Harvest
We ran out of feed corn for our pigs this week, which meant that it was time to start harvesting. We had planted 30 acres of early corn for that purpose, so that was our accomplishment for the week. It's in the bin, dried, and we are making feed with it. I think we got most of the bugs out of the system for now. We had a truck in the shop for 2 days, and the reason the bin fan wouldn't run was a faulty breaker. We opened up 2 more fields, but the moisture was still too high to do much harvesting yet. Besides, we are rained out. We hope we will be able to work in earnest next week.
A farmer was milking his cow. He was just starting to get a good rhythm going when a bug flew into the barn and started circling his head. Suddenly, the bug flew into the cow's ear. The farmer didn't think much about it, until the bug squirted out into his bucket. It went in one ear and out the udder.
posted by Old Farmer @ 10:03 PM
9 Comments:
not funny
I chuckled.
Questions for the farmer:
1. When I see a semi on the road with a load of unshucked corn ears, what's the explanation of that? I've heard several, and I'd like to get a definitive answer.
2. What's the purpose of "opening up the field"? Does it assist in drying the rest of the field more effectively?
1. That's seed corn. It is dried in a dryer on the ear and shelled later. The Quality is better that way. And I'm assuming you are seeing these trucks now and not in the summer. In the summer its sweet corn for eating.
2. Opening up the field is the slow inefficient part of the operation. It doesn't speed drying, we just like to get it done so that when the rest of the field is ready, we can get right down to business.
Dad, they laughed at me for checking out the crops on the way to Cissna....
:)
They have beans ready, and corn too of course. Didn't see anybody combining though, must have been wet still.
Ok, that's the first explanation I got about the unshucked corn. Glad to have that cleared up.
On the second question: So you're saying they just take the first pass around the field, and accept the fact that it's still a little wet, in order to more efficiently harvest the remaining portion of the field? Why is opening up the field the slow inefficient part?
Making the first pass and then taking off the end rows takes the most time because: there is no open space to turn around, so you have to pick your open space slowly and carefully so you don't knock down corn; a truck or wagon has to follow you to the back of the field to empty the combine because it gets full before it can get all the way around; you have to pick a spot at the back for the truck or wagon to turn around so it can get back to the front; the corners are difficult because they are usually square, and combines can't turn sharp right angles while picking - they need large rounded corners or they run over crop, therefore you have to pick across rows sometimes instead of with the row at the corners; the outside round often has the most weeds which can slow you down, and if there is a fence around the field, you have to watch for downed posts and other problems; you are usually making adjustments to the combine to do the best job you can threshing the variety that is in that particular field; and this is probably a whole lot more than anybody ever wanted to know about opening up a field!
You truly are a good ol farmer! I appreciate your explanations!
I would've read a comment that was three times that long. That's all interesting stuff. I hadn't thought about that.
So when you're combining the rest of the field do you drive straight off the corner and then do a 270 degree turn to come into line with the next side, or do you usually do a go down, turn around and come back approach?
I suppose it probably depends on the field eh?
Usually just back and forth along one side, then across the field that way. When combining wheat or anything not planted in rows you can circle the field and work in towards the middle, but you end up away from the road.
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