Looking Good

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Hay baling

Partners & Friends,

Hope everyone had a great Independence Day! We received nearly 1.5 inches of rain last Friday night, and with the mild temperatures, everything is staying green and growing beautifully. In all my years, I don’t recall a crop looking this uniform, vibrant, and full. It’s truly a sight to see. 🙂

We at the Hess Family Farm are keeping busy with fungicide applications on corn and soybeans, roadside mowing, weed and fence row spraying, summer construction and maintenance projects, goat shows, equipment upkeep, and haymaking. As always, summer is flying by—can you believe the Illinois State Fair is just three weeks away? And school starts again in just over a month! 😳 Be sure to enjoy and savor the moments while you can.

The Big Beautiful Bill has passed and includes some favorable provisions for farmers. Commodity prices are reflecting current crop prospects. 😐

Our newest grandson, Elisha Theodore, and his beautiful mother, Lindsay, are doing well. We’re hoping to spend some quality family time together in the coming weeks. With granddaughters in college, we’ll have plenty of reasons for campus visits.😍 We’re finding ourselves more and more appreciative of our heritage and the perseverance of those who came before us—they’ve made our lives what they are today.

Fall Prices:

  • Corn: $4.12

  • Soybeans: $10.07

Stay cool!

Steve

Interns + Summer Festivities

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Abbott’s baptism

Partners & Friends,

This May and June, we welcomed our very first intern to Hess Family Farm! Cadence Monson, from Washington State, is heading into her junior year at the University of Idaho, where she’s majoring in Agricultural Business. During her three-week stay, she got a hands-on introduction to row crop farming in Illinois.

Cadence’s responsibilities were wide-ranging and immersive: spraying, haying, goat care, horseback riding, crop marketing, a combine factory tour, NH3 application, and more. There wasn’t much downtime—she experienced a deep dive into the daily life and operations of a working farm. After graduation, Cadence plans to return to her family’s wheat farm in the Palouse Hills. Her parents are part of the same peer group as Marcus and Shanna, which made the connection even more special.

We encourage any young person curious about farm life to consider spending time at HFF. It’s a great way to build your resume and explore whether farming could be part of your future.

We’ve wrapped up corn and soybean spraying, NH3 side-dressing, and the second cutting of alfalfa. We’ve also completed several construction projects (thanks, Phil!), done some goat breeding, and baled over 500 small square bales of grass hay, along with 50 big squares and many rounds. Machinery maintenance is ongoing, and we’re currently spraying fence rows and field edges. Waterhemp control remains a major concern. As always, we hold off on mowing roadsides until after nesting season ends (July 1).

The Illinois legislature has concluded its 2025 session. Highlights include:

  • A $0.14 increase in the gas tax

  • Continued support and protection for immigrants in sanctuary cities

  • No resolution yet on the state pension fund issue

We’re thrilled to announce we’re grandparents again! ❤️ Elisha Theodore Luecht was born on June 1st and welcomed home by four adoring siblings. Abbott was baptized at Crossing Camp, and our two oldest granddaughters, Miriam and Cora, had a beautiful graduation party.🎉Harper had a great week at the Illinois FFA Convention.

A special thanks to Uncle Phil, who blessed us and the farm with his presence for a few weeks. He was a tremendous help in tackling our project list and managing the labor force.

Fall Prices:

  • Corn: $4.13

  • Soybeans: $10.06

Soak up summer!

Steve

Concrete and Combines

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Cement pour

Partners & Friends,

There’s a lot happening this time of year on the farm! We’re busy applying NH3, spraying post-emergent chemicals, harvesting hay, spraying fence rows and roadsides, and tackling construction projects.

During last week’s rain delay, we poured a concrete pad and installed a sump in our chemical mixing area. This upgrade will make staging and mixing crop protection herbicides and fungicides much more efficient. One way we stay competitive is by purchasing chemicals wholesale and handling the mixing and application ourselves.

Our updated sprayer has really stepped up our game in terms of application efficiency. The controls are so user-friendly that Marcus insists even I could hop in and run it.🤔 The rain did cause some flooding in our Drowning Creek bottom, but the tiled areas bounced back well. Our tile plow still has plenty of work ahead.

The Big Beautiful Bill in D.C. offers some temporary relief for farmers, but commodity prices remain discouraging—especially considering the planting season we’ve had. That said, we’re seeing some very nice stands in the field. There’s a lot of talk about a hot and dry summer ahead—time will tell.

We toured the John Deere Harvester Works this week—WOW! Our intern, Cadence, is getting great exposure to a wide range of responsibilities. Uncle Phil is here lending a hand for a few weeks, and Lindsay is due any day now.❤️ The school year is finally wrapped up for our grandchildren. Last weekend we visited several graves in remembrance.

Fall Prices:

  • Corn: $4.10

  • Soybeans: $10.00

Steve

Graduations

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Partners & Friends,

What a week for celebrating our studious students! We now have a doctor in the family—Luke Hess graduated with honors from LSU last week as an anesthesiologist. He’s headed to a hospital in the Milwaukee area to begin his career.

Then, this past Sunday, we had the great pleasure of watching our two oldest granddaughters graduate from high school and Saint Louis Community College with honors and their associate degrees! Miriam is headed to Purdue to study Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, and Cora is set to attend the University of Illinois to study Data Science and Journalism. We’re so proud of their dedication and academic achievements. They certainly didn’t get that drive from me.🤔

The crops are emerging and growing well. We’re currently side-dressing NH3 on the corn and applying post-emergent herbicides. Our investment in planting and spraying technology is really paying off—emergence and planting speed are better than ever, and spraying efficiency has significantly improved. We’ve also been enjoying the help of our intern, Cadence, who’s been a great addition to the Hess Family Farm team this season.

Furthermore, we are upgrading our chemical mixing area and steadily working through our project list. It’s longer than we’ll likely finish, but we’re giving it our best shot.😉 A good rain would be very welcome right about now.

The One Big Beautiful bill in D.C. carries major implications for U.S. agriculture. Once the dust settles, we’ll see which parts make it through. The Farm Bill components could play a big role in next year’s cropping plans. The future of biofuels over the next four years is also uncertain. Meanwhile, tariffs are affecting parts, supplies, and commodity markets.

Graduations are such fulfilling and exciting milestones. Phyllis and I had the joy of watching all five grandchildren in Saint Louis perform in Stiftungsfest, their annual gymnastics performance at Concordia Turners. We’re also eagerly awaiting the arrival of a new Luecht grandchild—any day now! As the school year wraps up, it’s a good time to pause and remember the meaning behind Memorial Day: Faith, Family, Freedom.

Crop Prices:

  • Corn: $4.08

  • Soybeans: $9.98

Steve

Planting Equipment

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Partners & Friends,

We are currently experiencing a rain delay with approximately 350 acres of corn left to plant. This post includes numerous pictures of our new planter and tractor that we are using this spring. The last time we had new equipment was 50 years ago, in 1975, when we acquired a new MF 1085 tractor paired with a new IH 400 4-row planter, which had a spring tooth tillage attachment on the front. At the Hess Family Farm, equipment decisions are made with great care. Given the high costs, all input decisions are thoroughly considered and evaluated. Equipment, maintenance, and fuel costs exceed $150 per acre.

Our new planter is equipped with hydraulic downforce, individual row shutoffs, variable population capabilities, high speed planting tubes, and row closing adjustments that can be controlled from the cab. These features were all add-ons on our previous planter. The importance of precise planting has become increasingly evident over the past decade. The highest yield potential is achieved the day the seed is planted, and it must be done with utmost precision. There are four monitors in the cab providing real-time data to assist with decision-making as we move through the field.

My earliest memory of planting involves riding on the seat of a horse-drawn planter that had been converted to be pulled by an 8N Ford tractor. I was the "planter monitor," ensuring that the seed levels in the boxes were dropping evenly to prevent any rows from getting plugged. I wonder what planting will look like 70 years from now.

We have received about 1 inch of rain so far. Moisture conditions are good, but there is no surplus. We have been able to keep up with spraying for weed control right behind the planters. We are preparing to side-dress NH3, and hay making will begin soon. Here is a video link to a news segment about planting in the area—check it out. Summer projects are starting, and there are many summer events happening.

We are eagerly awaiting to see how the administration will address renewable fuels. The standards set now will influence how communities are treated in the coming years and the emphasis placed on green crop production. Will we "pay the farmer" for carbon reduction?

It's that time of year for baseball to begin, spring dance recitals, and high school graduations. Phyllis and I had a wonderful time last weekend in St. Louis, where our granddaughter Miriam guided us on an Anheuser-Busch Brewery tour. If you're ever in St. Louis, don't miss the chance to experience an AB tour; it's a great way to learn about brewing and enjoy some local history. We have two granddaughters heading to college next fall—Cora to University of Illinois and Miriam to Purdue University.

Fall Prices:

  • Corn: $4.50

  • Soybeans: $10.25

Enjoy Spring!

Steve