Northern Farmer

Glory to God! The small grains harvest has officially begun today on this farm! Started swathing oats this afternoon and got an eighteen acre field down and just got in a few minutes ago. And when I got in there was a delicious chicken and dumpling supper waiting. Of coarse I had to shower first cause when your doing small grains such as oats things get a tad bit itchy! The oats is running about average I’d say from swathing the stuff. Not to tall, but no disaster like the last few years. None was knocked down by the recent storm winds we had earlier this week so swathing was a breeze, (once I got the durn thing running), and the rows are nice and neat, easy for the combine to do its job on. Plus got thirty eight second crop hay bales baled up today, the big rounds. Good day, all in all, but them homemade dumplings were the kicker to get me in a praising mood. Something about them things! Old style Polish dumplings with cabbage and onions and enough butter to support a big dairy operation!

This next week will be a crusher here, harvest time and when its harvest time a person harvests. The way its laying out there should be no work on Sunday but after that things will pick up steam in a hurry. I’m hoping to get it all done this coming week and get back to just making some hay and doing some odd jobs around the farm. Never a shortage of jobs, especially when its a full time family farm, but I’m hoping that there will be a few catch up weeks before chopping silage. Then when that’s all done things will get much easier. We got a New Idea two row corn picker this week. I forget the model, but its one of them Super Pickers. Five hundred bucks and in mint shape. To me this is a true find. Heck, I bought a barrel of gas this week and it cost a thousand, so for half that price we got us a beautiful corn picker, ready to go! That thing should last as long as I do if a person carries a grease gun and this just goes to show some equipment doesn’t cost and arm and a leg. I always liked picking corn over combining it anyhow. No drying costs or anything like that. And if a person grinds up the whole cobs for the cattle a better treat can’t be found for them. Something about the cobs makes it far superior to shell corn and healthier too!

I just can’t wait for fall this year. I always feel that way when its hot and humid! This year should be different than the past few because there doesn’t look like any feed worries to worry me for nine months. Just feed em till they’re good and fat and can take anything a Minnesota winter can dish out! Oh Lord, will it be good! And I ain’t forgetting where the goodness come from either. God is good! And you know, eating them dumplings tonight kinda reminded me of an old circuit riding preachers life story where his favorite food was some good old homemade dumplings, with some old fashioned farm chicken on the side, (not broilers). Gets me in the mood to go preach the Gospel just eating that stuff! And Lord, when the silage is in, that’s what this old farmer will do to anyone who listens! Ain’t no higher privilege than to spread the Gospel, both in word and in deed. I’m hoping that I can do both somehow, don’t know how yet, but the Lord can take care of that detail. There’s a need for this in the countryside and I guess if there’s a need then that’s what I’ll do when the crops are in and the house is warm during the cool months.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 31st, 2008 at 8:51 pm and is filed under Northern Farmer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.