Staff writer
The hot, dry weather has caused corn plants to dry down quickly; therefore, farm crews have been scurrying to harvest it. Some is being chopped for silage feed, some harvested as wet corn for feed, and some as grain.
Gary Diepenbrock of Lincolnville and his crew finished almost three weeks of corn harvesting Monday. Some was chopped for silage and some was combined as wet grain. Both kinds were packed into large trench silos.
It was an exhausting run with long days of work and short nights of rest. A 10-row silage cutter, two tandem-axle trucks, three semis, and two four-wheel drive tractors were used to do the work.
Diepenbrock’s wife, Pam, cooked meals and made sandwiches for a crew of eight to 10 every day. She said she didn’t mind because she enjoys cooking.
The corn silage and grain harvest will be put to good use, as Diepenbrock Farms has a large cattle-feeding operation. Gary Diepenbrock is assisted by his three sons, Tyler, Lance, and Jared.