Rant: I feel like my Dad can't catch a break

[IMADreamer]

I've said many times here how great my Dad is he has busted his ass is whole life. That has all been catching up to him recently. The last few years he's gone downhill and he's went from a guy who was strong as a bull to a guy that's pretty fragile. Right now he's really battling an infection that just doesn't seem to want to clear up. There are bigger problems too but the infection has to get fixed first.

So it's harvest time. We'd be starting today or tomorrow if we could but we can't because it's raining. A lot. It was already going to be a wet miserable harvest and now with a couple inches in the gauge right now and a lot more on the way it's going to be one of those years.

Now on the other hand we will see record yields. We will probably smash all records. Irrigated ground will go over 300 bu/acre on corn and the dry ground will top 200, one seed guy estimated 220. That is a monster crop.

Back to the storms. Our worst nightmare is wind. Wind knocks corn down and, down corn is the second worst thing you can image besides a total crop failure. We had storms this morning, strong ones. I was working in my office when Dad called, noticeably upset. "We've got corn that went down." I asked how much and he just replied "a lot."

More then my own success or anything really I want my Dad to have an easier life. He grew up poor and not Republican millionaire I had to borrow 10k from my Dad to start a business poor, but like they only ate what they grew and he had to wear his older brothers clothes to school poor. Just when he was doing good the flood of 93 happened. Then again in the last decade as he was doing good his health failed. My Dad is hell bent on keeping the farm in the family and that's admirable but he's sitting on a fortunes worth of land and equipment and I wish he'd just sell it all and relax. Maybe have an enjoyable last few years.

[Fat_Bulldog]

I hope everything works out for your dad and family. Sorry to hear.

[Freed Roger]

That's pretty crappy - especially since the corn was going beserk. My trips up that way this summer - way above knee high by 4th of July.


Hopefully not as much wiped out as initially thought.

[Diddy]

Better get a corn reel. How old is your dad? I know my dad has gone down hill alot in the last several years can't do a lot of things he use to be able to. You don't really retire from farming till you die. I know if one local farmer that won't quit who's son is retirement age. Others who's sons are nearing retirement age that won't quit.

Out dry land corn has been running 160-190. Our normal yields are 100, to bad its not worth anything.

[IMADreamer]

Dad's 63. I know he's not particularly old but he's had one health problem after another unfortunately. Men in our family generally don't live to be very old. In fact he has out lived 7 of his brothers. We are getting a reel. i think it's supposed to be here this week. We got a new chopping head last year and we traded off our reel with the old head.

[Diddy]

My dad is 67 and in pretty decent health just years of hard work and his years in the military. Even at 67 he's outlived any other male on that side of the family. Dad and I talked to some farmers we know in northern mo, Iowa, and ill, it sounds like its pretty bad. 10-12 inches of rain, softball size hail, and alot if corn down. Good luck, probably took th fun out if a good crop.