What a weekend

On Friday we were supposed to go to our friends' house for fireworks with a bunch of other friends. I was talking to them in the morning and said we were going to go, but I didn't know what time we'd be there because we had to cover the pile of alfalfa we were chopping that day.

I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but six families came to help us cover the pile! 

Of course, it's impossible to time when it's going to happen, so we thought it was going to be 5:00 p.m., but then the chopper had some trouble, so then it was 6:00 p.m. ... so my parents went and picked up the pizza and we ate at our house BEFORE covering the pile - and the kids swam - and then finally it was time! 

With all of our wonderful friends helping, it took 27 minutes to cover it, and then we all went for fireworks. What a great night! 

(I think they are still our friends.) 

Also ...

Kris high on the 4th of July!

Also knee high by the 4th of July!

Field one - planted April 28. 

Field two - planted June 4 after we cut alfalfa off of it.   

I hope you're having a great July!

Reason for leaving? Covering pile.

The farming tradition is alive and well! My mom was working in a high school office and noticed this ... kids give the reason why they are signing out early and one kid's reason? 'Covering pile.'

Here, this refers to putting plastic and tires on a pile of just-harvested alfalfa. Here are some pictures of years past:

It's a tough job and takes a lot of people. Here's to hard-working kids!

Speaking of ... as of this morning we have 16 calves, and we are eagerly awaiting all our summer kids to be done with school!

Want to learn more about the farm?

Like my farm page on Facebook
Follow me @carlashelley
Newsletter - form is on the right

Done

Kris finished the final cutting of alfalfa and covered the pile for the last time this year.  Finished!  End!   Hooray! 

Usually when they cover the pile, it's extremely hot.  This time they did it wearing hats and gloves.  The wind was blowing really hard too.  Even though he was bundled up, my son came home shivering, with blue lips.  Looks like the real fall is here ...

***

This morning Kris got home and reported that a cow had partially fallen in the manure pit!  Her leg slipped in and Kris and my dad were able to get a halter on her and pull her out with a skid steer.  Thank goodness for heavy equipment! 

To give you an example of how unusual this is, this is the first time this has happened since we've moved here.  The manure pits are covered with heavy duty covers, but she managed to get it just right and knock one.  Bet she won't do that again!

***

Last weekend we visited our wonderful friend Brian Pridgeon's farm for the first time.  Their farm has been in business 176 years - longer than Michigan has been a state.

Yes.  1836! 

 

Kris, the boys and I had never been on a pig farm before.  It was really interesting.  Here's Brian, the seventh generation to farm here:

Defended his master's thesis just a few days after this picture was taken.  He's even happier now!

We toured the barns and the grounds.  I've never seen pigs so little (just born the day before) or that big.  SOME PIGS ARE HUGE!  I'd never really heard so many pigs making noise at once.  The little ones do squeal, but the big ones definitely do not oink.  It's more a grunt.  Not like the word 'oink' at all.  (Much like most animal noises, the words don't do justice.)

We all enjoyed the tour. 

My youngest son loves animals - has always loved cows and cats and dogs.  This was his first up close encounter with a pig:

What a look.

I guess he's going to stick to dairy cows for awhile.

Sidewalls sideways

This is the way the silage pad looked when it was being poured in early August:

 

 

This was it today, with 107 loads of chopped corn on it:

 

 

After three straight days of chopping, we're done until Monday.  The rest of the fields need to dry a little more.  So the guys covered the pile.  (It rained a little later to make everyone feel like it was worth it!)

 

It was such a jovial atmosphere.  Even though it's hard work, the guys were all laughing and talking and joking.  It was nice, plus my kids enjoyed it.

 

Kris purchased some sidewalls.  The benefits are: they weigh less.  They're easier to stack and get out of the way when they're not on the piles.  They don't fill with rainwater that gets really gross.  Cole calls it "tire juice" and later told me, "All the guys started calling it that too."

 

The cons: they cost money, unlike tires that people are always trying to get rid of.  But when you're moving them around a lot, sidewalls are at least a nice alternative. 

While I was there, Mike joked that covering the pile is a lot like Sisyphus, the king who had to forever roll a boulder up a hill.  But he was smiling when he said it ... so maybe throwing some sidewalls in the mix does help.

Not everyone there was working hard.  Some of them got downright comfortable.  Mired in tire juice and all.

Red and white calf

Yesterday after a tire on the rake split, and we had a hydraulic leak on the packing tractor ... we finished the first cutting of alfalfa! As a result, the guys had to cover the pile of newly cut feed with a giant tarp and tires to hold it down. 

Know what's easier than carrying all the tires up? Using a tractor to do it. The tractor drives over the pile pack it down anyway, so carrying some tires in the bucket just runs it over it a few more times.  (They also carry a ton up on their own.  Even though this is a physically demanding job, the guys actually make it look easy.) 

Not only that, but being this close to a running tractor made it one of the most exciting days of my son's young life. 

****

You may remember we got a red and white Holstein bull last year.  Today we had our first red and white Holstein calf!

It's a bull, so it won't be gracing our fields, unfortunately.  He'll be raised Josh, the guy who's buying them.

We went down to see him and I was really surprised by his eyes.  They don't look like our other Holstein calves' eyes.  Theirs are very dark, and his are light blue. 

My dad made the joke that he's a really patriotic calf, because he's - ready for it - red, white, and blue. 

Tires, tires, and more tires

Today, Kris finished chopping the corn silage and covered the pile.



Big guys, big tires. Little guys, little tires.



We actually need more tires. Seems impossible, doesn't it?



I climbed up to the top for the first time. (Halfway up, I realized I really should have carried up a tire, not just a camera. I instructed my sons to carry twice as many to make up for it.) This is the view from above.

Covering the pile

It seems like every time the guys cover the pile, it's 90 degrees. Except today, when it was 92! But there was a breeze ...

So, in six days, the first cutting of the alfalfa is done. Cut, raked, chopped. 97 times, they dumped a wagonload on the cement pad.

So, if you remember the first load:



In between loads, they drive a tractor over it to compress and shape the pile.



Then, they cover it with plastic and carry tires up it to hold the plastic down.

Voila - the first cutting!



Our employee Josh said to a new employee, "It's the hardest the first time. After that, you know what to expect."

He said this as he was carrying tires two at a time to the very top of the pile and making it look easy.

In another month, it'll start all over again. Then one or two more times this summer. It's like a season-long workout program. Easily offset by the pizza at the end.