Farming in the shade

Earlier this summer we got ready to ship out our corn. Corn has been primarily a cash crop for us, and we typically store it in one or more of our large bins. These bins are connected to our grain leg (the vertical system you see in this picture), which makes loading and unloading grain MUCH easier for us.  Here a couple of the guys are getting the unloading auger ready. Note the makeshift scaffolding. This is the inside of the bin as the corn is unloaded. There is a door in the bottom of the bin that the grain falls into--you can tell about where the door is in the picture below. Here is the truck as we are loading it. The corn is sold to a company that will use it for organic feed for animals. The bins are designed to hold one type of grain at a time. But this summer we changed the inside of one of our bins to allow for storage of many different kinds of beans. We started with the walls of a much smaller bin to form the center. We screwed metal C-channel...

When we decided recently to add cattle to the farm, we also decided that we needed to set up sorting area and acquire appropriate equipment. We've got some sorting capabilities in the sheep barn that help us with the sheep, but that system isn't set up for cattle. And sometimes we just set up temporary fences and pens and do it the hard way with the sheep, if we are not near the sheep barn. But temporary fencing and pens certainly don't cut it with cattle.  When cattle decide to go a different direction than where you want them to go, there is no reasoning with them. And, at more than half a ton each, you certainly can't force them to do anything once they've made up their minds.  So we acquired a squeeze chute and sorting pen and alley. We set up small but sturdy permanent pens next to the sheep barn.  This particular day it was time to sort off the two steers that were ready for freezer camp. We herded all the cattle into a small pen, and made sure th...

"The wing structure of the hornet, in relation to its weight, is not suitable for flight, but he does not know this and flies anyway." --Albert Einstein One day this summer while working the fields, The Farmer encountered a nest. He hit it with the tractor, hidden as it were in the leaves of a tree at the edge of a field. Good news: The tractor he was driving was the only one that we own that has an enclosed cab. Bad news: Since the air conditioning on this mid-80s tractor hasn't worked in years, all the windows were open, and the door was taken off entirely. Good news: Even though he was instantly surrounded by a swarm of flying, stinging insects (we suspect hornets), he was able to drive off without being stung. At all. Bad news: The next day, when he returned for a picture, he was stung. Just once, fortunately. The moral is perhaps to leave dangerous situations well enough alone...

During the summer we intensively rotationally graze our sheep and cattle. The sheep are moved to fresh pasture daily, while the cattle get new grass every three days or so.  In the pastures where we can reach a water source using up to eight 100' lengths of hose, we spend a lot of time dragging hoses along as we move the sheep. But in the furtherest pastures, we need to bring water in tanks. On hot days, we bring fresh water several times a day.  Our trusty little John Deere Gator helps us with the hauling of three tanks of water which we use to fill three tubs. I think this ewe is ready for a drink. It's usually a peaceful job, and very gratifying. The sheep need us to care for their needs, and obviously appreciate the fresh grass and water we provide. A shepherd boy described a similar relationship in verse one of Psalm 23: "The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need."

We are always looking for ways that we can do things better on the farm. The Farmer is often reading. He reads magazines like Acres and older farming books--some that predate the post-WWII boom in chemical use in agriculture, some that are written by people from other countries, and some by those who approach farming from an organic angle. One thing that comes up again and again is the need for cover crops , both to suppress weeds, and to fertilize the soil for the next crop.   We are glad to hear many more conventional farmers talking about cover crops these days. It's a new-old idea that is catching on more and more among farmers of all types.  We obtained a grant from Project Clarity  to purchase clover seed to interseed in our corn crop. Often interseeding is done with a plane or helicopter, at significant expense. We wondered what would happen if we just seeded using our trusty Cyclone just after the last culivation pass. The corn was becoming t...

How Doth the Little Busy Bee How doth the little busy bee Improve each shining hour, and gather honey all the day From every opening flower! How skilfully she builds her cell! How neat she spreads the wax! And labors hard to store it well With the sweet food she makes. In works of labor or of skill,  I would be busy too; For Satan finds some mischief still For idle hands to do.  In books, or work, or healthful play, Let my first years be passed, That I may give for every day Some good account at last. --Isaac Watts The bees are back at Shady Side Farm. Due to Colony Collapse Disorder , our beekeeper friend opted to keep the few bees he had last year close to home. He's had wonderful success capturing swarms this year, however, and that means the bees are back.  The summer has blown by us--we've experienced several cold days that make us think about fall  and the season that follows it . We rush through our ...