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Spring break provides extra farm labor

Between the Fencerows: Extra hands help move projects forward as we get ready for the 2024 planting season.

Kyle Stackhouse, Blogger

March 22, 2024

2 Min Read
Two women moving chemical tote
Kyle Stackhouse

The kids were on spring break this week. Some of them were looking to earn a little spending money, so we put them to work.

Part of the grain bin project includes replacing the worn-out belt in the wet grain leg. When the crew was here they pulled the old belt and ordered a new one. Well, the new belt came in last week just in time for the kids to change the 400+/- buckets from the old belt to the new one. It's staged on a flatbed wagon and ready for the crew to come back and do the installation. I think that is that last item on the list for them, though we still have some connections to make and wiring to do before we can call it done. But that won't happen until this summer.

Stock up to support the crop

Deliveries also started to roll in. We've been able to get a couple of loads into the newly plumbed 30,000-gallon vertical tank. We also took a dedicated truck full of micronutrient totes. The oldest two got a workout while helping me use a pallet jack to move totes to the back of the trailer where the forklift could take them off. If I ever find a ramp, I'm going to buy it so we can just use the forklift to unload the truck. More deliveries are scheduled for the beginning of the week. We had delayed ordering some crop protection products, but it's time to get early-season needs covered and in house.

Make time to play

I had hoped to send kids out with the backhoe to pick up some rocks the ripper brought to the surface last fall, but it was a bit chilly for that. We also ran out of time before a quick weekend spring break trip – a little playtime is a good reward for hard work.

About the Author

Kyle Stackhouse

Blogger

After graduating from Purdue University in 1999 with a degree in Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Kyle Stackhouse began farming in Plymouth, Ind., in northern Indiana. Kyle farms alongside his father Brad, not as an employee but as an owner who runs separate businesses in three counties in a 20-mile radius.  Kyle shares insight into day to day operations, current issues, and management of the family's mid-sized grain farm that specializes in NON-GMO and Identity Preserved crops.

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