Harvesting Oats/Barley

August 28, 2012

Back on July 15th my neighbor Joe combined my oats.  He has a John Deere combine.  His custom harvesting rate is $25 per acre.

The combine cuts the oats and takes it inside the machine where it separates the grain from the straw.  The grain fills a hopper while the straw is kicked out the back.  I waited a day and then raked and baled the straw to use for animal bedding.

The oats yielded ok, especially considering the drought.  74 bushels, or 2368 lbs. per acre.  They were super-dry, only 4% moisture.

I understand now why small grains like oats, barley, or wheat do so well in the near west.  Moisture in the spring helps the crop get a jump on the weeds, then when it turns dry it’s the only plant growing.  We struggle some in the midwest because we get more rain than they do out west, which is a blessing, but it also causes the weeds to grow up through the maturing oats, resulting in harvest troubles.

This year the oats were weed-free and stood perfectly.  Remember last year when a storm blew them flat? No troubles this year.

2 Comments | Curious crops | Permalink
Posted by Curiousfarmer

Grazing Buckwheat

August 24, 2012

I needed the space, so I ended my Buckwheat experiment by grazing it with the hogs.  They liked it.  In the photo above, the plant with smaller leaves and white flowers is the Buckwheat.  The plant to the right with the larger, darker green leaves is Rape.  Even though I disced after grazing the Rape, some of it still survived.  By the way it grew in the drought, I wish I would have just let the Rape regrow and grazed that.

I apologize to those of you who wanted me to harvest the Buckwheat.  I enjoy planting and watching plants grow, but I don’t believe I have the patience to hand harvest.

1 Comment | Curious crops, Curious hogs | Permalink
Posted by Curiousfarmer

Camouflaged Calf

August 20, 2012

The cows have started calving.  I have a difficult time finding the calves because their mothers hide them.

There is a two-day old calf in the center of the photo above.  Below you can see a close-up of the calf.

The calves are coming out in shades of black even though their moms are red, because their daddy was a neighbor’s Black Angus which jumped the fence and hung out with the cows.  The calf below looks like a chocolate Lab.

2 Comments | Curious cattle, Curious nature | Permalink
Posted by Curiousfarmer

Apples in Rented Pasture

August 16, 2012

I was fortunate to rent a pasture this year, close to my farm.  I had a vet preg-check my sixteen fall-calving cows this spring, then vaccinated and fly tagged the twelve which were bred, and put them in the pasture May 1st.

They have done really well, even in the drought, because  I under-stocked the pasture.  I wanted some experience grazing the pasture before I put too many animals in and then had to feed hay or destock.

Now they’re enjoying the wild apples which grow in the woods and in the open.  The cows have a route they walk everyday, checking for down fruit.

The tree above is strange.  Half of it has no apples, the other half is loaded with apples.

I usually eat a few every time I check the cows.  Each tree’s apples taste different, but they’re all good in their own way.

1 Comment | Curious cattle, Curious food, Curious wild food | Permalink
Posted by Curiousfarmer

New Splitting Maul

August 1, 2012

I started cutting wood in July.  I woke up one cool morning after the heat broke, and went out in the woods and started cutting.  This might be the year I have all my wood cut before the snow flies.

I only cut dead trees which are down.  If you don’t cut and split the wood, it will start to rot.  Rotting isn’t terrible, as many critters make a living out of decaying trees, but I figure it’s also a good way to heat my house.  If I cut into a tree and its started to rot, I leave it for the critters.

I bought a new splitting maul, pictured.  I don’t know why I scrimped with my old one for so long.  This one works like a dream.  It’s an eight pound maul made by Task.

4 Comments | Curious farmer, Curious nature | Permalink
Posted by Curiousfarmer