FARMING PRACTICES
Farming philosophy
Schmidgall Family Farms has the knowledge, experience, and equipment to produce the best crop possible each year. Our many years in agriculture, combined with our commitment to adopting new technologies and innovative practices, help ensure consistent success season after season. Beyond growing high‑quality crops, we continually look for ways to provide our landowners with stronger financial returns.
A few of the ways we do this include:
-
Bulk seed purchasing to secure the best discounts and pass those savings directly to our landowners.
-
Applying all of our own chemicals and anhydrous ammonia, eliminating application fees and ensuring products are applied at the correct time for maximum effectiveness.
-
Working with the FSA to design and build waterways and field borders where needed, with all program payments passed on to the landowners.
Farming Structure
We plant corn in 30‑inch rows using two 40‑foot John Deere planters. For soybeans, we prefer 15‑inch rows, which support better soil conservation, though on flat ground where erosion is not a concern we also plant some soybeans in 30‑inch rows. All chemical applications are done with our John Deere self‑propelled sprayer equipped with a 120‑foot boom. Harvest is completed with two John Deere combines, two 8‑row corn heads, and both 40‑foot and 30‑foot soybean platforms.
We prefer to apply nitrogen to our corn fields at least twice each year. Most of the nitrogen is applied in the fall using our own anhydrous toolbar, injecting it into the soil in gas form shortly after harvest. Additional nitrogen is applied in the spring shortly before planting. Each season, we continue to test different nitrogen sources and timing strategies to ensure we are applying the right amount in the most effective ways and at the proper times of year.
We are Unique
Many aspects of our operation make us unique. One reason is our ability to complete a wide range of land improvements with our own equipment. Using our excavator, we remove unwanted trees and install culverts for creek crossings, field entrances, and other access points. With our trenching machine, we install new underground tile and repair damaged tile. Our dirt‑moving equipment allows us to shape and build waterways and dry dams wherever they are needed.
Another factor that sets us apart is that we apply all of our own chemicals. We make three applications each year, and timely application is essential for effective crop protection. By using our own sprayer, we maintain full control over when herbicides and other products are applied, ensuring accuracy, efficiency, and proper timing.
Technology
We prefer to be right behind the cutting edge of farming technology. We implement technology once it has been tested and proven to provide a benefit to our operation and to our landowners.
One of these technologies is swath control. We use swath control on our planter and sprayer. On the planter, swath control uses GPS to individually turn on and off each row. This completely eliminates any overlap and cuts down on seed costs. Swath control on the sprayer turns on and off sections of the 100 ft boom to cut down on overlap and pesticide cost. We have also installed some of the latest seed placement technology onto our planter that helps provide accurate seed spacing and placement.
We implement variable rate seeding which allows us to vary populations throughout a field. For corn, we plant higher populations in high-yielding parts of our fields and drop the rate in less productive areas of the fields.
