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A
problem is a problem. At
least for most of us. But for brothers Steve, Earl and Brent
Mast, a problem is often something else. It’s an
opportunity. Like many producers, the Mast brothers of rural
Payson in Adams County have been challenged by the changes
sweeping the   agricultural industry,
particularly how to support multiple families from the
farming operation without just getting bigger. Their answer
reflects a combination of pragmatism and creativity.
To
reach their goals, the Masts have concentrated on three
areas – making what they already do more efficient,
identifying and developing related enterprises that
complement their operation and its calendar and consciously
incorporating innovation to further leverage the benefits of
the previous two. A
"golden" opportunity
The
Mast brothers’ current farming operation consists of 1,800
acres of corn and soybeans. Three years ago they liquidated
their cow-calf herd, but continue to finish about 125 head
of fat cattle annually.
In
1981 their father, Joseph, died unexpectedly. Steve returned
from the University of Illinois to run the farm.  Over the
next two years he farmed and attended the U of I, graduating
in 1983.
With
Brent in college and scheduled to return to the farming
operation full-time, the brothers tackled their first major
diversification effort in the summer of 1989. They began a
business baling small square bales of straw for use as mulch
by highway construction contractors. It has been a perfect
fit, keeping them productive and profitable during the slow
summer months between spring and fall fieldwork.
They
buy straw already in windrows from other area producers. To
increase efficiency, the Masts have automated the process
using bale accumulators. To further leverage productivity,
they modified the accumulators from 10-bale to 12-bale
capacity. "Two bales doesn’t sound like much, but a
20-percent improvement is significant," states Steve.
They
constructed a building leased through 1st Farm Credit
Services in which to store the straw until needed. They also
deliver 90 percent of the straw themselves, says Steve,
trucking most within a 200-mile radius. Production peaked at
more than 50,000 bales annually, but more recently averages
about 30,000 bales.
In
1993, a year after Brent received his degree from the U of I
and joined the family operation full-time, the Mast straw
enterprise was kept busy reinforcing nearby levies during
the spring’s record floods.
Identifying
trends
During
the mid-1990s, the Mast brothers watched with interest the
trend of an increasing number of yield monitors appearing in
combine cabs. "As more farmers discovered the yield
differences, we knew this was going to result in more field
tiling, and there was going to be a growing market for
it," explains Steve.
In
1997 the Masts diversified into the field tiling business.
With this addition, Earl, who had worked for 18 years as a
mechanic in a local John Deere dealership, was able to
return to the family operation full-time to run the tiling
enterprise. They started out with one used tiling machine,
but business was so brisk the first year that they traded in
the used machine on a brand new one.
This
again complements their farming calendar, but Steve admits
the demands of harvest, coupled with those of the tiling
business, can sometimes make for a hectic fall.
The
three brothers are all involved in each of the enterprises,
but Brent specializes in the crop production, Earl has the
main responsibility for the tiling activities and Steve
concentrates on management of the overall operation. They
have one full-time employee and two seasonal workers.
The
Masts spend much of the winter months in their shop,
repairing, modifying and building equipment.
A
new adventure
 It is
their considerable expertise in this area that has led them
in yet another direction over the
past year. "We were looking for a simpler way to dump
grain at the bin," explains Brent. Portable dump pits
on the market are separate from the auger, which means it
takes two pieces of equipment to transport them to the bin
site. Then the swing-away auger most commonly used must be
physically rolled beneath the hopper trailer. 
When unloading
is complete, the swing-away auger must then be physically
rolled back out from underneath the hopper trailer.
As
always, the Masts were looking for a faster, more efficient
way of doing things. Brent came up with an idea, and last
year the three brothers set out to design and build a better
portable pit. "We spent a lot of time sitting on
buckets, drawing on concrete," Steve elaborates. A
rough wooden model soon gave way to the first working
prototype and, before the year was over, a second prototype,
both built in their shop.
What
is different about the Masts’ invention is that it is a
drive-over pit platform that also integrates the augers into
a single system. It can be transported all together as one
unit, eliminating the need for multiple trips or multiple
equipment to haul it.
When
it arrives at the bin, the assembly is backed into place. As
the main auger approaches the top of the bin, a bar is
released on the pit platform and the backing motion swings
it out like a wing perpendicular to the auger. Tractor
hydraulics then lower the platform to the ground and the
hinged steel ramps are then manually lowered on both sides
of the platform. The truck simply drives over the ramps,
positioning the hopper dump over the pit platform for
unloading to commence.
When
the unloading is complete, the truck simply drives away.
There is no need to physically move the pit in and out
beneath the truck. The ramps are spring-loaded, so it only
takes 50 lbs. of pull (instead of 120 lbs.) to easily lift
them back in place for transport.
Last
fall, the Masts tested the assembly on their own farm,
unloading 150,000 bushels with the two prototypes,
discovering some potential enhancements along the way. They
already have nearly a dozen orders for the equipment from
other producers that have seen the prototypes in action. |
