Q is for Quiz

Remember when you were in school and your teacher announced, today we're having a pop quiz?  Well good news, today's quiz is not going to be graded. Shown below are close-ups of photos from some of my previous blog posts. Let's see if you can identify what they are.

You can find the answer HERE.

You can find the answer HERE.

You can find the answer HERE.

You can find the answer HERE.

You can find the answer HERE.

How did you do? Did you pass the quiz?

A BIG Bin With BIG Problems

This is one of the storage bins on Bremer Farms. It hold 10,000 bushels of corn, is 30 feet wide and 30 feet tall, and is filled to the top each fall. It has served us well for 39 years.

Have you ever played the game, One of these things is not like the other? If you compare these first two photos, you will see there is a BIG difference. The bin has moved. Yes, for the past year or so, we noticed the concrete that the bin sits on was cracking and deteriorating.

The only way to remedy the issue was to remove the bin and replace the cement pad, but first all the corn had to be removed, and we had to remove a couple pine trees. Then all the apparatus was removed that is used to empty the corn, dry the corn, and keep the corn in top condition. Remember, the corn is used throughout the year to help feed our cows so we need to keep it well preserved.

Then it was time to bring in the big guys. The bin was lifted and set away from the current resting place- all 9,500 pounds of empty bin.

The old concrete was broken up and hauled away...to be recycled!

The ground was leveled...

and new rock was brought in to make a strong base. FYI- that was partly the problem with the old concrete base, as we discovered, the ground was not properly prepared and the concrete was also not reinforced properly. Sheesh! Not this time!

After the concrete forms were installed, more rock was brought in,

leveled and packed down,

and we were ready for the cement truck to arrive. If you notice, you can see the criss-cross pattern of metal rods put in place to reinforce the concrete.

And tah-dah, we have a strong, sturdy, well reinforced base for our bin. After the concrete cured (dried) the crane replaced the bin, the dryer and unloading equipment was put back in place so the electricians could reconnect the electricity.

So our project, that began in June, was completed last week. Thanks to all the crews that made this happen.

Yes, it was a spendy repair, but a necessary one. We really didn't want to head to the barn some morning and see the bin caved in laying on its side. TIMBER!

So the bin is now full to the tippy-top with the start of this years corn harvest. We are now working to fill the bin that you see in the background. Between the bin repair and the weather, we are only about 1/2 done with our corn harvest, which we typically have done by Halloween, but not this year. Some things we just can't control!

Praying for a safe and bountiful harvest for all you farmers out there.

My Dad Is Smiling

My dad was a dairy farmer all of his life. He loved everything about his chosen profession. He especially enjoyed harvest and the great feeling of accomplishment he got when the corn was safely tucked in the corn bins, ready to feed our cows.

This past week I did the combining for the first time in my life, and I know my dad was smiling down on me!

On our farm, like many farms, each of us in our family has certain responsibilities, and driving the combine has always been Grandpa Roy's job, but with his current health issues 

he is unable to drive, so it was my turn to give it a try.

The combine has three jobs. First it cuts off the corn stalk from the ground. Next it separates the stalk from the corn. Finally, the combine removes any remaining debris from the corn. The combine "combines" three jobs, hence the name! After some instruction from Farmer John on how to work the controls and what all the buttons did, I was off and running.

For eight days this was my view. As the combine followed down the rows of corn, I thought of my dad, and how much he enjoyed the harvest season.

And I too got the feeling of accomplishment, as I watched through the window behind me, as the combine filled with kernels of corn.
"I wish your Dad could see you now," Farmer John said.

As each load of corn was transferred from the combine to the wagon to be moved to the storage bins, I thought about how fortunate I am to be doing something I enjoy, and that also benefits so many people.

What a blessing to be outdoors appreciating the beauty God has placed around us, the feeling of a job well done, and the smile on Grandpa Roy's (my father-in-law)  face when I finished harvesting our 130 acres of corn.

And to you Dad, I now know why you loved harvest-

I can tell you're smiling!

Food Preservation

If you ask any farmer, I think they will all agree that when it comes to harvest time, there just aren't enough hours in the day. Even though many farmers work well into the darkness, we still wish for more time each day to check a few more tasks off our to-do list.  

Our list is a bit longer this year, as we've had a change in our work force. You see, Grandpa Roy took a tumble this Summer and broke his leg and also had some heart trouble. Now, I am the first to admit he deserves a vacation from farm chores, but I am confident this is not the vacation he planned! He is getting stronger everyday, but he will be supervising harvest from his recliner this Fall.

While daughter Sara milked cows, and Grandma Karen fed calves; son Michael, Farmer John, and I recently completed chopping corn silage. I like to call it "food preservation."

As Farmer John drove the forage chopper, which chops the entire corn plant into little pieces, and then blows it into a wagon pulled behind the chopper...

...son Michael brought the wagons in from the field.

And now it was my turn. My job was to unload the silage from the wagon into the bags that store the silage. The wagon is lined up to a "shoot" that leads from the wagon to a machine that pushes the silage into the world's largest plastic bag.

The silage left the wagon via an auger system.

It then traveled up the "shoot" and into the packing machine. My job was to slowly drive the tractor forward a few inches at a time because as the bag filled, the bagger moved ahead.

And wah-lah! a lunch bag (8 feet tall and 200 feet long) filled with nutritious corn silage. 

 I admit that I have never been a part of the "silage adventure" but I was willing to learn.  Perhaps I was in charge of this part of the procedure because I have done a lot of food preservation over the years, but this surely was not your typical canning or freezing I was used to!

Silage complete! Check it off our to-do list! 

A BIG Lunch Bag

Every so often I get this crazy notion to fill my freezer with make-ahead meals. Have you ever had this thought? Just imagine coming home from a hectic day, reaching into the freezer and a short time later presenting your family with a hearty meal. This idea is still just in my head...not my freezer, but this week we finished make-ahead hearty meals for our cows.

This week we finished filling their lunch bags with silage.  

 Corn silage is made by chopping the entire corn plant into small pieces using a machine called a forage harvester, which is pulled by a tractor. A wagon with tall sides is pulled behind the forage harvester to catch the chopped corn. 

 The wagons are then taken to the bunker where they are unloaded and the silage is tightly packed inside to avoid spoilage, and then the bunker is covered with plastic. Our bunkers are large, but not large enough to store all the silage we need for our animals, so we fill lunch bags too.

These plastic bags are 8 feet high and 150 feet long. They do the same job as our bunker- keep our cows feed fresh and safe.

The field may be bare, but our "cupboards" sure aren't. The silage in our bunker and bags will feed our cows until next fall. You can see how we mix the silage with additional feed by reading 120 Hungry Mouths To Feed.

Corn's In! What Now?

 Grandpa Roy drives the combine to finish the corn harvest.

Where does the corn go now?

The corn is transfered to a wagon, called a gravity box, and then transported from the field. Each gravity box carries about 500 bushel of corn.

Unloading time- A door near the bottom of the gravity box is opened to release the corn which now travels up an auger into the screener.

While rotating, the screener removes broken kernels and "bees wings" (the reddish paper-like chaff from the cob).

From the screener, up the auger, to the bin. The pile on the ground is the unwanted bees wings and broken kernels.

Why is it important to remove the bees wings? Each bin is equipped with a fan and heater to dry the corn. Stored corn must be dried to insure it will not mold during storage, therefore making it unusable. Bees wings, if not removed, will form a sort-of blanket in the bin which inhibits the air flow to dry the corn.

One of our two corn bins. Each stores 10,000 bushel of corn and measures 30x19 feet.

Combining is finished for this year, and our corn is safely stored to feed our animals. Here's to another safe and successful harvest season! I think it's time for a milk break. Won't you join me?

Learn more about dairy and farm life at Dairy Makes Sense.

This And That Thursday- 2

Photo from Google image search.

This week we are making corn silage. Corn silage is made by chopping the entire corn plant into small pieces using a machine called a forage harvester, which is pulled by a tractor. A wagon with tall sides is pulled behind the forage harvester to catch the chopped corn. The wagons are then taken to the bunker (see The Life Cycle Of a Silo) where they are unloaded and the silage is packed tightly using a tractor. Silage must be firmly packed to minimize the oxygen content, or it will spoil. After packing, the pile is covered with plastic sheeting to help it ferment and also for protection from the weather. We will chop about 40 acres of corn to make the silage needed to feed our dairy cows.

We had visitors this week. Cooper brought his daddy Paul to see the farm. It was Cooper's first visit to a farm. I don't know if he was more excited about seeing a farm, or wearing his big-boy boots for the first time.

Tonight I attended the Minneapolis Public Schools Farm to School Community BBQ. I was invited by Midwest Dairy to share my story about life on a dairy farm. I'll share more about the BBQ next week. Here's a little teaser...