Crafting Farm Systems That Fit

Windrows do not march stoically back and forth, but circle hay fields at Schlumbohm Farms in De Graff, Ohio. What seems to be an innocuous decision is one owner Steve Schlumbohm has invested a fair bit of thought in making. 

“It’s more efficient,” he says. Mowing back and forth means making 180-degree turns and continually driving on end rows. Mowing in rounds results in 90-degree turns and mostly eliminates tire traffic on already cut hay. It also works better due to their largely irregular field shapes. “I want to minimize the amount of wasted time the mower spends taking in air. When it’s only turning 90 degrees, it’s almost constantly taking in forage.”

Attention to maximizing efficiencies in operations down to seemingly small details can partially be credited to Schlumbohm’s early life plans. With no intention of returning to the family farm, he attended nearby Hiram College to play football. There were no ag classes, so he pursued a degree in economics. He says, when his path shifted to take over his family operation, he turned the analytical eye of a trained economist to farm systems.

“In economics it’s all about making as many widgets as you can with the least inputs. It’s the same in farming. You must develop systems that work to utilize your inputs economically and efficiently,” he says. 

Systems may develop organically over the years, but Schlumbohm prefers to put a great deal of thought and intention into his farm systems. He ponders questions such as how he can get the most return on investment (ROI) from available equipment and labor. Would funds be better invested in more trucks, larger combines, more combines or more grain carts for a more efficient harvest? What investments in equipment and technology can help him hit peak markets, leverage favor with a landlord or maximize benefit of costly crop inputs like seed and fertilizer?  

Right sized
Context drives decisions on what equipment joins the farm fleet. When it comes to hay equipment, it’s not a cut and dry matter of total acres to be covered but how many acres Schlumbohm needs to be able to cut and dry each day. 

The Schlumbohms harvest 200 acres of alfalfa hay four times per year using two 10-foot Discbine® 210 side-pull disc mower-conditioners, two tandem hay rakes and one BigBaler 330 PLUS large square baler. Some may say he’s over-equipped for the job. Not according to Schlumbohm’s calculations. This strategy is based on maximizing use of the most limiting resource in this situation: sunlight.

“In Ohio, it rains every three days, and when it’s not raining, there’s a lot of humidity and cloudiness,” he says. He calculated by using tandem rakes to combine four windrows into two he could put up 50 acres of hay per day with his square baler. That meant he needed the capacity to cut 50 acres by noon each day when conditions were right for haying. To meet that goal, he needed two mowers. 

Raking operations cannot start until about 10:30 a.m. the next day and must be completed in the one- to two-hour window before the hay has dried too much and becomes vulnerable to shatter. Again, two tandem rakes were needed. 

The same decision may not work for a similarly situated neighbor. It’s about context. Schlumbohm’s decision took into consideration that he had the tractors and labor to support an additional mower and rake.

Schlumbohm, his sons Chris and Micah and family friend David Strayer partnered in 2008 to form 4S Farms LLC. The business operates in conjunction with Schlumbohm Farms. They share equipment and labor, but the small, separate LLC gives the next generation some skin in the game, Schlumbohm says. Chris’ son, Kameron, recently graduated from diesel tech management school and is looking to get involved with the farm. Several other grandchildren are also available in summer to help run equipment.

Even with perfect strategies and plenty of tractor drivers, conditions rarely allow for perfect hay harvest in Ohio. Schlumbohm says the CropSaver™ hay preservative and applicator system on his BB330S baler has been a critical feature for maintaining hay quality. He’s opted for the system on his last several balers. A moisture sensor automatically directs the system to apply the correct amount of bale preservative based on current conditions. 

“With our humidity, a hay preservative is necessary to put up hay properly. It’s not uncommon for us to put up hay in the 16%-25% moisture range. Without a preservative, hay quality inside the bale will deteriorate. The system tracks changing conditions and makes sure we’re always putting on the right amount of bale preservative,” he says.

Some of the tractors used for haying were purchased when the farm still had a dairy in the late 1990s. A 1995 model Genesis® 8670 and a 1955 Oliver purchased new in 1971 as the largest and most powerful tractor on the farm each now pull rotary rakes. A T8.275 pulls the baler and a T7040 and another Genesis 8670 handle the Discbines. A New Holland T6070 with a loader loads trailers and removes bales from the field four at once – two in front, two in back. A C337 track loader and an L334 skid loader are used to load and unload trailers and stacking. “I like all these machines because they’re simple to run. They’re where we start the grandkids in learning to operate equipment,” Schlumbohm says.

Bushels per hour
Harvest equipment has been similarly mulled and sorted. What always comes to the surface is ROI. “You have to look at what you’re getting for what you’re spending. But that can be quantified in different ways,” Schlumbohm says. Again, conditions and context come into play. Corn on 4S Farms is harvested early at high moisture to take advantage of seasonally high markets. 

“We’re harvesting 1,600 acres of 230-bushel corn at 26% moisture. That’s a tremendous amount of product in a very sticky, high-moisture environment. It can be difficult to handle,” he says.

Harvester purchase decisions must be made considering those crop conditions plus factors such as available labor, field size and shape, combine cleaning and threshing capacity and header size. At harvest, the 4-S Farm labor pool is spread a bit thin so priorities shift. More weight is placed on the equipment’s ability to maximize bushels harvested per hour. 

The first decision is an easy one. It will be a New Holland combine. Having always hired custom combiners prior, Schlumbohm recalls his dad purchasing their first New Holland combine in 1968. It was the first year New Holland offered combines and there was one displayed in downtown De Graff, Ohio, blocking traffic.

“It was a New Holland 975, two-row head with a 13-foot header. We bought the very one that was on the street. Since then, we’ve traded in for the next model every third year or so. We’ve owned 22 combines since 1968,” he says.

More recently, he had to calculate the model and header size for his newest harvester. The CR8.90 with an 8-row head won out. Though it was argued by the team it may be time for a 12-row head, the numbers disagreed for the current farm context.

“With our yields and the cleaning and threshing capacity of the CR8.90, it made more sense to stick with the smaller header and be able to run one mile per hour faster, increasing from 3 mph to 4 mph. That’s a 33% gain in bushels per acre coming through the machine without also having to upgrade the header. The bigger machine gets us more bushels per hour and per manhour regardless of the head used,” he says. The smaller header is also nimble, keeping grain moving through the combine more efficiently in small, irregular fields.

The more powerful harvester allows them to hit the early-season markets despite their labor force being spread thin. “If we want to hit those early markets, there’s a time limit. A bigger combine for early-harvested corn means doing 3,600 bushels per hour instead of 2,400 bushels per hour,” he says. They currently run two combines to cover their 1,600 acres of corn and 1,600 acres of soybeans. Schlumbohm says it may make sense in the future to run one combine with a 12-row header and another with an 8-row header to maximize efficiencies in large and small fields.

Precision data
Almost as valuable as the crop is the precision data collected at harvest. Precision yield data can be layered with data on soil type, soil organic matter and variable-rate seeding and fertility applications to help determine the value of past inputs and direct more efficient future strategies.

“I can put to use the data I get at harvest to enhance future planting strategies,” Schlumbohm says. It can also reveal other factors impacting yield. A field may have excellent soil and all the potential in the world, he says, but maybe half the field is shaded by trees and at a higher risk for loss to wildlife. Farmers understand these situations, but it’s harder to explain to landlords who don’t have a history of farming. 

“A picture’s worth a thousand words. When I’m able to show a board of directors a yield map that’s half green and half red despite soil conditions, that makes sense to them. It’s a great tool to help them understand what to expect and what might need to be done to improve the field,” he says.

Another relationship Schlumbohm values is the multi-generation relationship with his New Holland dealer, Apple Farm Services. His father started working with Henry  Apple in the 1950s and Schlumbohm continues to work with Henry’s son, Bill, today. That relationship, paired with the practical engineering he’s appreciated for years in his New Holland equipment, make for a happy repeat customer.

“They give us great service and take care of us day or night when it counts,” he says. “I value long-term relationships in all aspects of my farming business. If you pick the right people in the beginning, it works out in the long term and results in loyalty from both sides.”