Eve And Smithy

It's Spring and that means planting season on the farm. Farmer John is busy planting the crops on Bremer Farms. Corn, oats, and alfalfa seeds are already in the ground. Let's see what Eve and Smithy are planting in the garden and the surprise Smithy has for Eve.

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#Plant18

Three weeks behind. If it were a typical spring, there would be more empty corn seed bags than full ones by now.

Farmers in our area of Minnesota are about three weeks behind where we normally are with planting. Our last big snowfall came much later than usual, delaying the beginning of planting season. So now we are playing catch-up.

The oats, peas, and barley have been planted and are starting to pop their heads through the soil. Today Farmer John was preparing the soil for corn planting in one field while...

Grandpa Roy was planting corn in another field. I am writing this blog post at 10:49 p.m. and Farmer John is still in the field. It's a crazy planting season!

Spring Planting (and panting) Has Begun!

Here's the first step in filling our pantry, our cows pantry, that is! 

(Planting day April 16, 2016)

Since we grow all the food that is fed to our animals, Spring planting is a busy time. In our nearly 33 years of marriage I have never helped with planting. It has always been a task my father-in-law, Grandpa Roy, eagerly accepted. Since he was "forced" due to health reasons, to retire from his planting duties, it is now my turn.

There are a few things that need to be done before I head to the field to plant oats. Farmer John helps out by washing the windows on my tractor. Here's proof that men do windows...as long as the windows are on farm equipment!

The next task is to fill the grain drill (planter) with seed. John takes care of this. I know...he spoils me!

Alfalfa seed is also planted along with the oats. Since alfalfa (hay) seeds are so tiny and fragile, the oats are planted as a "cover crop". Cover crops protect the soil and may be used to reduce soil erosion, suppress weeds, and increase soil organic matter. 

 Then it's off to the field. 

I think fieldwork is really fun. Weird, huh?  I like that I can be outdoors, surrounded by beautiful scenery. I like that I'm helping to start a new crop that will eventually be fed to our cows, which will produce milk, that goes to your grocery aisles, and then appears on your dinner table! And just think, I helped get the whole process started by planting these little seeds!

After a quick morning of planting, it was time to refill the grain drill with seeds, and have lunch. While Farmer John refilled the seeds, I changed clothes in the clothes washer and made a gourmet lunch. Multitasking...

 Okay. Maybe it wasn't gourmet but all the food groups were represented, including milk, of course! Then it was back to planting. Twenty-eight acres were soon complete, and then I moved on to planting a peas and barley mix. 

 

 

While John added the peas and barley seeds, I ran to the house and did a bit more laundry. A woman's work is never done (tee-hee). Twelve acres of peas and barley are safely planted in the ground, and now it is time for Michael to take over.

Michael used a drag pulled behind his tractor to go over the fields that I just planted. This is done to smooth the fields. And now we wait. They will be popping their heads through the soil before we know it. We have been having several rainy days since planting, so it won't take long. When early July hits, we will reap the benefits of our planting. You can learn about that process in Pass the Peas, Please.

Today was a really productive day...oats planted, peas and barley planted, laundry done, and family fed. Whew! Now do you know why it's planting and panting? Life is good!

Next project- planting corn. Stay tuned!

Waiting But Not Resting

A half inch of rain was just enough to keep Farmer John from Spring planting yesterday and again today. We are not complaining about this delay however, since the moisture is necessary as our area of Minnesota is still in a moderate drought.

When the weather is right it will be business as usual and John, and nearly every farmer, will be back in the tractor seat. Chances are John will be back at planting tomorrow right after church.

Our barley, peas, and oats have already been planted and now we move on to the corn. Last Spring I shared with you about how Farmer John was Waiting To Get His Hands Dirty. You can read about Johns anticipation and the dollars and cents that go into planting our corn crop each year. 

So what happens when we can't plant today?

There are still calves to feed,

 

 and cows to feed,

 

and pens to clean...

 

 and cows to milk,

so that we can continue to provide you with milk for tomorrow mornings cereal.

Fun Farm Fact:

It takes less than 48 hours for milk to get from the farm to your grocery store.

Isn't that amazing?

Mud, A Sure Sign Of Spring

Mud, mud, I love mud!

   I'm absolutely, positively wild about mud.

   I can't go around it. I've got to go through it.

   Beautiful, fabulous, super duper mud.

 

Have you heard this song before? Sara and Michael fell in love with this little ditty 25 years ago when we made our weekly visits to the public library. Yep, back when we used to borrow cassette tapes to listen to at home; this one almost always found its way into our book bag.

Now fast-forward 25 years. Sara and Michael are no longer borrowing this cassette from the library, but I could have sworn Farmer John was humming a few "muddy" choruses the other day. No, we are not excited about the muddy yard, the mud tracked into the house on our shoes, or the mud surrounding the bottom of our pant legs, but mud does make a farmer a bit giddy.

 

 

You see, mud is a sure sign of Spring. Mud means the soil is warming up. Mud means the frost is coming out of the ground. Mud means Spring planting is fast approaching. 

Farmer John has begun "dusting off" the planting equipment. The seeds have been ordered. A little more sunshine and some warmer weather and Farmer John will be ready to roll.

Until then we will have to settle for another chorus or two of the mud song and the occasional sploosh-sploosh sound of walking through the puddles. After all, it's no fun going around them. You just have to go through them.

Curious about the Mud Song? Take a listen here.

Visit Dairy Makes Sense

 

2014 Gone But Not Forgotten

 

 Top Ten Most Viewed Posts For 2014

Haven't read them? Click on the titles!

10. Think Outside The (Pizza) Box Some facts and a few suggestions for National Pizza Pie Day.

9. Waiting To Get Our Hands Dirty How much does it cost, and what do we do to prepare for Spring planting season?

8. Why Do We Do What We Do? Why are we dairy farmers so passionate about what we do? Learn about how and where I met other folks that are just as passionate about dairy as I am. 

7. L Is For Lactose Intolerance This was part of my A to Z journey for June Dairy Month. An explanation of lactose intolerance, and some tips to help cope with it.

6. A Step Closer To Princess Kay Of The Milky Way Mid-May marks the beginning of the process to choose the new Princess Kay of the Milky Way, Minnesota's dairy ambassador. What do the 12 lucky finalists have in store for them?

5. This And That Thursday - 20 A video of Farmer John's birthday gift, Daughter Sara gets nominated for Teacher Of The Year, and it's almost time for bunnies and decorated eggs! 

4. In The Blink Of An Eye Why did we decide to hire farm help after more than 31 years of only family working on our farm? How did we find our new "future farmers" and what do we expect of them?

3. Don't Get Mad...Get Even? Chipotle was attempting to share their concern about questionable farming practices by releasing their online-only television series "Farmed and Dangerous." I felt I wanted and needed to tell my side of the story. 

2. Dooby, Dooby Moo And A Giveaway Too! I was invited to be a guest reader on Playful Pages, a local television show. Surprise! I chose to read a book about farm animals heading off to the County Fair. Watch the video here.
1. I Is For Ice Cream Another edition of my A to Z Journey during June Dairy Month, and it's all about ice cream. There's trivia and a delicious little ice cream recipe that doesn't even require an ice cream freezer.

  

Thanks for visiting My Barnyard this year. I hope I've helped you understand the crazy life of our dairy farm family, both on and off the farm. 

If you like what you've seen, please tell your friends about my blog 
and my other social media sites.  

"Hey, how come you don't have to wear one of these silly hats?"

Road Trip, And A Date!

With oats, barley, and peas poking their heads through the soil, Farmer John has moved on to planting corn, with only a few hiccups along the way. There is a lot to know, and do, during Spring planting season.

Last week, while applying fertilizer to the soil before planting, Farmer John phoned me, "Janet, bring that roll of tubing over to the field by the County Park." Without question, because I know I have a somewhat frustrated, slightly impatient Farmer waiting in the field, I grabbed the tubing and the needed tools and headed down the road. Some of the property we farm was purchased from John's Grandpa when he retired, therefore it is about 5 miles from our home farm. This is always where break-downs occur, never directly behind our house. Go figure...

Within minutes the hose was fixed, Farmer John was back to work, and I was heading home to start calf chores.

Fast forward to today... Happy Memorial Day! The morning started with Michael and I milking cows so that Farmer John could get an early start on planting corn. "Trying to beat the rain", John said as he jumped into the tractor and started off toward the field. Yes, the same field I visited last week with the roll of tubing, however this time I got some advance warning that I would be making another excursion to that field. "About 1:30 I'll need lunch and more corn seed." "Will do," I said.

Packed and ready to go. Not everyone celebrates Memorial Day in a corn field, but many farmers do!

After lunch in the car (we farm wives call that a date) John was traveling down the field planting again, and I was heading back home to start chores, at least until the phone rings again..."I need more seed." Road trip for me!

Happy Memorial Day!

I love that our neighbor flies this huge flag every day.

Waiting To Get Our Hands Dirty

Google image

Spring on the farm always means planting season. As a youngster I remember spending many hours with my mom and siblings- planning, preparing and planting the garden. I always thought that selecting what to plant was the best part of gardening. There was so much to choose from and every plant and vegetable pictured on the packets looked colorful and tasty. But then reality set in when it was time to actually get my hands dirty. Often times my mom would set a timer saying, "You can quit working in the garden when the timer rings." Planting, weeding, and harvesting were all part of the grand scheme to get yummy fresh veggies on our table. But jeez, won't that timer ever ring?

Farmer John, on the other hand, can't wait to get his hands dirty. The only timer John is waiting for is the "starting bell" to begin Spring fieldwork. No, there isn't really a starting bell, but there are preparations in the works. 

Our first delivery of corn seed has arrived. We plant several brands and varieties of seed which are chosen by John and our agronomist to ensure the best crops for our cattle, and our soil and weather conditions. We plant 140 acres of corn, which typically feeds our animals for the following year. This picture shows 30 bags of corn seed. 30 bags x 2 acres per bag = 60 acres of corn. Each acre will be planted with 35,900 corn seeds! How much does corn seed cost? See for yourself...

Remember, this invoice is for 60 acres of seed and we plant 140 acres. We will be receiving another delivery of seed for the remaining 80 acres. That's another bill of nearly $30,000 plus the bills for the oats and alfalfa we also plant! We farmers are risk-takers. I think that's why we always have one eye on the weather, and a prayer on our lips.

Typically field work begins in April, however it's all up to the weather. John will have to wait patiently while the soil warms up and dries out a bit. Planting too early may cause the seeds to rot in the ground or not germinate due to the cold. In past years, some farmers have risked planting too early, only to have to replant again later when conditions are right. This is a costly mistake since you have to purchase twice the seed and invest twice the time and fuel to replant.

So for now Farmer John is dusting off the planter and getting it ready, and waiting for that "starting bell" to ring.


PS- I don't plant a garden any more; haven't for years!

 

 Visit Dairy Makes Sense to learn more about dairy farming and dairy foods.

 

Hey! Where's The Hay?

Unlike many farms, we do not have any pasture land, so all our animal feed has to be grown and harvested. The cattle on our farm rely on hay (alfalfa) as part of their daily diet. Alfalfa provides them with protein and vitamins for a healthy balanced diet necessary to produce milk. After touring our fields in preparation for the start of Spring planting, we discovered that our alfalfa fields were hit hard this past winter. What does this mean? To better explain, perhaps it's time for a little "haymaking 101" class.

This field should be all green. The bare spots are the result of winterkill.

Alfalfa is planted and typically can be harvested for 3-5 years before it needs to be replanted. Because of our recent harsh winter, about one half of our hay fields suffered winterkill. A common cause of winterkill is heavy snow-fall, and fluctuating, subzero winter temperatures. Ice forms as the snow melts and then refreezes. This ice generally penetrates into the soil surface and completely encases the upper part of the alfalfa root and the crown which does not allow the plant to "breath." This can kill the plants very quickly. 

So why not just re-plant the bare areas in the alfalfa field? Alfalfa plants produce toxins which reduce the germination and the growth of new alfalfa plants. This can occur when alfalfa is reseeded into an old alfalfa field rather than being rotated, or when alfalfa is seeded into an existing alfalfa field to thicken it. 

Alfalfa seed is about $150 per 50 pound bag. We have purchased 22 bags so far.

We have chosen to add barley and protein-rich peas to our new alfalfa fields. The barley and peas will be ready for harvest in early June, thus helping to replenish our feed supply which is dwindling fast. The newly planted alfalfa will not be ready until September allowing us only one cutting of this new hay planting. Typically we can cut three or four crops from a mature hay field.

 

As Farmer John prepares for another day of alfalfa planting, he is thinking ahead to when he can begin corn planting. But HAY, it's all in a Farmers day!

Not Quite Yet!

Have I mentioned our farm is across the street (road, in country language) from a golf course? Hole three of the Platinum Course of Emerald Greens Golf Course is 250 feet straight north of our front door. It is a beautiful well manicured sight in the summer. It provides us with entertainment when a golfer gets a hole-in-one. And sometimes it grants us a free language lesson on what not-to-shout in public when the ball doesn't find the hole. My family all enjoys sitting in our front yard enjoying the entertainment and the view, after a day of working on and off the farm.

But as you can see, Mother Nature has played another cruel trick on us, with another blast of winter. If you look closely you can see the optimism of the golf course staff however. See the blue flag marking the hole?

We as farmers have to have that optimistic attitude too. No matter what the season, weather is a concern. When winter winds down, we think about "When will it be warm enough and dry enough to start planting?"  When summer rolls around the question is "Will we have enough rain or too much rain?" Fall's question is "Will we finish harvest before  winter rears its head again?" Our "farmer optimism" always wins out though, because each spring we say a prayer and place more seeds in the soil to start the process all over again.

Until then we'll just sit in the yard and enjoy the view.

Well, maybe not quite yet!

To learn about other dairy farms visit Dairy Farming Today

When Life Throws You Curveballs

This is Target Field, home of our 

Minnesota Twins Major League Baseball team.

 

This is the inside of the stadium. 

 Now imagine everything covered in white, fluffy snow, with baseball fans donning winter coats, boots, hats and mittens anxiously waiting to watch the Minnesota Twins challenge the New York Mets tonight at 7:10 PM.

I'm guessing cold and snow was not what fans were envisioning two years ago when our Twins went from the indoor Metrodome to the outdoor stadium. 

Yep, sometimes life throws you curve balls.

Weather is one of the biggest curve balls in a farmers life. Our latest snow the last two days made everything beautiful, yet frustrating. Last year we were spoiled with an early Spring, and many farmers were in the fields preparing the soil by early March. Typically, we begin Spring field work in mid-April. This year it will be several weeks before we can even think about heading to the fields to begin planting. The snow needs to melt, the ground needs to thaw and dry, and the temperatures need to rise. It's all in God's hands. So as we continue to wait, we dream of God's perfect pitch so we can begin the excitement of Spring planting.

So while we wait...Go Twins!