Farming in the shade

The problem du jour is nothing new. If you can’t afford new farm equipment (and really, who can?!), you buy what you can afford. And fix it when it breaks. Some of it is pretty specialized equipment which is only used once or twice a year. We try to maintain and care for the equipment after each use and before we fire it up for the next go-around. But we do have a saying for this part of farming: “Stuff only breaks when you use it.” Equipment can look good, start well, and run smoothly, but when it’s time to actually do the work, some little thing will go wrong. Right now it’s the wiring on relay switches in the combine. Right at wheat harvest, of course. With oats and rye waiting their turn. Yes, we have had our share of problems with this combine. The former owner used it hard, and it shows. Some have asked us why we don’t just buy a different combine. The answer is near the top of this post—go ahead, scroll up. I’ll wait. YouTube is good, provided the person making the video actu...

What great weather we’ve had this last week! We had rain over the weekend (and we didn’t lose power like half the people in West Michigan), and then cooler, drier air all week. We mowed more hay, and some small grain. More about that later, perhaps, if our experiment works. Today, in addition to cultivating the beans, we continued plowing the field that was SUPPOSED to be planted to corn. We will plant cover crops instead, in an effort to nourish and rest the soil. Moldboard plowing has fallen out of favor in recent years, but there is a time and a place for it. It’s another tool in our toolbox.  This time of year always includes a lot of tractor time. It’s even more intense this year, as everything is compressed into a shorter time frame by the Spring With Endless Rain.

This has been a hot week! We put up 450 small square bales in the heat Monday night. There was a good breeze—check out the first photo closely to see the flying hay. Wednesday afternoon, after a hot day at the markets, we brought the sheep in from the far pastures. In the relative coolness of the barn, we separated lambs from ewes. It was time to wean the lambs. Today is our annual audit for our organic certification. Wish us well—the certification process involves a LOT of paperwork and good record keeping. In between these main events, we’ve been plowing, cultivating bean fields, and caring for the animals. Wednesdays and Fridays our on-farm shop is open from 1-4 pm. Feel free to stop by for the best selection of cuts of beef. Also, the “buy 10 ground beef, get 1 free” special is still available at the farm store.

We added a sink to the entryway of our house during a spring remodel. So handy for lambing season and watering plants right up by the house and washing up before heading in the house. Today, after my dentist appointment, I stopped by a little shop in a nearby small town. This vase called my name. Those who have seen our entryway will know I have a thing for red and white enamelware. More later on the remodel, perhaps. We continue to cut hay, ted hay, rake hay, bale hay, and bring the hay bales in. All with a side dish of fixing equipment. We run out of steam most nights about 9:00, which just leaves time for showers before we fall into bed exhausted. But we’re still grateful for all the work we can accomplish!

We have spent the last few days planting beans as fast as we can. We put the last of the beans in the ground just before the 4th of July, and with this hot weather, some of those planted first are already poking their little heads out of the soil. We are so grateful! Here are the varieties we planted: Arikara Yellow Black Turtle Calypso Dapple Grey Green Flageolet Hidatsa Red Hutterite Soup  Jacob's Cattle Jacob's Cattle Gold Lina Cisco Bird Egg Marrow Painted Lady Pinto Spanish Tolosana Tiger Eye Valentine Yellow Indian Woman Zebra And we planted a few experiments--a couple of new bean varieties, as well as some lentils and southern peas.  We have been haying as fast as we can, in between pop-up rain showers and equipment failures. The hay is very coarse, but it's hay! It feels very good to be working again, instead of just waiting and worrying. 

See this picture of diversity? Several species are in bloom, while others are still vegetative. The grasses have mature seeds. The red and white clovers are in full bloom. Birdsfoot trefoil has started blooming, and the alfalfa is in bud. Why does this matter? With a monoculture, the sheep and cattle would have a choice of one food source. If it happened to be in a later stage of growth, there might not be enough protein for the animals’ needs. But a multi-species crop gives choice of forage for different stages of nutrition. Next time you’re near a pasture (or in your lawn!) take note of how many different species you see.