These are our oats:
These are our sugar snap peas:
These are our fava beans and rye:
We sprayed concentrated mined P&K with seaweed N in a 10-10-10 analysis. This should kick the crops on along.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
October 2014
Crops are up. The only disappointment was the garden. We seeded broccoli and beets. Both were no shows. Everything else is doing fine.
These are our oats:
These are our oats:
September 2014
September was fall/winter planting time. We planted Elbon Rye and naked oats, then intercropped sugar snap peas and fava beans. I used the 71 Flex planter for the favas and broke the seed cap. Favas are way to big for that planter. Should have used the drill.
The old Allis Chalmers All Crop Drill did a superb job on everything else. I could have set it up to drop everything, Including the favas and done it all in one pass.
We can make two winter crops in our zone. One planting in September, harvest in November. The next planting in December, harvest in March. We will then let the grain grow on out and harvest in June. Winter bean / pea crops are: sugar snap peas, English peas, snow peas, and fava beans. Green beans are an option for fall, September - November. 60 day southern peas have a chance to make as well.
The old Allis Chalmers All Crop Drill did a superb job on everything else. I could have set it up to drop everything, Including the favas and done it all in one pass.
We can make two winter crops in our zone. One planting in September, harvest in November. The next planting in December, harvest in March. We will then let the grain grow on out and harvest in June. Winter bean / pea crops are: sugar snap peas, English peas, snow peas, and fava beans. Green beans are an option for fall, September - November. 60 day southern peas have a chance to make as well.
August 2014
We spent August picking the last of the peas. Blackeyes. For the record, even though I can pick semi vining and vining types with the BH-100 by removing the first round of picking fingers from the front of the picking reel, they really are not worth the hassle. Yields are way too low. California 46 is NOT really a bush type pea, they are not determinant, and they do not have a concentrated set. I am still searching for such a pea. Arkansas Blakeye #1 is such a pea, but no seed vendor picked it up. U of A should do like Texas A&M did with Texas Pinkeye and produce it themselves on contract to CT Smith.
We sold way more flour and oatmeal this year than peas. Our new packaging is plastic re-sealable, freezable, vacuum packed, with a tear off top. Customers love it.
We sold way more flour and oatmeal this year than peas. Our new packaging is plastic re-sealable, freezable, vacuum packed, with a tear off top. Customers love it.
Currently, we are out of rye. We do have a little bit of oats on hand. We have no wheat. Rye and oats grow really well in our area, so we are going to raise more rye and sell part of it and buy hard red wheat in an amount suitable for us to mill. I think most of our bean and pea business will migrate to fall.
Thursday, August 14, 2014
July 2014
Pea picking time. The hard way. People really no longer want to pick their own peas. When they do, they will not maintain the discipline of staying in their row. They want to pick over the entire patch thinking they have to,to find peas. This is not the case. Some patience is required and discipline. I challenge anyone to a pick off. I'll stay in my row to the end and you pick over the patch. I will pick more peas. Picking over, you spend too much time moving and not enough time picking, compounding your frustration with the whole enterprise.
We do not do well using this method. This was made painfully obvious to us early on. As usual, when we hand pick, we left 80% of the crop in the field. With the Chisholm Ryder sidelined, we were not able to pick enough, fast enough, in enough quantity to take to the farmers market.
Enter the restoration plan. It was my intention to repair the Multi D. After evaluating my options and looking at the costs, it wasn't worth it. It is to be sold for scrap unless I get a better offer than $1000. Its replacement is a Pixall BH-100. Far easier to repair and to operate. Though smaller, it is a far better fit for our small acreage than the larger machine.
Along with our continuous sheller, our operation can run sixty to one hundred bushel per hour, pods to shelled peas. This is the sheller at work: http://youtu.be/UOkTbWkEjvk?list=UUooo9-r6Pq1-glUwemeZ0Mg
It is no longer for sale, by the way.
The new picker will arrive Saturday, August 16th and the old one is due to leave the same day. The blackeyed peas should be ready soon after.
We do not do well using this method. This was made painfully obvious to us early on. As usual, when we hand pick, we left 80% of the crop in the field. With the Chisholm Ryder sidelined, we were not able to pick enough, fast enough, in enough quantity to take to the farmers market.
Enter the restoration plan. It was my intention to repair the Multi D. After evaluating my options and looking at the costs, it wasn't worth it. It is to be sold for scrap unless I get a better offer than $1000. Its replacement is a Pixall BH-100. Far easier to repair and to operate. Though smaller, it is a far better fit for our small acreage than the larger machine.
Along with our continuous sheller, our operation can run sixty to one hundred bushel per hour, pods to shelled peas. This is the sheller at work: http://youtu.be/UOkTbWkEjvk?list=UUooo9-r6Pq1-glUwemeZ0Mg
It is no longer for sale, by the way.
The new picker will arrive Saturday, August 16th and the old one is due to leave the same day. The blackeyed peas should be ready soon after.
June 2014
This year we were reminded that there are many other threats to our crops other than weather. Wild hogs ravaged our wheat, then our rye. Both crops were totally destroyed.
It was heartbreaking. We had no choice but to replant with southern peas. Our choice was Quick Pick Purplehull and California 46 Blackeye. By the Middle of June the land was restored and replanted.
We sold a few bushel of purplehulls only to discover we had lost most of our market share over the four year long drought and our decision to abandon the fresh bean and pea market. We now realize that was a mistake. The problem was, we needed a reliable bean picker again. That situation was not resolved immediately.
Meanwhile, our garden produced some nice squash, tomatoes and cucumbers.
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Into the Crop Season
May. Spring came late this year. It is difficult to believe that night temps in Minnesota are still in the 20's! Cool nights have suppressed the growing season here. Watermelons in Grapeland have been lost to the cool temps and pea stands are spotty. We planted ours late, after the corn failed and have an excellent stand of Quick Pick Purplehulls. We also have some cream peas we planted from old seed we had on hand.
Our wheat was wiped out by wild hogs and our rye was damaged.
We applied a tank mix of Tobasco and half a gallon of Louisiana Hot Sauce in 55 gallons of water to repel the beasts. So far it is working. Another three weeks for the rye to mature and I am pretty sure pepper sprays will be common this year.
Bought a box blade and a new tiller from Tractor Supply. Did more bulldozing in reverse with the blade than leveling. Had to shove the berms the hogs threw up back into the holes they rooted. We should have plenty rye to mill and customers are very happy with our flour for the most part. We wanted to have wheat for our bread mixes as rye bread is made up of 20% to 50% rye flour. The remainder is bread flour and whole wheat flours. I am shopping around for hard red wheat to grind.
Postponing the Meadows Mill purchase until our business grows a bit more. I would really have liked that mill. Planting the hog damaged wheat field in blackeyed peas. Plan on cutting these dry in August for sale over the winter.
Our watermelons and cantaloupe are up and growing. No seedless melons. Ours didn't make either.
Most people are 5 generations removed from the farm. We do these blogs and facebook and G+ so that people have some idea how their food is produced. Many people have fanciful notions about how farm life is and who controls it. I am here telling you that we farmers make those decisions. It is our job, sometimes not our only job. Farm life is tough, high risk work. It can also be very rewarding work, though not always in monetary terms.
There is a new documentary out called Farmland. I want to take this opportunity to show my support for it. Go see it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_YpdXUm_iM
Our wheat was wiped out by wild hogs and our rye was damaged.
We applied a tank mix of Tobasco and half a gallon of Louisiana Hot Sauce in 55 gallons of water to repel the beasts. So far it is working. Another three weeks for the rye to mature and I am pretty sure pepper sprays will be common this year.
Bought a box blade and a new tiller from Tractor Supply. Did more bulldozing in reverse with the blade than leveling. Had to shove the berms the hogs threw up back into the holes they rooted. We should have plenty rye to mill and customers are very happy with our flour for the most part. We wanted to have wheat for our bread mixes as rye bread is made up of 20% to 50% rye flour. The remainder is bread flour and whole wheat flours. I am shopping around for hard red wheat to grind.
Postponing the Meadows Mill purchase until our business grows a bit more. I would really have liked that mill. Planting the hog damaged wheat field in blackeyed peas. Plan on cutting these dry in August for sale over the winter.
Our watermelons and cantaloupe are up and growing. No seedless melons. Ours didn't make either.
Most people are 5 generations removed from the farm. We do these blogs and facebook and G+ so that people have some idea how their food is produced. Many people have fanciful notions about how farm life is and who controls it. I am here telling you that we farmers make those decisions. It is our job, sometimes not our only job. Farm life is tough, high risk work. It can also be very rewarding work, though not always in monetary terms.
There is a new documentary out called Farmland. I want to take this opportunity to show my support for it. Go see it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_YpdXUm_iM
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Bean and Pea Harvesters
I have knowledge of two Chisholm Ryder Bean pickers in field ready condition. They both need homes and are priced to move. Both are in the northwest, but priced where the transportation is affordable. My own is slated for rebuilding and I haven't had time to do it. For the time being, we are out of the bean and pea business.
These machines pick southern peas, snap beans, lima beans and English peas equally well. If you cannot get pickers to harvest your bean and pea crops, the machines may well be your life saver.
These machines pick southern peas, snap beans, lima beans and English peas equally well. If you cannot get pickers to harvest your bean and pea crops, the machines may well be your life saver.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
April Showers?
A least we are getting rain. Possibly lots of it. This is good for crop development. I am sure we will meet our very modest grain production goals for this year. All this will go into flour and corn meal milling as the summer progresses. We really need a crop of hard red wheat for bread flour and I plan to rotate that in next year. I am going to follow grain with Argentine Bahaiagrass.
There a lot of debate about Bahaiagrass. It is a love / hate thing. It is cheap, easy pasture and cheap, easy erosion control and excellent for wildlife habitat. It is the long term weed and pest suppression characteristics that I am most interested in. Back in the late 70's when I started farming our family property, I noticed a crop vigor that now, 30 odd years later, I don't see. I am interested in restoring that vigor to our fields.
I hope to plant this into a prepared seed bed this summer as the grain crops are harvested. This will require some moisture. Weather is the key to our efforts, but it really doesn't require the same amount of rain as needed for produce crops.
All went pretty well last month. Few malfunctions to ruminate about. I would have liked better consistency from our grain drill, but that was mostly operator error. There are a couple of things I need to fix in that regard, but none are insurmountable.
There is no small amount of skepticism from locals about what we are doing. Generations of deep plowing are hard to remove from the gene pool.
There a lot of debate about Bahaiagrass. It is a love / hate thing. It is cheap, easy pasture and cheap, easy erosion control and excellent for wildlife habitat. It is the long term weed and pest suppression characteristics that I am most interested in. Back in the late 70's when I started farming our family property, I noticed a crop vigor that now, 30 odd years later, I don't see. I am interested in restoring that vigor to our fields.
I hope to plant this into a prepared seed bed this summer as the grain crops are harvested. This will require some moisture. Weather is the key to our efforts, but it really doesn't require the same amount of rain as needed for produce crops.
All went pretty well last month. Few malfunctions to ruminate about. I would have liked better consistency from our grain drill, but that was mostly operator error. There are a couple of things I need to fix in that regard, but none are insurmountable.
There is no small amount of skepticism from locals about what we are doing. Generations of deep plowing are hard to remove from the gene pool.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
March 2014
Residual cold keeps sweeping down off the high plains. Nights are still too cold for planting in my opinion. The crops look ok. Wheat could look better but is responding responding to fertilization, the rye looks good and the mixed cover crop looks excellent.
Warm weather will push the grain on along. Not so much with the mustard. That crop isn't looking so well. Likely suppressed by too much hard cold this year. We will see. Nothing to do but wait and watch, now. In the mean time, get the combine ready.
In the vegetable garden, we will start planting in about 3 and half weeks. Yellow squash, cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, that kind of thing. No peas this year.
Monday, February 24, 2014
January to Febuary 2014.... From the Depths of WInter
Edard was right. Winter is indeed here, or was. Nothing to report other than the cold weather and continued below normal moisture in the western part of the country. Wheat continues to develop, the rye looks better than the wheat. The mixed cover crop looks better than both.
I started top dressing all of it a week ago, but sprayer problems developed and I wasn't able to finish. Word to the wise, don't use 12v DC or any kind of electric pump sprayer if you have a PTO on a tractor. This is the pump I recommend, and my preferred vendor:
This pump will not handle liquid nitrogen or strong liquid fertilizers, but relax, I don't use them. I prefer two types of organic liquid fertilizers. Neptune's Harvest Fish Emulsion and AGGRAND.
Just connect the appropriate hoses and add a tee to the discharge side somewhere you can see it, with a pressure gauge on it. I run it about 20 psi, but whatever works for your system. Just follow the application instructions and you will do fine. I have found both product lines to be highly effective.
When to apply top dress on wheat... the wheat needs nitrogen. That said, our organic wheat is top dressed with fish fertilizer. Though it has a lower analysis, that can be deceptive. The organic fertilizers tend to supply more available nutrients. It also will not burn your plants. "When fertilizers are foliar applied, more that 90% of the fertilizer is utilized by the plant. When a similar amount is applied to the soil, only 10 percent of it is utilized." Our results, over the years, have generally been good.
The mixed cover crop is seeded with vetch as part of the cultivar mix. This legume supplies extra nitrogen to the soil and in conjunction with the rye, which is fertility scavenger, makes this cover and excellent soil amendment. This mixed crop is going to be a used as a dead mulch. We have ordered a Caroni Flail Mower to kill the cover crop just prior to corn planting.
This is the 59" fine cut model. We scoured the internet discussion boards looking for a good one and it came down to just two. John Deere and Caroni. New Holland, though they have one listed on their website, no longer make them. Unfortunately for them, their design didn't preform very well. As mowers go, these devices are very expensive, $1700 to $4600 for a small one. The only reason we are going to use one is because of cutting style. This mower will cut the cover crop and leave it in place where it grew. Yes, disc mowers and sickle mowers will do the same, but the flail mower residue is easier to no-till plant through, which is the whole idea behind a dead mulch. The method is called "organic no-till". There are other ways to accomplish this, but we want to make certain the cover crop is dead before we plant corn in it.
We will cut the mixed cover crop when the rye is in flower, early stage when green foliage is at its peak. This should provide us with a dead mulch 4" or so deep. We are using the same method in the garden area where we will grow a few vegetables.
We have an exciting year ahead of us, and God willing, our own wheat, rye and corn from which to mill our flour and meal.
This leaves us with weather. Without rain, it will be another very tough year. That weather is largely determined by the Enso Cycle. This tropical ocean cycle controls the direction of the jet stream which pumps moisture into North America. During La Niña years, this means drought for the central US. Enso Neutral brings slight improvement and El Niño usually brings a wet year. Sometimes too wet, but we won't disparage moisture. Read more about it here.
This is the current outlook for the spring to summer of 2014. Not good news for the west, and it may be a while before the cycle turns favorable for them. As for corn and wheat country and northern vegetable regions, the outlook is certainly better than it has been. If El Niño forms this summer, this will help fix our water problems in Texas, but it is going to be a long rough haul for folks in California.
I hope to plant larger acreages of wheat next year as the weather becomes more favorable. Prices are still good as corn continues to take up much of the spring wheat acreage.
Spring is coming!
I started top dressing all of it a week ago, but sprayer problems developed and I wasn't able to finish. Word to the wise, don't use 12v DC or any kind of electric pump sprayer if you have a PTO on a tractor. This is the pump I recommend, and my preferred vendor:
This pump will not handle liquid nitrogen or strong liquid fertilizers, but relax, I don't use them. I prefer two types of organic liquid fertilizers. Neptune's Harvest Fish Emulsion and AGGRAND.
Just connect the appropriate hoses and add a tee to the discharge side somewhere you can see it, with a pressure gauge on it. I run it about 20 psi, but whatever works for your system. Just follow the application instructions and you will do fine. I have found both product lines to be highly effective.
When to apply top dress on wheat... the wheat needs nitrogen. That said, our organic wheat is top dressed with fish fertilizer. Though it has a lower analysis, that can be deceptive. The organic fertilizers tend to supply more available nutrients. It also will not burn your plants. "When fertilizers are foliar applied, more that 90% of the fertilizer is utilized by the plant. When a similar amount is applied to the soil, only 10 percent of it is utilized." Our results, over the years, have generally been good.
The mixed cover crop is seeded with vetch as part of the cultivar mix. This legume supplies extra nitrogen to the soil and in conjunction with the rye, which is fertility scavenger, makes this cover and excellent soil amendment. This mixed crop is going to be a used as a dead mulch. We have ordered a Caroni Flail Mower to kill the cover crop just prior to corn planting.
We will cut the mixed cover crop when the rye is in flower, early stage when green foliage is at its peak. This should provide us with a dead mulch 4" or so deep. We are using the same method in the garden area where we will grow a few vegetables.
We have an exciting year ahead of us, and God willing, our own wheat, rye and corn from which to mill our flour and meal.
This leaves us with weather. Without rain, it will be another very tough year. That weather is largely determined by the Enso Cycle. This tropical ocean cycle controls the direction of the jet stream which pumps moisture into North America. During La Niña years, this means drought for the central US. Enso Neutral brings slight improvement and El Niño usually brings a wet year. Sometimes too wet, but we won't disparage moisture. Read more about it here.
This is the current outlook for the spring to summer of 2014. Not good news for the west, and it may be a while before the cycle turns favorable for them. As for corn and wheat country and northern vegetable regions, the outlook is certainly better than it has been. If El Niño forms this summer, this will help fix our water problems in Texas, but it is going to be a long rough haul for folks in California.
I hope to plant larger acreages of wheat next year as the weather becomes more favorable. Prices are still good as corn continues to take up much of the spring wheat acreage.
Spring is coming!
Monday, December 30, 2013
December
I hope everyone had a good Christmas! Ours was fragmented but good. Kids beginning to scatter all over the map at this point in our lives. We did quite a bit of baking. My wife bought me a bread machine. I think she created a monster.
We did some holiday baking and hunkered down from the cold north wind for the most part. Crops are growing. Not as consistent a stand as I wanted, as the drill needs some more adjustment. The job is done and things are growing, however. We should have more than enough grain to cover our market in the coming summer.
Keeping an eye on grain prices. I expect the market to be softer this spring because of a better harvest last fall. Much of the corn in south Texas was far and away improved over last year. This will be good news for livestock producers who need a break in grain prices. The market will still be decent, I think.
Many people are of the mistaken belief that farmers do not estimate demand for their crops based on markets, but nothing could be further from the truth. If prices are not good for corn, we will plant another crop. Marginal land coming out of CRP has to be producing something, so, yes we will plant that. Hopefully, the farmer will keep the special problems with marginal land in mind and adapts his practices to suit. Most of us do.
With that in mind, this is our first year to go 100% no till. That has been our goal for some time now. I do wish I had flattened some of the cultivated ridges before actually doing that, however. I suspect I will need to do so after the crops are done this summer.
The new year is coming. Nothing can stop it. I am going to do something I haven't since the last millennia. I am going to make a resolution. I am going to resolve to have more fun this year and spend more time with my wife.
I really hope to have a good 2014. We want to sell a lot of flour and corn meal this year! Maybe a few vegetables. The same for you and yours. Have a happy and prosperous new year!
We did some holiday baking and hunkered down from the cold north wind for the most part. Crops are growing. Not as consistent a stand as I wanted, as the drill needs some more adjustment. The job is done and things are growing, however. We should have more than enough grain to cover our market in the coming summer.
Keeping an eye on grain prices. I expect the market to be softer this spring because of a better harvest last fall. Much of the corn in south Texas was far and away improved over last year. This will be good news for livestock producers who need a break in grain prices. The market will still be decent, I think.
Many people are of the mistaken belief that farmers do not estimate demand for their crops based on markets, but nothing could be further from the truth. If prices are not good for corn, we will plant another crop. Marginal land coming out of CRP has to be producing something, so, yes we will plant that. Hopefully, the farmer will keep the special problems with marginal land in mind and adapts his practices to suit. Most of us do.
With that in mind, this is our first year to go 100% no till. That has been our goal for some time now. I do wish I had flattened some of the cultivated ridges before actually doing that, however. I suspect I will need to do so after the crops are done this summer.
The new year is coming. Nothing can stop it. I am going to do something I haven't since the last millennia. I am going to make a resolution. I am going to resolve to have more fun this year and spend more time with my wife.
I really hope to have a good 2014. We want to sell a lot of flour and corn meal this year! Maybe a few vegetables. The same for you and yours. Have a happy and prosperous new year!
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Soft Red Winter Wheat 2013
We raise soft red winter wheat offering a lower gluten alternative to supermarket flours normally made from hard red wheat. It is not a good yeast bread flour, but makes excellent flat bread, cakes pastries, muffins, biscuits and crackers. The largest U.S. export markets for soft red wheat are China, Egypt and Morocco. Lower gluten does not mean gluten free or by any means "healthier" with respect to gluten intolerance or celiac disease. Wheat flours are an excellent source of protein hence, their wide use in food stuffs throughout history. We have not aimed our market toward bread making. Biscuits, pies, cakes, muffins, dumplings breading and the like are more popular in southern culture.
Soft red wheat is widely grown throughout the central US down as far south as Mississippi and is traded on the Chicago Board of Trade. Our acreage is divided between soft red wheat, cereal rye, cover crop mustard for seed and mixed cover crop that will be flail mowed in March when our signature White Eagle Corn will be no tilled into the mulch.
Drilling the crop takes place between September to mid November. October is the optimum time for most farmers. Below are videos from the planting of this years crop across the central U.S. and a little insight to wheat planting dates from our Canadian friends.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvbMDD1vGpQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9jOs4XVfvU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o8q4E0Fj2s
Auto pilot / GPS navigation is a nice option...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SACMazS0soQ
Soft red wheat is widely grown throughout the central US down as far south as Mississippi and is traded on the Chicago Board of Trade. Our acreage is divided between soft red wheat, cereal rye, cover crop mustard for seed and mixed cover crop that will be flail mowed in March when our signature White Eagle Corn will be no tilled into the mulch.
Drilling the crop takes place between September to mid November. October is the optimum time for most farmers. Below are videos from the planting of this years crop across the central U.S. and a little insight to wheat planting dates from our Canadian friends.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvbMDD1vGpQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9jOs4XVfvU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o8q4E0Fj2s
Auto pilot / GPS navigation is a nice option...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SACMazS0soQ
Saturday, November 16, 2013
November
We barely made our planting window. Finally got the grain drill working. Because of that delay, and not wishing to risk capital I did not have on hand, I did not plant more acreage. For now we stick to the small farm business model until / unless FDA puts us out of business. That would be a sad day indeed. I have never in my 52 years on this earth, heard of any foodborne illness being caused by small farmers selling their crops in local markets or roadside stands. I have heard of plenty from large industrial farms and on the other side of our southern border. Much of it has occurred during transport from those distant locations. My advice, buy local while you can, Once we small farmers are out, then you will have no choice but to raise it yourself or buy the stuff from the supermarket.
Many people think, and say that there is no difference in quality between supermarket produce and locally grown. I disagree. Locally grown, you know the farmer. You know his agricultural practices. He / she knows you. You become like family. You know how the produce is handled. You know that it is fresh. You never have those assurances buying off a supermarket shelf.
I worry new FDA rules could destroy the CSA model. I do not prefer this model myself, as I have adequate capital of my own and do not need help from others to tend my crops. It is used extensively throughout the country, however, and supplies many people with safe, healthy locally grown food.
I see no choice but to make our farm larger. Milling grain into flour and meal for sale locally is a novelty thing. It is a survivalist thing as well. A family of four can survive ten years on the bread produced off one acre of wheat. Grain can be preserved and used over long periods and wheat can easily be produced from saved seeds, especially heirloom varieties. If the local sales avenue is closed, we will have no choice but to produce and sell into the world wide food distribution system.
On the flip side, there are volumes that have been written about why we should avoid grains, all grains, period. There is archeological evidence that the introduction of the agrarian diet about 10,000 years ago caused a huge increase in tooth decay, diabetes, and a plethora of other health problems. Celiac disease is just the tip of the iceberg.
The cultivation and milling of grains, however, enabled the expansion of our population, indeed enabled the rise of the specialist society, once the pursuit of food was no longer and issue. Agriculture gave rise to civilization.
This much I know. Our physical bodies will eventually die of something. That is a fact. We love and consume most all the land can produce. Whatever we were before the rise of agriculture, is long past. Whatever we will become because of it, is yet to be.
We do live in a wonderful but challenging time. Whatever diet you wish to follow, you can. Our food production system will provide it aplenty. Long or short, what you do with the life span agriculture has given you, is more important than the duration.
November sees our winter grains in the ground and growing. We will hunt hogs and deer off of it, there are plenty of them, and we will make sausage from their flesh. In the summer we will harvest those crops and plant new ones. We will pause this month and offer thanks for what the land has provided.
Fall colors are everywhere. Geese are flying south. The days grow short. There is no better place to be, in my opinion, than on the farm.
Many people think, and say that there is no difference in quality between supermarket produce and locally grown. I disagree. Locally grown, you know the farmer. You know his agricultural practices. He / she knows you. You become like family. You know how the produce is handled. You know that it is fresh. You never have those assurances buying off a supermarket shelf.
I worry new FDA rules could destroy the CSA model. I do not prefer this model myself, as I have adequate capital of my own and do not need help from others to tend my crops. It is used extensively throughout the country, however, and supplies many people with safe, healthy locally grown food.
I see no choice but to make our farm larger. Milling grain into flour and meal for sale locally is a novelty thing. It is a survivalist thing as well. A family of four can survive ten years on the bread produced off one acre of wheat. Grain can be preserved and used over long periods and wheat can easily be produced from saved seeds, especially heirloom varieties. If the local sales avenue is closed, we will have no choice but to produce and sell into the world wide food distribution system.
On the flip side, there are volumes that have been written about why we should avoid grains, all grains, period. There is archeological evidence that the introduction of the agrarian diet about 10,000 years ago caused a huge increase in tooth decay, diabetes, and a plethora of other health problems. Celiac disease is just the tip of the iceberg.
The cultivation and milling of grains, however, enabled the expansion of our population, indeed enabled the rise of the specialist society, once the pursuit of food was no longer and issue. Agriculture gave rise to civilization.
This much I know. Our physical bodies will eventually die of something. That is a fact. We love and consume most all the land can produce. Whatever we were before the rise of agriculture, is long past. Whatever we will become because of it, is yet to be.
We do live in a wonderful but challenging time. Whatever diet you wish to follow, you can. Our food production system will provide it aplenty. Long or short, what you do with the life span agriculture has given you, is more important than the duration.
November sees our winter grains in the ground and growing. We will hunt hogs and deer off of it, there are plenty of them, and we will make sausage from their flesh. In the summer we will harvest those crops and plant new ones. We will pause this month and offer thanks for what the land has provided.
Fall colors are everywhere. Geese are flying south. The days grow short. There is no better place to be, in my opinion, than on the farm.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Late October Post
Didn't have an October post because, frankly, there was nothing to say. It was Peanut Festival time in Grapeland and we had a good one. Still a bit melancholy because the crop that founded the festival is long gone. Since there is enough depressing news in the world, I decided not to blog about it.
October is really the month I prefer to plant winter grains. This October I spent trying to restore my 1967 Allis Chalmers All Crop Drill. I did a less than satisfactory job on it, but I managed to save it from the scrapper and make it serviceable. It became a necessity because my local New Holland / AGCO dealer sold their rental Tye and Great Plains drills. My budget only allowed so much. I paid $500 for my 15x7 Allis, had to haul it back from Missouri, ($500) restore and paint it ($400). I am not dissatisfied with it, but I could have bought a $2000 Brillion in state. I saved some cash but boy, did I have to work for it!
Dropping the seeder gang out and replacing frozen seed cups is no small thing. Getting it back in is even worse. I ended up replacing 2 seeders and building a third from spare parts. The bearings on the coulters need to be replaced next, but since I am only doing a few acres with it this year, I am going to blow that off till next summer. I really need to replace the hopper, make or have made sheet metal parts to replace those which time has really been hard on. Harbor Freight Tools, here I come!
I will finish reassembly next week. In the field planting a couple days after.
October is really the month I prefer to plant winter grains. This October I spent trying to restore my 1967 Allis Chalmers All Crop Drill. I did a less than satisfactory job on it, but I managed to save it from the scrapper and make it serviceable. It became a necessity because my local New Holland / AGCO dealer sold their rental Tye and Great Plains drills. My budget only allowed so much. I paid $500 for my 15x7 Allis, had to haul it back from Missouri, ($500) restore and paint it ($400). I am not dissatisfied with it, but I could have bought a $2000 Brillion in state. I saved some cash but boy, did I have to work for it!
Dropping the seeder gang out and replacing frozen seed cups is no small thing. Getting it back in is even worse. I ended up replacing 2 seeders and building a third from spare parts. The bearings on the coulters need to be replaced next, but since I am only doing a few acres with it this year, I am going to blow that off till next summer. I really need to replace the hopper, make or have made sheet metal parts to replace those which time has really been hard on. Harbor Freight Tools, here I come!
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
With or Without
Much discussion going on in Washington DC about too many things. Somewhere in all the fray is the Farm Bill, still entangled with the food stamp issue. I am not going to come down on either side of it on this blog. It does, however, affect planning.
Planning is essential, and low margin crops require careful planning. Private insurance is more expensive than Federal Crop Insurance, but if you are going to use it, your approach needs to be carefully screened. Your risk tolerance will be tested.
As well, the Food Safety Act, will begin to dictate what we can and cannot do, often in conflict with the National Organic Standard. We could end up raising animal feed.
We are at a crossroads. Do we continue to be a small scale organic grain and flour miller or do we go with the path of least resistance, farm more land, and sell crops to Cargill? We have a plan in place and an alternative or two.
The plan we continue to work is to remain small. It is our intent to grow to suit our market in the low to no gluten flour sector. (Is there such a sector?) We want to sell more rye flour and more grades of it. We cannot raise rice where we are, but we have sources for organic rice. Most other cereals we can raise with ease. We are not too cozy with amaranth, as we already have a wild amaranth infestation. Our neighbors would be very upset if we encouraged it.
On the other hand, it is growing in popularity and... it is a weed. A summer weed. We seem to have no trouble raising those.
In the meantime, the grain drill is waiting to be painted and reassembled. Rye four is selling slowly, but we knew that would be the case, We continue to build a local market. Hoping for wetter winter weather this year. The fall has started out well in that respect.
Planning is essential, and low margin crops require careful planning. Private insurance is more expensive than Federal Crop Insurance, but if you are going to use it, your approach needs to be carefully screened. Your risk tolerance will be tested.
As well, the Food Safety Act, will begin to dictate what we can and cannot do, often in conflict with the National Organic Standard. We could end up raising animal feed.
We are at a crossroads. Do we continue to be a small scale organic grain and flour miller or do we go with the path of least resistance, farm more land, and sell crops to Cargill? We have a plan in place and an alternative or two.
The plan we continue to work is to remain small. It is our intent to grow to suit our market in the low to no gluten flour sector. (Is there such a sector?) We want to sell more rye flour and more grades of it. We cannot raise rice where we are, but we have sources for organic rice. Most other cereals we can raise with ease. We are not too cozy with amaranth, as we already have a wild amaranth infestation. Our neighbors would be very upset if we encouraged it.
On the other hand, it is growing in popularity and... it is a weed. A summer weed. We seem to have no trouble raising those.
In the meantime, the grain drill is waiting to be painted and reassembled. Rye four is selling slowly, but we knew that would be the case, We continue to build a local market. Hoping for wetter winter weather this year. The fall has started out well in that respect.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Corn and Sunflower Pans for Conventional Reel Type Combine Heads
Every now and then I find something that gets me excited about farming. Perhaps a bit too excited at times. My current romance is with corn/sunflower pans.
For those of you not in the know, these pans work a lot like corn heads in that they channel the stalk into the combine, keeping it upright so that the ear is cut off and sent into the machine's threshing apparatus. In the case of the pan, the stalk is cut by the sickle and stalk and all is sent into the machine. Corn heads, on the other hand, channel the stalk into roller knives, that grip the stalk and pull it through stripper plates that then snap the ear off the stalk, sending just the ear into the threshing apparatus. This method produces much less trash material for the combine to sort out and has long been thought superior. Sunflowers, another tall stalk, crop are dealt with similarly.
In this age of rampant corn production and good prices for the crop, many growers are wanting to get in on the corn growing bandwagon but are not interested in the cost of a corn head for their machines. Good used heads can run between $100,000 to $180,000. This is just for a corn head. Not the combine. Obviously if you are running multiple machines, this is a serious capital investment. Pans, whether you build them yourself or buy them, cost considerably less at $250 per pan or about $8000 to outfit a 16 row machine. Flexxfinger, a manufacture of crop lifters and pans did field tests that showed a 15% increase in harvested corn over corn heads due to less ear loss from ears tumbling out of the head. The pans retain the paddle wheel which catches errant ears and propels them into the machine. Row attenuation apparently, is meaningless as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7RIWGlxYaE
I have seen these pans used on All Crop Combines for use in sunflowers. I am told results were satisfactory. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7siG3waypMU Small acreage farmers have to be creative in order to survive.
The drawbacks...
(1) Corn stalks, especially Bt tend to be hard on the sickle. This probably means you will spend time sharpening or replacing sickle parts.
(2) An Aussie farmer explained to me that though these pans work well, you need to run the cylinder about twice as fast as recommended to deal with the extra trash. In the case of All Crop combines, on which corn is hard on the rubber on rubber concave and cylinder bars this will be even a bit more rough. I am considering replacing the rubber with Teflon bar stock on my combine. We will see if it works.
I do not raise very much corn, so I am very reluctant to look into corn head or yet another harvesting machine in my already crowded barn. Also, the varieties I raise are heirlooms, the most modern of which is Reid's Yellow Dent.
Pans are worth considering. For now, I am sold on them.
For those of you not in the know, these pans work a lot like corn heads in that they channel the stalk into the combine, keeping it upright so that the ear is cut off and sent into the machine's threshing apparatus. In the case of the pan, the stalk is cut by the sickle and stalk and all is sent into the machine. Corn heads, on the other hand, channel the stalk into roller knives, that grip the stalk and pull it through stripper plates that then snap the ear off the stalk, sending just the ear into the threshing apparatus. This method produces much less trash material for the combine to sort out and has long been thought superior. Sunflowers, another tall stalk, crop are dealt with similarly.
In this age of rampant corn production and good prices for the crop, many growers are wanting to get in on the corn growing bandwagon but are not interested in the cost of a corn head for their machines. Good used heads can run between $100,000 to $180,000. This is just for a corn head. Not the combine. Obviously if you are running multiple machines, this is a serious capital investment. Pans, whether you build them yourself or buy them, cost considerably less at $250 per pan or about $8000 to outfit a 16 row machine. Flexxfinger, a manufacture of crop lifters and pans did field tests that showed a 15% increase in harvested corn over corn heads due to less ear loss from ears tumbling out of the head. The pans retain the paddle wheel which catches errant ears and propels them into the machine. Row attenuation apparently, is meaningless as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7RIWGlxYaE
I have seen these pans used on All Crop Combines for use in sunflowers. I am told results were satisfactory. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7siG3waypMU Small acreage farmers have to be creative in order to survive.
The drawbacks...
(1) Corn stalks, especially Bt tend to be hard on the sickle. This probably means you will spend time sharpening or replacing sickle parts.
(2) An Aussie farmer explained to me that though these pans work well, you need to run the cylinder about twice as fast as recommended to deal with the extra trash. In the case of All Crop combines, on which corn is hard on the rubber on rubber concave and cylinder bars this will be even a bit more rough. I am considering replacing the rubber with Teflon bar stock on my combine. We will see if it works.
I do not raise very much corn, so I am very reluctant to look into corn head or yet another harvesting machine in my already crowded barn. Also, the varieties I raise are heirlooms, the most modern of which is Reid's Yellow Dent.
Pans are worth considering. For now, I am sold on them.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Small Farm Grain Storage
I have been looking into grain storage solutions for small to medium sized farms. The day is long gone from our area where we had public storage for grains. The closest public elevator is in Navasota, Texas 102 miles away. Obviously, transportation costs would destroy any profit we might realize. If one wishes to take advantage of off season pricing, the best solution is some kind of on farm storage.
A 10,000 bushel grain bin will cost upwards of $32,000 to install. As look at larger bin capacities, the economy of scale becomes apparent, dropping costs to around 30 cents a bushel from $2 plus for smaller bins. A fixed grain bin will be exposed to property taxes as well.
This brings us to farmers like me who must lease land, often far from my base. Erecting storage bins on these properties is not an option. Grain Bagging, a concept that found its way to these shores about 10 years ago and now beginning to gain acceptance on a large scale, is an attractive option.
Grain Bagging is the storage of grain on well drained slightly sloping ground inside a giant plastic bag. The bags are 3 layer polyethylene tube 9 to 12 feet in diameter depending on the system, and up to 500 feet long. They are air tight and moisture proof. It is an excellent short term storage solution. They require fewer machines and personnel and eliminates trips to the elevator. With a bagger and un-loader a farmer can store his grain in the field where he harvested, sell the grain in the off season when commodity prices are stronger, and load the buyers trucks from his field saving transport and storage costs. He would not have to postpone harvest for available storage space or trucking availability. The grain bags are not fixed structures, so he would not be taxed.
Most of these machines include a bag pickup system that rolls the used bag up for easy disposal or recycling. The bags are not, however, reusable as the un-loader cuts the bag open as it unloads the grain. Tractor requirements for the larger systems are high, 100 horsepower. Renn markets a unit that uses a 10 foot diameter bag and requires 50 horsepower which makes it ideal for a small to medium sized operation. The bags cost from $1100 for smaller 250 foot bag to $2500 for a large 500 foot bag. The savings, in most cases, work out well. You would have to pencil it out for your particular operation. There is a danger of the bags getting ripped open by wildlife or vandals and what I hear there is no fool proof method to keep them out once they discover what is in them. All you can do is harden the target.
If you can harvest and store the grain on site, buying time to sell the crop, having transportation then paid by the buyer, you most likely will come out ahead. If we go with this type of system, that would be our plan.
Plenty to think about over the next month or two. I suspect we will continue to operate on a smaller scale for the time being. We may never become that kind of farm. I am not sure that I want to at this point.
A 10,000 bushel grain bin will cost upwards of $32,000 to install. As look at larger bin capacities, the economy of scale becomes apparent, dropping costs to around 30 cents a bushel from $2 plus for smaller bins. A fixed grain bin will be exposed to property taxes as well.
This brings us to farmers like me who must lease land, often far from my base. Erecting storage bins on these properties is not an option. Grain Bagging, a concept that found its way to these shores about 10 years ago and now beginning to gain acceptance on a large scale, is an attractive option.
Grain Bagging is the storage of grain on well drained slightly sloping ground inside a giant plastic bag. The bags are 3 layer polyethylene tube 9 to 12 feet in diameter depending on the system, and up to 500 feet long. They are air tight and moisture proof. It is an excellent short term storage solution. They require fewer machines and personnel and eliminates trips to the elevator. With a bagger and un-loader a farmer can store his grain in the field where he harvested, sell the grain in the off season when commodity prices are stronger, and load the buyers trucks from his field saving transport and storage costs. He would not have to postpone harvest for available storage space or trucking availability. The grain bags are not fixed structures, so he would not be taxed.
Most of these machines include a bag pickup system that rolls the used bag up for easy disposal or recycling. The bags are not, however, reusable as the un-loader cuts the bag open as it unloads the grain. Tractor requirements for the larger systems are high, 100 horsepower. Renn markets a unit that uses a 10 foot diameter bag and requires 50 horsepower which makes it ideal for a small to medium sized operation. The bags cost from $1100 for smaller 250 foot bag to $2500 for a large 500 foot bag. The savings, in most cases, work out well. You would have to pencil it out for your particular operation. There is a danger of the bags getting ripped open by wildlife or vandals and what I hear there is no fool proof method to keep them out once they discover what is in them. All you can do is harden the target.
If you can harvest and store the grain on site, buying time to sell the crop, having transportation then paid by the buyer, you most likely will come out ahead. If we go with this type of system, that would be our plan.
Plenty to think about over the next month or two. I suspect we will continue to operate on a smaller scale for the time being. We may never become that kind of farm. I am not sure that I want to at this point.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Climate, Farm Bill (or lack of) and Decisions
It looks like we may well receive enough rain to save my corn and peas. Not sure whether we are turning the corner or not on the ENSO cycle and this is simply the fulfillment of NOAA's climate predictions for the summer and fall of 2013. http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/ensodisc.pdf
So what this does for farming decisions in the coming months is indicate some moisture rather than the La Niña pattern that caused the Drought of 2010 -2013 and counting. Though conditions are better in parts of the Midwest, that does not hold true for all locations or the southwest. Last winter was so dry 6% of the winter wheat crop either did not germinate or was of such poor condition it could not be harvested.
Our planting decisions have to be based both in economics and climate concerns. Both are constantly in flux. With no Farm Bill and the 1949 permanent law looming, our operations will still be rooted outside the system. I spoke with a crop insurance agent a couple days ago who is working up a small grains quote for what we hope to do this fall and winter. If the 1949 law returns, I might have cotton acreage, but most likely not small grains under the allotment system. We also had some peanut allotment as well but I doubt we would qualify under the old system. I will still be able to insure the crop but most likely would not qualify for marketing guarantees for winter small grains. Not that that concerns me over much. So long as I can insure the crop I am happy if the loan rate is high enough to cover costs and make a profit.
Then comes the old standby. Southern peas. Dry weather has prevented us from making a crop for a couple of years, coupled with expansion costs on an expansion that didn't happen beyond equipment, and continuing mechanical issues with some of the equipment, the costs are eating us up. None of the money is borrowed, but it will still take years to dig out of the deficit. I miss the reliability of my old Pixall BH-100.
I am still looking for land to plant small grains on. You would think that in a time when drought has devastated the cattle business, land owners would be flocking to any chance at making some return from their land especially if it included grazing winter wheat or Elbon Rye for free in the winter time. No takers yet.
So what this does for farming decisions in the coming months is indicate some moisture rather than the La Niña pattern that caused the Drought of 2010 -2013 and counting. Though conditions are better in parts of the Midwest, that does not hold true for all locations or the southwest. Last winter was so dry 6% of the winter wheat crop either did not germinate or was of such poor condition it could not be harvested.
Our planting decisions have to be based both in economics and climate concerns. Both are constantly in flux. With no Farm Bill and the 1949 permanent law looming, our operations will still be rooted outside the system. I spoke with a crop insurance agent a couple days ago who is working up a small grains quote for what we hope to do this fall and winter. If the 1949 law returns, I might have cotton acreage, but most likely not small grains under the allotment system. We also had some peanut allotment as well but I doubt we would qualify under the old system. I will still be able to insure the crop but most likely would not qualify for marketing guarantees for winter small grains. Not that that concerns me over much. So long as I can insure the crop I am happy if the loan rate is high enough to cover costs and make a profit.
Then comes the old standby. Southern peas. Dry weather has prevented us from making a crop for a couple of years, coupled with expansion costs on an expansion that didn't happen beyond equipment, and continuing mechanical issues with some of the equipment, the costs are eating us up. None of the money is borrowed, but it will still take years to dig out of the deficit. I miss the reliability of my old Pixall BH-100.
I am still looking for land to plant small grains on. You would think that in a time when drought has devastated the cattle business, land owners would be flocking to any chance at making some return from their land especially if it included grazing winter wheat or Elbon Rye for free in the winter time. No takers yet.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Making Flour
The Drought of 2010 -2013 is responsible for the change in our business plan. That and a self-propelled bean picker that has seen better days. The dry weather actually started four years ago in a summer that was dry but not excessively so. We received enough rainfall at just the right time to make one of the best purplehull pea crops we ever had. We averaged 60-100 bushels per acre. We harvested with a Pixall BH-100 bean harvester. Loved that machine. We wanted to plant more acreage and that meant expansion. We traded the one row for a Chisholm Ryder MDH and a continuous pea sheller, boosting our thru put to 100 bushels per hour. We added a winter crop of sweet peas to the mix (Spring was the variety and they did very well). That is when our troubles started. The winter was a bit dry, but the peas made. Then the MDH blew a head gasket. We still had the BH-100 at the time so we harvested the crop with it instead. We spent about $1200 repairing the head gasket, when we discovered the gasket was blown because of a bad oil cooler leaking water into the oil. The oil cooler set us back another $600. The next season, the crop was almost nonexistent and we had no irrigation. Mechanical problems continued with the MDH. The next summer was worse, far worse. We planted mustard and rye last fall hoping to get some plant coverage over the soil so it didn't blow away. Some rain did come late in the winter and the cover crops made.
The rye did really well, and it cause us to think about raising grain. Margins on small grain are small, to say the least, and the only way ton profit from it is to make some value added product. Since there was no large industrial quantity of it, we decided to buy a table top flour mill, use our seed cleaning apparatus from our pea and bean operation to clean it up, then grind and market rye flour. The results were much better than we expected with regard to the product. We use it in our own cooking. Since I am a diabetic, rye fit nicely into my diet plan. Carbs are carbs, from a counting perspective, but replacing wheat bread with rye has had a positive effect on my health. The flour is just plain good.
On a whim we decided to attempt raising a little Native American corn for cornmeal and irrigating it. We researched this extensively and found two acceptable cultivars which we have planted in our fields.
We still have a few peas.
Along the way, we decided to raise dry edible beans, which is how we came across our combine. Unfortunately, the farm is thousands in the red because of all this. I shiver to think about it. we are far from insolvent, but it would be nice to see some income again. All this has been pushing us to more conventional farming, planting the usual commodity crops and utilizing Federal Crop Insurance and the like. It is a safer way to do business. Had I had not had enough personal capital and income aside from the farm we would have been out of it by now.
I spend a lot of time marketing rye flour now. It is available on eBay http://www.ebay.com/itm/Elliott-Family-Farms-Heirloom-Whole-Grain-Rye-Flour-2-pounds-/281119557919?pt=Small_Kitchen_Appliances_US&hash=item417408091f
Give it a try! We appreciate your business!
The rye did really well, and it cause us to think about raising grain. Margins on small grain are small, to say the least, and the only way ton profit from it is to make some value added product. Since there was no large industrial quantity of it, we decided to buy a table top flour mill, use our seed cleaning apparatus from our pea and bean operation to clean it up, then grind and market rye flour. The results were much better than we expected with regard to the product. We use it in our own cooking. Since I am a diabetic, rye fit nicely into my diet plan. Carbs are carbs, from a counting perspective, but replacing wheat bread with rye has had a positive effect on my health. The flour is just plain good.
On a whim we decided to attempt raising a little Native American corn for cornmeal and irrigating it. We researched this extensively and found two acceptable cultivars which we have planted in our fields.
We still have a few peas.
Along the way, we decided to raise dry edible beans, which is how we came across our combine. Unfortunately, the farm is thousands in the red because of all this. I shiver to think about it. we are far from insolvent, but it would be nice to see some income again. All this has been pushing us to more conventional farming, planting the usual commodity crops and utilizing Federal Crop Insurance and the like. It is a safer way to do business. Had I had not had enough personal capital and income aside from the farm we would have been out of it by now.
I spend a lot of time marketing rye flour now. It is available on eBay http://www.ebay.com/itm/Elliott-Family-Farms-Heirloom-Whole-Grain-Rye-Flour-2-pounds-/281119557919?pt=Small_Kitchen_Appliances_US&hash=item417408091f
Give it a try! We appreciate your business!
Friday, July 12, 2013
It is hot. It is dry. Work continues.
Corn was really stressed due to lack of rainfall. The last ten days were rough. In the interim, we received a little rain, and every bit helps. SO we installed surface drip irrigation. Hands are blistered from shoving the valve barbs into the main line. Back hurts from all the stooping and crawling.
In the middle of it, I had to take a break and run up to Missouri and fetch an Allis Chalmers All Crop Drill. A 15x7 for planting winter small grains. Got tired of renting junk for $259 a day. I think I made a good trade.
Corn was really stressed due to lack of rainfall. The last ten days were rough. In the interim, we received a little rain, and every bit helps. SO we installed surface drip irrigation. Hands are blistered from shoving the valve barbs into the main line. Back hurts from all the stooping and crawling.
In the middle of it, I had to take a break and run up to Missouri and fetch an Allis Chalmers All Crop Drill. A 15x7 for planting winter small grains. Got tired of renting junk for $259 a day. I think I made a good trade.
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