The problem with these rows of wheat is that they've been rained on--several times. It should be big fluffy rows of green stalks, but it's dark-brown mashed-down rows of dried wheat stalks. It still has to be made into hay and moved from the fields so another crop can be planted. The problem with the rained on rows of wheat, before its gets baled, is that it takes about 50% of our crop and we get about 50% of the price for a bale--we should've gotten twice the number of bales and should've gotten more per-bale of hay.
This is Trent's old tractor and rake we use to try to "fluff" the hay up off of the ground so it will dry out. Farmers version of a blow-dryer. Somebody asked me about the tractor being besides the clothesline--you never know where my guys are going to park machinery. I never complain unless it's parked so I can't get my car out of the garage!
One bale after it's been kicked-out of the baler. One down....many more to go!
Oh, I forgot to mention....everyone of these bales has to be moved out of the field too.....ONE at at time! Have you priced diesel lately? Geez.....
Hay-moving forks on the back of the pickups make moving hay easier without using a tractor. Just takes enough persons to be around to drive...back and forth, back and forth getting it out of the fields. "Mom, you didn't have anything planned for this afternoon did you?"
9 comments:
I only learned this yeaterday & I do not "know" what I am talking about, but do you have soft or hard wheat?
Another thing - what are wheat berries? Are they related to wheat?
Oh my, you sure lead an interesting life on the farm - I'll have to come and visit some time. Sorry about all the rain at the wrong time - that can't be good for stress levels in your family.
:) The joys of farming...the weather always seems to rain here when we have our alfalfa and grass down! Diesel is 2.95 a gallon here...what is it there?
They make rolled bales here in South Dakota, too, and it always looks so odd to me, because where I lived in the southwest, they were always rectangular - still are. What a lot of work farming is.
Gee -- we won't have a first cut till mid June; you're a good ways ahead! I've been hooked on cooking whole wheat berries like rice since I was real young. Sometimes pieces of ham and jalepenos in 'em -- ummmm....
I can't imagine how scary it must be have one's livlihood completely dependent on the weather. We've had no measurable rain here since Easter and things are completely burned up as a result... You wouldn't need to use the "blow dryer" here, that's for sure!
I love your farm stories! I am a country girl at heart, but currently living in very urban DC.
I think the wind turbines are amazing -- they always seem so huge to me. Do you mind them being so close to your farm?
This is quite a process and I can only imagine what your fuel bills must be to run the equipment as well as the trucks to get the bales where they belong---higher than that DC's back!
What a silly kitty! Going to fall off the birdhouse trying to get at the birds. I would have been trying to get a movie of it.
Sounds like a lot of hard work, but I am very impressed to see the big sails in the background. Are they used to generate power from wind?
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