What we grow will end up in some version on your dinner plate.... so come along read how one farm family is growing some of the food you and your family will eat.
Breakdowns and illness are not welcome events during harvest and while you can't plan for these kinds of things, you try your best to deal with them if they do happen.
On Monday our crew got started in the field after having the week-end off to allow the hot sunny weather to help ripen the winter wheat. The guys are still having to harvest only parts of each field due to the uneven ripening of the grain, so it means they are having to move from field to field to only harvest the ripe wheat. On Monday afternoon, while doing some grocery shopping, I got an emergency text and call from Farmer Joe asking if I could pick up a part for him, as he was broken down.... eeeeh, I was in another town so farm-wife Lisa was able to run to the parts dealer and meet Farmer Joe to get the needed item to him. Whew! Teamwork is a great thing. =)
Later Monday night Farmer Joe told me Farmer Jay had come down with bronchitis, but was able to get into the medical quick-care office and the doctor had prescribed a good dose of antibiotics to get him well. On a farm and especially during harvest you just don't call in sick (unless it is really bad and/or you get admitted to the hospital). Many a time we all have felt under the weather during harvest and the crops don't have a "pause button" and the wheat has to get harvested, so you "suck it up" and out the door you go and do what you need to do. Luckily those things have been far and few - and most of the time we are running on Adrenalin and it's a high energy state of mind.
This is what wheat kernels look like from the wheat head and as I said
before, this is our paycheck
From yesterday's blog, I mentioned the great improvements that science and biotechnology have done in helping farmers feed more people. And here is an excellent video about that and I hope you will take a moment to view it as there are many misconceptions about the use of technology in the production of our food supply - if anything I hope it will ease your mind on the safety as well as benefits in utilizing the innovations that will help the 2% of us whose job is to feed our world.
At the end of the day, keeping the equipment free of chaff and dust are critical as chaff/dust on the hot equipment can lead to an equipment fire, so throughout the day the excess debris will be monitored, blown off and a thorough blowing off of the equipment will be done.
Cody blowing the chaff and dust off one of the combines at the end of the day.
I love this bumper sticker from the I love Farmers. org It says it all, I wish it was available on a T-shirt. =)
As Farmer Joe left this morning, he said they would know by about 2pm today if we would be able to harvest any more wheat - and may have to be out of the field a few more days to let the sun do its job and finish the ripening process of the wheat. So for now, you have the scoop on our wheat harvest. Many thanks for stopping by and come on back to see how our harvest is progressing. If you have questions, email me at idahofarmwife@gmail.com or leave a comment. Talk to you soon! All my best, Gayle
What we grow will end up in some version on your dinnerplate.... so come along read how one farm family is growing some of the food you and your family will eat.
Hello America! The Anderson farm has been busy, first as you know with a wedding on the farm and a short couple of weeks later harvest has arrived. So before I show you what will be ending up on your dinner table, I have to tell you a funny story on Cody our hired man... But first to preface this, Cody was the town kid who at age 11 started hanging out at the farm. He would show up in morning and would ride in any piece of equipment that he could, ask lots of questions, fiddle with things if no one was looking and always wanted to know how things worked. So when he was old enough we hired him to begin working on the farm and he is now our full time hired man. Anyway... back to Cody at age eleven, I always thought maybe he had a "crush" on the farmer's daughter (our youngest - Kaitlyn) as she was 15 and our tractor driver. But while preparing the barn for Kaitlyn and Andrew's wedding reception, I overheard Kaitlyn teasing Cody about him hanging around the farm so much when he was little and he said he didn't have a crush on her, he just liked her tractor. It just shows that you don't have to be born into a farm family to have a love for farming and the equipment.
And.... speaking of equipment, as America's farms have become more efficient and feed more people today than in the past, the equipment has had to grow to accommodate the increased crop yields. Last year, we purchased some farm ground from a neighbor who hadn't farmed in many years and his outdated equipment had sat in an old outbuilding on his place. Just to show you the progress made in the last 50+ years to present day.....
The "open air" model meant lots of dirt, chaff and dust for the driver
My bike gives a reference point to see just how short the old header
is ( 14 or 16' header)
The old combines used by the farmer (pictured above) fed about 26 people and through research and improved biotechnology, today's farmer feeds about 155 people, all on less ground and using less natural resources than in the past. Here is a picture of Farmer Joe's combine and as you can see, the 40' header doesn't fit in the lens of the camera
It's a big job to feed America and big equipment is needed to get the job done
As combines grew so did the need for bigger trucks, here is what was used for the smaller combines and it would have had racks on them to haul the grain or legumes. This is the kind of 2 ton truck that I drove during wheat harvest.
But now semi-trucks are needed and this farm-wife didn't want to learn to drive these big monsters (which is probably a big relief to the warehouse men at the grain terminals! ) =)
This was my truck when we used it to haul in the crops, now it is used as a water or fuel truck
Big trucks for big combines
Sometimes I do miss not being in the field with the guys, but it was my choice to not learn to drive the tractors, combines or semi-trucks - and by doing so, it allows me the time to share what we do with you. So as the first few days of harvest started last week down at the Southern Tammany farm, here are videos and pictures. Click here if unable to view the video.
The combine dumping directly into the semi trucks that are lined up in the wheat field
Usually the combines will unload while moving into the grain cart, but it depends on
how many body's we have in the field, so if we are short a tractor driver & the field is level, we can
dump into the semi- trucks directly if needed
A view of the full bulk tank just before it gets unloaded
Usually the combine will unload into the grain cart and then the tractor driver will
drive over to unload the wheat into the semi-trucks
A view of the tractor and disk for a fire break
And here is a video of Farmer Joe explaining about creating a fire break, as the heavy wheat chaff mixed with hot equipment can start a fire in the fields....
And as the grain was just a bit too green (meaning the moisture content was too high for the warehouse to accept it), we shut down for the week-end, our collection of equipment was parked on a green spot to let the grain ripen over the week-end.
So as Farmer Joe, Farmer Jay, hired men, Cody & Ryan bring in the crops, I'll be giving you almost daily a harvest report. As always, thanks for stopping by, drop me an email at idahofarmwife@gmail.com or leave a comment too. Either way, I love to hear from you. All my best, Gayle
Well our crops have survived our 2nd hail storm once again with minimal damage, especially at our Southern Tammany farm. This new round of nasty weather from Mother Nature has ratcheted up the nervous level among us and our fellow farm pals. On Friday, just days after posting my blog about sitting on pins and needles as we wait for the crops to ripen so we can get them safely in the grain bins, we witnessed a fast moving thunderstorm that dropped pea size hail for 1-2 minutes! Here is a short video (as I ran out of battery power... oops) that barely shows the intensity of the storm. Golf ball size hail was reported around the area and that sent Farmer Joe down to check our fields down at the Southern Tammany farm. There he noted that a neighbor about a mile from us had the golf ball size hail wipe out about 50% of his field. Yikes.
I'm just wondering if "Tums" and beer will help me get through this harvest (just kidding) but yes we feel like we are in a race to get the crops in before some other crazy weather pattern hits our area. Unfortunately, it is going to be a late harvest due to the cold spring...... big sigh. Here is picture of what the fields look like all around us at the Genesee farm.
Spring wheat is the green field and the winter wheat field behind the spring wheat
is ripening - but is a few weeks away until ready to harvest (at the Genesee Farm)
In preparation to begin harvest at the Southern Tammany farm (which is usually 2 weeks ahead of the Genesee farm), we have begun having our own personal parade of farm equipment make its 37 mile journey. It takes a lot of big equipment to feed America. So far one combine, 3 semi-trucks, and 2 tractors along with the grain carts are down there.
Moving the combine down the road on a 2 lane highway. Just shows how big the combine is
A picture of what the farm parade looks like
This combine is next to be moved down and it travels without it's header
The 40' header will be towed behind the pick-up on a trailer
This tractor with the disk will also go as it is for fire prevention... cuz there is dust, chaff and hot equipment and farm fields are miles away from fire departments so extra precaution is a must. After the opening round of wheat is harvested, someone will jump in the tractor and disk up the ground as a "fire wall".
Do you notice the "Red" theme among the equipment?
One more semi that will be sent down, and here the hired man, Cody and seasonal help, Ryan are checking lights, brakes lines, and other fun under the truck tasks to make sure everything is working okay. Just so you know, I sped off on my trusty bike in case they had a really yucky job that they would try to pawn off on me (not really, they know to keep in good graces with the one who supplies the cookies) =)
Cody on the left and Ryan under the truck
Once again, thanks for stopping by and I will keep you posted as we begin our harvest season. In the meantime, I am still working on the blog to showcase the faces of the other fine folks who keep our nation fed - so come on back soon. Besides quality time with the back pack sprayer, I'm becoming quite chummy with the computer as I work on the farm wedding blog too. Hope all is well for you, and I'll sign off for now. All my best, Gayle (oh and if you have farming questions you want to ask, please drop me an email at idahofarmwife@gmail.com)
Greetings! Last week we gained another great son-in-law into our family, and while I'm working on doing a blog about what a farm wedding looks like, I wanted to give you a "dinner plate update" (i.e. crop report).
If your mom was like mine, you most likely heard the phrase “don’t count your chickens until they have hatched” …. And that is why I titled my blog “Sitting on Pin and Needles” because our carefully tended crops are susceptible to weather destroying them in one fell swoop. And are we nervous?? Yes, but always optimistic.
So far, we have received adequate rain and the wheat looks good.....
But it also meant that the wheat was susceptible to a disease called "RUST" and therefore, extra expense was incurred as we had to have it sprayed by the crop duster to keep it healthy.... click here if unable to view the videos
The crop duster drops a white paper flag to mark where he has been in the field
For all you garbanzo fans, the plants are doing okay, blooming and hopefully producing lots of pods.
This is what a mustard and/or canola crop looks like, bright yellow in contrast to the rest of the various green fields growing around our area.
Although we don't have hay, here is a short video of it being bailed just a few miles from our farm
By now most of the hay has been bailed and picked up out of the field
Here is a video of the spring wheat as a storm was blowing in. I was standing on my back deck filming the swaying wheat... watching it is sort of like watching a fire in the fireplace, mesmerizing
While the thunderstorm missed our home farm, we learned this morning that the wind and rain "lodged" the barley that Farmer Joe is shown (below) standing in down at our Southern Tammany farm. As you can see, it was chest high, now the crop was knocked down to the ground. Although it can still be harvested, it means that the combine header will have to be ground level and that is not the best as it means the header could pick up a rock, which would damage the equipment.
Even with the threat of crop diseases and thunderstorms, we know we are blessed, and that many other farmers (even in the very Southern part of our State) and all across the USA have not been so lucky and have had to helplessly watch their crops wither and die in the parched soil. We have all experienced drought, hail and other crops hazards, so that is why the Farm Bill is a critical part of keeping our farmers with a financial safety net, because in a split second we may have our paycheck completely wiped out by a force of nature. So as harvest approaches in the next few weeks, we will be anxiously watching over our crops and keeping that eternal flame of hope in our farming hearts as, call us crazy, but we love what we do.
As always, thanks so much for stopping by and by all means shoot me an email at idahofarmwife@gmail.com or leave a comment. All my best, Gayle.
A piece of Americana, does it get any better than this?
Farmwife Gayle & Farmer Joe
Farmer Jay, Farmwife Lisa and the 4H "Pig Farmer" Zach
Dear America,
Happy Birthday from a 4th generation farm family who is grateful to be living in this great country.
As we rise each day, we know we enjoy many freedoms that others who do not live in the USA get to enjoy. And even though I speak out against the anti-Ag groups as I feel they are trying to erode the very fabric that has made America what it is today, we all have the freedom of speech and the ability to speak our minds. So as we celebrate America’s Independence Day, make sure and thank those who served to protect our great country and if you know of a farmer in your area, thank him or her for helping keep our nation nourished as well.
In the event you have not seen this amazing YouTube video from some very innovative young farmers promoting agriculture, then I invite you to take a look. These young brothers are telling their story their own way.
Once again, Common Ground has another great video on American Ag and what you pay at the grocery store.
Morning mist from yesterday's rain. The amound of rain defines
whether it is a good crop or a great crop for us "dryland farmers"
On Monday I was spraying weeds around our farmhouse (I like to refer to it as spending “quality time with my backpack sprayer”) and as I was out working, I thought "I just sprayed weeds last week - and more seem to pop up overnight”, and as you know, weeds if left alone, will propagate and spread their evil seeds – so it is a task to keep on top of. While I was out communing with nature and trying to help her along by eliminating the newest round of pesky plants – I had a sudden epiphany that weeds are like the anti-Ag groups. How? Well, both try to spread their unwanted seeds whether plant form or thought form, and both are unwanted by the farmer. The weeds rob the nutrients from the crop and the anti-Ag groups rob the consumer trust from the farmer. As many people do not understand what farmers do, these groups work very hard to paint a picture for the American consumer on the evils of modern Agriculture. For me, spraying weeds is just like blogging, I am trying to keeps the bad seeds from getting a handhold on my lifestyle and convey the message that we care about our land, what we put on it, how we grow our crops and what you put on your dinner table for your families (our families too). In a few days, I will be doing a new blog to showcase some of the other farm families around this area, so I hope you will come on back.
While I try to keep the weeds down around the farmhouse and in social media….. Farmer Joe took a video about spraying the garbanzo fields. We both have big jobs to do. So for now this farmwife will be heading out with her camera to capture some photos on the other fine folks whose job is to grow what goes on our dinner plates.
Garbanzo spraying video, if unable to view the video, click here
As always, if you have a question, drop me an email at idahofarmwife@gmail.com or leave a comment & thanks for stopping by. All my best, Gayle
One of the reasons that I blog is to put a face on the people (like us) who raise the food that America eats. We have a joke around here, that farmers never quit farming until they die. So sitting recently at the funeral for a dear family farmer friend who passed away at 92 (and was active on his farm up until his death), I wanted to share the following poem:
A Farmer's Prayer by Robin Fogle
Lord, bless the land you've given me,
and may I always know
As I tend each crop and creature
You're the One who helps them grow.
Grant me the strength and wisdom
Please protect me from harm.
And thank You
For your Gracious gift -
The blessing of a farm.
And yes, it is true, we do feel very blessed to be farmers and value the farm friends that make life a beautiful time here on earth. And speaking of earth, Farmer Joe has a couple of videos, the first one shows him spraying the weeds to help garbanzo fields stay free of grassy weeds.
The second video is about readying a field for test plots for our local university - many farmers, like us set aside an acre or two for the universities to plant and test out new breeds of wheat in a real conditions.
Last week I've spent lots of time cooking, as we hosted 2 different dinner meetings at our farmhouse, then I helped with food for a couples bridal shower for our youngest daughter & her fiance later on in that week ( yup sometimes I think I am certifiably nuts- but maybe that is my true "charm").
Pictured below are the dedicated board members, plus a few guests of the board members and executive director from the Idaho Grain Producers Association.
Menu: Steaks, potato salad, garbanzo salad, cowboy beans, and for dessert- lentil brownies! Yummm
Farmer Joe is at a barley meeting out of state, I have been overseeing the cleaning of the barn for our daughter's upcoming wedding reception, so life has been a bit hectic, not to mention everything else that life throws in just for the heck of it. Anyway, I plan to get out there and showcase some of the area farms and farmer friends so you get an "up close and personal view of others who farm for a living". There is a really good website that talks about food dialogue from the US Farmers and Rancher Alliance, so check it out if you get a chance.
Plus, much to my youngest daughter's grumbling about showing up in the farm blog, I will be chatting about the wedding activities too. (one of the reasons to have kids, 1) make them do all the work.... 2) to get to have a little bit of fun at their expense) he he he....
As always, thanks for stopping by and please email me if you have questions at idahofarmwife@gmail.com.
All my best, Gayle
Farming looks idyllic, but there is real science, logic and precision behind everything we do
As I ride my bike around our country roads I pass by this newer little house that has gone through 2 owners in probably 5 years and now sits vacant. Living in the country - you make a point to know who your neighbors are, and as soon as someone new moves in, I make the friendly gesture of going over and introducing myself and taking them a baked goodie. In visiting I get to hear their "story" of why they moved to our area. Both past owners had this image in their mind that, "it would be wonderful to live in the country, have a garden, sit on their front porch with a drink in hand and enjoy the fresh air and peace & quiet of living on their own little piece of heaven...... well as idyllic as it first seemed, both owners were unprepared for all the actual hard work that comes with living in the country. The allure of the beautiful farmsteads around here
Uncle John & Aunt Mary's farmstead
Phyllis' pristine place (& my bike)
didn't really give a hint of all the actual work behind the scenes to take care of a place. Like all the quality time spent with the backpack sprayer for starters.....
My personal backpack sprayer
And if you pass by the fields that are growing lush and beautiful, there is a lot more going on to keep our crops healthy, we don't just drop seed in the ground and then show up a few months later to harvest it. Nope there are countless hours of monitoring the crops for signs of bugs or staying on top of the weeds, picking rocks out of the fields so the combine doesn't encounter them, fixing/repairing equipment & office work, and probably more that I have forgotten to add, but you get the picture. Growing What Goes on Your Dinner table is a lot like the board-game called "The Farming Game". Farmers begin at START by planting a crop, we try to avoid the pitfalls along the way, some of which we can be avoided like keeping our crops healthy from diseases and bugs but weather is always a "chance card" & you get what you are dealt 'cuz Mother Nature doesn't take requests or orders, and in the end, we hope we WIN the game by getting to harvest our crop. An interesting tid-bit, some farmers borrow more to put their current crop in than what most people will borrow in their lifetime, and a farmer will do it year after year. So in essence with huge investment into our crops, you can better bet that we are very careful with what we put on our fields and only put on what is needed, where it is needed and no more than needed -
Right now as I write, Farmers Joe & Jay and Cody have been out today checking crops, spraying the fields and generally keeping a very close eye on the paycheck that is growing out there. We will be wanting some rains through June as that is what will determine what our yields will be - so guess I'll go wash the windows or car or something or maybe - if no one is looking, try out a new rain dance.
Many thanks for dropping by and as always shoot me an email if you have questions at idahofarmwife@gmail.com. If you have an extra minute, CommonGround has a great article on the safety of GMO food. All my best, Gayle
I’m a vegetarian who supports the animal Ag industry 110%!Just because I don’t eat meat, doesn’t mean that I want to force my food choices on everyone else, but that is not the case with others, so please read on. But first, let me share that I’ve been a vegetarian all my life and it’s not because of any certain beliefs or convictions, I just don’t like meat.As my mom tells the story, I quit drinking milk at 4 months old and later refused to eat any kind of meat. After many trips to the doctor to see what was wrong with me, she finally let me eat what I wanted. Frankly being a vegetarian is a pain in the you-know-what, but it is just the way I am. Being a non-meat eater has its challenges, like when packing my very first lunch for Farmer Joe (as a new farm-wife) and wanting to be sweet, I made a tuna-fish and bologna sandwich (yes together) as I thought they are both disgustingso I’m sure they go together…. Well that was the wrong assumption!=)And it was the very first day of harvest too, oops poor guy.However, I've since improved my culinary skills as my family loves their beef, (T-bone steaks in particular), pork and poultry.So now that I’ve bared my soul and shared an embarrassing story on myself, you are probably wondering why am I telling you this? Well this blog is about the freedom of choice and the important goal to preserve this right. Whether or not you are aware, there is a real threat to your freedom of choice on what you put on your dinner table if your meals are centered around meat. Anytime one sector of Ag is affected, there is a trickle down effect on the rest of Agriculture, so this vegetarian wants to speak out on behalf of the animal Ag sector. click here if unable to view the videos
My spoiled pooch
Let me say it takes a special person to raise animals and long before I wed my farmer, the farm had a hog operation. Farmer Joe said during his years caring for the pigs that "there is always something that needed feeding, doctoring, tending, cleaning or fixing and was a 24/7 job- lots and lots of work". We have tremendous respect for all animal producers, but our consumers need to remember, these animals are being raised for "harvest", they are fed and treated well - but they are a crop, they are NOT a pet like your Fluffy or Spot. And that may be why consumers let themselves be swayed to vote in animal cruelty laws because we all love our pets and only want the best for them (my spoiled pooch included) but livestock animals and pets are in different categories.
As with many farmers and ranchers, the care of animals is learned early as young children, either with chores on the farm or being in 4H and FFA. Our nephew, Zach shows you what I am talking about. He and a couple of buddies grind their own feed for their animals and do all the chores that involve taking care of their animals. We hope that Zach will one day want to farm with his dad (Farmer Jay) and uncle Farmer Joe - but for now our young pig farmer is happy to share what he knows and is learning about the proper care of animals:
So as the official election season is upon us, there mostly likely will be petitions to get animal cruelty laws enacted. From what I have observed even if petitions or laws have vague language that appears to be targeted towards stopping cruelty to domestic animals, and unless expressly stated, it tends to also cover animal agriculture and then that is bad news for you and me.
A movement is well underway by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the uninformed consumer is being duped into helping them with their goal to make meat so expensive that people cannot afford to put it on their dinner table. This organization works behind the scenes to get the consumer to vote for legislation that negatively impacts agriculture. Can you imagine the Thanksgiving holiday without a turkey or Easter without a ham?
Many believe that HSUS is the parent organization for all humane societies, but that is not true. Here is a video based upon real facts and legislation that has been passed in many states. Idaho appears to be one of their next targets to enact legislation under the guise of "animal cruelty" laws and there was a direct quote from HSUS that said they would be funding a "multimillion dollar ballot initiativeand hire paid staff to gather signatures". As I said before, whether it is crops or animals, they are a farmer's paycheck, so we make sure to take care of our paycheck as best we can. I believe I can truthfully say that 99.99% of farmers and ranchers treat their animals with care, respect and humanely. We do not like to see animal abuse anymore than anyone else does, but we concede there are a few bad apples out there as in any organization and we are aware that when an abuse surfaces, that it give Agriculture a black eye. We personally know many ranchers and they take pride in their operations and well being of their animals. For instance, cows will be taken to the mountains during the summer, because it is cooler for them and in the Fall they will be rounded up. Often times ranchers in this area will also move their cows to a lower elevation to winter them as the temperature is milder and easier on the cows.
So where does H$U$ get money from? Well watch the video and read on.....
HSUS Revealed
This is a direct quote from Humane Watch, "HSUS puts some serious money every year into pension plans for its executives. Since 2004 (when “Humane Wayne” Pacelle took over), the HSUS pension slush fund has grown by more than $8.5 million. Instead of helping dogs and cats in pet shelters, that money will be fattening the wallets of HSUS big shots after they retire." To read more check out, HumaneWatch, a website created to report on the abuses of HSUS.
What to do? If you donate to HSUS then STOP, give the money to your local humane society where the money will go directly to helping animals. Then think very carefully on what kinds of ballot measures you are signing, think even more carefully on the way you vote when it comes to animal cruelty laws or laws that talk about "animal rights" as those laws, once enacted, create financial difficulty for those farmers and ranchers who are involved in animal agriculture. If you have questions, please call the State or official organizations for the Beef, Pork, Poultry industry to ask about effects these laws have on their sector and if you still need more information, they could most likely get you in touch with a producer to get their insights and views. But I can almost guarantee that if you, the consumer call their organization and explain that you are a voter and want to know the real story about proposed legislation or ballots coming up, you will get their attention as our councils are very aware of what is being circulated out there.
In conclusion, if people vote without knowing how legislation will affect the Ag industry (and its impact on affordable food) then the results are a lot like my first sandwich making attempt... in that the intent was to do good, but by me lacking the knowledge needed, the end result was disastrous. So as the election season officially rolls around, be an informed voter and if you feel that protecting your dinner table choice is important, then tell others and better yet - send in a letter to your newspaper editor.
Want to read more about other farmers and ranchers? If so then I invite you to check out this site: Farmer Inc, The Real Story .
As we are talking about food and you, better check out the step by step recipe for Braided Spaghetti Bread on the Good Farm Eats page...
Bread and Spaghetti all rolled into one delicious taste treat
As always, a big thank you to reading this blog and so now I'll get off my soapbox as I need to get this dinner to my friend Cindy for their dinner. If you have questions then please email me at idahofarmwife@gmail.com or leave a comment. All my best, Gayle
P.S. Farmers Joe & Jay are busy tending the crops and I'll write more about that soon.
It's a flurry of activity here on the Palouse as the window of planting the Spring crops are drawing to a close and farmers all around our area are busy getting their crops in the ground. We had to wait on a few wet fields, but now we are now completely finished planting garbanzo beans and Spring wheat. At our Genesee farm, we planted about 400 acres of regular garbanzo beans and about 200 acres of "billy beans" which are smaller garbanzo beans used for hummus. So if you purchase the brand "Sabra" you may find comfort in knowing that the main ingredient probably came from this area as not only our farm but many other area farms grow the billy beans.
