For Mike Bailey and his son, Justin, farming means more than raising their own crops. Their operation also depends on helping other growers get into the field, managing competing harvest schedules and using the information they collect today to make better decisions next season.
The Baileys farm on the eastern side of Custer County, where custom work allows them to invest in equipment that serves both their operation and their customers. They custom plant about 2,600 acres of corn and soybeans and also provide custom harvesting.
Since Justin returned from school to work alongside his dad, the two have learned to balance their own acres with the needs of the growers they serve. During planting and harvest, that requires coordination and flexibility. Some of their customers raise cattle and prefer to leave cornfields standing longer for grazing stalks, while others focus primarily on crop production and want to get started sooner.
“We’re pretty fortunate with the growers we have,” Mike said. “We’re able to work with them on the times that they want to get going.”
Working with several growers means the Baileys may spend one day in a field and move to another operation the next. Their familiarity with the area and the people they work for helps them coordinate schedules and keep the work moving while maintaining their own farm.
For Mike, working with his son also means making sure Justin understands more than just one job. The two regularly switch between operating the combine and running the grain cart, giving each of them a chance to see different parts of the harvest process.
“You’ve got to share some of those responsibilities because you’ve got to learn every aspect of the operation in order to do it right,” Mike said.
That hands-on experience is part of preparing Justin to take on more responsibility in the years ahead. By learning each role, he can better understand how decisions in one part of the operation affect the rest.
The same principle applies to the data they collect from their equipment. While one works in the field, the other may be reviewing yield information and analyzing what is happening across the acres. Switching positions allows both to see the operation from different perspectives and understand how that information can be used.
Mike said being able to share and review the data is important because the goal is not simply to get through harvest, but to learn from it and improve the following year.
Those observations are particularly important after a growing season that presented challenges early on.
Mike said planting began under cold conditions, with some fields also dealing with dry ground that required prewatering. Based on how the season started, he told some growers to prepare for yields about 15% below potential.
Some producers have seen yields 15% to 20% below expectations, he said, although results have varied across the area.
“I’ve seen probably some of the best soybeans I’ve seen in a long time as far as what the top-end yields have been,” Mike said.
Corn yields, by comparison, have generally been slightly above average, according to Mike, with some growers approaching their top yields. He said planting when weather conditions were favorable and focusing on management may have helped some fields perform better than others.
For the Baileys, collecting and evaluating field data gives them something concrete to work with as they consider what to change for the next growing season. It also gives Justin the opportunity to understand not only how the operation is run, but why certain decisions are made.
Justin said working with his dad has allowed him to see how the operation has been managed over the years while also considering new approaches of his own. Finding that balance can be challenging at times, but he said the two work well together.
Rather than changing things just for the sake of doing something differently, Justin wants to keep learning from Mike and find practical ways to improve their corn and soybean production.
“I think we just continue to share some of that stuff and try and find better ways to do just anything to do with growing corn and soybeans,” Justin said.
As the Baileys continue balancing custom planting and harvesting with their own acres, that shared approach connects the day-to-day work with the future of the farm. Every field presents another opportunity to serve a grower, evaluate the results and pass along knowledge that can help the next generation make better decisions.
