Filed under: October 2016 | Tags: buckwheat, cover crops, Grazing, grazing extender, honeybees, Oats, Small Farming
October 6, 2016
This little field is located at the back of my farm. It is where the cows will spend the winter. I planted oats and buckwheat here to extend the grazing season. The little field is much better with a cover crop on it. The cows will soon eat this, leaving rich manure behind. It’s nice when they spread their own!
I spent $24.00 on the buckwheat seed. The oats were right out of my feed bin. We disced the area to cut some grooves into the hard ground. We next broadcasted the oats and buckwheat on top of the ground and waited. The rains finally came and sprouted the seed. The buckwheat bloomed and provided a nice autumn crop for the bees. The standing forage will make my cows very happy.
The oats and buckwheat are not frost hardy. They will die once winter gets here, but the cows will have this all eaten before then. The plants have “mined” the soil of trace elements. The cows will eat the plants and deposit the digested minerals back on the ground. Next spring I will plant corn in this small place. The corn will benefit from this crop and from the cows too. It will prove to be a very good way to have spent $24.00.
Filed under: September 2016 | Tags: buckwheat, Grazing, honeybees, minerals, nutrients, Oats, Small Farming
September 3, 2016
This little field was my last winter’s cow lot. It was a rough field filled with hoof prints. I grazed it short in late July. Then we disced it all up to smooth it out and to open the soil up some. We next broadcasted oats from our bin and some buckwheat seed. The seeding is coming along good. I won’t put the cows up here until November. When they do get here they will have thick oats and the spent buckwheat to munch.
The buckwheat mines minerals out of the soil. When the plant dies back or is eaten by the cows, it gives up those minerals. The nutrients will be available for the following crop. I plan to plant some open pollinated corn in this spot next spring. The cows will get it until then. They will winter here again, depositing their manure all over this field. I will plow and prepare a seedbed for the corn. It should be a yummy place for the corn.
So, by fixing the problem of a rough field, I planted feed for the cows, suppressed weeds, mined some nutrients, used up some old oat seed and made a great autumn food crop for my bees. The blooming buckwheat is a favorite for all pollinators, especially honeybees. My cost was my time, a little fuel and $23.00 of buckwheat seed. It is a field of about 2 acres. It was most definitely worth my time!
Filed under: August 2014 | Tags: buckwheat, contentment, making memories, Oats, open pollenated corn, Small Farming, sorgham/Sudan grass
Three of our girls resting
August 13, 2014
A very busy off farm work schedule along with the demanding work around this farm, has kept me from writing for a while. I am currently enjoying a few days of rest, thanks in part, to the rain. Even the cows were resting this morning in the recently harvested experimental oats and buckwheat field.
The experiment went well for the most part, but I didn’t seed it heavy enough. I did harvest a few round bales for feeding this winter, but would not repeat the experiment. There are other forages that do better in the same time frame. Sorghum/Sudan grass does better. I proved that too in a side by side comparison this season.
I am an ambassador for both oats and buckwheat in other applications. Buckwheat “mines” the soil for nutrients. When incorporated back into the soil, buckwheat makes those nutrients available for the next crop. Buckwheat also lures all sorts of beneficial bugs, especially pollinators.
Oats grow well in spring and fall. They can be baled or grazed along with harvesting them for the grain and straw. I use them often to follow corn and as a nurse crop for grasses and legumes. The grain makes great horse feed, but I prefer speltz due to my work load and our cold clay soils.
I managed to get all of our second cutting hay made, along with the forage buckwheat and oats and sorghum/Sudan grass. All the bales were made without any rain on them… a real feat this year! I have one more field of clover second cutting, that will be made into balage for our cows. The silage type bales will be wrapped in plastic and resemble big marshmallows.
Our corn, planted June tenth, is doing well. Sure, there is better looking corn around, but my small field of open pollenated corn will feed our sow herd all winter. I am fine with that 😮 The fodder will also be used as a snack for the cows once the ears have been picked and stored.
Plenty of work awaits me, but it feels very good to be caught up for now and enjoying a few days of fun. A trip to Holmes county yesterday, made for laughs shared and memories made with Connie. We bought a “chicken Tractor” from an Amish man who makes them from conduit and small square wire. They are light and portable, yet strong and durable …. more on this topic later.
Our corn towers above the five foot fence
Filed under: July 2014 | Tags: baby boy, buckwheat, hay making, open pollinated
Buckwheat Blooms in July
July 29, 2014
We have had an interesting “last few days”. Saturday our youngest son and his wife welcomed a new baby boy. Keagan was 9 pounds 10 ounces. He is a big bouncing baby boy, born to two very happy parents…and grandparents too!
Yesterday we got a total of over two inches of rain. The weather is cool, with water standing in many places. The animals are lounging about like they are on vacation. I guess they are on a vacation of sorts, because even the greenhead biting flies are leaving them alone due in part to the cool weather.
The experimental oat and buckwheat field is doing well. The buckwheat is in full bloom. The pollinators are very happy and buzzing about. The field looks pretty good and will be cut for hay soon…. just need some dry weather.
The challenge of making dry hay gets tougher every year. It seems that the rain comes every third day…just short of the time needed to dry hay. I have a new “arrow in my quiver” with our new tedder. The ground drive model that we have is made by Master Equipment here in Ohio.
We have used it twice so far and have been very impressed with its performance. I think it will come in handy when we make the buckwheat and oat hay and especially when trying to dry the sorghum/Sudan hay. I am sure patience will be my best friend, as I wait for a string of sunny dry days.
Crazy weather and extra shifts have made for a tough hay year for me, but so far all is well. I am very sure the animals will appreciate my efforts come winter as they munch on hay made from the sweat of my brow and losing sleep to work with the sunny days as they come.
Actually, I sleep better knowing that the hay is mostly made, the corn is growing and the pastures are holding up well. We are blessed for sure….not to mention the new helper born next door!
Open Pollenated and looking good
Filed under: June 2014 | Tags: broadcasting, buckwheat, dry hay, Forage, seed, Small Farming, soil
Newly planted field
June 22, 2014
I finished the experimental field today. I prepped and planted about four acres. I planted oats, buckwheat and sorghum/Sudan grass, for the purpose of making dry hay for the cows. I have no idea how this will work, but do know that thinking outside of the box now and then is a wonderful thing 😮
I planted the mixture of 1/3 each at a rate of about 60 pounds to the acre, sort of aimed at two bushels per acre because I simply broadcast the seed onto the soil. I didn’t even try to cover the seed or cultipack. I might have cultipacked the seed, but my cultipacker is currently broken. A big roller would work…but I don’t have one.
If this works, my plan is to make a cutting of hay, then apply compost. I will let the whole field regrow until late August or early September. Then the whole thing will be plowed down as a green manure crop for the speltz that will follow in mid to late September.
I have heard of folks getting 1.5 to 2 tons of dry hay per acre using a method such as this. There are many variables and I have not done this before, but I think it will be successful if only due to the weed suppression from the buckwheat and heavy seeding rate. Plus, mowing the whole mess will take some vigor out of any weeds too , I hope!
In any case, it was a long yet good day. No break downs, no rain and everything went well. I finished before sundown and even took a few minutes to sit in a lawn chair and do nothing! Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow. Hopefully, it will set the seed and get it off and growing…the experiment is now underway.
Filed under: June 2014 | Tags: Border Collie, buckwheat, green manure, Mental Health, strawberries
My Buddy Max
June 21, 2014
I think that it was fitting to spend the longest day of 2014, playing with Max. I know he liked it. I too had some fun, enjoying a little down time! I have plenty to do, but took a little time off just to rest mind and body.
I have one more small field to plant. I am planning on an experiment for “dry” hay. I will be planting sorghum, oats and buckwheat on a small paddock behind the barn. I don’t know how it will work, but if it goes badly, I’ll plow the whole thing down in late summer as a green manure crop.
Max and I walked the fields checking things out, finding more work and celebrating a few “wins” along the way. Max is my constant companion, just as I had hoped. I think he will be a great dog…he sure is a smart one!
Max and I checked out the hayfields while we walked too. They are ready to cut. The hay tools are ready to go, now for some nice sunny weather. I need a minimum of three dry days to get my hay made. Perhaps I err on the dry side, but it makes good hay that way. The kind I need to feed my horses, no mold, no dust.
The farm is green, the corn is up, the pastures are looking good. Yep, I think a day for reflection was just what I needed…to have a good dog along, just made it sweeter….like the strawberries freshly picked, from our raised beds!
RicelandMeadows 