Finishing Up Corn Harvest 2018...

Apparently Phoebe found something interesting to watch...

(and yes, she's looking a little rough.  She's being treated for allergies...a farm dog allergic to things on the farm. Hmmmmmmm....)

But more importantly, here's what she was watching...

Yesterday and today we had our corn shelled out and sold, except for what Jim used to fill the crib.  It looks like we averaged close to 180 bushels per acre, which we are pleased with, considering  the weather challenges we had this year!  Although the wet weather definitely affected the crops, we didn't have some of the problems that we anticipated.

We're very thankful for this stretch of beautiful dry fall weather to get in the fields.  Everyone and their brother is either combining, picking corn, baling corn fodder or seeding cover crops.

Next up are the beans...hopefully this weekend, before the rain returns!

Picking Corn 2018...

The corn in the fields is drying down, and it's time for picking and combining. 

Jim spent time over the weekend setting up the corn elevator at the empty corn crib.  It's challenging to get it set up perfectly, so that the corn goes directly through the small hole at the top of the corn crib, and not down over the sides and on to the ground.

This is the hole at the top of the corn crib.  The metal disc you see hanging below it, is a spreader.  When the corn falls into the crib, it first hits the spreader and does just that...spreads around so that the crib fills up evenly.

For example...

It's a fabulous day today.  Beautiful.  Perfect.  What more can I say, but that we finally have a beautiful fall day with little breeze, no rain, blue sky and perfect temperatures for working outside without breaking a sweat or freezing your fingers!  Yay!

The ears are of varying sizes.  These were from the edge of the field, in a low, wet spot. Hopefully the majority of the ears, which are from prime soil, are of the larger variety!

It's days like this that make farming fun! 

Looking Back On a Strange Summer...

As fall has suddenly arrived here, it's interesting to look back on what has been an unusual year...

Let me start by saying, we do have so much to be thankful for.  There are so many people who have dealt with drought, fires, hurricanes and other issues that we need to keep it in perspective. The weird weather has all of us in the same boat.  All we can do is shake our heads, share stories with our farmer friends and hope for a good harvest despite the weather difficulties that were/are 2018.

We saw rain totals this year like I don't ever remember. With the exception of the month of June, I can't say with confidence that we had many long stretches of consecutive days of sunshine all summer long!

Lancaster County averages 43" of rain annually.  This year we surpassed that total by the end of August.  There was a storm that stalled over the county on August 31, that dumped at least 10" on a nearby town in just a few hours, resulting in unprecedented flooding.

The West Lampeter Community Fair saw major mud this year.  I saw tractors pulling 4 X 4's out of the mud on Wednesday morning, as the vendors were trying to set up their booths.  The fair's board of directors "and company" did an amazing job of making it a memorable year despite circumstances that were out of everyone's control.  Trailer loads of mulch were hauled in and spread...they arranged shuttles from satellite locations for fair goers and they patiently dealt with the many headaches that they were handed.  Hats off to them~ it was still a fun community event!

Baling hay was a challenge all summer, but right now Jim is raking up the last of 5th cutting hay, hoping to bale tonight or tomorrow morning.

Here's what the corn and beans look like today...

It sure would be nice if all the beans looked like this!

There are reports of corn sprouting on the ears in the fields.

There are reports of truck loads of soybeans being rejected at the mills because of mold.

It's been that wet.

It's been cool and windy this week, so I went to the basement and dug out the quilted flannels, washed them and hung them out to dry in the breeze. It didn't take them long!  We haven't had to run the big fans in the barn, so it's been blessedly quiet...

...and just for fun, here's a picture I took at a neighborhood auction about a week ago.  Our little Amish neighbors couldn't wait to try out their "new" sled!

I guess they're dreaming of snow a  bit  lot more than I am!

A Good Winter's Night Supper...

What do you do when you remember at 4:00 pm that it's not a food co-op night, and your family is going to be hungry for supper before you know it?

You go to the freezer and pull out a package of frozen Italian sausage from Costco...throw the links in the microwave for a few minutes to thaw...cut them into 1 1/2" pieces...cook them on the stove top in just a little bit of water for a few minutes...

Wash and cut up a couple of (unpeeled because it's easier and they taste much better that way!) potatoes into bite sized pieces...

Wash, trim and cut a package of brussels sprouts in half...

Toss everything together in a baking dish...drizzle with olive oil and seasonings of choice...

Set your oven timer for an hour at 375 degrees...

Come in from the barn to a delicious smelling and delicious tasting quick and easy supper!

(If you've never had roasted brussels sprouts, you simply have to try them! They are that good!!  Thanks to my sister Marge and her husband Hermann for introducing us to them!)

Winter Fence Building...

There are a lot of things I wouldn't want to be doing this time of year, and I was reminded again of one of them today...

The last section of old meadow fence at the "other farm" is being replaced, and this is the week it was put on the schedule.  Brrrr...it's a cold week to have to be working outside all day!

Jim penned the heifers and dry cows inside the barn, where they can stay out of trouble, and watch the activity if they so choose...

The north side of the barn yard will be replaced with wooden fence and a gate.  The post holes are all dug, and the fence posts are resting loosely in place....

There are bags and bags of Quikrete that will be used to anchor the posts securely into place...

The east side of the meadow will be replaced with PVC fence.  There will be an electric wire running through the fence for added security against rambunctious animals that have wanderlust...

...and the section along the driveway will be done as well...

In the next day or so, once the posts are anchored into their holes, the rails will be snapped into place, and it will look fantastic!  It will be a huge improvement from an old fence that needed lots of repair!

I'm joining up today with Good Fences.  Click on the link to visit other blogs with more fence posts!

Space!

Last week I had our daughter to the doctor for a check up. After dropping the bomb that she needed several shots, Doc leaned back in his chair, propped his feet up, and said, “So, you’re a farm girl? Tell me what you like best about living on a farm!” I thought I knew what she would say, but listened closely anyway.

“Space!” she replied.

We have space to... ride a dirt bike…have a fort (even better that it was built by Grandpa!)…be far enough away from our neighbors that we can’t look in their bathroom window from ours…throw football…have some chickens…raise a litter of puppies…have a garden…play capture the flag…get away from our brother (or sister) when they’re being annoying…build a fire pit in the yard…plant a perennial and shrub border…have a couple of dogs…sled down the barn hill…enjoy the quiet…and the list goes on…

The distraction was great…we were reminded again of how fortunate we are to live where we have lots of space. But the shots still hurt!

Married to the cows?

For a while now, some of you (you know who you are!) have been asking for this!  So here it is...for my friends who are curious about life on a dairy farm, and for those of you who are just...curious...

I make no claims to be a great writer...what you read is how I see it.  So enjoy a slice of life on the farm, and learn a bit about what it's like to be 'married to the cows"!

Farming is a marriage of sorts.  It's a lifestyle, not just an occupation.  We are in it for the duration...on call  24/7/365.  The cows don't take off for birthdays, anniversaries or holidays...so neither can we!

Jim and I have been happily married (to each other) for almost 17 years, and married to our cows for just over 16 years.

We've enjoyed a lot of good times on the farm...high milk prices, healthy cows, good growing seasons, lots of help to throw haybales, eating meals together as a family, working together, the satisfying feeling of falling into bed feeling like we'd earned our sleep, and a few quick weekends away.

We've also endured some rough times...rock bottom milk prices, praying over sick animals, rained on hay, scrambling for help, eating breakfast at noon and supper at 9pm, short tempers, exhaustion, and 2 1/2 years with no time away together as a family.

But just like in a marriage, you take the good along with the not so good, and make it work! 

We enjoy living on the farm and the opportunity to raise our children in the way that we both were raised...enjoying the outdoors, learning the value of hard work, and seeing God at work in many ways...

I hope you enjoy reading occasional posts about our life on the farm and I welcome your comments!