What's Going On In Our Fields Right Now?

When I started this blog almost a year ago, I did some research to learn how to drive readers to the blog.  The number one thing I came across was to post consistently and frequently.  Through my research I read that posts should be done as often as you water house plants if you want to keep your readers “alive”.  Well, I apologize to you readers….if you were house plants you sure are hearty or desert loving plants because I haven’t been regularly “watering” you with posts, ha-ha!  I feel like this fall and beginning of winter has been a whirlwind and unfortunately my blog posts have been lowest on my list of priorities.

So, what’s going on in our fields right now?  Harvest is finished!  So that means that nothing is going on in the fields right now…. YAY!!!  Some fields have been plowed and will lay that way until spring field work.  Other fields are not plowed, but also lay untouched until spring.

I am so excited that harvest is done!  This year harvest seemed to drag on.  We had our fair share of rainy days which slows up harvest significantly.  Even though we had a few bumps in the road I am thankful of several things after this harvest season; here are just a few J

#1:  MOST IMPORTANTLY…. my family remained safe and healthy during harvest.  I know there are a lot of jobs that are hazardous, but according to the CDC, “Every day, about 243 agricultural workers suffer a lost-work-time injury. Five percent of these injuries result in permanent impairment.”  Not only remaining safe is a challenge, but after working such long hours, with no “weekends” as a break many times a person just runs their body down and gets sick, but everyone made through harvest unscathed, and for that I count my blessings!

#2:  The grain bin and dryer are up and operational.  The grain bin and dryer are crucial to our operation.  The construction was quite a big project and didn’t wrap up until after harvest started so that was stressful….but it is done now! J  Here are some pictures of the progression of the grain bin being built.  Over just a few days it was up, but then took quite some time before it was operational.

 

 

 

 

#3: We had bountiful yields!  We don’t have any irrigation systems on the ground we farm so you can only do so much to help the crop along throughout the year; aim for optimal planting times, apply fertilizer, control pests, etc.  But, we still rely on Mother Nature.  This year we couldn’t complain about how the plants matured and the crops yielded!

#4:  Styrofoam take out containers are easy to find!  I know this sounds a bit silly, but these handy containers make my life so much easier when trying to get meals out to the fields.  Getting hearty dinners out to everyone I feel like is essential to keep things running as smooth as possible.  The first year I took food to the fields I tried doing so in nice plastic containers I wanted back, or on paper plates, or wrapped in foil….I tried everything and nothing is as handy as these containers J

#5:  And lastly, but most motivating, is that we will be able to do what we love again next year.  We will learn from hurtles this year, and continue with practices that worked well.  I feel blessed to be doing what we love and raising our kids to work hard, reflect on the good and bad, and persevere!

 

Rainy Halloween

Usually rain during harvest season isn’t welcomed.  Even a little bit of rain can put a damper on soybean harvest and rain means muddy fields for corn harvest which is never good!  But I did jump a little joyfully when it started raining the night before Halloween J  Brad had just called and said they finished harvesting all soybeans and about 30 minutes later the rain began.  And it rained a lot!  But, even though that brought harvest to a standstill it meant we could catch up on some much needed family time (not in the combine, ha-ha).

So it worked out perfectly; Brad couldn’t be in the fields because of the rain so together we took Claire trick or treating.  Going out to do things together, as a normal family would, is a nice change of pace during this time of year!

This year Claire was the Energizer Bunny for Halloween.  If you have spent much time around Claire you know this is very fitting for her.  She just keeps going, and going, and going, ha-ha.  My Grandpa has always said, even when she was very young, that Claire is “perpetual motion”, and he couldn’t be more accurate.

So even though I do like to do a lot of crafty projects I didn’t make much of her costume.  I simply ran out of time.  Instead I pieced together a pink outfit- complete with a pink tutu; even though the real Energizer Bunny doesn’t wear one I thought it was adorable.  Then I added in some black sunglasses, bunny makeup and ears.  The only thing I did make was her drum, which was just an old hat box that I covered with white paper and drew on with Sharpie markers.  The costume was fast and easy and she enjoyed parading around it in J  And, I know she especially enjoyed having her daddy by her side while doing it!

 

"Harvest Widow" Project

With harvest well underway I find myself a “harvest widow”.  This simply means that for the months during the fall I literally don’t get to see or talk to my husband unless it takes place in the field, the shop, the combine, the tractor, or the semi.  He comes home to sleep and that is it.  Even on days when it is rainy or conditions aren’t ideal to be in the fields, there are always crops to be trucked, equipment to maintain or fix, or something that pulls him away and contributes to my “harvest widow” status.

Luckily Claire and I really do enjoy going out to the fields to ride in the combine with Daddy.  Even though our visits with him are short they are still the highlight of our days.  And I think he would easily admit that visits from us are the highlight of his day as well!

Over the years I have come to embrace my alone time during the fall.  I take advantage of this time to catch up on organization projects, deep cleaning, browsing on pinterest, and watching TV shows that I actually want to watch rather than staying on the History or Discovery channels at all times, ha-ha. 

This year I find myself spending a lot of time being inspired on pinterest; anything from recipes, to home organization ideas, to decorating ideas.  I recently found this cute idea someone had posted of a fun way to repurpose an old window.  I really like this sort of decoration, so I decided to give it a whirl. 

 

This is how I did it:

1-    Find an old window that you like.  I had some windows given to me by a relative, but I have seen them at thrift stores, antiques stores, alongside the road for free, etc.

2-   Clean up the window and make it sturdy.  The window I used was not only was dusty and dirty, but it also had flakey paint, and loose window panes.  I like the distressed look of the paint, so I just scraped all the loose paint off with a flat head screw driver and cleaned it up with Windex and a rag.  You could strip, sand, and repaint the window frame if you don’t like the distressed look.  To keep make the panes more solid in the frame; I simply used some caulk adhesive to go around the edge of each frame and pane on the back side of the frame.  It was very easy, cheap, and fast; just the way I like my projects, ha-ha.

3-   Make a shelf.  I found a piece of barn wood lying in our hip roof barn that fit perfectly across my window.  I simply drilled holes and attached a shelf bracket on each side and viola, I had a shelf.

4-   Attach frame hangers.  I attached 2 of the claw like frame hangers to the top of the window frame so hanging on the wall would be easy.

5-   Arrange pictures and embellishments.  I glued (with clear scrapbook glue) the pictures and embellishments onto the burlap.  I don’t know yet, but I am hoping when I want to change the pictures I can just pull the old ones off and glue new ones on?  Because I don’t know how they will come off I did glue copies of the pictures onto the burlap, in case they rip while being removed.

6-   Attach burlap to window frame.  From the back side of the window, I stretched the burlap and used a staple gun to attach the burlap to the frame.

7-   Hang the window on the wall.  This may seem like the easiest part, but it is most challenging for me, ha-ha.  When using anchors in our wall I always ask for Brad’s help because I don’t seem to be very handy with them.  Even though this is a quick task, he isn’t fond of “honey do” projects so it usually takes some coaxing, and possible bribery to get these things done, but I have my ways J

8-   Accessorize your shelf.  I just put fun trinkets on my shelf that I had lying around.  I will keep my eye out while antiquing for any other interesting things that may be more fitting for the shelf.

And that’s it!  My window picture frame is hung right in our entry way.  It is the first thing you see after walking through the door, and it makes all of us smile.  Claire is always pointing out Daddy, and Brad is always saying what a cutie Claire is.  What a fun “harvest widow” project J

What's Going On In Our Fields Right Now?

Soybean harvest has begun!  Harvest definitely is the most tiring and stressful time of our year, but it is my favorite time of year!  Harvest is also Claire’s favorite time of year even though she does miss her Daddy a lot.

The highlight of Claire’s day is going out to the fields, usually with dinner, and getting to see her Daddy, Nana, and Papa, AND getting to ride in the combine.  We typically visit during dinner for a few minutes then ride in the combine for an hour or so.  It may not seem like much, but to Claire it’s her whole day!  If it weren’t for our combine rides in the evening she wouldn’t get to see Brad much in the fall months due to his long hours in the fields.

The combines are very comfortable and safe to ride in with passengers.  The driver has access to all controls on the right hand side of the cab.  On the left side of the cab is a seat for a passenger and ample leg room.  There is heat, air conditioning, radio, and most other common luxuries that you would find in a vehicle.  Claire and I comfortably and safely ride and talk with Brad at the end of our days. 

I just snapped these pictures a few days ago while waiting for the combines at the end of the field.  We didn’t have dinner for everyone that night, but Claire had her hands full of snack size candy bars that she was excited to give to her Daddy and Papa.  I am so happy that Claire enjoys the farm life as much as the rest of our family does J

 



We had waited quite a while for the combines to pick us up. 
I think she was considering eating the candy rather than giving it to Daddy and Papa, haha!



She sees the combines!

Waving and yelling at the combines :)







The Field To Biscuit Story

I was getting Claire’s cereal ready yesterday morning and noticed a cute little blurb on the back of the cereal box.  It was talking about how the cereal originates in the field and eventually makes it to the cereal bowl.  I thought it was a great, simplified version of the “farm to table” story!  Even though the cereal biscuit is dressed in a way that I have never seen any farmer dress in ha-ha, it was still nice to see J

Field Snapshot: Soybeans

It’s that time of year!  The recent weather makes me feel like it’s harvest time J  Cool crisp mornings, sunny days that are comfortable in jeans and a sweatshirt, and clear starry nights.  This is my favorite time of year!  Brad and I were just talking recently about how much of a bummer it is that we don’t really get to sit back and enjoy this season since he is busy working, but it’s great none the less.

The weather isn’t the only clue that harvest time is drawing near.  The soybeans especially are giving hints.  The soybean growing season is done now.  The plants have been nice and green all summer long and have been working hard to fill each of their pods with fat soybeans.  Now the plant dries down and is ready to harvest.  So if you happen to be out and about and notice soybeans turning light green, yellow, or brown in color that is a good thing!  Nothing is wrong with the soybeans; they are just preparing to be harvested. 

I can’t wait for harvest to begin!  Hopefully only a few more weeks J

Soybeans changing- getting ready to be harvested.

 

 

 

Pear and Apple Crumble

A couple of weeks ago Claire discovered the pear tree in our back yard.  We usually don’t venture out to the tree; it’s much too far from the sandbox, ha-ha.  But, she found it and thought it was really neat that she could help herself to a snack whenever she wanted.  I never eat or cook with the pears from the back yard.  I don’t know what variety they are since the tree was part of the landscape when we bought the house, but I find them to be very bitter.

Here are some pictures of Claire enjoying the pear tree.  You can see they must be tart, but she insists on snacking on them anyway….I guess it is a healthy snackJ  Now that the summer is winding down the pears are beginning to fall on the ground and bees are in them L  It’s been quite a challenge to keep Claire away from the pear tree lately!

Pears are one of my favorite fruits to eat during summer!   Next summer I am going to attempt to do some cooking with the pears in from our back yard.  As this summer starts the change to fall I was looking for a recipe that included pears but would get us in the mood fall weather.  This is what I found and it is really yummy!

Ingredients:

1 c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. apple pie spice

½ c. cold unsalted butter

3 tbsp. sugar

3 tbsp. brown sugar

3 Gala apples, peeled

3 pears, peeled

2 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. sugar

¼ c. lemon juice

2 tbsp. corn starch

½ tsp. cinnamon

Instructions:

·         Mix flour, baking powder, and apple pie spice.  Cut in ½ c. butter, until mixture resembles rolled oats.  Set aside.

·         Cut pears and apples in 8 pieces each.  Heat 2 tbsp. butter, 2 tbsp. sugar, 2 tbsp. lemon juice over medium heat until butter melts; stir in apples.  Cook 5 minutes.  Add pears; cook 1-2 minutes.

·         Mix remaining lemon juice, cornstarch and cinnamon; add to fruit.  Cook 2-3 minutes until thickened.

·         Spoon mixture into greased deep dish pie plate.  Sprinkle with topping.

·         Cook on cookie sheet for 35- 40 minutes at 375.

·         Serve warm or cool.  We found it best warm with ice cream and homemade caramel topping J

Picking Wildflowers

I am so thankful that I work part time which allows me to spend a lot of time with Claire!  I do find myself completely exhausted after a day with her, but I wouldn’t trade my time with her for anything!  I love that during our days together she is constantly reminding me that the little things in life are really what are important.

Since day 1 Claire has preferred to spend all of her time outdoors.  One thing we really enjoy together is going for ATV rides around fields or through the woods.  We love to look for geese or ducks on the pond or pick wildflowers.  There are so many wildflowers blooming this summer and we find them everywhere in the woods.  During our ATV rides Claire yells at me when she wants me to stop to pick her wildflowers. 

By the time we get back to the house she always has a beautiful colorful wildflower bouquet and she is completely tickled to have it!  She beams with delight as she shows off her bouquet to the dogs, or Daddy, or whoever happens to be at the house.  Claire’s appreciation of the simple things in life keeps me grounded and keeps me smiling J  What an amazing blessing she continues to be!

 

Grain Bin Extravaganza!

This summer is flying by!  We have been so busy working on projects at the farm that we haven’t had much time for play.  But, even though this project has been labor intensive (not for me but the guys have been working hard) it has been great entertainment watching the progress!

Grain storage before all the construction.


The decision was made quite some time ago that we needed more storage for grain at the farm.  Why have grain bins?  These huge grain bins allow you to store grain rather than having to haul it straight from the field during harvest to an elevator.  Grain bins at the farm are advantageous to utilize.  More times than not, grain prices are lowest during harvest.  So it’s really great to be able to store grain at the farm to sell at a later time for a higher price….hopefully.  I say hopefully because trying to figure out patterns of the grain market prices is quite a risk :) 

 

So in order to add to the grain storage at the farm some rearranging was in order.  Due to the layout of the original grain bins one had to be moved for the new grain bin. 

That should be an easy task, right?  Well, not exactly.  The grain bins at the farm range in size from 55 to 80 feet tall.  And they are made of corrugated steel, so you can imagine that they aren’t feather light to move around.  A new cement slab was poured for the “old” grain bin’s new home.  The cement slab had to be heavy duty to hold up the many pounds of grain stored, so several feet of cement was poured with lots of steel rod to reinforce it. 





Once the cement slab was set Claire had to check it out…she is quality control around the farm, ha-ha!  Then a crane had to be hired to come to the farm to move the “old” grain bin to its new location.  Up and over the power lines the grain bin gracefully flew to its new home.  I thought it was pretty neat to see!



Almost over the power lines....

Starting the flight....





 

Gracefully landing on the new slab!

Now the task of preparing the site for the new grain bin is being tackled.  I will be sure to post a picture of the finished product, but it may be another several weeks before that happens so I wanted to at least get this exciting stuff posted.

If everything progresses as it should we will have everything done before harvest.  You know what that means?  We will be able to store all our grain waiting and wondering if the markets will turn around so we can hopefully get better prices.  Ha-ha, everything in agriculture is such a gamble, but I love it :)

 



What's Going On In Our Fields Right Now?

Claire helping get the combine ready to go to the field.

A little over a week ago we finished up wheat harvest.  Usually our wheat is ready to harvest around the beginning of July, but this year it took a little longer to mature, so we weren’t able to start harvesting until mid-July. 

The wheat that was just harvested was planted last fall, was dormant during the winter months, and then grew and matured during this spring and summer.  In my opinion wheat is the prettiest crop!  I love the golden color it takes on right before harvest, and this year I was lucky enough to have the field directly behind me planted to wheat so I got to see it all the time J 



Combining wheat on a pretty summer day.

As the combine harvests the wheat the grain is separated from the stalk.  The stalk can be chopped up by the combine and spread on the field, or can be put into windrows to be baled as straw.  Usually we don’t bale any straw, but this year we baled the field right behind our house.  Claire was very concerned noting that the large bales in the field didn’t belong there, ha-ha.  Straw can be used for a variety of things including animal bedding, or to increase fiber in cattle feed.

 

The wheat grain that the combine collects is hauled to grain elevators by semis and trailers.  The grain elevators then sell the grain to be used for a wide array of products found in our grocery stores such as bread, cereal, and beer, just to name a few.

It’s a great feeling getting the wheat finished!  The weather made wheat harvest go as smooth as possible.  In order to have a productive harvest the weather has to be dry and warm, and that’s just what we got…thanks mother nature! J

Thanks to the great weather we were even able to combine into
the early night.  Something typically abnormal due to the
humidity during summer nights.

Now that wheat harvest is done it’s a nice idea to think we have some down time or free time until soybean and corn harvest starts in the fall.  But, we have lots of “non- field work” to get done before that time….stay tuned J

I "Loved" Panera Bread.....

I love the Panera Bread Company restaurants!  Or, should I say “loved them” until just recently.  My mom, my sister, and I enjoy them almost every time we go out shopping and the food is always so delicious.  But, I came across this blog post and it left me with a horrible taste in my mouth and I guarantee if this marketing continues you won’t find me in a Panera restaurant!

No- my family doesn’t raise chickens, but as an advocate for agriculture we all stick together and what Panera is trying to do with this marketing is truly upsetting!

Please take some time to read this blog post:

http://dairycarrie.com/2013/07/23/dear-panera-bread-company/

Field Snapshot: Corn

Take a look at this picture of corn I took yesterday.  This corn was planted in May and is growing along nicely. 

But, can you tell what the corn is trying to tell us?  

 

This corn is in need of some rain! 

Take a closer look at the tips of the leaves….see how the leaves are starting to get twisted up?  That means that the corn is thirsty and in need of some moisture. 

Typically corn does not have the “twisted” look; the leaves are relaxed with tips pointing to the ground.  Next time you are out for a drive take a look at the corn and you will notice the difference.

Even though we could use the moisture we still have some wheat harvesting to finish up so you won’t find me out doing a rain dance just yet J

Good Times, Great Friends!

Usually we don’t do anything special for the 4^th of July because we are harvesting wheat.  But, this year the wheat matured a little later than most years so we decided to get out of town!  We headed to the Upper Peninsula to spend some quality time with a great group of friends. 

Brad has had the same group of friends since elementary school.  I think it is remarkable that they have remained so close after all these years.  There are even a few of the guys who live out of state now and they still make an effort to get together whenever possible.  As we get older and have more responsibilities and families it gets harder and harder to make time, but somehow they manage.  And when the guys all get together it’s like no time has passed at all.  They are really great to be around!

While we were up north we saw some amazing scenery and got to enjoy some true peace and quiet.  No running water, no electricity, no cell phone service, and no other people for at least a 15 minute truck ride.  But, it’s just what we needed!  Time to really see the stars again rather than the glow of city lights.   Time to enjoy company of great people without the distraction of the TV, internet or cell phones.  And, time to just catch up laughing about the small stuff.

I find myself constantly being reminded that the small things in life are some of the most important.  And spending quiet time with this great group of people is just another example of that.  Brad and I returned home refreshed, missing Claire, and thankful for great people in our lives.

For The Love Of The Sandbox

I’ve heard stories that as a youngster Brad preferred to either spend his time helping on the farm, or pretending to farm in his sandbox.  His best friend told me that as they played together as kids Brad would section off the sandbox claiming “ground” to farm.  Brad’s farm was always the majority of the sandbox, leaving his friend only a small parcel to farm.  Then Brad would supervise his friend making sure he was properly farming the small section of the sandbox J

Ever since Claire has been mobile, Brad has talked about how excited he was to build her a sandbox to play in.  Last summer she was still too young, but this year we knew she was ready!



Handing nails to Daddy

So last week he picked up supplies and got the sandbox project complete.  Claire helped every step of the way; always anxious to be a big helper!  She supervised; making sure Brad was laying out the sandbox the way she wanted it.  Then helped by handing him nails when necessary.  I could see that she was proud of herself as she assisted J

Since the sandbox has been done we haven’t spent much time indoors.  At 8am immediately after she finishes breakfast she is banging on the back door ready to go out and play.  And she does just that; she keeps herself content in the sandbox for a really long time, which is something extraordinary since she typically is moving all the time!

It is so cute to watch them play together in the sandbox!  Claire doesn’t have any farm equipment to play in the sand with yet, but I know when she does her daddy will be teaching her how to be a little farmer…and I cannot wait to watch them! J

Pretty Wheat

A few nights ago shortly after Claire went to bed I noticed there was an absolutely beautiful sunset outside!  I grabbed my camera and hurried out to take a few quick snapshots of the wheat in the sunset.  Wheat is my favorite crop that we grow.  Brad laughs at me because it’s my favorite just because I think it is pretty.  I love that this year wheat is planted around our house.  I get to look at it anytime I look out my back windows J

All of our wheat is red wheat.  White wheat is also grown in our area which is just a different variety of wheat.  We planted wheat last fall after soybeans were harvested.  The wheat started to grow before winter, and then lay dormant through the winter months.  It finishes growing in the spring and summer and then is harvested mid-summer; usually around the 4^th of July.

The wheat is pretty to look at any time, but especially with the sun setting behind it! 

Whirlwind Catch Up!

Wow, what a whirlwind couple of weeks!  All of the normal structure and organization usually in my life has been nonexistent, but now things are feeling a little better and I think I can breathe again, ha-ha.

The last post talked about finishing up soybean planting, and that is done now which is a nice relief.  We have been getting a lot of rain lately.  A little too much rain for our liking, but there is nothing that can be done about that.  Several fields have standing water in them, and we just hope the warm weather dries the standing water up sooner rather than later!



Brad and I all dressed up for the wedding

Just as soybean planting was finishing up 2 weekends ago Brad and I were in a wedding for some friends.  The rehearsal and wedding were great!  They had a beautiful day and everything went perfectly.  One of my favorite things about their wedding was during the reception.  The DJ had every married couple come out to dance and he would ask couples to leave according to how long they had been married.  The last couple on the dance floor had been married 63 years!  I thought that was such a neat idea and hope that Brad and I make it there someday J 

That same weekend my Grandpa who just had open heart surgery and quite a hospital stay got to come home.  What a huge relief for all the family!  At home he is gaining strength every day and in better spirits.

Last week was a busy week at the veterinary clinic and I was busy at home getting last minute things ready for my cousin’s baby shower.  It was so nice to see her and her husband since they live out of state and haven’t been home since Christmas.  My mom and I were in charge of fruit for the shower, so I tried a cute idea that I found on Pinterest, and it turned out great!  Here is how we did it:

Baby Carriage Fruit Bowl:

·         Simply cut the watermelon in a baby carriage shape, and hollow out all of the watermelon.

·         For the baby’s head- cut a cantaloupe in half, then with a knife take off the rind.  Be careful when shopping for a cantaloupe that it is small enough to fit in your watermelon...I didn’t think of this until I was making it, but thankfully everything fit J

·         Shape ears and a nose with cantaloupe and attach to baby’s head with toothpicks.

·         Attach blueberry eyes with toothpicks.

·         Cut a small hole for baby’s mouth to fit pacifier in.

·         Fill the “carriage” with some fruit before laying the baby’s head in place.

·         Attach the wheels (orange slices and grapes) to the “carriage” with toothpicks.

·         Enjoy!

*** The cutest thing about this baby carriage fruit bowl was that later in the day Claire took the baby’s pacifier out and tried feeding it some fruit.... it was so funny; she is such a sweetheart!

The weekend finished out with a quarterly birthday party for my mom’s family, a cookout with some good friends and all the kids, and a nice dinner with my dad for father’s day.

Now that all that excitement is over I feel like I can return to my mundane routine where everything is planned out just the way I like it; without any rushing or hurrying J