Invite someone to ride shotgun in the combine to exchange ideas 

By Shaun Casteel, Purdue Extension Soybean Specialist 

It is no surprise that my favorite time of the year is fall. I am sure that it is one of your favorite times, if not your favorite, as well. It is hard to beat a cup of coffee at the beginning of the cool, crisp mornings followed by time harvesting the crops you’ve raised all season. 

Grandma would bring lunch and supper for our tailgate breaks. As the harvest was finishing, we would enjoy a wiener roast or two with the fixings and roasted marshmallows for a treat. The times around the tailgate, the fire or riding shotgun in the combine are some of my best memories. We would talk about how the crop was looking or the grain moisture of the last load. 

Sometimes, we didn’t talk at all but just soaked in the rays of the sun or the heat from the fire. The lessons were clearly taught even if words were not spoken. 

I am fortunate to spend time riding shotgun with farmers who are working with us to fine-tune soybean management recommendations. We have great conversations regarding the study, the season and the future. I will share how the study compares to others this season and how it compares to the past. 

The relationship is a wonderful one of give-and-take as the questions and comments volley back and forth. We explain some of the differences that are seen in the treatments to the variation in the field due to the season. We even ask questions without knowing the answer. 

My message this month is simple – who is riding shotgun? I strongly encourage you to share in the time with the people in your farming operation – family, friends, landlords, tenants, agronomists, etc. In today’s age of run, run, run and go, go, go; we miss out on opportunities to develop relationships and to learn from each other. 

The doors of communication open more freely if there is an invitation. You will be amazed at the bonds that are forged to the mutual lessons learned. 

Perhaps, you have farmed a field for more than 10 years and you know the field needs tiled, but the landlord doesn’t see the value. The invitation to ride shotgun in the combine or in the planting tractor next spring might be the lesson needed. The other points of conversation will be mutually beneficial. 

Dare I say, we invite a neighbor to ride shotgun to learn from each other’s experiences? Make a comparison of two varieties in a split-planter trial, the color of the combine and its ability to uniformly spread corn residue, or an evaluation of new product. 

People within some farms always run the same equipment or operations, so it would be an opportunity for someone else to observe, to ask questions, and to learn. Perhaps, your person planting soybeans is not the same as your person harvesting those fields. 

An hour to an afternoon could be the answer to longstanding problems – such as seed depth control behind the tractor and planter tires or planter alignment (or misalignment) with old corn rows. 

A fresh perspective may be just the ticket needed to improve your farm – agronomically, environmentally, economically or simply personally. Ask yourself, who is riding shotgun?