View From the Cab

DECATUR, Ill. (DTN) -- Stuart Sanderson climbed off the combine this week to give Mississippi State University students a real view from his cab. The Madison, Alabama, farmer was a guest lecturer for two days, covering topics such as farm production, marketing and management.

"Helping the next generation understand how to properly integrate and create business models that provide working capital and create brand names for themselves can be the difference between can and can't," said Sanderson. "There's such a need for farmers to engage like this.

"Preparing to present on these topics caused me to reflect on my own practices and do some self-analysis about our own farming operation. It was a good opportunity for me to reexamine why we do things or how we can do better," he said.

In Nebraska, Ethan Zoerb found himself doing some farm analysis this week, too. The combine cab is a good place to make agronomic observations and see if yield results are coming close to expectations.

After worrying about soybeans all summer, Zoerb was finding yields to be slightly better than initially feared, but still under yield goals. The yield monitor was also showing how some corn hybrids succumbed to disease pressure more than others this season, despite aggressive scouting and timely fungicide applications.

"Dad and I are in the fields watching all summer. We get to know these hybrids and varieties. We also have test plots that point out performance differences. Still, the combine always teaches us a few things that we can't see during scouting," said Zoerb, who farms near Litchfield with his parents, Dale and Linda.

Zoerb and Sanderson have been participating this year in DTN's View from the Cab series. It's the 21st year for the feature, which runs throughout the growing season and covers agronomic observations and other farm-related issues.

This week harvest was still underway on both farms. Seeding of small grains and cover crops was also on the work schedule. A recent rash of field and combine fires in farm country prompted the farmers to urge a review of insurance policies. And, just for fun, they talk about what their perfect day might look like.

ETHAN ZOERB: LITCHFIELD, NEBRASKA

With about 40% of the 2025 crop harvested, Ethan Zoerb is finally at the point where he'll declare harvest officially underway. "It seems like it takes us that long to get past looking for fields that are ready to open and get everything running smoothly," he said.

This week, most of the corn was shelling around 19% to 20% moisture, although some was still in the mid-20% range. Last week, Zoerb Farms concentrated on fulfilling contracts to a local feedlot, a move that tacks on a premium for delivering high-moisture corn and lets them avoid drying and storage costs.

So far, corn yields have been somewhat disappointing, Zoerb noted. "I've got a couple of numbers I never want to see again. Although the crop stayed green and was visually healthy, grain quality suffered in those early harvested fields with test weight running around 55 pounds in one hybrid," he said. So far, yields on the irrigated crop have been in the 240- to 250-bushel-per-acre (bpa) range.

"I'm hopeful for a little better showing on the rest of the corn crop on quality and yield," he said.

Zoerb makes no secret of the fact that he prefers growing corn. "Beans are such fickle monsters," he said.

The 2024 soybean crops in this area shut down fast and were mostly harvested below 10% moisture.

"We've picked up some yield compared to last year just by being able to harvest beans around 12% to 13% moisture. We even left soybean harvest for a bit to meet high-moisture corn obligations, and when we came back to them, they'd picked up a little moisture," he said.

There was a period this summer where Zoerb felt the soybean crop languished. He called in his seed adviser to consult, but they never resolved an exact cause other than to observe an abundance of cloudy days.

"I do think that month or more where the crop seemed stalled cost us bushels," he said. Whole farm averages on beans have been in the low 80 bpa range. While that sounds respectable, Zoerb was managing for 90 to 95 bpa on his irrigated fields.

"We're 10 bpa off where they should have been and probably 15 bpa off on our top end soybean yields," he noted.

Getting soybeans acres cleaned off was providing an opportunity to do some dirt work in a few rutted fields. Cereal rye was being seeded as a cover crop to hold those disturbed soils.

Wind is always an issue on the Plains, and DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick has penciled breezy conditions into the region's forecast for the coming week. A cold front is expected to move through the area on Monday, Oct. 20, but it is not expected to deliver much in the way of rain, Baranick said.

"Temperatures rise again to end the week. They should have dry weather to continue harvest," he said.

Field and equipment fires are always on Zoerb's watch list. This year, rains have dampened the threat for this farm, but moving parts, hot bearings and dust can be a dangerous combination this time of year. Plenty of reports of fires have filtered in from other areas of the country.

As a young farmer, Zoerb particularly feels the need to protect his investment. His equity position makes it more difficult to endure losses.

"The prices to replace pivots, for example, have gone through the roof in recent years," Zoerb noted. "It's important to review policies to understand what replacement value we're talking about versus cash value. It's tempting in tough times to cut back on expenses, but I'm in a position where I'd rather pay a little more to be covered."

A perfect day would include never having to use that insurance.

However, when asked to build out what his best day ever looks like, Zoerb puts being with family front and center.

Although he farms with family and would seem to be with them every day, he said it never grows old. This week there's a surprise birthday party for his mother.

"The combines will stop and we'll celebrate. She didn't grow up in a farm family and didn't know not to be born in October," he joked.

"Plus, we stop for her birthday because she never stops doing for us. The night will probably involve a little Nebraska football and volleyball and some tailgating with family," Zoerb said.

"This time of year, the days can get long, and I don't see my kids as much as I'd like. We had a few really relaxed days this summer where we went to church and then just had family time. One day we went to the little lake by town and fished.

"Watching a movie together. Spending an afternoon coaching one of the sports teams. Finishing off the day making and eating s'mores on the back patio. Those are things that make my day great," he said.

STUART SANDERSON: MADISON, ALABAMA

Rounding that parental corner when a child asks you to engage with peers is always a proud moment. So, when Spencer Sanderson asked Dad if he would be willing to address some college classes on farm management topics, there was no hesitation.

Talking to others about the economics of agriculture is one of Sanderson's passions. He did wonder going into the experience if he could hold the attention of students with today's technology distractions.

"The classroom has changed a little bit in 30 years, but I never saw a phone come out, and they were taking notes. I consider that a personal victory," he said.

Sanderson's message stressed the importance of farmers knowing, understanding and using marketing tools and how to keep those fundamentals in place to reduce risk.

"I talked a lot about profitability and the steps to take to establish a good farm management program. A small percentage in the ag community uses any kind of marketing tool or can produce a working balance sheet to tell you what their working capital consists of and what their profit margins are.

"We talk a lot about automation and progress and sustainability in agriculture, but the real building blocks of a successful farm operation come in financial management. It's the baseline for everything," he said.

Giving the lecture in person also held significance for Sanderson. The digital world has life moving at a fast clip, and he worries that this generation is losing the ability to interact on a personal level.

"I talked about the importance of keeping relationships with lenders and suppliers. And I talked about having a group of farmer peers that keep me grounded," Sanderson said of his college speech.

Back at the farm, harvest of double-crop soybeans has been underway. "It's been a strong second crop in the mid-70-bushel-per-acre yield range. Our full-season irrigated beans were around the 80-bushel (per acre) mark, so I'm extremely satisfied with these double-crop numbers," he said.

This is the earliest Sanderson can remember they've been able to grab that second crop. That's given the crews plenty of time to prep wheat ground for seeding.

DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick expected temperatures to fall early in the coming week after a front moves through the Madison area on Sunday, Oct. 19.

"Temperatures should be close to normal for mid-October. Another front moves through on Tuesday with the possibility of a few spotty showers, Baranick said. But temperatures and rainfall shouldn't be dramatic and make for good wheat seeding conditions.

Winter canola has already emerged. They irrigated it early, and the stand is looking great, Sanderson said.

The farm crews have also spent time cleaning up the aftermath of a spring tornado. Sanderson said insurance falls into those farm management lessons.

"In recent weeks, I did a reevaluation on our grain system and increased coverage by another $1.5 million. The actual cost of replacement continues to skyrocket on everything, and keeping up with it and making those decisions is part of being meticulous about keeping on top of the business," he said.

Sanderson admits he doesn't like paying premiums any more than the next person. "Insurance is something we must have to protect us but hope we never have to use. For the most part, it doesn't make you whole," he said. "But I do take a hard look at return on investment as I'm making the decisions on how to cover items."

For example, he insures pivots at full replacement cost. It doesn't take much repair on combines, sprayers and big tractors to surpass deductibles, and he sometimes looks to shave premiums by increasing deductibles there. Some machines he likes to include a rental clause.

"The grain elevator has an economic impact adjustment included in the policy. Our grain facility is a major cog in the whole logistics process of the farm. If a tornado came through and laid it down, it would have a dramatic impact on us," Sanderson said.

"It offers more than the ability to profitably market that grain. It allows us to get the crop out quicker at a better condition and get it safe and secured. The premium for that kind of coverage is reasonable considering what it offers," he added.

Finding a trusted agent that is willing to work through scenarios sounds like a pat answer, but it is critical, Sanderson said. "Again, it goes back to establishing those personal relationships and finding someone willing to spend the time to help that really counts."

He agrees that a good day is one where things don't go wrong. However, a really great day takes many different directions for Sanderson.

Standing on hole No. 1 at St. Andrews golf course in Scotland ranks high on the list. So does sitting at the beach with his wife or being up early in a duck blind with hunting buddies (even if it is 28 degrees and the wind is howling).

But for now, he'll choose the last few days spent with his son in a room full of students eager to learn about the business of farming. "Those were two really great days full of questions and hope for the future," he said.

Pamela Smith can be reached at pamela.smith@dtn.com

Follow her on Twitter @PamSmithDTN

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