Seeding Rye Grass 9/29/14...

It's Monday morning once again, and the work week has begun on the farm. Our neighbor who helps each morning was hunting last week...and we missed him!  He's back today, and things feel a little bit more back to normal.

We got a call this morning that the no-till drill that Jim rents was available today (unexpectedly), so Jim went to pick it up.  He was planning to seed rye grass in the field after silage corn as usual, but wanted to do something a little different this year.  Last year when the rye grass was cut and baled, we ended up with more corn fodder in the bales than we had hoped.  It made a mess to be swept out of the cows' troughs each day, so this time he ran over the field a time or so with the disk, to try to break up the corn stalks a bit before planting.  I think it looks like it will help.

He got started fairly early with the seeder, and here he's making a round in the field...

Do you see how much more brown the beans are in that field beyond the tractor?  A week ago when I posted, they looked much more green...

I took him some coffee, and he needed to stop anyway, to refill with seed...

It's working out great to get this field seeded today, because there's a chance of rain in the forecast.  That would be perfect timing!

Here's to a good week of getting some projects completed...I'm trying some recipes with ground cherries, a first for me...and a week of feeling a little better.  I'm scheduled to have a second injection next week in hopes to see even more improvement and keep me out of the surgeon's office.

First Week of Fall...

I love living in a part of the country where we have four very distinct seasons.  By the time we get tired of one season, another one comes along!  

I'm having a little trouble letting go of summer this year, though.  We had a fabulous summer, weather wise...just the right amount of rain...lower humidity and lower temps than normal, with just enough hazy, hot and humid days to remind us that we do indeed live in southeastern PA.  I don't ever remember a summer like this, and oh how I would love to see another one like it next year!

There are some definite signs of fall here, and I've captured a few.

The corn fields are disappearing, and the soybeans are turning yellow.  Soon they'll be ugly and brown, and it will be time to harvest them.  Give them another three weeks or so...

These bales were from last week's 5th cutting of hay.  Some of you have commented on how many cuttings we get.  Five cuttings are typical for this area, and occasionally we get a sixth off of a few fields...

Jim's been busy spreading manure on the fields, now that some of the corn has been chopped for silage.  There's still a lot of standing corn.  Some of it will be used for refilling the silos and the rest will be shelled out and stored until we need it...

I can see my neighbors again!  And no...I'm not spying!  She likes it too!

Last but not least...tonight's sunset was so pretty.  It was raining all day, but I think there's better weather coming, at least if  "sky red at night" is true.

Three lonely corn stalks, left by the chopper...

...and the beautiful sunset...

What does fall look like where you are?


*an update on my back issues...
It's been six weeks since I herniated a disk, and it's been frustrating to say the least.  I've waited for doctor appointments, had tests, and waited some more for doctor appointments.  In order to avoid surgery, we've decided to try the epidural steroid injections, followed by physical therapy.  Finally, yesterday, I saw the doctor who will do this.

The last few days were horrible...I think perhaps the worst two days in the last month. Maybe that was a blessing in disguise, though...because when I saw him yesterday, he looked at me...looked at my chart and said..."I can see how long you've been dealing with this, and I can see that you're in a lot of pain.  I'm leaving on vacation..."  and my heart sank.  And then he said, "I'm going to fit you into the schedule tomorrow, so we can get started on this now. I don't want to make you wait any longer."  I am so very thankful that we were able to start doing something, even if it doesn't work.

This morning I had the (virtually painless) procedure, and everything went smoothly.  We should have a pretty good idea by the beginning of the week if it is possibly going to help, and we'll go from there.  But for now, I'm thankful for strong pain meds that make me sleepy, and for finally seeing  a doctor who was willing to go the extra mile for a patient.

And the Answer Is...

For those of you who read my last post...
(Or for those of you who didn't)

I posted this picture...

...and asked what was missing.

There were 10 comments, and two of them were correct.  The anonymous comment (which was from my father in law Lloyd) and Robyn both noticed that the header was laying in the foreground, with no chopper attached. Good eyes!  :)

Soon after the east silo was full and they had begun filling the west silo, there was a breakdown.  Something went wrong with the transmission that runs the header.  So...the chopper (minus the header) headed to the shop for repairs.  They were up and running again by 5 pm and were able to finish before bed time.

We're thankful to have three silos full of nice corn silage.  Next comes 5th cutting of hay.

Stay tuned...

What's Missing In This Picture?...

Yesterday morning the guys came to fill our silos, as planned.  What a beautiful day it was for chopping corn!

They started right around breakfast time, and had the first silo filled in what seemed like no time at all.  It takes about 12 loads to fill one of our 12' x 50' silos.

While they were chopping, I had a few errands to run, and when I came back I saw all the tractors and forage wagons lined up in the field.  I don't think they could have lined them up any more precisely if they'd tried...

However...there's something important missing from the picture.  What do you think it is?

Silo Filling 2014...

Last year at this time, our silos were all full, and fall was heading our way in a hurry.

This year we had a cool spring, so the corn was planted later than usual. So...we're about two weeks behind in harvesting, as compared to other years.  Usually it's the last week of August when the chopper pulls in. (here and here are some of last years' pics) We remember many times...waiting out front with the kids for the school bus, hearing the unmistakable whine of the chopper coming up the road.  We would hear him long before we saw him...

Last week we ran out of silage here at home.  We were expecting it, but it meant lining up the chopper to cut at least a couple of loads of corn so that the cows had some silage to eat.  Jim had been taking moisture samples, and the corn was borderline as far as being ready to chop.  (The ideal moisture for in our small silos is about 67%)  It's not always easy to get silage chopped at just the right time.  When using a custom harvester, you not only have to get the corn at the right time, but you also have to juggle around the schedules of several farmers, all who have the same goal in mind.

The plan was, since the moisture was borderline...to fill one silo and then pull out, planning to come back this week to fill the other silo here and also the one at the other farm.

*****

The chopper is a fascinating machine, at least to me.  It's quite intimidating, especially when you're this close in front of it!  You want to be sure that the guy in the cab knows you're there before getting close!

The sides are folded up here, for travel on the roads.

Jeff took some time to write out some bills while he sharpened the chopper blades...

In the center of the picture, you can see the knife sharpeners.  This was something new to me, and I can't explain how they work, but it was interesting to watch.  I climbed up in the cab and took this picture looking down from the top...

Once everyone was set up, they cut a couple of loads, taking off the outer rows of corn from this field.  I can finally see the neighbors again!  (This is something I look forward to every fall.  I don't like to feel isolated behind corn fields!)  Hmm...who left that mess of silage on the road?  Don't worry...we cleaned it up...

Still trying to decide if the corn was a little too green, Jim squeezed a handful of silage to see how much juice was there.  His hand came away pretty wet...

After much discussion, they decided to pull out and come back in a few days to finish up.  Too much moisture makes a lower quality silage, not to mention a lot of smelly, messy silo juice!  Gotta keep those ladies happy...good silage translates to more milk!  By waiting a few days, hopefully it will be just right going into the silo.

Those "few days" are almost past, and we're expecting to chop the rest of the corn tomorrow.

Good Fences #25...

The simple beauty of a foggy morning on the farm...

Joining up with Good Fences...

Three Weeks Later...

It's been three weeks since I last wrote a blog post, and a lot of water has gone under the bridge since then.

...a lot of weeds have grown tall and strong.  (no pictures...it's too embarrassing!)

...the kids have started school.  We have a senior and a sophomore this year and they're both off to a great start in their cross country season.  I was able to get to their first meet on Wednesday.  Such a fun sport, and a great bunch of kids/parents to hang out with.

...the weather cooperated, and Jim was able to get all of 4th cutting hay baled into dry bales.  That's the first time in a long while that he hasn't baled some of it into high moisture round bales.  We're glad to have all the dry hay we can get.  We think it's better for the cows, and it's much easier to feed than balage.

...I turned another year older

...The corn has started to dry down.  Silo filling might begin this coming week, and that's good, because our silos are both almost completely empty!

...It's been a great year for crops around here.  We've had just the right amount of rain, and we couldn't have asked for a more pleasant summer, weather wise.  I think the past few days have been the most uncomfortable yet...but it's to cool off tomorrow...yay!

The beans look great, and are just beginning lose their deep green color.  Soon they'll turn yellow, and then brown...

Each day my back is feeling better, and hopefully I'll soon be back into the full swing of things.  I'm able to do what I need to take care of my family, but have to be really careful with lifting and twisting.  I've had to swallow my pride and allow others to do things for me/us.  Even though that is hard, we are so grateful for good friends and family who stepped in and cared for us!