Step Two of Crimson Clover Harvest

We have started combining the Crimson clover for this year. With this warm weather we have been having, it only took 6 days to dry the crop enough to start harvesting.  

Since the crop is so early this year, about 10 days ahead of last year, our regular crew of drivers is at their tractor safety school this week. So the job has gone to Matt and I for the time being.  
 Matt in the yellow and me in the green. I also had a great helper to pass the day, my niece Lila came for a ride! 

 In her very practical combining outfit of course! Happy Friday everyone and happy harvesting farmers!

Green Beans…Round 2

We are planting another round of green beans today.  The morning started early for Matt, a 5am start time to get all the per-emergent herbicides on the ground.  Next came the rototiller, to mix in the chemicals and create the perfect seed bed.

IMG_4165Then finally the planter getting the seeds in the soil, ready to grow into a great crop of green beans!
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The first planting is also coming along just fine.

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Although there seems to be an imposter in our field…possibly one our neighbor might know something about!

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“Just a good planting marker.” was what I believe was said.

Step One of Crimson Clover Harvest

The first step with all harvest is to go out and see when it time to begin. We have been watching our Crimson fields move from a vibrant sea of red blooms to a more ripe and brown colored horizon. 

This photo was taken May 4th.  


This one was taken just a few days ago.  

 

So yesterday even while wearing the most unpractical farming shoes we took one last walk in our clover field to make the final call… 

…and we decided starting at 4:30am this morning we started to swath (cut the crop and lay it down in rows).  

In a week to 10 days we will be heading out with our combines to harvest this crop. In the end we will have thousands of pounds of tiny little seeds. Seeds that will move all over the U.S. to be planted for cover crop and pasture mixes.  

 The golden seeds in the palm of my hand are the finished product.  

 The harvesters separate the seeds from the bells (hairy pod looking things that are on the head of the plant). 

Crop number two (peas were our first crop) is under way! Let the harvesting begin!! Happy Friday!