My cousin Nick wanted to harvest our corn last week. Cash corn was $2.96, not too bad. But…

The PL (“Price-Later”) fee was 90 cents per bushel (last year it was almost free); apparently the gulf ports want upstream elevators to hold onto their grain for awhile, due to logistics challenges imposed by Hurricane Irma. Word is that if we leave it in the field for a month, PL will drop by 35 cents. So no harvesting yet. If the price holds up, and if nothing happens to drop the corn (e.g., a big wind), and if cousin Nick is still in a harvesting mood this time next month, we will be OK. I’ll let you know how it goes

My Mom, my brother, and my sister planted six cypress trees to celebrate Mom’s 75th birthday. If you need to dig a hole in 30 seconds or less, I suggest this tool…

Tomorrow marks the end of an era. My Dad and Uncle Howard began dairy farming in northern Virginia in 1963. They rented several hundred acres and built up a dairy herd over the course of ten years, which they sold to put a down payment on 1,000 acres in Southern Illinois. They soon built a milking parlor and continued dairy farming (they had brought a few dairy heifers from Virginia just in case).

Recently, small dairies have suffered from vertical integration of the milk market. Tomorrow the cows will all go on the truck to be sold at auction.

Growing up, our farm families have been accustomed to drinking lots of (raw!) milk. When we needed more milk, I would step out the door, walk a few yards to the dairy, open a spigot on the 2,000-gallon stainless steel tank, and run a gallon of milk into a pitcher. A couple weeks ago, I was home on the farm and got to do this one more time. This pitcher of milk is about the last of its kind.

MHacks X, University of Michigan, 22 Sep.

DRW colleagues Omar and Isaac in action at the booth

Phil, Isaac, and Ashley. It was great fun sitting in a campus bar & grill that Saturday; Michigan alum Ashley trash-talked Purdue alum Phil while U of M’s football team handled Purdue.

And finally, a few selections from my brother Aric’s Facebook

Last time I was down south, my sister-in-law Kathey was concerned about keeping track of all the cushions on the outdoor furniture. It seems she may have to confront some grave and substantial concerns …

The dog’s name is Rey, after the Star Wars character