FROM THE MANAGER
Dear members & patrons
All of our crop producer members look forward to harvest . It is when the fruits of your yearlong labor come home . This year started out like any other year with grain crops looking good , including rice . We started harvest in early July and had a perfect grain harvest season . Things went well at our elevators and lines were kept to a minimum . We ended up harvesting fewer bushles than last year because many grain acres were planted in cotton in 2017 . Futures prices drifted lower throughout harvest and basis levels did not react upward as we thought they might . These factors made our grain crop profits pretty slim to none .
Everyone was looking forward to a cotton crop that surely was a record crop for surrounding counties . As harvest began , everyone was smiling at the outstanding yields . We started ginning at our Hilje Gin on August 6 . As cotton rolled in , we frantically worked to get delivery on new equipment that had been promised to be installed at our Danevang location in late July . Late July became mid August , which is when the equipment finally arrived .
Your employees worked around the clock to get things in and started . Manufacturer representatives were on site and worked hard with electricians and computer experts to make sure eerything was ready . As we cranked up the Danevang Gin and put the first bale through , everything looked great .
It was on the second bale when a computer glitch caused the machine to enter the gin press at the wrong time , and we all watched as the press crushed the new bale handling cart .
This was a catastrophic breakdown . We all knew a new machine had to be assembled in Chicago and installed . This did not happen overnight , and because of the fatal mistake on the first machine , many company representatives were on hand and much time was taken to assure that the new bale handler would not only work , but work perfecly .
Finally , on September 6 , we were able to crank the Danevang Gin up . I assure you that each and every one of your board members and employees understood the urgency and worked day and night to be ready . Once started , everything looked good and the crop rolled in . As more producers started picking , modules stacked up . There were days when United Ag producers called in 2,000 modules per day . Everyone was excited about the record yields . We were all fantastically excited .
Then , sometime around August 16 , we heard weathermen talk about a storm possibly heading our way . We all prayed for it to turn somewhere else . As we all braced for the worst , we continued to try to get more modules out of the field , but our module lots quickly filled beyond capacity . Then , on the night of August 24 , Harvey hit the coast . Everyone knows the outcome — lots of rain and wind in surrounding areas .
Our employees ginned to the last evening before the storm .
FROM THE MANAGER
Dear members
& patrons
A
ll of our crop producer members look
forward to harvest. It is when the fruits of
your yearlong labor come home. This year
started out like any other year with grain
crops looking good, including rice. We
started harvest in early July and had a perfect grain
harvest season. Things went well at our elevators
and lines were kept to a minimum. We ended up
harvesting fewer bushles than last year because
many grain acres were planted in cotton in 2017.
Futures prices drifted lower throughout harvest and
basis levels did not react upward as we thought they
might. These factors made our grain crop profits pretty
slim to none.
Everyone was looking forward to a cotton crop that surely was a
record crop for surrounding counties. As harvest began, everyone
was smiling at the outstanding yields. We started ginning at our
Hilje Gin on August 6. As cotton rolled in, we frantically worked
to get delivery on new equipment that had been promised to be
installed at our Danevang location in late July. Late July became
mid August, which is when the equipment finally arrived.
Your employees worked around the clock to get things in and
started. Manufacturer representatives were on site and worked
hard with electricians and computer experts to make sure ee-
rything was ready. As we cranked up the Danevang Gin and put
the first bale through, everything looked great.
It was on the second bale when a computer glitch caused the
machine to enter the gin press at the wrong time, and we all
watched as the press crushed the new bale handling cart.
This was a catastrophic breakdown. We all knew a new ma-
chine had to be assembled in Chicago and installed. This did not
happen overnight, and because of the fatal mistake on the first
machine, many company representatives were on hand and much
time was taken to assure that the new bale handler would not only
work, but work perfecly.
Finally, on September 6, we were able to crank the Danevang
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