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(If you would like a printed
version of the newsletter, with pictures, please call one of the Topflight
offices, or the main office at 217-678-2261.
We will be happy to mail a copy to you.)
By Richard Thomas
At the annual meeting this year, I wanted to have the theme of the meeting be about employees. So, if you noticed on the back of the financial report that was handed out, it named each employee and their years of service. The combined years or service for our 29 full time employees amounted to 391 years. We honored the 20 and 25 year employees at the annual meeting. Pam was one of the 20 year employees and we gave her a nice necklace with charms that signify some of the many jobs she handles for this company. I couldn’t think of the right words to really explain what Pam has meant to me in the 20 years she has worked here, but I tried. I guess I did say they should name the company “Pam Grain”. The other employee who had worked here for 20 years, Garold Hillogoss, I gave him enough money so he could buy some Redwing work shoes. I called his wife and asked what he might like and she gave me the idea. I see he did get some. The three 25 year employees, I gave a very nice watch with Topflight printed on the face, and their name engraved on the back, with the years of service. Louie Tieman, Roger Burton, and Denny Hill were the three that received watches. I hired Roger Burton right out of high school, and he’s been here ever since. We even have his son, Michael, working for us now, so we’re starting on the second generation. OLE Louie kinda cheated on us, but I still consider him working here for 25 years. He left us for a year and moved to Texas to seek his fortune. Then, one day, I got this call from Texas and Louie wanted to know if he could have his job back. So, he came back, and I hope he has never regretted his decision because he sure does a great job for us. Denny Hill started to work right out of college for Cisco Grain and then moved to Emery as the branch manager in 1981. Denny grew up on a farm not far from the Emery elevator. So you know he has to be good, because it is hard to be successful that close to home.
I have often said you can have all the concrete and steel storage that money can buy, but if you don’t have the good people to run the facilities, they are worthless. In some of our recent business endeavors, this people thing has really come to light.
We have been very fortunate over the years to have many very talented employees work for us, and move on to bigger and better opportunities. But even more fortunate to be able to give those employees still working for us the incentives and challenges to keep them with the company.
By the time you get this newsletter, we will be well along with harvest. With the thousands of acres of corn we have blown down in our trade area, and the time and patience it will take to harvest this crop, I hope and pray that we get through this harvest without anyone getting hurt.
I’d like to close by saying, if you ever feel the urge to give an employee a compliment, I would encourage you to do so.
By Eric Clements
I sure did have an enjoyable summer. I helped coach Mitchell’s T-ball team again this year. Rob Flavin helped me again this year and we had a great time coaching these kids. Mitchell is seven now, so next year, it’s on to Little League. Hayden is two and when they developed the term “terrible twos”, I think they had him in mind. Dick told me, at the company party, that he thinks I will get to know the school’s administration quite well someday.
Topflight operations staff has been very busy this summer, preparing for what looks like a big harvest ahead. Topflight purchased a 130 foot Carter Stacker Belt, similar to the two we already own. We plan to have corn piles at Emery, Milmine, Voorhies, and Pierson. Topflight has four tractor augers to pick up those piles. We are equipped to pick these piles up in a hurry. Hopefully, we will have a nice dry harvest like last year.
I hope all of you have a safe and productive harvest.
By Chuck Bentley
Topflight Grain has finished their second fiscal year, financially. Each year has shown the benefits of consolidation, including a strong balance sheet, abilities to upgrade required facilities, utilization of labor, continued savings in general and administrative expenses. The list goes on and on.
Opportunities will present themselves to continue to grow. Topflight Grain is in the position to take advantage of these opportunities, and continue to add to the stability of itself and the surrounding agricultural community.
Prospects are looking good for another large volume harvest. Volume is what Topflight Grain requires to thrive on. If all goes well, another year presents itself with challenges and opportunities.
The
following paragraph was written, for me, by a co-worker that I promised to pay
for, because it saves me time and take up room in my allotted space for these
articles that I love to write:
JUST DAMM GLAD TO BE HERE
By Charles S. Bentley
On any given Monday, when I wake up next to my beautiful wife and the sun is shining, I can’t stop thinking how lucky I am. I start my morning with a walk with my big chocolate Labrador Retriever, strolling around my well groomed pond, watching the geese. Then, it is off to the Topnotch Grain elevator. Somedays, I stop and get doughnuts for my smiling co-workers. I really enjoy working with all the patrons on stock and getting fuel cards setup for new customers. Lunch is special for me, also. I may get in 2 or 3 cigarettes and a great meal at the West End. The balance of the afternoon goes by so fast. I just can’t wait to jump into my pickup and unwind, looking forward to a homecooked meal and watching the sun go down, with a fishing pole between my toes.
By Louie Tieman
As harvest is approaching rapidly, everyone was asking when my first load would be. I said the week of the 10th, but since Mother Nature came through with a vengeance, it speeded the process up. My first corn was August 30 and was 33.3% and around 200 plus bushels per acre, when you dry it down to 15.0%.
I have been up in the air, twice, this August and boy! It can change in a hurry. From Milmine to the north about 3 miles, will be my worst to come in. You don’t realize what a whole 80 acre field looks like when it’s completely flat, but you can sure tell it from the air. I just hope everyone is a little extra careful this harvest and doesn’t try to rush things. PLEASE be careful when harvesting your down corn. Not much else to say about harvest, but have a safe one and hopefully, a bountiful one.
Misty got married in May, at Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in the Smoky Mountains. I have to say I can brag about her wedding, because I rented a ’32 Roadster and drove them up and down the Main Street, with Nancy honking the horn. David, Misty’s husband, and I have to admit I was getting a little of it myself. Nancy just loved it. Oh, yea, by the way, how many fathers can say they went on the honeymoon with their daughter for 12 days? The only thing Misty said was that I couldn’t stay with them, in their room that night. It was okay, because she was sicker than a dog that night. She got food poisoning.
Probably the biggest challenge I’ve ever had was June 3rd and 4th. I did the Cancer Relay for Life as a 1 person team. I ran and walked for 13 hours, 5 minutes, and 49 seconds. I raised over $1500 and got to run and walk with Misty, as she is a survivor. That was the best feeling I’ve ever had. I got to give back something from a disease that took away from me. It was the most exciting race I’ve ever done. At 4:00 AM, I was wondering if the sun would ever come up. Next year will be hard to top that, but if you get a chance to see the event, you’ll be glad you did. It’s an awesome site!
Check out Chuck’s article. He was willing to pay one of us to write an article for him, so I’m anxious to see what he said.
Have a safe harvest and Thanks for your Topflight support.!!!
By Vanessa Stinson
Looks like summer has passed us away again. The crops are turning and everyone is getting ready for the harvest. We, at Laplace, are no different. The pile of corn that was put on the ground last fall is still waiting to be picked up. So, everyone asks me, “Where are you going to put all of the corn this year?” I asked if we could make the pile a double decker. Ha!Ha! Well, we will be shipping it out as quick as it comes in this year, so beware of more semi traffic.
The two bins to the west of the office have been taken down for preparation of the new soybean facility that will be erected after the harvest season this year. We will be moving the office to the west end of our property with a new scale. Then, we will have two bins that will hold 426,000 bushels of beans, along with an 800 bushel pit. This is going to make this “horse and buggy” elevator pretty darned slick!
There will be no changes this year in the way that we operate here. The traffic patterns are the same.
This is a short article this time, but wait until after harvest.
To all of you, have a great harvest and may God bless you!
By Scott Docherty
The National Weather Service had a press release in February and predicted extreme heat and dry conditions for much of the Midwest. Rain totals have been running behind averages, but we did NOT have any days above 90 degrees until the 2nd week of August. This press release cost the American farmers billions of dollars. It shut off any and all new crop selling for the fall of 2000 delivery. We did come into spring with very little subsoil moisture and spotty spring showers. This is a classic situation to use a cash put contract to give yourself a floor above the loan rate, yet giving yourself upside potential if the so called drought did materialize.
Final payments for the ’99 crop marketing pool were sent out in August. We were pleased with the final result of these pools, for example, one of the fall delivery pools final price was $2.31 for corn and $5.84 for soybeans. Keep in mind, these are net numbers, after all fees have been taken out. Denny Hill has taken over our marketing pool program and will be working with you on the 2000 crop programs.
The August USDA report projected a 10.369 billion bushel corn crop and a 2.989 billion bushel bean crop. These may be the largest numbers we will see for this crop if the late August heat continues into September. You should also pay attention to the export demand projected by the USDA. Corn exports of 2.125 billion bushels and bean exports of 1.010 billion bushels will be very good. Corn ending stocks, projected to be at 2.389 billion bushels and beans at 465 million bushels, are still very comfortable levels. We are still in a carry market with good carries to the deferred month. You should be selling your corn 3 to 4 months ahead of your cash flow needs. I look for a price range in December corn of $2.05 to $1.75 before expiration and $5.25 and $4.60 in November beans. There is still a chance of raising the $75,000 cap on loan deficiency payments, if passed by Congress in late September. I hope you understand which forms to sign for collecting your LDP. If you need help, any one of our location managers can help you.
Topflight Grain should have enough storage for everyone this year, even with a big crop coming on and our drying rates are unchanged from last year, with natural gas prices double of what they were one year ago.
This summer, like most, has gone way too fast. Serge graduated in May, from Bement High School, and started college at Parkland this fall. Dillon had a good season in Little League, with his team winning the tournament. Dillon also won first place at the Illinois State Fair pedal tractor pull for his weight class. Annie starts first grade and lost three front teeth this summer. Denise put a lot of hours in working on the after prom for the seniors and also, her dance recital. Then, she worked and sang at the Miss Piatt County queen pageant, which she loves to do. I hope you have enjoyed your summer as much as we have.
Remember, safety first, and have a successful harvest.
EMERY NEWS
By Denny Hill
Harvest is almost upon us again. Boy, do the summers fly by quickly when you stay busy. It seemed like just last week the kids got out of school for the summer and here they are getting back on the school buses again. Here at the elevator, we’ve been busy preparing for the record crop that is supposed to be out there. Being pretty well empty at the start of the summer, Charlie has been cleaning out the bottoms of the bins and figuring out what needs to be repaired. It seems like it is a never-ending chore when you start patching holes in the spouts and replacing buckets in the legs. Of course with the summer we’ve had, the mowing has been a fulltime job. I told Charlie when Eric got us a new mower last winter, that we would probably have a drought and not get to use it very much. I think we’re on the second set of blades and it gets used twice a week. Some new changes at Emery this fall would include, soybeans will be dumped back over in the west tank and pit like we did 2 years ago. This plan seemed to work a little better considering everything. STS beans will be dumped in the old main house just as we did last year. Make sure you notify me when you bring them in, where no mistakes will be made in the handling of these beans. You won’t have to fight the semi’s loading out this year as bad, because we plan on putting corn on the ground this year. You will still dump the same place, as always, so this will not affect your operation at all. Another big improvement this summer was we did some oiling of the driveways. This has helped in keeping the dust down and from making some big potholes you have bounced thru at one time or another. With Jim Tholen taking a new position with Staley Grain, I have taken over the position of Market Adviser and run the pool program we offer to all of our customers in the Topflight trading area. I’m finding this program to be very exciting and beneficial to our customers. Last year’s pool rewarded our customers with $2.31 a bushel on corn and $5.84 on soybeans. So far this year we our showing a 24-cent profit above loan on corn and 7-cent above loan on soybeans. We will be starting new pools this fall, so if anyone is interested, please feel free to call me at 1-800-955-2180 or get in touch with Scott Docherty at Bement. Our family was busy again attending ball games and practicing for cheerleading. Jessica, our oldest, will be a freshman at Maroa-Forsyth this year and will be on cheerleading squad. Meghan will be a 6th grader at Maroa and will be active in all sports. My wife Terri is starting her 18th year of teaching at Blue Mound in the Meridian School District. You might see us going three different directions on any given night, but we’re all looking forward to it. HAVE A SAVE HARVEST !!!
By Mikki Burns
Harvest is upon us once again –
With this crop, it looks like we’ll bust each bin!!
Therefore, the prices are again very low –
So to the FSA offices, again we will go!!
When the prices did rally, few contracts were sold –
“There is going to be a drought” we were all told!!
The rains and good growing weather put a halt to that rumor –
That left most folks in very bad humor!!
Did old man greed again get in the way?
Of what would have worked out to be pretty good pay!!
Oh well, hindsight has always been a factor in farming –
That’s why these prices seem so alarming!!
Somehow it will all work out again this year –
Just make sure all forms are signed before you put that combine in gear!!
Cisco is almost empty so we can handle all your grain –
We’ll hope for good weather and not a lot of rain!!
So, to our farmers, we wish a plentiful and safe harvest day by day –
Your business is appreciated in each and every way!!
FROM
THE ATWOOD OFFICE
By Debbie Bryant
I can’t believe that it is time for harvest again. This is the time of the year that everyone has been waiting for - - when we see the results of all of the work that has been done all Spring and Summer. I hope all goes will for you.
Each time Pam sends an email out saying “It’s time for you newsletter articles”, it seems more difficult to think of something to write about. I hope I don’t bore you too badly with a few thoughts from this summer.
On June 7th, Dick took the women of Topflight Grain on a tour of the Chicago Board of Trade. We left from Champaign at 6:30 AM by train. He must be a real brave man to take seven women to Chicago for the day!
As my son begins eighth grade this year, I am reminded on a regular basis of how little I k now. For example, the algebra that I took as a freshman (about 30 years ago) suddenly looks like a foreign language to me. I can’t imagine why! The band routines he tries to tell me about are another subject that I get lost, trying to imagine what they would look like. They all seemed so simple to do when I was in high school.
He thought he was pretty smart when we were at WalMart one day a few months ago, and I went to use by debit card. I made one little mistake and had to start over. He told the cashier, very seriously, that I am “technology impaired”. At least, now I know there is a politically correct term for my condition.
If he knows everything know, just think how stupid I’ll appear to him by the time he graduates! I realize that before long, he will no longer want to be seen with me at all, but some days it’s hard to remember it!
Oh well, enough about that!
We’ve had some nasty storms this summer. Some fields have a lot of damage. It will take some patience to harvest some of them.
Well, I guess I’ve rambled on long enough.
Have a safe and bountiful harvest.
By Russel Wright
Another spring and summer have come and gone, and with it, a new manager at Pierson. We said goodbye and good luck to Jim in June. His shoes will be very hard to fill, so with my wife, Debby’s, blessing and encouragement from Dick, I took the job. I have been with the company for 28 years. As many of you know, I used to drive Topflight’s semi, so this is a change! I’m still trying to find the gear shift on the computer! But, thanks to Gloria’s and Pam’s help, I am learning the computer system.
During May and part of June, I was out calling on our many customers. I met some very interesting people in our vast trade area. One day, I might be working the Atwood-Pierson area, then the next day, be over to the Emery area. Lots of square miles to be covered. One thing I noticed about the farmers was that everyone loves the job and wouldn’t trade it for anything else regardless of low corn and bean prices and a high cost of living.
Now, back to what has been happening at the Pierson and Atwood facilities. Gary, Benny, Willard. Bill, and part-timers Steve Jacobs and his son J.W., and Ken Hug have been busy cleaning out bins, getting the two rings ready, and the dryer cleaned out and filled.
It seems that it rains every week and that means lots of mowing either at Pierson, Atwood, Burrowsville, or Lanton. I have to compliment the work crew. They sure do keep everything looking good. Gary’s brother oiled and chipped the driveways to help control the dust problem at harvest time.
We plan to use the empty lot behind the rings at Pierson for storage of corn. After going on our crop tour, looks lie we will need every bit of empty space. I want to say thank you to R D Cundiff, Bill Schable, Allen Reeder, Jim Cullison, and Steve Adkisson for stomping through the mud at this year’s crop tour.
Again, I want to thank everyone for making the transition from Jim to myself go smoothly. Stop by and visit, or I will be to visit you.
Have a safe and abundant harvest.
I
CAN’T GO BACKWARDS!!
By Pam Jarboe
I did it again! I tried to be a farmwife! Dan asked me help him one Saturday in August. He needed help moving equipment. My job was to pull the loaded hayrack from our place in Ivesdale, to a farm northeast of Arthur. After I unhooked that rack, I was to go south around the section, to the neighbor’s, hook up to an empty hay rack, and meet them at the hayfield, just east of Arthur. I arrived in Atwood, with the VERY full hayrack, just in time to watch the Apple Dumpling Parade go through town. The parade, although enjoyable, also blocked traffic to narrow lanes that I didn’t want to pull through with that overhanging load. While I was watching the parade, the county sheriff, among others, squeezed past my load of hay, (which was taking more than its share of the center line). I could only hope that my step-daughter’s employment with the county sheriff’s office would buy me some grace!
Finally, Dan came behind me, with his tractor and baler, and took the truck through the traffic. On my way again, I reached my first destination, and my second destination, hooked up to the long, empty hayrack, and headed south, per my instructions. South, was a dead end road. Me, a truck, and LONG hayrack, and a dead end road. And I can’t go backwards! I went forward, I went backward, I turned the wheel the direction I wanted to go, I turned the wheel the opposite direction I wanted to go. Finally, a very nice neighbor and small boy came to my rescue. We unhooked the hayrack, backed it up by hand, then hooked the truck up, and I was able to go forward once again. They gave me the directions I should have followed the first time, and I finally arrived at the hayfield!!
At Topflight, we try not to go backwards, either! We have planned and prepared for this harvest, hoping that it will go smoothly. Eric, Dick, and Scott have estimated the crop size, available space, shipments, and other options for grain storage. Chuck presents a financial statement at each board meeting, so that our income and expenses will keep us moving forward, not backward. Each of our facilities is updated with equipment and personnel to keep you moving forward this harvest. With the Loan Deficiency Program a major factor in your income this year, we will always be working with you to get the paperwork done correctly so we can go forward with that work.
Currently, we are also working with Monticello Grain, helping them to go forward with harvest and provide their stockholders with a good facility and good records.
We wish you a safe, forward-moving harvest. Please keep in touch with us, as your grain is delivered so that we can process it correctly.
Whether backing up an empty hayrack, or solving other problems, there are many approaches, many methods, and many answers.
2000 CROP TOUR
by Scott Docherty
Topflight Grain sent out 10 different teams to cover our trade territory, which covers approximately 150,000 acres in 5 different counties, on Tuesday, August 22. Pam, Vanessa, and Louie and already taken aerial pictures of down corn fields and flattened bean fields.
The population was very good, averaging 29 to 30,000 plants per acre and no drowned out areas and no blank area because of poor emergence. The corn averaged 171 bushels per acre with a team high of 184 bushels per acre and a low team average of 145 bushels per acre. The beans averaged 47.7 bushels per acre with a team high of 53 bushels per acre and a team low of 44 bushels per acre. I did notice that rainfall as of the date of our tour was 1.5 inches below the previous year for Piatt County. We suggested that corn yields would be 15 bushels better than the 1999 crop averages and beans to be 5 to 7 bushels less that the 1999 averages.
Mike Hall, from MLH Futures, gave a flat price range for corn to be $1.75 to $2.25 futures, and a range for soybeans of $4.50 to $5.25 futures. Brian Malone talked about changes in the farm program and explained the different forms to collect the LDP and using certificates for the loan program. The crop tour meeting was well attended by 80 patrons and employees of Topflight Grain Coop. The attendees received a good meal and good information.
CAN YOU PUT THE COLOR IN THESE
MOVIE TITLES?
Many movies with colors in their titles have raked in the green at the box office. Here’s a quiz to test your knowledge of these films. Simply fill in each blank with the color that’s missing. The answers are printed near the end of the newsletter.
VOICE MAIL
By Richard Thomas
I remember the first time I ever had to leave a message on a telephone answering machine and I refused to do it. Times have changed and the first thing I do when I get home now is to look at the answering machine to see how many messages we have. I also appreciate my being able to leave messages with board members about special meetings, my kids about news, and my wife when she’s out in the yard working.
But, this voice mail is driving me crazy. Just like today, I called Illinois Power and wanted to know what the price of natural gas would be this fall. By the time they got through giving me all my choices of the different departments, I forgot the number to the department I thought might work. So, I called again, and went through the whole sequence, then entered the correct extension number and then I got voice mail. “Sorry, I’m not at my desk. I am in the office today, but give me your name and number and I will try to call you back.” Do you ever get the feeling that they are sitting at their desk, reading the newspaper and when they see your caller ID number, they think “Oh, Dick can wait. I’ll call him back after I finish reading the paper.”
Sorry, but we are going to discourage our people from doing business with companies that don’t answer the phone or take messages. You call here and someone will answer the phone. If the person you’re calling is out, they will take a message. But, if your call is urgent, our people will either call your party on the FM radio, or as soon as they arrive back in the office, tell them they have an important message. Now, I admit, that some of the service companies that work for us have pagers, and I do think they are a big help. Most of the time, they will call you back as soon as they get to a phone. The office voice mail just gets me fired up.
I might add that if you are put on hold, here at the Bement Topflight office, that is me on the “hold” tape, giving you some thoughts for the day. We may have to put you on hold until your party comes to the phone, but we even want that to be a pleasant experience. Eric had one supplier give us a break on shipment of his product if I would send him a copy of our “hold” tape. So, I guess some people do enjoy it.
Who knows, we may have to break down and get voice mail, but for now, we’re still going to have those pleasant voices answering the phone.
HEALTH INSURANCE
By Richard Thomas
I’m sure anyone reading this article has been, or will be, faced with an increase in health insurance premiums. Our health insurance provider increased our premium by 50%, starting the 1st of July of this year. The total increase in premiums amounted to $60,000. We took all the necessary steps to have our employees fill out applications forms and then presented them to several health insurance companies. We did change carriers and were able to keep the increase down to around 30%. We also had to ask our employees to pick up part of the increase, which, in some cases, meant whatever raise most of our employees got was eat up by higher health insurance premiums.
I have talked to State Senator Duane Nolan and State Representative Julie Curry about what seems to be an out of control situation with health insurance. I told both of them I really didn’t have a solution, but wanted them to be aware of the situation. They both agreed that something needed to be done. Julie Curry had introduced legislation to prohibit a current carrier from raising your premium by 25% a year. So, what they were doing was giving the raises before the law took effect, which was August 1st, which was the renewal date for our old policy. When I read our policy, it stated that they would guarantee the rate for the first year, but after that they could change the rate anytime they wanted to. We had been with the same insurance company for 5 years, so it was legal for them to give us the larger increase before the August deadline.
Just crying on your shoulder, I guess. We are looking into trying to get in with a larger health group, to maybe spread out some of the insurance company’s risk, hoping for a better rate.
CISCO LEG & PIT
By Richard Thomas
Our new leg and pit at Cisco should be a real improvement for unloading soybeans and corn at what Garold calls “the bin site”. This is the complex at the east edge of town with storage capacity of 1 million bushels. The new pit will hold 750 bushels and the new leg has the capacity of 10,000 bushels per hour. So, now, when Mikki turns on the light for you to take your grain to the bin site, she plans to see you back at the scale in a matter of minutes.
This project, including all the new spouts, conveyors, concrete building, roll up doors, and electric distributor was built by Koehl Bros., at a cost of $247,450. Not included in this price was the wiring for the project, which was done by Atchison Electric of Sullivan, IL.
WORKIN’ ON THE RAILROAD
By Richard Thomas
Thanks to the help of Ted Schlitt, from Illinois Department of Transportation, we were able to get the needed repairs done to the railroad bridge over Friends Creek in Argenta. Ted helped me secure an engineering firm and they in turn helped with letting the bids. Eight bridge contractors bid on the project. Railworks, from Frankfort, Indiana, ended up being the low bidder, so they were award the contract. Work started the end of July and was completed the middle of August. The company installed 229 new ties, 28 new guard timbers, replaced 6 timber caps, and replaced part of one post. The total cost of the project was $37,768.
Our sympathies
To the families of . . . .
Ruchiel Born, Marjorie McCartney, Harold Jennings, Gary Jennings, Pamm Larimore, Fern Smith, Winnie Butterfield, A C Bryson, Eldon Beery, Dorothy Miller, Sharlis Helphinstine, Carl Pritchett, Sabina Doran, Keith Bell, Fern Cain, Mildred Reedy, Helen Wood, Bill Brookes, Dave Totten, John Terrill Sr., Linda Murphy, Leota Dukeman, Muriel Harmon, Sam Koehl
(The following poem accompanied pictures, contributed by Barb Holt, of the corn lines at Voorhies, many years ago. Even though the pictures are not available, we wanted to include Willard’s poem, for you to read, and remember.)
THE CORN LINE
By Willard Morris
Down on the farm
‘bout half past four,
I pull on my pants
And slip out the door.
Out in the barn yard
Stands my wagon train,
Posed for the take-off
With two loads of grain.
I start up the tractor
Let it warm a bit
I zip up my jacket
Light a cigarette.
I slip ‘er in gear
We begin to roll,
Up the old country road
Gotta watch for that “hole”.
Morning air smells good
Just like wine
Gotta hurry up
To join the corn line.
Thirty minutes or so
The line’s in sight,
Oh! My Gosh!
It must of started last night.
I pull up behind
A great big truck,
The line’s a half mile long
Guess I’m still in luck.
I swing out of the seat
Step down on the ground,
I’m glad to be a part
Of this thriving town.
I join a group of men
That I know well,
And listen to stories
They all have to tell.
I wander up and down
To visit with my friends,
It’s a social event
That will all soon end.
We walk up to “John’s”
For breakfast at five,
Bacon and eggs
Make a man feel alive.
It’s back to the corn line
For a little more chatter,
We’ll soon be unloaded
Then we’ll all have to scatter.
You can travel this work over
Far and near
You will never meet nicer people
Than there is right here.
It’s been a part of life
And the pleasure’s all mine,
I would have missed something special
If I had missed the corn line.
NEED A MARKET ADVISOR –
We suggest you ask Joyce for your marketing advice.
Last year, in appreciation of a job well done, and service received, one of the Bement area farmers gave some of the Bement employees a few bushels of corn. Part of his purpose was to say “thanks!!”, and the other purpose was for the employees to face the decision of when to sell.
Listed below are the prices received by the employees. (These prices are the prices paid per bushel. Storage and interest are not included.) You can draw your own conclusions about who to ask for advice!
Scott Docherty $1.53
Joyce Bennett $2.30
Jim Murphy $1.71
Michael Burton $1.94
Jason Benson $1.47
Dale Logue $1.71
Kenneth Riddle $1.71
Russ Wright $2.03
Dick Thomas $1.98
Roger Burton $1.89
Pam Jarboe $1.50
Eric Clements $1.98
Chuck Bentley $1.94
NO BULL . . . .
If you’ve heard about the cows in downtown Chicago, we saw them!!
Dick took the Topflight girls to Chicago, for Secretary’s Day, this spring. In the rhyming invitation sent to each one, he stressed that each one is more than a secretary, and to honor those duties, he arranged a trip to the Chicago Board of Trade.
The group boarded the AmTrak in Champaign at 6:30, that morning, and arrived in Chicago about 9:30 AM. Steve Zuber with Linn Group, guided everyone to the trading floor. In two groups, one toured the Board of Trade floor, watching, listening, and learning. The other group watched the activity from the visitor’s gallery, and viewed the informational movie presented by the Board of Trade. Then each group swapped, for the tour, and the movie.
Lunch was overlooking the river, with Steve remaining as the host. The weather was perfect for dining outside, watching the tour boats on the Chicago River, and observing Chicago people.
With a little time to spare, a few went shopping and the others went to the top of the Sears Tower, to view the city of Chicago.
It was
an exciting and special day for the girls of Topflight Grain . . . and that’s no bull!!
CONGRATULATIONS . . . .
David and Michelle Stumeier, parents of twin sons, Caleb and Ethan.;
Carl & Pat Laley, newlyweds;
Rachel Bates, winner of 3 State Track Records at the Middle School State Tournament;
Heidi Donahue, champion of the walleye tournament, in Wisconsin;
John Cain, Mr. Firecracker, in the Arthur 4th of July celebration;
5 generations - Mary Munson, Lora Patton, Michael Frantz, Gloria Litwiller, and Stacey Lehew;
Tim & Angie Schable, new parents of Callie Marie;
Bart & Holly Brewer, newlyweds;
Mr. & Mrs. Larry Robinson, newlyweds;
Louie Tieman, running 162 laps in the Relay for Life, held in Monticello, on June 3rd & 4th.
Dillon Docherty, winner in his class, of the State Pedal Pull, held during the Illinois State Fair. Sister Annie also competed, as the winner of the Bement 4th of July Pull. May Flavin was second place winner in the same weight class.
Michael Burton and Jane Mann, recently engaged.
Adam Day, new son of JW and Jennifer Day.
TOPFLIGHT GOLF OUTING
By Denny Hill
The 3rd annual Topflight golf outing was held on the 15th of August at Scovill Golf Club in Decatur. 132 golfers teed off in the 8:30 shotgun start that was played in a scramble format. The morning began with the Atwood-Hammond cheerleaders helping our guests load their clubs from their cars on to their golf cart. United Prairie was kind enough to give each golfer a sleeve of balls to begin their round. I believe some golfers went thru their sleeve of balls on their first few holes. A 50% chance of rain was in the forecast, but we enjoyed a beautiful day to play golf and meet some people from the other areas of Topflight Grain. As people were playing their last few holes, the temperature had reached the middle 90’s. This didn’t seem to bother the golfers, who were busy shooting for the proximity prizes we had on many holes. After finishing the round of golf, we all retired to the cool banquet room to enjoy a wonderful lunch and reward the players for their fine play. The winning team of Mitch and Ralph Myers, John Hill, and Mike Ferrill shot a 14 under par 71. Second place was taken but the team of Dave Thompson, Chuck Yettke, Kim Dobson, and Bob Duncan. Their score was one shot behind the winners at 13 under par. Several prizes were awarded for closest to the pins and long drives. After these presentations, everyone was called up to pick a gift up off of our prize table. These were compliments of many of our fine vendors that Topflight does business with.
Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time and we look forward to having another great turnout next year.
NOTE: Next year’s outing is scheduled for July
24,2001. Please mark on your calendars.
By Richard Thomas
We have signed a management agreement with Monticello Grain to work with them through harvest, with the offer to merge after harvest. Dave Conlin has been the interim manager, and has agreed to stay through harvest. We are in the process of getting the facility ready and the people in place for harvest. Monticello Grain has elevators in Monticello, Lodge, and Seymour. Their total storage capacity is a little over 3.1 million bushels.
TOPFLIGHT TRAP SHOOT
Topflight Grain’s first trap shoot was held on Tuesday, August 22, in conjunction with the annual golf outing. 25 shooters registered for the 100 bird derby, held at the Warrensburg Sportsman’s Club. Each squad of 5 shooters shot the first 50 targets at the 16 yard line. The second 50 targets were shot from a further distance, based on targets broke at the 16 yard line, or established handicap yardage. A good time was had by all, with the opportunity to meet others in the Topflight area, and to discuss grain and elevator topics.
After the contest, the shooters joined the golfers at the Scovill Golf Course Clubhouse for lunch and prizes.
Dick Brelsfoard walked away with most of the trap prizes. He won “high gun”, breaking 98 of the 100 targets, “high handicap”, with a 49 out of 50 from his assigned yardage, 1st Lewis Class, and the “longest run rear”, missing the least amount of birds counting back from the last score. Larry Rigg won “high 16”, breaking the most birds from the 16 yard line, Lewis class, and “longest run front”, breaking the most birds counting forward from the first shot. Other winners of the Lewis Class included Ron Parsons, Steve Helton, Bill Wirth, Sid Miller, Tom Ferrill and Scott Bicknell.
We bid farewell to Jim Tholen on June 14, with an open house at the Pierson Office. Jim has accepted a manager’s position with Staley, at their Coles facility. In 1980, Jim became the manager of Atwood Grain, then the merchandiser of Unity Grain, then the branch manager and marketing pool manager of Topflight Grain. He handled all of the transitions well, and through all, served the Atwood-Pierson customers well. In his 20 years, he built many business and personal relationships that will last a lifetime.
Many of his friends stopped by for cake and punch, and to tell one last story, on June 14. After this many years, it was difficult to say good-by, but well wishes were congratulatory and sincere.
On behalf of Topflight Grain, Dick Thomas presented Jim with a travel gift certificate, in recognition of his dedication and years of service.
What’s mainly wrong with society today is that too many Dirt Roads have been paved!
There’s not a problem in America today, crime, drugs, education, divorce, delinquency, that wouldn’t be remedied if we just had more Dirt Roads, because Dirt Roads give character.
People that live at the end of Dirt Roads learn early that life is a bumpy ride; that it can jar you right down to your teeth sometimes, but it’s worth it, if at the end is home . . . a loving spouse, happy kids, and a dog.
We wouldn’t have near the trouble with our educational system is our kids got their exercise walking down a Dirt Road with other kids, from whom they learn how to get along.
There was less crime in our streets before they were paved. Criminals didn’t walk two dusty miles to rob or rape, if they knew they’d be welcomed by 5 barking dogs and a double barrel shotgun. And there were no drive by shootings.
Our values were better when our roads were worse. People did not worship their cars more than their kids, and motorists were more courteous. They didn’t tailgate by riding the bumper or the guy in front would choke you with dust and bust your windshield with rocks.
Dirt Roads taught patience.
Dirt Roads were environmentally friendly. You didn’t hop in your car for a quart of milk; you walked to the barn for you milk. For your mail, you walked to the mail box.
What if it rained and the Dirt Road was washed out? That was the best part. You stayed home and had some family time, roasted marshmallows and popped popcorn and pony rides on Daddy’s shoulders . . . and you learned to make prettier quilts than anybody.
At the end of Dirt Roads, you soon learned that bad words tasted like soap.
Most paved roads lead to trouble, Dirt Roads more likely lead to a fishing creek or a swimming hole. At the end of a Dirt Road, the only time we even locked our car was in August, because if we didn’t, some neighbor would fill it with too much zucchini.
At the end of a Dirt Road, there
was always extra springtime income, from when city dudes would get stuck. You’d have to hitch up a team and pull them
out. Usually you got a dollar . .
. always, you got a new friend at
the end of a Dirt Road.
800 stockholders and guests attended the Topflight Grain annual meeting on Friday, August 11, held at the Decatur Civic Center. A buffet dinner was served as the guests arrived, and Chairman Louie Stoerger welcomed everyone to the annual meeting. Attendees to the Farmlands Youth Leadership Conference, Matthew Bennett, Garrett Stoerger and Russell Postlewait described their experiences at the Conference, and thanked the board for allowing them to participate. A written report, by Jarod Gregg, was read, in his absence. President Tim Morton called the meeting to order. Minutes were read by Secretary Byron Brown, and the financial report was presented by Controller Chuck Bentley. Manager Richard Thomas presented the manager’s report, which included accomplishments of the past year and plans for this harvest season. He introduced special guests and the employees, presenting a 25 year recognition watch to Denny Hill, a 20 year recognition charm necklace to Pam Jarboe, and special 28 year recognition to John McCabe.
Dean Creviston, chairman of the nominating committee, presented the results of the election of board of directors. Louie Stoerger, Kenny Ruff, JW Day, and Cary Hinton were elected to the 2000-2001 board of directors. They will serve with the current board of Tim Morton, Bill Schable, Richard Larimore, Kyle Johnson, Byron Brown, Duane Robson, and Allen Reeder.
Jolene Brown, the keynote speaker, asked the question, “Who’s Hiding the Humor?” A farm wife, she could cite many examples of disasters on the farm that must be turned into humor in order to be handled. Like many of us, she had plugged the corn pit, ran for the wrong repair part, and worked many long hours to complete harvest. She reversed each of these situations into a humorous story, to ease the tension and refocus the energy into problem solving.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the directors presented each guest with a pound of Farmland bacon, as they left the meeting.
Farm Service Agency forms that you should be aware of:
#237 – allows you to fax in your 666 forms. In order for the FSA office to accept a fax application of your Loan Deficiency Payment, you must sign this paper. You can sign it in any FSA office, and they, in turn, will fax it to your office of record.
#709 – authorizes your Loan Deficiency Payment to be calculated on the day your grain was delivered. #709 has two applications:
1. all bushels (regardless of sold, delay priced or stored disposition) and
2. all bushels that are sold or delay priced. (Stored or warehouse receipted grain is not applicable. This LDP must be requested prior to sale of the grain.)
#709 applications can be made in either calendar year, which may benefit your income tax planning.
#666 – requests the Loan Deficiency Payment be paid for specific bushels on a specific date. You must have title to this grain, in order to be eligible for a #666!! These forms can be handled at your local elevator office, and faxed to the FSA office (providing you have completed your #237!). This application is date sensitive, and the income will be included in the year payment is made.
Other considerations at the FSA office are that lien searches must be completed before funds are disbursed for sealed grain. This may require 4 – 6 weeks.
Sealed grain storage at the elevator must be paid up through 9 months of the date of the warehouse receipt.
If you have any questions about your LDP, please call us. With low grain prices, the government programs provide a significant portion of your income. We’ll be glad to help you get the correct papers to the FSA office.
POLICY LETTERS
Policy letters and customer status acknowledgements were mailed in August. If you did not get a copy of the policy, and would like one, please call your local Topflight office.
FARM PICKUP
The rate for farm pickup at harvest time has been changed to $45 per hour. If you would like a semi at your farm to bring your grain to town, please call your local office. Tell them the location of the farm and when the truck will be needed. The information will be relayed to our truck dispatcher.
This service may help your operation, by saving truck expense and manpower expense. Let us know if we can help!
SPECIALTY GRAIN HANDLING
STS beans – may be delivered to Atwood, Shackelfords, or Emery
High Oil corn – may be delivered to Bement or Cisco
This corn must be below 20% moisture.
Waxy corn – will be delivered to Bement – AFTER harvest.
NonGMO beans – We do NOT intend to segregate beans this year – at this time.
WHAT’S HAPPENIN’???
The new pit and leg at Cisco are ready for harvest. While crews were working, they also replaced some spouts and patched some holes.
Patronage and stock redemption checks were mailed in July. Total patronage dividends were $720,000. Total stock bought back (1978 & 1979) was $170,145. (You might want to thank Vanessa – she signed, sealed and stuffed all those envelopes!)
We’re happy to have Gary Hunter, Debbie Bryant, and Benny Ayer, back, after surgery and recovery, and Stason Kopps, after he sprained his leg.
The summer lightening storms have sure cost some down time with our computers. It seemed like everytime it stormed, the outstations were knocked off-line for several days until parts could be ordered and repaired.
The bins to the west of the LaPlace office have been torn down, in preparation of a new bean complex next year.
Following the financial year end audit of the company’s books by the accounting firm of Piraino and Associates, the state also completed their audit in August. Both of these audits verify grain inventory and accurate bookkeeping of Topflight Grain.
Louie Tieman attended the Commodity Conference in July. He brought home lots of notes!! He attended seminars on “Beyond Commodity Production: Meeting the needs of today’s changing markets”, grain price and demand outlook, Internet influence, mega-trends, and “Opportunities and Challenges for ‘Pharmers’ in the 21st Century”.
Vandals broke into the Bement elevator in early August. They broke out 18 windows in the head house. It took several guys and several hours to get it cleaned up.
The Topflight float participated in the Fat Hill Fest Parade, in Cerro Gordo, in June; the Bement 4th of July Parade; Western Days in Monticello, in June; and the Apple Dumpling Parade, in Atwood, in August.
The railroad bridge over Friend’s Creek has been repaired.
Skyworks painted the bin tops at Atwood, the dry leg and spouting at Cisco, and some of the Lake City bins.
Chuck shot a wild turkey in Southern Illinois. He brought it back, Dick cooked it, and the employees enjoyed a good lunch!
The dryer at Lanton, and the old dryers at Pierson have been taken down.
Angela Warnick, part time employee of Topflight Grain, taught an Internet training class for all interested employees.
Gloria and Rob Litwiller have moved to their new home in Atwood.
Nicolle Stinson was honored with the Citizenship Award at the Cerro Gordo’s middle school graduation.
Serge Docherty won the Arion Award at the Bement High School graduation, for his outstanding music achievements.
Pam Jarboe participated in a panel discussion, at the Grain & Feed meetings, about “Building Relationships”.
Scott Docherty spoke to the Decatur Kiwanis Club about the events of current agriculture.
And
THE WINNERS ARE . . . .
Brodie Gallagher, Ethan Morton, Delanie Stoltey
Annie Docherty, Jesse Gifford, Tyce Rittenhouse
Dillon Docherty, Gerad Pearce, Mae Flavin
These strong, detemined youths pulled their hardest to win the Pedal Pull sponsored by Topflight Grain on the 4th of July. It seemed like the hottest day of the summer, but the determination of each of these, and their competitors was fierce.
Each contestant positioned themselves on the seat of the pedal powered tractor, ready to pull the weighted sled farther than the longest previous pull. The farther the tractor and sled traveled, the weights on sled shifted and the sled became heavier with each turn of the pedals. The pullers were encouraged by the cheering crowd and the Piatt County Young Farmers, who provided the equipment for the event.
Each of winners was eligible to compete in the state competition at the Illinois State Fair.
BOOKMARK
your FAVORITES
If you have had problems, since August 9, finding the current bids on the Topflight Grain website, please check your bookmark. We had been running two concurrent, mirrored sites to post the bids, since the site changed from Bement Grain to Topflight Grain. That “mirror” is no longer reflecting! The address for Topflight Grain, and for the current bids is
If you still have problems, please call us, so we are aware of the problems and can get them solved.
We concluded the school year with our adopted second grade class, with and Easter Egg Hunt and a play day.
Easter eggs were hidden in Dick’s back yard, for each of the students to find 5 eggs. The eggs were filled with various candies, coins, and balloons. After a snack of Easter cookies and drink, the class split into groups of basketball, sidewalk chalk, baseball, swinging, and outdoor activities. Watching the dark clouds roll in and the wind change directions, playtime was shortened for the walk back to Bement Grade School. Just as we entered the school, the storm dropped lots of rain in a short amount of time. It was a fun day!!
Our last activity of the year was the annual Play Day. Once again, the rainy weather kept us inside, but it did not keep us from having fun. We enjoyed a sack lunch with the students, in their classroom, then passed around their end of the year quiz. The quiz covered the various activities of the adopted class, and was answered with group responses. The school janitors were gracious enough to allow game participation in the cafeteria, so we dropped the clothespins into jars, had wheelbarrow races, and had other relay races.
We enjoyed last year’s class, the activities, and the opportunity to know some of the young members of our local community. This year, will be a lot of fun, as we meet with this year’s second grade class in September for a tour of Topflight Grain.
1. Purple
2. Scarlet
3. Orange
4. Blue
5. Black
6. White
7. Yellow
8. Green
9. Red
10. Pink
HOW
POOR ARE WE??
One day, a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people can be. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a poor family. On their return from the trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?”
“It was great, Dad.”
“Did you see how poor people can be?” the father asked.
“Oh yeah,” said the son.
“So what did you learn from this trip?” asked the father.
The son answered, “I saw that we had one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars of the night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants to serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.”
With this, the boy’s father was speechless. Then his son added, “Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are.”
Too many times we forget what we have and concentrate on what we don’t have. What is one person’s worthless object is another’s prized possession. It is all based on one’s perspective.
It was a hot time, in the Thomas back yard, as Dick & Bonnie hosted the employee picnic. Brats and burgers were served, with all the accompaniments. There were plenty of activities for the kids, and good visiting for the adults. Our thanks to Jim Kleiss of Edward Jones, for his contributions to the evening meal.
DON’T
GET CAUGHT WITH YOUR PANTS DOWN!!!
His wife had gone out East to visit her sister. Before she left, she marked each day’s meal in the refrigerator, with preparation instructions included. One evening, he put the hamburger patty in the skillet and turned the heat on low. While the hamburgers cooked, he adjourned to the office to complete the day’s work. Later, returning to the kitchen to check on the hamburgers, he found the kitchen full of smoke, from overcooked hamburgers. As he grabbed the skillet to take it outside, he felt a stinging sensation around his knees. Then, he felt another sting. So, he dropped his pants, and discovered a wasp fighting for escape.
Now, picture, this, if you will --- him, standing in the middle of the smoke filled kitchen, pants dropped around his ankles, waving a smoking skillet at the wasp!!!
Moral of the story --- don’t get caught with your pants down.
or
From the frying pan to the skillet
Or
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire????
This is actually a true story, but the name has been withheld to protect the dignity of the innocent!