Farming in the shade

Did you know? Different breeds of sheep grow different kinds of wool. Sheep can grow fine wool, medium wool or coarse wool. Fine wool is often used to make suits, baby clothes or dress fabrics. Medium wool is often used to make blankets, outer sweaters, mittens or upholstery fabrics. Coarse wool is most valuable for carpets and tough-wearing articles of clothing. 

We snatched an opening in the weather to work a field and plant oats. We used the new spreader to achieve even more coverage than that obtained from a drill. A drill plants many rows close together. But they are still rows. This spreader just flings the oats willy-nilly. Hopefully the oats will come up in a blanket that suppresses any weeds. We'll let you know later this year which technique we like better.  Unfortunately, when you plant with a spreader, it's hard to know where you've been and where you're going. So before they started the farming crew measured the coverage of the spreader. They walked off the field, placing buckets on both edges of the field. The driver criss crosses the field, steering by the buckets. (Ahem) Bigger farmers have tractors equipped with GPS, so they don't have to do this step. They just push a button. Here's the seeded ground. See the oats? After the ground was worked, but before the seeding started, the sea...

In the waiting time, before the fieldwork begins, there are things to get ready. Oil to change, fittings to grease, and today, duals to put on the big tractor.  First, you jack the whole business up.  Then you roll the extra wheels into position. Yes, the wheels are really as big as my father.   Once you have them in position, it's time to tighten the nuts. Almost ready to roll!

What does a Farmer do on a lovely spring day, when the weather's just right for field work and the lambs are popping out all over the place? Why he sits in his recliner, recovering from the stomach flu. What else? In the absence of any real news here at Shady Side Farm, I'd like to let you know about a neat project that another farmer (way over in Vermont) is working on. He's building his very own USDA butcher shop. In an effort to speed the process up, he's joined forces with Kickstarter. You can click on the button below to find out more information. And, finally, some cute lamb photos.  This little one is getting his/her first glimpse of the outside world... And meeting a cat for the first time. 

Did you know? Michigan ranks third in the nation for asparagus production. Michigan asparagus, unlike asparagus from other states, is hand-snapped above the ground. This method yields a more tender and flavorful product. Michigan processes 95% of the U.S. asparagus crop. Today, while you read this, will you pray for Michigan's asparagus and fruit farmers? The early warm weather has put everything ahead of schedule, and they are facing a partial to total loss of their crops. Thank you.

Each year we carefully take soil samples and send them to a lab. Our soil consultant (yes, really!) advises us what our soil lacks, and what is the best thing to add to bring the soil up to optimum level. This year we're concentrating on small amounts of minerals that our soil needs. It's important to know just how big a field is, so that you can put on the right amount of fertilizer or minerals. Here's our son, measuring the field. And here is The Farmer, getting ready to spread. Minerals like copper, boron and manganese are in this mix. Didn't take long, but soils (like people) work best when they have enough vitamins and minerals...