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CONGRATULATIONS!!!
To . . . . .Nicholas Day. His
1344 pound steer, “Yahtzee” won Grand Champion Steer
at the 2007 Illinois State Fair. At the
Sale of Champions, Yahtzee was purchased by DeKalb Asgrow, Simmons and Cooper
Law Offices, Battery Specialists, and State Bank of
Also at this year’s state fair, Phillip Riley showed the Grand Champion Simmental Bull.
(If you will recall in the last issue of the High Flyer, on the “Remember with us” page, JW Day (Nicholas’s dad) was pictured with George Riley (Philip’s dad), as JW won the 1976 4-H corn yield contest, and George won the soybean yield contest. How interesting that their sons have continued to be top ag competitors!)
THE LOCUSTS START CALLING THE KIDS BACK
TO SCHOOL
By Scott Docherty
The kids are back in school and we are filling our dryers so harvest is not far behind. Every year when I write my end of the summer High Flyer news article, I wonder where did the summer go????
Annie is starting 7th grade this year and is growing up way too fast for Dad, if you know what I mean!! Annie is still involved in dance, she performed a beautiful ballet on point shoes in her recital. Annie is also ready to play fall soccer.
Dillon is a junior in High School.
Dillon turned 16 last May and is enjoying his independence with his new set of
wheels. Dillon is involved in band and the starting goal keeper for the
Serge has had a very rough summer
to say the least. Serge is our oldest and has been on dialysis for about 4
years now. Serge took a weekend trip to
Enjoy and appreciate everyday when you are healthy, and no matter how bad things get there is always someone else that has it worse than you!
Denise has been involved at church with cantering and the youth group board. Denise is also still meeting with her writing group and working on her own book, so along with the kids’ schedules and putting up with me, she has her hands full.
Topflight has been extremely busy cleaning out bins and making repairs to get ready for this big crop that is going to be on us before long. We have added 1.7 million bushels of storage and rotated our Shacks flat building so we should have over 4 million bushels more space available versus last year at this time. Our crop tour is indicating about 3-4 bushel better yields than last year and I was amazed how good the corn crop looked when we walked into the fields, no disease, no insect pressure, and root systems looked good also. If my yield and corn acreage numbers are accurate Topflight Grain should receive over 25 million bushels of corn this fall setting a new fall receipts record.
It is astounding that Topflight Grain has built over 5.2 million bushels of space in the last
four years and we continue to be short space at harvest by 4 million bushels. We also realize that we have to become more efficient so the Board of Directors and staff decided to sell two seasonal facilities this past spring, one being Smiths and the other the North side of Waller. These facilities had been labor intensive and costly to fill, empty and maintain.
In Bement we continue to run into stiff resistance in regards to expanding our rail siding.
The Bement Village Board voted not to follow the Zoning
Board recommendation to approve our railroad siding extension and be able to
load 50 rail cars without a mainline switch from the
What an exciting time for agriculture as we get ready to harvest another big crop. Last year at this time we were looking at $2.20 per bushel corn price and this year we are looking at $3.20 and had two opportunities to sell $4.00 corn. I sure hope everyone that purchased revenue based crop insurance marketed corn up to the guarantee yield when the December corn price was above the February guarantee. Topflight can help you with crop insurance and marketing alternatives. If you have questions on how these programs work please call or stop by for more details.
One Earth Energy is moving dirt and finalizing financing so Fagen, Inc. can mobilize and begin construction in October. Our goal for plant construction is to be completed by December of 2008 and begin ethanol production the first quarter of 2009.
Topflight Grain is looking forward to a bountiful and safe harvest and we wish all of our patrons a safe and prosperous year.
DID YOU KNOW…?
By Amy Brammer
My how time flies! As I write this article it’s already late August and I am quickly approaching my second harvest with Topflight Grain. As I sat down to think about what to write my article on, several small topics popped into my mind. Some marketing oriented, some facts affecting the markets, and some just random agricultural facts. So, I thought maybe an article on various interesting facts that you may or may not know.
§ Did you know…that research has shown that poor weather more adversely affects crop yields than good weather adds to yields? In comparison to Spring Crop Production Estimates since 1970, poor weather has resulted in as much as a 40% decline in end production results versus good weather resulted in only a 10% increase from Spring Estimates.
§
Did you
know…that the marketing of
§
Did you
know…that 52 Ethanol Plant applications are currently on file with the
Illinois EPA? If all 52 of those plants were to actually be built, their demand
for corn would account for 2 billion bushels per year. As of this writing, it
has been estimated that
§
Did you know…that
more than 44 percent of grain produced in
§ Did you know…that 6 inches of rain in June can add 30 bushels per acre of corn yield; that 6 inches of rain in July can add 50 bushels per acres of corn yield; and 6 inches of rain in August can add about 5 bushels per acre of corn yield? (Assuming normal temperatures.)
§
Did you
know…that
§ Did you know…that Topflight Grain offers three levels of marketing diversification? Do you want to slowly work your way into marketing diversification? Are you ready to take your marketing program to the next level? Let us help you find the marketing plan that works best for your business.
§ Did you know…that an August with an average of 6 degrees above normal temperature can result in a 15 bushel per acre loss in corn; however, an average of 6 degrees below normal can result in a 15 bushel per acre gain in corn? (Assuming normal precipitation.)
§
Did you
know…that in
§ Did you know…that 5 out of the past 7 years marketing diversification contracts netted better ending pricing results than the average cash sale?
§ Did you know…that the trouble with weather forecasting is that it’s right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it!
§ Did you know…that Elliott and I are expecting our first child! As a dutiful elevator employee, I am due in January so no worries about working through harvest. Although, I’ve informed Elliott he has nursery set up duty while I’m in harvest mode!
Just a reminder that sign-up deadlines for the 2008 Pool Program and the Average Price Program will be in December! So, as you make your way through harvest be thinking about your marketing diversification opportunities!
Good luck to everyone on their harvest
season and remember to be safe out there!
HELLO FROM ATWOOD
by Russel Wright
Where did the summer go? It seems just yesterday everyone was planting corn and beans, now it is almost harvest time. The summer months are always a busy time. We transferred a lot of corn to Bement to load on the many trains that they loaded. We also shipped out the beans and the non-gmo beans we had. At the end of June and the first of July wheat harvest started. Now Bill and his crew have been busy getting the bins ready to go.
My collection of Atwood Grain/Unity Grain articles has grown since the last newsletter, many thanks to everyone that has donated. I have a nice collection of Atwood Grain pens, keychain, screwdriver/hammer, folders, and even an article and picture of the last board of directors, and also a nice brass hand grain probe. I’m always looking for more articles to display.
The Wright clan had a new addition in July, Jaxson Jaymes Wright was born on July 16 to our son Marcus and his wife Nicole. His sister Kendyll is really the big sister now. Of course his other cousins Zac, Kady, and Tatum really like him too. Debby and I sure enjoyed all the Little League games we went to this summer as well as the T-ball games.
Now that harvest is almost here, I want to remind everyone to use cards to tell the scale attendant what farm your grain is off of. This really helps everyone, also if you have new farm codes or divides, please let us know ahead of time, so we can get it in the computer. If you need the cardboard signs, just let me know and I will make them for you. Everyone have a safe and bountiful harvest.
NEWS FROM
By Vanessa Stinson
Happy hot summer to everyone. This
has to be one for the record books. One of those that brings back memories from
summers before. It has been fun listening to people tell their stories of what
they did to stay cool, from sleeping outside on the porch at night to playing
in the galvanized tubs that were used for bathing. Through all of this heat
your
Everything should be the same here
this year in
We at
CAPITAL INVESTMENTS
By
For those of you not present at the annual meeting, Topflight Grain completed another successful year. Net income was $977,502 before taxes and other comprehensive income. After taxes and comprehensive income, total income was $1,796,859. The large difference between net and total income was due to an investment in F C Stone (a futures company) that went public and our investment in them turned into gold. There was no patronage paid this year. The Board of Directors chose to maximize working capital instead, due to high cash demands created by the higher prices of grain. Anyone interested in more detail can ask for an abbreviated financial statement at any of our offices.
Now for a cat story. Our oldest cat has arthritis so we had the vet give her a shot to help relieve the pain. She had an allergic reaction to the shot that caused her kidneys to shut down. After several days in the vet hospital and about ten days of giving her IV’s at home she is doing much better. Now I feel like a vet myself. We won’t discuss the conversations between my wife and myself that this has created. Some things are better left alone.
Everyone have a safe and bountiful harvest
HARVEST ALREADY!
By Jason Goodner
Where does the time go? It seems like everyone was just wrapping up planting, and now we're just a few short weeks away from harvesting. Wow! Things fly when you’re trying to get ready for a huge crop! It’s been a wild ride this summer with the volatile markets, demand concerns, rain, no rain, world supply issues, and financial markets throwing curve balls too.
This summer
at
We had
another great turnout this summer for the Fourth of July parade in
On Sunday,
August 19th, Kari, Kolby, and I went and
took part in the Topflight crop tour around
I’m sure that everyone has received their update and contract letter in the mail. Please get with any of our branches if there are changes in your farm divides, payment options, or new farms you have. It is a great help to us, and helps us in the speed of your trip to the elevator. Also please display your farm codes on your trucks for quicker trips on and off the scales. It helps our part-time staff if they know who is there and not guessing.
I want to
say a thanks and congrats to Chris Frye.
Chris has been a fixture here for the last 4 harvests. However, that is changing this year with his
promotion to running the
As I am
writing this newsletter article, I’m about 4 hours from leaving to go to
SHORTEST SUMMER ON RECORD
By Sandy Davenport
I hope that everyone has had a good
summer. This has to be one of the
shortest on record for me. Jerry and I
didn’t take a big vacation this summer.
We did some camping and boating and went to
Emery has been
busy all summer. We received corn,
beans, Non-Gmo beans and even wheat. All the time we were receiving grain, Charlie
was busy keeping grain in shipping position so that we could truck it to
All indications are that this harvest will be another good sized one. Our Crop Tour numbers indicate a 178 bushel per acre yield in the Emery area, with a 177 bushel per acre yield for the 5 counties that Topflight provides service. All of the employees at Emery will work hard to get your trucks unloaded and back to the fields as soon as possible. As we all know, we are going to be receiving more acres this year, but we will try our best to make it a good harvest. It will be challenging, but sixty days from now, it will be almost over! Please let me know of any problems during harvest.
Just another reminder about having your farm code displayed on or in your vehicle when it pulls onto the scale. The people at the scale can do a much more efficient job if the farm code is visible as you come across the scale. If you need a list of your farm codes, please call me or stop by the office BEFORE harvest. If you have a NEW farm code, please get this set up BEFORE harvest, also. It takes a little time to enter all the necessary information and that can cause other people to have to wait unnecessarily. If we do not have the information, we will ask you to pull off the scale until all information has been entered into the system.
Now that I have made myself sound like “ the grouchy elevator lady at Emery”, I do hope that everyone has a safe and enjoyable harvest. It is a great time of the year and I hope all of us can take a little time to enjoy it.
THE HARVESTS . . . THEY ARE A’CHANGIN’
By
The 2007 harvest is fast
approaching. Everyone is busy cleaning bins and checking equipment for the
anticipated large crop. It should be the largest corn crop that we have ever
handled. We have toured the cornfields and put together our storage
spreadsheets. The new bin at Cisco is completed and the temporary storage ring
at Milmine will be finished in time for this harvest. This will be my 22nd
harvest at Topflight. My first harvest I helped in Bement dumping trucks and
drying corn at night. I am sure that I didn’t know how everything worked that
first harvest. We received 1,128,000 bushels of corn at Bement my first harvest
in 1986. This year we project to receive 2.7 million bushels of corn at Bement.
Cisco and
I am sure that our grain receipts twenty years from now will be even greater than today. This just highlights how important our transportation system will be in the future. The need for railcars and semi trucks to move the grain and other goods in the future will be of an even greater importance. Maybe this is why investor Warren Buffett has purchased a large amount of railroad stock this past year? Topflight has completed our rail extension project at Milmine and we are working on a rail tie upgrade on our Cisco rail line. We have completed a tie upgrade on our current rail line in Bement. Hopefully, we will be able to resolve the current situation regarding the rail expansion in Bement.
Mitch and Hayden had a great summer of baseball and bike rides. I noticed that Hayden’s batting stance looked a lot like Albert Pujols. That happens to be his favorite player and I caught him practicing his Pujols stance at home. I am not sure if it helped his batting average though. Mitch is starting his freshman year of high school and Hayden will be in the third grade.
I hope that everyone has a safe and productive harvest.
HELLO FROM MILMINE
By Adam Jackson
I would like
to start my first newsletter by introducing myself. I was born in
I am very happy that I was given the opportunity to work for Topflight Grain. I was looking through some old Feed and Grain magazines of my dad’s back in January, and the first one I picked up had Topflight on the cover. I started reading the article and was very impressed. About 4 months after reading the article, and with the help of Dave Allen from Agri-Search, I started working for Topflight. I would say that is pretty ironic. I still have the issue of Feed and Grain in the Milmine office, if anyone would like to look at it. One interesting fact from the magazine is that Topflight is the 19th largest grain storage firm in the country. With all the new storage that has been built, and is currently being built, I would not be surprised if we have moved up that list.
I would like to thank all of the farmers, my co-workers, and everyone else I have met so far. You have all been very helpful and patient as I am learning the business, except for the three guys who come in the office for coffee in the mornings and give Rick and me a hard time! Ha Ha. Just kidding guys.
I hope everyone has a safe and productive harvest.
DIFFICULT TIMES
By Derrick Bruhn
When talking with producers, the reoccurring theme is that it is getting harder and harder to market. With the volatility we have seen in the last year this is a very true statement. We have seen limit up and down moves in corn, beans, and wheat. Most people never knew corn could move 20 cents, beans 50 cents and wheat 30 cents in one day. This does make it difficult to market for the producer and for the elevator. There are many nights that we use the overnight markets to hedge the grain we have bought since the markets closed at 1:15. The overnight markets open at 6:30 pm and trade until 6:00 am. There are only 8 hours and 45 minutes in a 24 hour period that the electronic market is closed. In the near future we will see that be even a smaller amount of time. With the electronic trade, I can trade from anywhere that has internet access. During harvest this year we will start trading the overnight markets before we close at 7:00 pm.
The markets today are all tied to each other in one form or another. Many of the investors are very diversified and have money in many different sectors of the market. This is good and bad. We have seen the commodity prices inflated because of this for the past year and the producers have had opportunity to take advantage of some very good prices. The bad side is that when one sector of the market starts to stumble it reflects on the other markets. There is a lot of the same inflation in the energy markets that have sent some of the inflated cost back to the producers.
There are many risk management tools out there that can help you to manage the market’s risks, and I think this is the time when those definitely need to be used. It is very important to know what your production costs are. Don’t let the emotions of the market scare you into not making a sale when you feel it is a good price. The best words of advice I can give to a producer about these markets is you never go broke taking a profit.
Before the annual meeting this year Scott asked me if it was public that Lynne and I were expecting another child. Little did I know that he was going to announce it to the entire crowd. We are very excited to have the addition to our family. Mabry will be 3 on November 11th. She has had a great summer with Mom and has been swimming and playing outside most of the time. We took Mabry to the circus this summer and she decided that Papa should buy her an elephant instead of the horse he has promised her. I am really sure that if this happens, it will definitely be staying at Papa and Namma’s house.
Have a safe and bountiful harvest!!!!!
ANOTHER BIG CROP
By
Denny Hill
As I look back over the spring and summer growing season, it is easy to realize how close we were to having a crop like we experienced 3 times in the 80’s. If the 3 to 5 inch rains we received in late June would have been another week or two later, I don’t believe we would be preparing to put corn on the ground this fall. But with those timely rains we are looking for the corn yields to be similar to last year’s.
It has been busy
this summer in Maroa with trying to get everything hauled to
Each fall we try to project how many bushels of each commodity will be delivered to our respective locations, and each year it becomes more difficult. With more and more corn acres it looks as if we will be 70% corn and 30% soybeans in our area this year. This will cause some lines at the elevator dump on certain days - so be prepared.
My wife and I are
now partial empty nesters as both our daughters are off to college. We spent a
week in
HAVE A SAVE HARVEST!
By
Is this the little girl I carried? Is this the little boy at play? I don’t remember growing older When did they?
When did she get to be a beauty? When did he get to be so tall? Wasn’t it yesterday When they were
small?
These lyrics, from the song “
Wasn’t it just yesterday Sara was in diapers, or
sitting on the couch next to her Talking Big Bird she received at Christmas, or
riding her tricycle? As I contemplate her last days of high school, I remember
her first day of kindergarten so vividly.
Standing against the wall of the school as
parents took their pictures. Then came her days of T-Ball and then Youth League
softball - every summer seems only like last year. Her grade school years
couldn’t have been those many years ago! Starting Middle School and having her
whole class over in the backyard for birthday dances in both 6th and
7th grades seems like just the other night. Middle school
volleyball, basketball, cheerleading, and her dances all just whizzed by. Then
it was middle school graduation and on to high school. That’s been 3½ years
ago? Couldn’t be.
Of course, the high school years have seemed to
fly by even faster than the others. Volleyball, cheerleading, dance squad,
softball, prom, homecomings, homecoming
court and prom court – all flying by and blending into each other. Boyfriends,
dates, being able to drive, hanging out with her 7 close girl friends, and
hanging out with her family – all coming and going so fast. It seems these
three years have all been just a blur and now we’re coming down to the final 9
months. Again, when did she grow up? I still remember her as my little girl.
I
also think of my son Bailey, now 12. The lyrics “When did he get to be so tall” come to mind because he has now
passed Tera in height and is fast approaching me! And
our daughter Autumn turns 10 in October. She can’t be 10 already! Wasn’t it
yesterday when she was born and we were carrying her home from the hospital?
I guess this year will be tough on dear old dad.
But I better get used to it. In only 9 short months my oldest will be an alum
of
Sunrise, sunset Sunrise, sunset Swiftly flow the days Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers Blossoming even as we gaze
Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset Swiftly fly the years
One season following another Laden
with happiness and tears…
WHAT’S THE TALK??
By
Gloria Litwiller
I’m sitting in the Atwood office covering for Russell, while he is on vacation. This month’s newsletter article is due by the end of the week. While, I’m sitting here, the local farmers are coming in for their morning coffee and conversations, which is called the local bull session or liar,s table. I started to listen to what they were saying and decided this is what my newsletter article is about.
The one thing you’re never sure of is who or what will be discussed today. It may go from who’s related to whom, to how airplanes maneuver and function. But it seems like they always start with the weather and its affects (local or world). Then they move on to the local news giving their thoughts and opinions. Then you never know how the conversation will go. But you can guarantee that when time permits us, we are right there in the middle of the conversation…. OH! By the way, I was told I could not say anything about L.T. any more in my articles. So L.T., I’m not saying anything I’m just mentioning things…. Every town seems to have a spot for these discussions, whether it’s the elevator, pub or restaurant. You can count on the fact that each day it starts with the same common issue, the weather. The weather is one issue that affects everyone no matter where you’re at in the world. Even though it’s called the local bull session or liars’ table, you can learn a lot, whether it’s about your local town, county, state, or the world. A lot of good comes from these gatherings, whether it’s helping to fix a tractor or setting up a fund raiser for your neighbor in need or your local organization……PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE… To me this is what makes the world go around.
Everyone at Pierson would like to take this opportunity to WELCOME Ben Conner as the new outside operator. So, stop by and say Hi! to Ben. Ben has worked at Bement for about a year and accepted the Pierson position when it became available. Pierson is cleaned out and ready for the new harvest season.
Now from the home front, we moved
Hilary into SIU in
Have a
WHERE HAS THE SUMMER GONE?
By
Sherryl Young
Another harvest is fast approaching and I look back and wonder where did this year go? By the time harvest is over, we will be looking forward to Thanksgiving and the year will be almost over. I guess it means we have full lives when time goes by so fast. It seems like just yesterday that we opened up our cabin for the season. Now our weekends are limited. It has been a good time fishing and spending time with family. We have watched the crops come up, mature and now start to die down on our weekly trips to Pana. School has started and soon the tractors and combines will be brought back to life as the farmers head back to the fields. The lazy days of summer are over and the hustle and bustle of fall is upon us. So be careful out there and enjoy the rest of the year.
HARVEST ‘2007’
By Mikki Burns
I know I say this every year, but
it just doesn’t seem possible that it is harvest time already!! We are getting ready for it – cleaning,
shipping and trying to get as empty as possible. We have a new 725,000 bushel BIN, so that
will help considerably! We will still
need to ship about 10 trains so hopefully we can get them as we need them. Cisco would like to welcome Jack Warren to
our location. Jack came to us from
PLEASE!! Have all your farm codes and/or changes set up prior to harvest. I am going to ask you to pull off the scales and wait until there is time to set them up if you do NOT have them set up prior to pulling on the scales. That may sound harsh, but when we are SO busy, it is too hectic to get them done and make everyone else wait. So please have that done!! Thank you.
It’s been a hot but good
summer!! Both of the grandsons had great
birthdays!
All the grandchildren are doing great!! This picture was one night at Grandma and Grandpa’s when they all got sooooooooo hot (so they said), that they had to take their clothes off and just be in their underwear….and then have ice cream!!
I hope everyone has a safe and bountiful harvest!! See you soon!!
HARVEST SAFETY
By Brock Casteel
Harvest, Harvest, Harvest, It’s what we all talk about this time of year, as the days are still hot, but the corn is showing the tell tale signs that fall is just around the corner. I will be very interested to see just what some of the yields look like around the state, as will everyone else I’m sure. I have talked with a couple customers that have purchased semis over the spring and summer, as has been the trend in this area for the past several seasons.
With the extra acres that have been planted in corn for this year, I am sure we will see some lines at several locations, and patience will be a virtue that will be tested throughout this harvest. Lots of hours will be worked by everyone involved and extra care should be taken to watch out for workers in the driveways and other customer traffic. Please help us and yourself by paying attention to the directions that the dump pit operators are giving you. There is no smoking in any of our facilities. This includes the inside of truck and tractor cabs. Every year I run into this problem and have to remind drivers of this policy. While we are talking about dump pit rules, let me take this opportunity to remind everyone to chain up the end gates on all dump beds, if this is not done and chains are on the truck, the operators will hook them up, and if they are not there at all you may not be dumped. This is a serious issue that needs to be addressed every year. Please check all trucks for stray materials that may come out while dumping a load of grain. It is amazing what comes out the back of a grain truck in the first week of harvest. Some of my favorites include: shingles, paint cans, shovels, rocks, chemical hose fittings, random sacks of garbage, and last but not least, plenty of stray beer cans. Please take a look in the bed of your trucks and dispose of these items properly so we do not run the risk of them coming out and striking an employee, or making it into the dump pit or leg section, as this could become a very serious explosion hazard.
I have had a good time this summer taking my pulling tractor on the road to several local county fairs for competition. It is always a family affair with both of my brothers, my dad, and my cousin competing in the same class in the ITPA season. It’s always a good time to get together, and usually get to see a lot of other family and friends that come out to support us also. Have a safe and profitable harvest; I’m sure I’ll see many of you soon.
SO FAR…SO GOOD!
By Matt Dean
I have been at Topflight for almost
nine months now, and the people are what make this job such a wonderful
one. From my fellow employees, to
outside companies we do business with, and most importantly our patrons, everyone
has been fantastic to deal with. I’ve
met a very wide range of people from
In the last nine months I have been introduced to many different phases and facets of the day to day activities of a country elevator and it has been a very exciting and rewarding experience to date. When I started towards the end of December, we were busy pricing contracts and getting everything ready for January 1, which brought the task of preparing and signing hundreds of checks to be delivered after the first of the year. It did not take me long to realize how much our farmers enjoy this day!! Shortly after that we started preparing for the Annual Spring Crop Insurance and Marketing Meetings. Derrick and I traveled around to Bement, Atwood, Cisco, and Maroa for these meetings presenting our patrons and other local residents, valuable crop insurance and marketing information for the 2007 crop year. These also proved to be very valuable for me as well as I got introduced to a very large sector of our customers while attending these meetings. Next thing I knew it was April and the planters started to roll and it was time to get in the field. This was a very exciting time as the people that I had watched come in and out of the elevator oh so often were no where near the elevator and when you could finally track one of them down, they were moving faster than I had ever seen! The crops were in the ground, and weather cooperating, we were going to have a good crop in 2007. For the most part, the weather wasn’t too awful bad throughout this summer and the crops in our area look fairly good. I was privileged enough to be included in the aerial crop tour this year in which 4 of us went up in an airplane and circled all of our elevators and got a birds-eye view of the corn and beans. It’s absolutely amazing how different everything looks from 2000 feet above the ground! The next thing on the summer agenda was the Topflight Annual Meeting. This was amazing to see a collection of seven hundred plus people that are involved with Topflight Grain in some way, shape or form all get together under one roof, share a great dinner, and conduct a very informative meeting. We recently finished up our 2007 Crop Tour and we came up with an average corn yield for this year’s crop of 177 bushels/acre from our draw territory, and an average of 49 pods/plant for the soybeans.
At the conclusion of the crop tour, it was no secret that farmers and Topflight employees all know that the most exciting time of the year is just around the corner. Harvest! What everyone has been waiting for, no more estimates, no more guessing, it’s the culmination of the crop year. You can tell summer is about to start winding down as school has started, football season is right around the corner, and I’ve noticed some combines being parked on the outside of the shed here lately.
I am all finished up with my summer activities for the year. My golf game, although I didn’t improve much over the summer, kept me occupied throughout the past 3 months, and my softball team that I play on in Tuscola once a week just finished up our season and I am proud to say that our team brought home the league and tournament championships.
Needless to say I am eager to experience my first harvest with Topflight Grain, as it seems to be a very busy and exciting time throughout the country. I look forward to seeing everyone during the harvest season and if it goes anything like my first nine months have, it will be alright with me! I guess you could say my time at Topflight Grain has been……. So far, So good!
HERE WE GO AGAIN
By Stason Kopps
Harvest time is upon on us again. Soon the combines will be heading to the fields and there will be a stream of trucks heading to the elevator. Here at the elevator we have been busy getting ready for what looks to be a big corn harvest.
There have been some employee
changes in the
Looking
back, this summer has passed by very quickly.
My girlfriend, Marsha, and I did go to
I hope everyone has a safe and productive harvest.
DEDICATED TO SERVICE AND VALUE
By
Most of you probably received a
nice, blue brochure from the US Postal Service last May, to explain the new
postal rates. At about the same time as
this brochure was in your mailbox, 2466 issues of the May High Flyer were
sitting in a van in
Part of the problem in dealing with the post office is finding a phone number. It’s not in the phone book under United States Government anymore. When you do find a number for the larger post offices, you receive a recording, of which there is no listing for HELP. And after that, I don’t know how many times I was told “that’s not my job”. I even sent them a bill for the postage and the time I spent trying to find the newsletters. Needless to say, they did not pay the bill.
It was a
very frustrating experience. Hopefully,
this will explain that sometimes you may receive your newsletter a few days
after your neighbors receive theirs – it’s just the way they’re handled in the
post office, and at times, they just sit . . .
in a van . . . . in
And yes, people do read our newsletter. After the May issue finally was delivered, my
younger brother called, mentioning all the 25th and 50th
anniversaries listed as “Congratulations”. However, we didn’t mention his. Mike & Shelly Chenoweth did celebrate
their 25th wedding anniversary last March. They flew to
We
appreciate your comments, the good ones and the constructive ones, about the
newsletter. We feel that the newsletter
is a good way to communicate news of the company, the people and the
communities to our stockholders.
WELCOME!!
We welcome Jeremy Seman to the Topflight Operations and Maintenance
staff. Jeremy will run the Lodge
facility during harvest, then assist at
We congratulate Ben Conner, who has moved from the Bement operations staff to Pierson outside superintendent.
We congratulate Jack Warren, upon
his move from
Congratulations to Chris Frye. Chris has moved from
HELP!!
Each year, with the annual meeting mailing, we find that we have incorrect addresses for several of our stockholders. If you know the address for any of the people listed below, please call the Bement office (800-383-9761) with the updated address.
Name Last address listed
David White Sullivan IL
Richard Fitton
Helen Lee
Mary Shaw
Tim Wilson
Steve Carr White
Larry Cisco
Mary Spreckelmeyer
Betty Lee Zumbahlen
Joan Crowe
Jean Daily
F C Dodd
David Henry
Eli Stutzman Arthur IL
Garst Seed
Mary Barnhart Dickman
Nicole French
Mary Jane Rich
Marion Westerman
Gerald Thomas Gardner Colorado Springs CO
Martha Fritts
John Smith
Tim Ring
Helen Dickey
Jean Knutson
Jacob Niewold
Albert Kauffman Sullivan IL
Janet Parkhurst
Darrel Thoma
Mrs John Workman
Dennis Freese
Stan Clarkson
Beulah Bailey
Ron Sinclair Ft
Michael Cyrulik
Grace Moberly
HE WALKS WITH ME
The day
finally arrived. Forrest Gump dies and goes to Heaven. He is at the Pearly Gates, met by St. Peter
himself. However, the gates are closed, and Forrest approaches the gatekeeper.
St. Peter said, "Well, Forrest, it is
certainly good to see you. We have heard a lot about you. I must tell you,
though, that the place is filling up fast, and
we have been administering an entrance examination for everyone. The test is
short, but you have to pass it before you can get into Heaven."
Forrest
responds, "It sure is good to be here, St. Peter, sir. But nobody ever
told me about any entrance exam. I sure hope that the test ain't
too hard. Life was a big enough test as it was."
St.
Peter continued, "Yes, I know, Forrest, but the test is only three
questions. First: What two days of the week begin with the letter T? Second: How many seconds are there in a year?
Third: What is God's first name?"
Forrest
leaves to think the questions over He returns the next day and sees St. Peter,
who waves him up, and says, "Now that you have had a chance to think the
questions over, tell me your answers."
Forrest
replied, "Well, the first one -- which two days in the week begins with the letter "T"? Shucks, that one is
easy. That would be Today and Tomorrow."
The
Saint's eyes opened wide and he exclaimed, "Forrest, that is not what I
was thinking, but you do have a point, and I guess I did not specify, so I will
give you credit for that answer. How about the next one?" asked St. Peter.
"How
many seconds in a year? Now that one is harder," replied Forrest,
but I thunk and thunk about
that, and I guess the only answer can be twelve."
Astounded, St. Peter said, "Twelve? Twelve? Forrest, how in Heaven's name could you come up with
twelve seconds in a year?"
Forrest replied, "Shucks, there's got
to be twelve: January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd.... "
"Hold it," interrupts St. Peter. "I see where you are going with this, and I see your
point, though that was not quite what I had in mind.....but I will have to give
you credit for that one, too. Let us go on with the third and final question.
Can you tell me God's first name"?
"Sure," Forrest replied, "its Andy."
"Andy?" exclaimed an exasperated
and frustrated St Peter.
"Ok, I can understand how you came up
with your answers to my first two questions, but just how in the world did you
come up with the name Andy as the first name of God?"
"Shucks, that was the easiest one of
all," Forrest replied. "I learnt it from the song, "ANDY WALKS
WITH ME, ANDY TALKS WITH ME, ANDY
TELLS ME I AM HIS OWN. . . "
St. Peter opened the Pearly Gates, and said:
"Run Forrest, run."
Congratulations to . . .
. .
Miranda Bennett and
Derek Reedy, engaged to be married at Allerton
Park in October; Marcus & Nicole
Wright, parents of Jaxon Jaymes;
proud grandparents are Russel & Debby Wright; Earl Wright, who celebrated his 80th birthday in August;
Layna Reeder & Nathan Somers, married on
September 1; Melvin & Shirley
Schroeder, married 50 years, in August; Doug Creviston, graduate of Test Pilot
School, in June; Sherri Griffith,
whose 40th birthday was in August; Margaret Wright, on her 80th birthday; Bonnie Neff, who celebrated her 90th
birthday in August; Dean Day,
re-elected to the Eastern Illini Electric Cooperative
board of directors; John Butterfield,
whose 85th birthday was celebrated in July with an open house, with
his daughter Cheryl and his granddaughters; Dwight & Shirley Rosenbery, who
enjoyed a trip to the Smoky Mountains to celebrate their 50th
wedding anniversary; Bement’s 3-on-3 basketball
winners – Tyson Sebens,
Drew McCool, Robert Beauchamp & Daniel Arseneau;
Selby Clark, grand marshall of the Bement 4th of July parade; Joe Holmes, 95 years old this summer; Denny & Terri Hill, who celebrated
their 25th wedding anniversary this summer; Nancy Ard, participant in the Rally for
the Cure at Stone Creek Golf Club; Chris
Perkins, named to the dean’s list in the University of Notre Dame’s College
of Art and Letters for outstanding scholarship; Mary Shepard, who recently celebrated
her 79th birthday; Roger
& Sherryl Young, who celebrated their 25th wedding
anniversary in May: Kristle
Robson and Kyle Meece, married in August; Will Fombelle,
representing Eastern Illini Electric Cooperative in
Washington DC, during the annual “Youth to Washington” tour in June; Barry & Christine (Whitlock) Miller,
married on August 25; Bobby &
Lindsey Creviston, expecting their second baby (a
little girl) in July; Secily Shambaugh, Jesek West, Mia Brandenburg and Connor Durham, chosen
as 2007 Piatt County Fair Royalty; Chalmer Hinton, who celebrated his 70th
birthday in June; Warren & Betty
Hendrix, celebrating their 63rd anniversary on May 26, their
grandson, Matt’s high school graduation; Dick
Mills, honored by the IHSA as 2007 Honorary Referees, for his significant
contributions as a track referee; William
Reedy, who celebrated his 80th birthday in June; Matt Hendrix, 2007 valedictorian at
Bement High School; Orthella Remmers, who
celebrated her 94th birthday this summer; Lindsey Morgan, inducted into the Millikin
chapter of the Phi Kappa Phi national honorary society; Jonathan & Jamie (Williams) Cook, married on July 21; Will Fombelle,
salutatorian of the 2007 Atwood-Hammond Senior Class; Fred & Izola Goodrich, married 60
years; Brooke Morris, Bement High
School, April Student of the Month; John
Einhorn,
new advertising director for the Daily Press of Paragould AR; Bob Taylor, who celebrated his 85th
birthday in May; Bernie Alblinger, retired from Alblinger
Bros Hardware, after a lifetime of employment and ownership; Gene Pirtle,
who recently celebrated his 80th birthday; Richard & Susan Larimore who celebrated their 25th
wedding anniversary with an Alaskan cruise; Bob & Helen Haas, married 50 years; Will Fombelle, Hilary Lehew
and Kendra Stoerger, Atwood-Hammond High School
Graduates; Matthew Briggs & Felice Sanchez, married in June;
LOTS OF FUN!!
We finished up the school year, with our adopted 2nd grade class on May 21. Scott, Eric, Russel, Rodd, and Pam helped with the Play Day. We joined them for sack lunch day in the classroom. Nearing dessert time, Scott began bartering with the students for different treats, in an “open out-cry” trading session, similar to the Chicago Board of Trade pit trading of commodities. Each trader seemed satisfied that the trade was a good deal.
After lunch, the dreaded, promised quizzes were handed out. The 4 page quiz covered the activities with Topflight Grain during the past school year. Most questions were multiple choice, and were answered with group participation. After everyone received 100% on the quiz, teams were chosen for the games in Coles Pasture. Lots of favorite challenges were enjoyed, including tug-of-war, three-legged races, wheelbarrow races and potato sack races.
Play Day was a great conclusion to our exciting year. We look forward to meeting the 2007-08 2nd grade class, soon.
HAIRSPRAY
Girls Day Out, Administrative Assistant’s Day, was a wonderful day! Scott treated the ladies to lunch at The Old School House in Sullivan, with time to shop, then on to see the musical, “Hairspray”, at the Little Theatre. It was a wonderful day, enjoyed by everyone!
MYSTERY YACHT
Vanessa looked out the window of
the
TOPFLIGHT
This
summer, we have had the pleasure of several tour groups visiting the Bement
office. On July 18,
Larry Stapleton, hosted students from
A second
group, hosted by Larry Stapleton, visited on July 18. This program is a 3-week study session for
the students, as they learn about American business. It has become so popular that it was expanded
from one session to two sessions, allowing more students from
On June 19, Jenny Einhorn brought her students from the
On July
30, a young lady stopped at the Bement elevator, and asked if she and her
daughters could have a tour of the facility. Pam and Jim showed them the
dryer, the grain bins, the temperature cables, the rail load out equipment and
the bearing monitors. Our guests were
very interested in how everything worked.
We visited more with them, and found out they were from
We had a
fascinating visit with the ladies, but didn’t think to get any names or
addresses, or email address. If you
happen to have met these ladies while they were in central
TOPFLIGHT GRAIN COOKBOOK
If you’re
looking for new recipes for yourself, or as a gift, we have a few Topflight Grain
Cookbooks for sale. The recipes in the
book were contributed by the some of the best cooks in the country. You’re sure to find some new favorites to
try, or the recipe for some of the traditional memories that you may have
forgotten. The cookbooks are $8.00 each,
and can be purchased at any Topflight office, or at
the State Bank of Bement.
Here are
a couple of recipes you will find in the book:
APPLE DUMPLING
2 apples Topping:
1 can crescent rolls 1
stick margarine
½ - ¾ c. sugar ½
c. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon 1
c. orange juice
Core, peel, and quarter 2 tart apples. Butter a 9” square
pan. Open crescent rolls. Stretch each roll.
Place ¼ apple on each roll. Combine sugar and
cinnamon. Sprinkle each apple with
cinnamon and sugar mixture. Roll up
tightly and place in dish seam side down.
In
saucepan melt butter, blend in brown sugar and orange
juice. Bring to boil. Pour over apples.
Sprinkle extra sugar cinnamon on top. Bake 350° for 30 minutes. Serve warm or
cold with ice cream, whipped cream or Cool Whip.
It’s very easy to do and very good.
Yvonne
Howland
SPAGHETTI
SAUCE CASSEROLE
1/3 c. olive oil ½ tsp.
pepper
1/3 c. butter Salt, taste
3 onions (2 if large) 1 c. chopped ripe
olives
2 cloves garlic, minced 1 c. sliced mushrooms
1 ½ lb ground beef 1 can tomato paste
4 green peppers, chopped (2 if
large) Spaghetti
3 ½ c. tomatoes 3 bay leaves
Heat olive
oil and butter (if meat is real lean, use 1 stick) in heavy skillet. Add onions. Add garlic and
ground beef. Cook until beef is lightly
browned. Then add green peppers. Add tomatoes, pepper,
and salt. Let sauce simmer gently for 2 hours.
During the last half hour, add olives, canned mushrooms and tomato
paste. Sauce should be thick. Cook spaghetti (may use 3 bay leaves in water) according to
directions. Put in casseroles and
bake, stirring sauce though spaghetti several times. Bake until it bubbles up good. This can be fixed and baked later.
From
Pauline Foran
CONGRATULATIONS TO
THE
CELEBRATING 150 YEARS
In 1857, the
TOPFLIGHT GOLF OUTING
By
Denny Hill
The 10th annual Topflight Golf outing was held on Wednesday July 25th at the Ironhorse Golf Club in Tuscola. A beautiful summer day with temperatures in the mid 80’s saw 108 golfers tee off in a scramble format for the many prizes our vendors supply and also enjoy the company of fellow patrons.
Using a banker’s handicap system to establish our winner this year, that honor fell to the team of Charlie Bolen, Andy Parsons, Brian Tieman and Louie Tieman with a score of 65. They beat by way of a scorecard playoff the team of Mike Ferrill, John Hill, Mitch Myers and Ralph Myers. The proximity prizes were claimed by the following, longest putt on #18 went to Tom Stoutenborough, longest putt on #16 was won by John Hill, longest putt on #9 was by Rob Litwiller, longest drive by a lady was taken by Anna Coleman, Garrett Stoerger won the men’s longest drive and Jim Fendley was closest to the pin on #12.
After a wonderful lunch was served by the Ironhorse Golf Club, a drawing was held for the many prizes donated by vendors of Topflight Grain. Gift certificates, golf balls, shirts, jackets, umbrellas, Cardinal Ball tickets, were just a few of the gifts taken home by the lucky winners.
Thanks to all the vendors who donated prizes, along with the employees of Topflight who helped make this event an enjoyable one. We look forward to hosting next year’s outing back in Forsyth at the Hickory Point Golf Course and hope you can attend.
EVERYONE LOVES A PARADE!!
Many weekends in
JUST HOW BIG IS THIS CROP?
About 14 teams of employees,
stockholders and guests walked the fields in August, to assist in the
determination of this year’s crop yields.
The results of these field tours were presented at the annual crop tour
meeting, at the
Steve Freed, ADM Investor Services, opened the meeting with a presentation about market conditions, market factors and market direction. It was an interesting discussion with local and worldwide insight. Then we ate!! Basket Case Catering, Tracy Ferrill, served a delicious meal of pork chops, crunchy slaw, hash brown casserole and plenty of tantalizing desserts. To top off the desserts, Gilbert Quick and Gene Weir served homemade ice cream, from the Lake Fork Church Men’s Fellowship.
Following the meal, Derrick presented the results of the crop tour. The average corn yield was 177 bu/acre vs 175 bu/acre last year. Bean pod counts were 47 pods/plant, vs 49 pods/plant last year. Some of the teams mentioned that the crop seemed to have little disease pressure, that it seemed to be standing well, and the corn population was good!
Ken Bierman, UPLLC general manager, concluded the evening, describing the additional equipment that will be added to the UP line-up to improve customer service, talking about input prices and some of the pricing advantages that UP has, due to its size and location.
THE VIEW FROM ABOVE
Russel
Wright, Matt Dean, and
It was a great trip! We thank Bob for his courteous and safe transportation!!
SHORT & SWEET!!
The
Topflight Grain 2007 annual meeting was held at the
In the manager’s speech, Scott Docherty introduced the special guests, and employees. Russel Wright was recognized for his 35 years with Bement Grain & Topflight Grain. Jill Kuykendall was recognized for her 30 years with Maroa Farmers Coop and Topflight Grain. Scott continued with a review of the year, including the building projects, rail projects and an update on One Earth Energy. He concluded with special appreciation to the families and spouses of the employees for their support during the extra hours required to handle the harvest.
From the nomination committee, Ken Ruff presented the 2007 election results. Ron Meece, William Schable, Richard Larimore and George Riley were re-elected to serve with current members Kyle Johnson, Cary Hinton, Kurt Robson, Dave Zelhart, Greg Briggs, and JW Day.
Kurt Robson announced the winners of the drawing from the returned proxies and ballots. The winners are William Carlyle, Betty Abbott, Goble Farms, Don Klemme Estate, Jane Queary, Bill Voorhees, S&B Trust, and John Hill. The prize from the drawing was a $50 gift card.
With no other business, the meeting was adjourned – short & sweet!!!
GRAIN PAGE
SOYBEAN CHECK-OFF PETITION
The
Illinois Soybean Association is asking
CORN CHECK-OFF
Funding by
NONGMO BEANS
If you are growing nongmo beans for the nongmo premium program, you must have a grower contract signed in order to receive the premium. This contract verifies that the seed is certified, that certain planting and harvesting procedures have been followed, and that the beans will be delivered to the specified nongmo-receiving facility. The nongmo grower contract must be signed and returned to Topflight Grain, prior to fall delivery, in order to receive the 70 cent premium for the nongmo beans.
The St Jude
Bike-a-thon, held in Maroa had more than 40 participants. Together, they raised
more than $11,250 for the St. Jude Research Hospital. The top pledge earner in the youth divisions
was Maggie Crabtree. She received a new bicycle as her prize. Cash prizes went
to Taylor Ferrill, Rachel Tomlovich,
Tori Wilson, Makayl Critchlow, Matthew Tomlovich, Jaice Hill, Colton Riley, Livvy
Crabtree, Evan Clapp and
RESISTANCE TO CHANGE
In Scott’s manager’s report in this issue, and in his manager’s speech at the annual meeting, he mentioned the problems that Topflight Grain has encountered in obtaining zoning from the village of Bement to allow re-building of the railroad past the west end of the village of Bement. This track expansion is very necessary to load 50 car trains without the assistance of the Norfolk-Southern switch engines. At this time, those switching services cost $8500/50-car unit, or about 4¾ cents/bu. Over a year, that is $127,500 cost to the stockholders of Topflight Grain. (That is the current rate; the rate could increase at any time.)
Topflight
Grain owns the property near the west edge of Bement. When purchased, the intent was to clean up
the property, and in the future, to re-build the track that once went south out
of Bement. The “future” is here, and the
need for the additional trackage is here. Zoning was
approved by
This location for the project is the most sensible. Topflight owns this ground. To go east or west would require additional cash outlays (IF approved) to purchase the land, as well as other problems, that require more capital expenditures to solve.
Located on the property owned by Topflight Grain is one of Bement’s main water wells. After reviewing the rental rate of other wells on Topflight Grain property, the rent on that well was raised to be comparable to the standard rental rate. This is the only raise for the well lease, since 1954, when the lease went into effect.
Also located on the property owned by Topflight Grain are garages, storage sheds, and fences. These personal properties were built on Topflight property by the homeowners (either present owners or previous owners), living adjacent to the rail property. The property has been surveyed and staked, and we are working toward agreements for the removal of the buildings and fences.
At the zoning meeting and the village board meeting, the Bement area stockholders have been very supportive. We continue to ask for the support of all Topflight Grain stockholders as we work toward meeting the requirements of the NS railroad for a 50-car load without NS services.
AND THE WINNERS ARE . . . . .
Congratulations
to Tom Wiggins, Sam Brandenburg, Larry Larson, and Harold Nickey,
as winners of the Trivia contest. Each
week a new Trivia question is posted on the website. From each month’s correct answers, one winner
is chosen to receive the world famous, much coveted Topflight Grain
T-shirt. In addition, this summer, Harold
Nickey and