Farming 101

I am certainly no expert when it comes to farming and all other things farm/ranch-related, but I have learned SO much over the 15+ years that I've been around, so I thought I'd share of my vast knowledge.  Those who truly know about these things can choose to leave comments ridiculing me, or to laugh and shake their heads in disbelief.  Your call.

Glenn spent a few hours this week planting oat hay on 10 acres (a total guess--I should call him and ask him what the acreage would be, but I'd rather guess.  I'm probably way off!).  Update:  I asked, and Glenn tells me it was about 23 acres.  Yup.  I was close, don't you think?!  It will be harvested in the fall into big round bales for the cows.  Cows like oat hay.  It's like grain on a stick.  Yummo!  They normally get mixed grass/alfalfa hay, but Glenn rotates the hay fields into oat hay for a few years every 10 years or so to help improve the soil.  Got it?  Good.

This is his cute behind.  He was using the air compressor to blow out the old seed from last year.  This piece of equipment is called a drill.  Seed falls down into the discs you can see near the ground and those discs create furrows in the ground for the seed to fall into.  He can regulate how much seed falls out of the drill.  After he drilled the field, he went back over it with a harrow (sorry no picture--next lesson, maybe.) to cover the seed with dirt.

Here he is ready to seed his newly cultivated field.  In a few weeks (assuming we EVER get sun) we should have cute little green sprouts! 

Thus ends the lesson for today. 

Now back to your regular programming. . . .