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VisitWithMarkRumbold

Hi This weeks "offering" ! G.

Sour Grapes and Saddle Sores

George Hirst

A visit with Mike Rumbold For Dec. 14th

This is the second report on how the 2005 crop production turned out. Since there is a addition in the shipping and the handling of grain, this will speak of that additions as well as destination and method. Stark County farmers are involved in the ownership of those facilities. They also plan and study markets. I find these things interesting and valuable in my relationships with my friends who are members of our largest industry. I share them with you because I think you all need to know.

Mike Rumbold , President of Rumbold Kuhn Grain, is an involved citizen of Stark County. He is a leader among the agriculturists in our community. I count on him to give me informative answers to my questions. He provided me with numbers and conditions that enables me to tell you about how farming was in 2005. I gained the same kind of report from Gene Gill.

Overall production from the land farmed by Rumbold farms was 80 to a 180 bushels per acre for corn and 45 to 55 bushels per acre for soy beans. I asked him about the talk of an increase in wheat and soy bean acreage for 2006. He said that they were going to stay in the crop rotation they use. "We have good years and bad years, but overall we stay the course."

The fuel for the equipment is biodiesel. They have a contract for the fuel to obtain the best price.

Rumbold Kuhn elevators are all full with stored grain. There are 500,000 bushels of corn on the ground. Every time I see those piles of corn on the ground, I am fascinated at the way those piles are protected from wind and moisture. A crust is formed by the corn that seals the storage pile from weather.

The Lincoln Land Rail grain train system outside Galva Illinois is beginning its second year. Four elevator companies own the facility. They are Rumbold and Kuhn, Goldstar F S , Gateway Corporation and Woodhull Co-op. This system is a new shipping method. It is in an addition to the shipping by barges down to the Mississippi River. Corn is the only grain shipped. In the first year, 13,300,000 bushels of corn was shipped. Ninety to ninety five percent of the corn went to Hereford, Texas to be fed to livestock in feed yards there. A small amount went into Mexico for feeding livestock and food processing. The facility opened for business August, 2004.

It is this "lay" persons observation that the way December came in with sharply colder and wetter weather. which goes against long range forecast, that the 2006 crop year will show some improvement. We shall see won’t we? I am thankful to Mike for his time.

SourGrapesAndSaddleSores
Created by KKris. Last Modification: Saturday 09 of September, 2006 17:54:10 EDT by KKris.