Spring Valley Ag Days Show and the other was taken the day I was getting ready to take off the subframe and putting the fenders back on. Next year I will get to try out the "new" 706, MN barge wagon, and Heider barge wagon.
I hope all had a good harvest and free of breakdowns!
-- Edited by KA656 on Thursday 21st of November 2013 09:43:22 PM
This would have been the year to use the picker-sheller - at that moisture, it would have done a better job shelling than the combine (but slower). At least you got the corn out before it got socked in for the winter with drifted snow.
We have actually picked anything yet this year. Might shell off a load this weekend just to have the field open for the picker. Wish corn was $6 a bushel, wouldn't mind as much drying it down!
I had a piece that I was thinking of picking in ear earlier this month, 24-25%, going into two round cribs sitting out in the open for good air circulation. But then they started predicting 5-7 inches of snow a few days out and I wouldn't have had enough time to get it picked before that so we just took it out with the combine. Oh, well, maybe next year......
JDTom - I hear what you are saying about using the sheller. My window to go out to pick was only a couple of hours on a Saturday afternoon. The ground was muddy most of the day until about 3:00pm and by then I was just not ready to head out. I really didn't think it was going to dry off enough to go so I was busy doing a couple of other things. However I did get the chance one day to get out my 2 row New Idea #61 corn shredder, just to limber it up. I don't think it has run in 10-15 years. Ever seen one of these?
I have not seen a New Idea like that before (I did know that they sold them). JD had a similar unit that mounted on the back of the tractor (but not on the 3-point - this was prior to 3-point hitches). They had one of those in use at Rantoul this year. I may have to find somthing like that for the years when I pick 10-12 acres in ear, to shred those stalks. I'm planning on selling our nice big 6-row Hiniker shredder next year since I now have a corn head on the combine with Calmer rolls in it - did a pretty good job.
-- Edited by jdtom on Monday 25th of November 2013 10:59:04 AM
