Tag Archives: Silage

Harvest 2015

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We started chopping silage for the dairy yesterday.

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The corn yield is up and down in these first few fields.

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The chopper takes 10 rows of corn at a time and cuts it into about 1-inch pieces.

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It’s amazing to watch how fast the corn stalks are fed into the chopper and then blown out the spout into the trucks.

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Tonight the trucks are lined up ready to go to the next field across the major state highway.

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It takes about seven or eight buggies and/or semis to keep up with the chopper.

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Heading to the next field.

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At the same time, the dairy is putting on manure to the field we already have done. Their manure lagoon is just about full so they are working right behind the chopping crew to get it applied.

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This was the first field we got done.

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The manure applicator puts on about 13,000 gallons per acre.

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Richard is getting the drills ready to plant 40 acres of alfalfa in another field.

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It’s a good night to plant.

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It’s a little dusty out there.

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This is the field they are chopping in tonight.

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This one is really full!

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You can see how straight we can plant corn with the GPS on the tractor in the spring.

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This is the other end of the field. You can just barely see the other tractor and buggy behind this truck waiting its turn.

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Turning around to head back.

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Silage Pile at the Dairy

The pile of silage at the dairy has grown immensely the past 10 days. They’ve started covering it with plastic and tires to protect it and help it ferment.

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The tractors are still packing.

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You can see the plastic and tires better here.

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The buggy just emptied onto the cement and the tractor will start pushing it onto the pile.

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There’s getting to be a traffic jam as the silage gets full. It’s as long as it will probably get, but they can make it higher on this end.

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Richard took this picture earlier of both tractors near the top.

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Chopping Corn!

 

 

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Shooting the silage into the buggy.

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You can see how the corn gets pulled into the chopper. He’s taking 10 rows of corn at a time.

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He’s turned around and ready to go up the next 10 rows.

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The chopper fills one buggy while the second empty one drives alongside ready to switch with the full one.

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This is after the chopper driver has filled the one buggy and the second is now next to him being filled. I will put up video in the next post so you can see the “dance” they do to accomplish this.

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Silage Harvest Has Started!

The corn is ready for silage-making.

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The crew came last Wednesday and started chopping our corn for silage for the dairy cows. Two choppers, eight “buggies”, and five semi’s. It’s been a busy place! Remember, when you chop the corn for silage they chop the WHOLE plant. When you “combine” the corn, you just take the kernels of corn. In the picture below, the “buggy” is following the chopper that is blowing the silage into it as he “opens up” the field. Once the chopper has gone all the way through the field and then turns around the buggy can drive alongside him.

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The chopper takes 10 rows of corn at a time. Here he is getting ready to open up some more rows.

 

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Now he starts to blow the silage into the buggy behind him.

 

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Here’s what silage looks like up-close.

 

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It started to pour rain while they were chopping but you can see both chopper spouts and the wagons they were blowing into.

 

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