This week our corn dryer quit. The unloading auger refused to unload the corn in the dryer. Naturally the dryer was full of corn, otherwise why would I be trying to unload it?<\/p>\n
The unloading auger is in the bottom of the dryer, covered by all that corn, some 20,000 pounds of it. I can’t fix the unloading auger without getting the corn off it, and I can’t get the corn off it without a working unloading auger. A classic Catch-22.<\/p>\n
At a loss in how to fix this I called up some of my neighboring farmers to see if they had any ideas on how to deal with a dryer full of un-unloadable corn. They did have a variety of ideas, and every conversation ended with, “if you need any help give me a call.”<\/p>\n
That is just business as usual in farm country. Neighbors share freely of their knowledge and labor. But as I thought about it, it struck me how strange that is. My neighbors are also my competitors. Can you imagine the CEO of Microsoft calling up Apple and saying, “We’re having some problems with this Surface tablet computer, how’d you deal with that with the iPad?” <\/p>\n
Taking the advice of my neighbors I headed down to Rupley’s Farm Equipment to rent a grain vacuum to suck the corn out of the dryer to uncover the unloading auger. I stepped in Kenny Rupley’s office and said I wanted to rent a grain vac. Kenny Rupley doesn’t know me from Adam. I was in full hillbilly farmer regalia, stretched out seed corn company sweatshirt smeared with grease, camo gimme hat, Tractor Supply knockoff Carhartt jeans, and blown out sneakers.<\/p>\n
Kenny said, “sure thing, it’s 10 cents a bushel. What’s your phone number?” He wrote that down and then asked me if I’d used a grain vac before. I said no and he told one his mechanics to hook the Rem grain vac to my pickup and show me how to use it.<\/p>\n
And that was it. I drove off with a $20,000 piece of equipment behind my pickup leaving behind only my phone number. Not my name, not a credit card imprint, not a deposit, nothing.<\/p>\n
The grain vac worked splendidly, sucking the corn out of the dryer in a matter of minutes. Once uncovered, the problem with the unloading auger was just two bolts that had come loose. I repaired the damage, put it back together and it worked, as I like to say, better than factory.<\/p>\n
Once I was sure it was working and I wouldn’t need suck all the corn out the dryer again I returned the grain vac to Rupley’s two days later. They asked me how many bushels I had used it on. They charge by the bushel, but there’s no gauge or meter on it. It’s strictly honor system.<\/p>\n
Competitors sharing their knowledge and skills and asking what more can they do to help? Suppliers trusting you just because you’re part of the community?<\/p>\n
It’s different out here. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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