As I said last week in my blog, ready or not…harvest is here! We started crimson clover harvest this past week, and we should hopefully finish up in a few days. We had about 140 acres this year, and it will take us about 5 to 6 days to finish it all up. 
For all you farmers who think that is a really long time to take to combine…in our own defense we had a bunch of small fields in crimson this year. Which means you can’t be nearly as efficient as you would like. More corners in the field means more time turning and less time harvesting. And believe me, it all adds up! Still it is wild to think that this crop was planted last fall. We took 10 months worth of cultivation, scouting for disease & pests, fertilizing, spraying, walking fields again…all just to take only a few days to get the whole crop in and off the land.
This is the view from the cab of the windrow going into the header of the combine. Crimson Clover is really really dusty and the dust is really really itchy!! Makes me glad every year that we have combines with cabs, unlike the “good ol’ days!” Although if you’re like me and out in the field instead of in the cab…you still get that good itchy feeling every time you work on a machine! You can say after a day of harvest there is no water wasted on me!
This is the view looking from the inside of the combine out the back window into the grain tank. The seed is brought up through the header, the material is then rubbed together with the straw and the seed falls out of the bell shaped casing it has around it. Then the seed is augered up into the grain tank, where it will be them be dumped into a truck and taken to get cleaned and bagged.
This is what the clover seed looks like, the golden colored seed is what we are after. The off type colors are usually under developed seeds. Also you can see that we didn’t quite get all the bell shaped casing out, those are the larger fury parts in my hand.
So just a few more days and we’ll be all finished up with our second crop. First Peas, now crimson and next up perennial grass seed. Hope everyone has a great week!
Whew…What a Whirwind!
Sorry I’ve been MIA for awhile….below are all my awesome reasons why…
First there was some big event…that had a lot of prep work!
After lots of help from friends and family….We tied the knot!!!
After that…we abandoned the farm for a more humid climate…Hello Costa Rica!
Then returned only to find that in fact, crops do not wait for anyone! The crimson had been swathed while we were gone and now it is time to combine!
Meanwhile the 4th of July hits, and with this our small little town is transformed into a mecca of rodeo craziness! Welcome St. Paul Rodeo Fans!
And of course we had to go in the parade with the hot rod! Where we won first place! 
There you have it folks, all my great, fun, awesome reasons for not having time to blog the last couple of weeks! So happy 4th of July, I hope it was a great day of Independence for everyone and enjoy a wonderful weekend!
Signing off now as Mrs. Brenda Frketich (And don’t ask me how to say my new last name, I’m still practicing how to say it myself!)
ps…Thank you Murray Photography for the amazing wedding photos!!!
Farmer/Wedding Planner
As most of you who have been following my blog for awhile know, I was engaged to the man of my dreams last year. And since then we have been planning a wedding. And as the saying goes, smaller the town…bigger the wedding! So our intimate gathering of over 500 people will be this Saturday…I can hardly believe it!
I have to admit it hasn’t been easy having my dad take a step back in management, challenging me to step up in my career while at the same time knowing that the wedding day was going to come much faster than I realized. So I took it one day at a time, asked my dad to be patient when I couldn’t work on a Saturday because I had appointments to try on wedding dresses, get my hair trial done, makeup trial done, pick up the wedding dress…the list goes on and on for prep work! And now we are finally here…six days away! But where dad took a step back from management, he very quickly took on a large role with my mom of making sure the farm was just right for the big day. And it is looking incredible thanks to all of their very hard work!!!
It’s been interesting keeping the farm running smooth while planning for one day of our lives…one big day…but still ONE DAY! My brain has been scattered with details of irrigation timing mixed with linen choices, and dealing with a broken down tractor while at the same time on the phone with our caterer, or wiping grease off my hands on my way to pick up my wedding dress…let’s just say that I’m glad this juxtapose of life only happens once! And I’m glad I have some great workers by my side to keep me straightened out most of the time!
So all that being said, things are going to continue to be a bit wild over at Kirsch Family Farms World Headquarters for a few more days. And if you call to ask me about wheat, I may think it’s for our center pieces, not for loading on a barge. Or if you ask about how the rust is looking (fungus that grows in our fields) I may just assume that you’re talking about our rustic country theme. Bear with us…the big day is just about here and it’s going to be incredible!
NuttyGrass 