What rocked or flopped in ‘23?

[woodland]

Learned that I should be doing a more accurate yield estimation during growing season.
Learned we have to start treating our spray water.
Hoping we can do a better job training people.
Hoping our new harrows works out.

Hmmmmm sounds like the yield estimation and training people have interesting back stories to them………

I’m never great at estimating yields or sale prices as I’d like to guess way low and be surprised in a good way instead of disappointment when the numbers get crunched.

I don’t think it’s possible to fully prepare or train someone for all the “stuff” that can and will go wrong on a farm……………

[woodland]

Was very impressed with Esma barley. Stood well, produced about 12 bushels per inch of rain. Grew Paramount soft white wheat for silage, again very impressed. Out tonned our barley by about 1.5 tons per acre.

What didn’t rock was my grain marketing. I didn’t forward price any canola as it was so dry in early June but canola crop did well, my marketing plan did not.

Calves did well this year. Had to bring them home early as pastures dried out. But they look good. Hope the prices hold.

Marketing plan didn’t go good here either. Postponed selling everything till now as the tax situation pushed us to. Just got incorporated so as to help avoid this issue in the future.

Pastures were a flop for us. Ended up grazing every acre of hay that was fenced instead of baling and started running out of grass in August. Really sucked feeding through harvest but the province said we weren’t dry so no Agri recovery payment for us. Moved dirt all summer and even last month and there’s no moisture in the ground here at all. Very unusual for us………

[westernvicki]

Green peas:
And yes, I told you so.
Great for 2024 too.

Foreword selling and then selling selling Canola, thanks to Weber commodities for the foresight.

Growing MALT barley instead of feed: CDC Churchill yields and sells malt for export.

Now for the crystal ball of good for 2024?

[crusher]

What rocked for me is my investment portfolio, up 18% yoy. Good thing I have an adviser. Takes the edge off my poor grain marketing.

[ajl]

All portfolios are up bigly in 2023. Trouble is that they were down by more in 2022. Two year average still in the red so no investment adviser better be braggin. GIC's were the investment winner in 22 and 23 with the top rate around 6.2%.

[blackpowder]

Hmmmmm sounds like the yield estimation and training people have interesting back stories to them………

I’m never great at estimating yields or sale prices as I’d like to guess way low and be surprised in a good way instead of disappointment when the numbers get crunched.

I don’t think it’s possible to fully prepare or train someone for all the “stuff” that can and will go wrong on a farm……………

June 1 I put my head in the sand and walked away as a mental survival strategy developed in 2002.
Led to poor decisions. What to take as feed or not, lost prices on grain. Storage.
A weekly estimation based on existing yield on that day now the plan. Should take some stress out of decisions in season.
Also a training and relationship development exercise for new agronomist and myself.

My highly trained operator had to move on. New guy is the most pleasant (huge plus), mature, I've ever worked with but green. He needs instruction time my psche is ill equipped for.
Something as simple (yet not) as harrowing straw properly ahead of the drill to someone who's never drove a tractor. My people skills grossly under developed.
Also a lesson in the effects of toxicity in relationships. Recognizing PA behavior and eliminating it early.