Well, the big horse has been down more than she has been running the last week. Tillage progress has been negligible, but as I said last week, we’re coming to that point of indifference as to additional groundwork that needs to be done.

Waiting for the technician, getting a diagnosis, and then waiting for parts took up the most time as we tried to get tillage done. Keeping combines moving rightfully take priority to tillage. I can’t fault technician time being allocated toward harvest equipment. However, it was frustrating when the new sensor failed after only a day or two of operation, which caused another two days of down time.

Little need for muck boots

We continued drainage repairs and work. Some days it is difficult to be patient doing all these odds and ends. Other days. it’s like ‘There is no time like the present’. That was especially true this week when we had to be five feet deep to cross beneath irrigation water and electric services.

Even though it was an irrigated field, there was no excess moisture in the soil. When we installed the water pipe three years ago, we had our hands full at three feet deep! I lost track of how many strings we’ve put in or repaired. But so far, I only experienced two times when I should have been wearing muck boots rather than work shoes. Local weather showed us in a Stage 2 drought last night.

Related:Dear USDA: Why?

Our oldest is now a high school senior and we’re getting serious about figuring out how to pay for college. We told our kids that it’s our expectation that they find a way to pay for college, such as academic or athletic scholarships and internships. Well, after seeing the price tags, I’m not sure how that will happen. But we’re still going to try.

FAFSA and the family contribution

Rachael and I are attending webinars and virtual meetings in preparation for filing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid in December. Changes to FAFSA this year are not favorable to small businesses and farm families, as 5% of net worth is attributed to the “family contribution” portion of the college bill. It’s my understanding that historically they only looked at liquid assets.

It is difficult to keep taking bites out of the business and expect it to continue to function well. We’re working with experts to figure this all out. Maybe after next week lawmakers will get back to work and fix this issue.