Life Intervened, But the Farm Kept Going

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It’s been an eventful year so far. So much so that I was not able to keep up on blogging. My mother became very sick just after Christmas and it was non-stop caring for her along with my siblings. Planting hit and I think I was just too worn out, but here is what happened on the farm this week – the second cutting of alfalfa for silage for the dairy cows.

Alfalfa cutting 07 03 14 - 14

The alfalfa has been mowed and then merged into rows for the chopper. Our corn is coming along nicely also. We are starting to see just a few tassels this week.

Alfalfa cutting 07 03 14 - 13

Those are the dairy buildings at the top of the hill.

Alfalfa cutting 07 03 14 - 8

The chopper is filling the semi and another semi is waiting to take its turn.

Alfalfa cutting 07 03 14 - 7

Alfalfa cutting 07 03 14 - 6

Alfalfa cutting 07 03 14 - 4

You can see how full the chopper driver gets the semis.

Alfalfa cutting 07 03 14 - 3

Claas choppers are huge compared to the 4-row John Deere chopper we had when my husband and I got married.

Alfalfa cutting 07 03 14 - 1

Alfalfa cutting 07 03 14 - 12

This is the field in front our house that’s been mowed, merged and chopped. Richard will spray it in about 10 days and it will keep growing. Hopefully, we will get at least two more cuttings off of it.

 

 

Alfalfa and Soybean Updates

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I’ve been lax on giving you soybean updates. The road we normally use to get to the field has been closed since the beginning of July with a bridge out, so I don’t find myself going by very often. So, here is a picture of what the bean field looks like now. The leaves have been turning yellow and falling off the stems, so harvest is not far behind – probably less than two weeks.

Soybean field

 

The crew came in an mowed our fifth cutting of alfalfa the other day. They are merging and chopping this afternoon. My camera has a dead battery so you won’t see that for the last time this year!

Crop Update 09 23 13 002

 

Crop Update 09 23 13 003

Crop Update 09 23 13 004

 

 

 

 

Manure Spreading

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The dairy crew is still putting on manure.

Silage Pile and Manure Spreading 09 07 13 018

This is a tillage tool called a Gen-Till. It pokes holes in the ground (at the left) so the manure being applied (on the right) will soak into the ground faster.

Silage Pile and Manure Spreading 09 07 13 019

 

Manure is applied at 1000 to 1500 gallons per minute.

Silage Pile and Manure Spreading 09 07 13 022

The black hose in the front is called the supply hose. The orange one nearer the tractor is a very heavy drag hose designed to be pulled by the Gen-Till.

Harvest 2013 - 09 04 13 037

 

This is the pump that is pumping the manure out of the 15 million gallon lagoon at 200 pounds per square inch of pressure in the supply hose. With a booster pump manure can be pumped three miles to the fields.

 

Silage Pile and Manure Spreading 09 07 13 015

 

Here’s the 15 million gallon lagoon of manure.

 

Silage Pile and Manure Spreading 09 07 13 016