Sowing Wheat

The last few weeks has been another busy time on the farm. It was time to plant next year's wheat crop. This year the job was made a lot easier by our new seed cart.

In the past, we have used our little, old grain truck. This is much safer than lifting the bed of the truck and it works better for this set of drills since you can raise the spout on this cart. The cart will also hold more than the truck did.
Rodney and I drilled most of the wheat while Leon and the girls cleaned and treated the wheat and kept our drills filled. The whole cleaning, treating operation reminds me of the game Mousetrap with all of its round-about contraptions.

The wheat comes out of the grain bin via the auger and into the silver cart. Katie was in charge of keeping the cart filled. Notice the auger coming out of the cart. It carries it to the cleaner.

The red, round machine is the actual seed cleaner. The drum rotates as the wheat travels down and it is sorted. The clean wheat comes out the end while the chaff, straw, smaller kernels, etc. exit into a different tub.

The cleaned wheat travels into the truck. This truck is what we used to use to fill the drills. Emily was in charge of scooping the wheat to the back so it would run out of the door to be treated.

The wheat runs out of the back of the truck into another auger that is used to treat the wheat. We treat the seed to prevent diseases that can live in the soil and affect the wheat. It then runs into the auger that takes it into the seed cart.

After this process, the wheat is brought to the drills to be planted. We finished planting all of the wheat Monday. We have done all that we can. Now it is up to God whether we have anything to harvest next summer.

This is the tractor that I drive and I called it the Little Red Hen during wheat sowing. The drills are folded up for the last time and parked. Notice the wheat that was planted earlier is up! We will clean them out soon and put them in the shed for the winter.

A Snake in the Driveway

When the girls and I came home from 4-H yesterday, we found this little guy in our driveway. At first, we thought it might be a rattlesnake but upon closer inspection we found it wasn't. We are not really sure what kind it is but he was fun to watch. As long as it is not a rattler, it is welcome to stay around and eat mice, bugs, etc.

A Friend from South Africa

The driver from Machinery Link got here this afternoon to pick up the John Deere combine. Leon visited with him while he was loading the machine and found out he is from South Africa. He comes over here on a work visa for a couple years at a time. He was a police officer over there and retired. Then he went to night school and became a certified electrician. With the way their country has become, he can make 3 times more driving a truck in the United States than he can as an electrician in South Africa. He talked about the health care over there which is the same as what was passed over here. He said if he was in a car accident over there he would fight the paramedics with every ounce he had if they tried to take him to a hospital in South Africa. They are nothing but slaughter houses and if you end up in one, you don't make it out.

He had the combine loaded up and ready to go when we had supper ready. Leon grilled pork chops and corn on the cob and Lorena made mashed potatoes and gravy. Lorena went out and invited him in for supper. He gladly accepted and we all had a great time visiting over the meal. He told us a bit about the history of South Africa and what has gone on over there. It was really interesting hearing it from someone who has lived through it. We have it so good here in the USA and take it all for granted. For those who don't think this is a great country, you can pack your bags at any time and leave. Yes, we have some problems right now and there are a lot of things that need fixing but we are free. We need to remember that freedom is something we need to protect and it is being eroded away bit by bit. I really don't want the government telling me what kind of light bulbs to use, what kind of car to drive, what food to eat, etc. In fact, if people want to ride a motorcycle without a helmet, or drive around without a seat belt, then why shouldn't they be able to? Yes, I think it a lot safer with a helmet or a seat belt and I wear my seat belt always. But why should the government tell us what to do? If I choose not to and get hurt then I am responsible for my actions. Just something to think about.

I am really glad our new friend accepted the invitation to eat with us. I pray that he has a safe trip hauling those green beasts to different places for harvest. I hope we see him again someday, maybe next year before wheat harvest!

Wheat Harvest 2011

Wheat harvest has come and gone! It seems like we were just getting ready for it and now it is already over. It was shorter this year for us for a few reasons. One, we didn't have as many acres of wheat planted this year. We are trying to get more of our land in the rotation with milo and not plant wheat on it every year. That way certain weeds and diseases that inhabit wheat can be controlled. Two, the wheat was not very thick so we could cut a lot faster this year. And three, we had no major break-downs. Yea!
 
We were very thankful for the wheat we did have. Since January, we have only gotten about an inch or so of rain. It is amazing that we had crops do as well as they did with no additional rain. Someone made a comment to me that we weren't going to have any wheat if it didn't rain soon. I told them God could make it rain anytime He wanted to. Come to find out, God can make the wheat grow without rain!

It was really rewarding for me to be able to cut the wheat that I drilled last fall. I drilled some of the white wheat we had this year, then cut it. Soon I will clean it and grind it to make bread. I feel like the Little Red Hen!

Now we are cleaning up the John Deere that we lease so it can be picked up and taken to the next farmer who is going to use it. They don't want water used on it so we have to blow all the dirt, straw, and chaff off with an air compressor. It is a super dirty job! We try to get it as clean or cleaner than it was when we got it. Next, we will take the duels off. That always makes me a little nervous since if one fell it could crush a person. Taking them off is a lot easier than putting them on!

We can take more time cleaning up Bertha Belle. The girls can put on their bathing suits and play in the water while they are washing the combine. The grain cart and both semis will have to be cleaned out too.

We have gotten a little more done on the house since harvest. We got the siding put up on the walls that we had added. and replaced the other set of windows in the old living room. It did have a set of double windows and we replaced it with a big slider. The living room is so much lighter now! The only old window left is the set of two over the kitchen sink. Maybe we will get it put in soon.

Driving on the Farm

When you live on a farm you never know what you might be required to drive. I grew up on a farm and we all learned how to drive at an early age. Usually, you start out with an automatic transmission, then work up to a standard transmission, and go to driving everything from pickups to grain trucks to tractors. I learned how to drive a standard on my dad's old Chevy pickup that had the gear shift on the steering column. Then I learned how to drive the tractor. One summer I drove a small tractor without a cab cultivating 3 rows at a time. I loved it! When I turned 16, Dad had me drive the grain truck to the elevator. I was always a little nervous about running the PTO to lift the bed. The elevator workers were hard to understand in all the noise but everything always went fine.

I learned how to drive the combine the summer after Leon and I got married. I was 8 months pregnant with Emily and he had me on the combine showing me how to run it. We came to the end of the field and he jumped off. I was on my own! Once I got used to it, driving the combine has been one of my favorite jobs. We don't have little grain trucks anymore. Now we use semis to haul the grain to the elevator. My combine bin holds more than the truck I drove for Dad. I have said that I will not drive the semi. Well, never say "never!"

Leon called yesterday and asked if I would bring his semi with the water tank over the field for him. He could start spraying then the truck would be there when he needed it. I told him I would try. The semi he uses for this purpose is the older one that does not have power steering. The steering wheel is so big I can barely reach the far side! I only had to drive it 6 miles and only had one corner. It wasn't that bad but I still do not want to drive one to town!

I also got to ride in the pickup with Katie driving for the first time yesterday. She is learning quickly and doing a good job. She is even practicing her turn signals. Katie usually drives the 4-wheeler during harvest to help us move vehicles from field to field. Emily has been driving the pickup for quite a while and does a fantastic job driving the tractor with the grain cart.

DOT Regulations

Leon and I went to Liberal and got a health card today so we would be in compliance with DOT regulations. No, I am not driving the semi! But, if I should happen to go to Liberal with the flatbed trailer and pick up anything for the farm, I am subject to DOT regulations. Which means I have to have a DOT number (on the pickup or Durango that is pulling the trailer) and a health card. If I take the same trailer to Garden City and get a load of lumber for the house I don't have to have one. Doesn't make much sense if the primary issue is safety. Anyway, we are trying to cover all of our bases and comply with the regulations. I need to order some magnetic signs so we can put our number and name on the pickup or Durango when we need to have them.