‘The early bird doesn’t always get the worm’

BROOKVILLE, Ind. — As planting season rolls on, southern Indiana From the Fields contributor Mindy Orschell shared an update on farm life with AgriNews.

Q: What’s one thing this spring has taught you about farming that you didn’t expect?

A: This planting season has been a great reminder that the early bird doesn’t always get the worm. It’s been frustrating waiting for ideal planting conditions.

Another lesson would be the importance of being patient and taking each day as it comes. We can only control the controllables, which in farming is not a lot.

Faith, perseverance and grit play a pretty big role in our operation, especially in the spring.

Q: Can you walk us through a typical day on your farm this time of year?

A: I’m not sure we have typical days; it seems like no two days are the same. We always get our cattle work done first and then switch gears to field and crop work.

Peppered in are usually trips to town for parts. Oftentimes there are runs to check cattle on different pastures.

Landlord visits, pricing inputs, checking on drainage tile and reviewing field maps are also crammed into the daily schedule.

So far this spring, a typical day involves looking at the constantly changing weather at least 25 times per day.

Q: How does your family balance long hours in the field with family time and daily life?

A: Now that our kids are grown that has gotten a little easier. For us, we just know that the long hours in the field are necessary and that our schedules will get easier as we get through this season.

Field meals and evening tractor rides are a constant. This allows us to catch up on everything while still keeping the planting progressing.

We typically walk through our days and make plans and logistics for the next day during our evening rides.

Q: What does involvement in Farm Bureau look like for you this time of year? Any recent projects or advocacy efforts?

A: For me, Farm Bureau in May is all about planning for summer and fall events. Since our Indiana legislators are no longer in session, we look forward to seeing them at local events and continuing to build those relationships.

I’m also gearing up for my trip to tour farms in the northeast region of the United States with the American Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee. We are always looking for ways to better serve and advocate.

Q. Are there any specific technologies or tools you’re relying on more this year?

A: Our operation continues to use our fall field data in grid maps to efficiently apply fertilizer. Another continuous improvement driven primarily by lack of storage is exploring new grain marketing programs. This has proven to be both frustrating and beneficial.

We continue to digitize our monitoring systems on our planters to provide quicker, more accurate feedback.

Q: Farming can be unpredictable — have you had to make any quick decisions or pivots lately?

A: Absolutely! It seems like we are always analyzing our timing when it comes to planting. With the colder winter we started out feeling as though we were behind. Then we received 6-plus inches of rain in a short time.

As we farm some bottom ground, we had over 300 acres underwater. We then had to pivot, and instead of spring planting preparations, we had to turn our focus first to field debris clean up.

Q: What’s something you’re hopeful about this growing season?

A: As farmers, we are the eternal optimist. We feel like we have adequately prepared, chosen good hybrids and are making good planting decisions.

We are hopeful for consistent weather, but ultimately we have to rely on our faith that this crop will have everything it needs to be bountiful.