Wow! The last 7-10 days have been a blur. We got home from our little trip and Rachael and I went straight into basketball (refereeing) last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. With limited spectator policies this year, we have had some odd tip times. We squeezed in Christmas on New Years’ Eve and again Sunday night. Friday we experienced an ice storm, and we were without power off and on until Sunday afternoon. Fortunately, the generator kicked in and kept us warm. Snow Saturday night provided for some great scenery to wake up to Sunday.

Since the first of the week, I have been hunkered down behind the computer screen. The primary objective was to get financial information gathered up as my operating line renewal comes at the end of the month. With the harvest rally, it’s nice to be able to submit some numbers that show promise for grain producers. It took me a couple of days to gather, enter, and re-check the information.

I sent that info to the lending institutions and my accountant mid-week. I don’t think the accountant was excited, but I asked for a draft of my 2020 taxes ASAP. I’m doing a little shopping around this year, checking with the lenders I have used in the past.

College finances

Ava will be 15 this year, so we have begun working with a college financial planner. So while I was in the bookkeeping mode and the information was fresh in my mind, I filled out the 15-page questionnaire he requested. The advisor will review reports generated from the data and make recommendations on how to best afford college. Costs sure have gone up in the last 25 years! Maybe we’ll have to have some more study table time, sport time, or work time! We do expect our kids to invest in their own education.

Related:Closing out 2020 with cautious optimism for the future

Even after I completed the financial stuff, I was not released from the spell the computer cast over me. I needed to get caught up on all the crop planning I had missed. After leaving it sit for a couple of weeks, dad and I reviewed our seed placement and firmed up orders. (Hopefully the seed companies can deliver this year!) We also submitted payments in order to receive some of the early pay discounts. I’m also working through chemistry (at one point I think I had 20 herbicide labels open in the browser) and fertility plans, and need to get those products booked soon. Some of those plans are intertwined, so that will likely happen at the same time.

The opinions of the author are not necessarily those of Farm Futures or Farm Progress.