Tuesday, August 10, 2010

I love this picture, it's like the combine is patiently waiting to get into the field and it reminds me of watching a Friday night football game wherein some young lad is patiently waiting his turn to get into the game. =)

Last night we finished the winter wheat down at the Tammany farm, with the exception of the 10 acres hit by hail and are waiting for the hail insurance adjuster to assess it.  So today the crew is looking for ripe spring wheat to harvest.  The winter wheat which is seeded  (in this area) usually in late September or early October has a longer growing season, so it is harvested first.  Winter wheat is genetically designed to need the cold weather in order to produce a wheat head the following summer.  Spring wheat on the Palouse is typically planted late March or in April and as it has a lessor growing season and does not usually produce as many bushels of wheat per acre as winter wheat does.  On our farm, we use spring wheat in the rotation of our crop cycle to help with the disease cycles and weeds.  Our typical crop rotation on a field is winter wheat, then the next season spring wheat, then the following year it will be planted with some type of legume and it is usually garbanzo beans, but we have planted lentils as well.  The rotation of crops help the farmer to control weeds as different treatments affect different weeds and herabicide products can help control a broad leaf weed but won't hurt the wheat plant, and then we can control other weeds with products that will kill a grass like weed when we have a legume planted.  Plus rotation of crops are needed to help destroy soil diseases, all  this is done to keep the health of  the soil in optimum condition.