Seven inches of snow in mid October is unusual. So is the week long cold spell that keeps it with us. Most farms here are just started with corn harvest, while most of the sugar beet and soybean harvest is done. And our farm, as a small organic operation finds it difficult to own a combine and so must wait until those that own the machines are done with their own harvest. Consequently all our corn and soybeans are standing in snow at this point. Then, of course all the conventional grain must be cleaned out of the combine and trucks to make sure we meet organic standards before we start.
The corn we will be able to get sooner or later, the soybeans are a bit more iffy. This is the new world of climate change.
Corn stalks or stover are important for us since we depend upon a great deal of bedding materials for our hog business which operates entirely on bedding. Our carryover from last year is gone. So it is a race now between improving weather allowing us to harvest the corn and bale up the stalks and the need to buy bedding.
The cattle part of the operation is still grazing pastures, though the amount of feed there is reduced by this last rotation. We keep them moving, feeding some hay in the pastures and then expecting them to root through the snow to find the available grass. They look good. The hogs too are happy and healthy. And efforts are being made to expand the chicken population here since the eggs from chickens that are allowed to roam are popular and sell well. These are things to be very happy about since the livestock are the core of our farm.
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