Tag Archives: storing corn

Hauling Corn

7 Feb

Winter is a slower time for us on the farm. I tell people it’s like all our weekends combined, because we don’t get any down time the rest of the year. One of my farmer husband’s colder-weather tasks is to haul stored corn to local feeders. Field corn is raised for livestock feed (this is different than the sweet corn consumed by humans). We sell some of our corn at harvest, but the rest of it goes into storage for marketing at a later date. When we sell corn to local feeders, we haul it to them.

Tyler loads the grain into the truck using the auger unload on the grain bin.

Hauling Corn | The Farm Paparazzi

Then he drives to the feedyard. This corn was headed to True Feedlot where they finish 20,000 head of cattle every year! Finishing is the final stage in beef production before going to the processing plant.

Hauling Corn | The Farm Paparazzi

I guess a Farm Wife should clean the windshield every now and then.

Once at the feedyard, the driver pulls on the scale to get a full weight.

Hauling Corn | The Farm Paparazzi

Hauling Corn | The Farm Paparazzi

Once the truck is on the scale, he runs into the scale house to print the weight on the weight ticket.

Hauling Corn | The Farm Paparazzi

Then he pulls around to the feed mill where he unloads.

Hauling Corn | The Farm Paparazzi

The feed mill operator turns on the auger and as the corn unloads into the pit, it is lifted into the storage facility.

Hauling Corn | The Farm Paparazzi

Hauling Corn | The Farm Paparazzi

Hauling Corn | The Farm Paparazzi

Hauling Corn | The Farm Paparazzi

The corn will be milled and mixed with the rest of the feed ration ingredients (this varies, but can include distiller’s grains, liquid minerals and more). Soon these cattle will become delicious, nutritious beef for your table!

Hauling Corn | The Farm Paparazzi

They look hungry.

Once the load is empty, he pulls back onto the scale and take a “tare” weight of the empty truck. Subtract the tare weight from the gross weight (taken from the full load) and you get the number of pounds of corn delivered. Pretty simple stuff.

Hauling Corn | The Farm Paparazzi

And then my farmer husband does it again (and again, and again).

What’s happening in your world this time of year?

God Bless You & American Agriculture,

Liz

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” – Genesis 1:26

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Corn Dog

3 Jan

One wintertime activity for row crop farmers is hauling our stored corn to feedlots.

Corn Dog | The Farm Paparazzi

Notice: This is obviously an older photo because it is not sunny and dry. We have a foot of snow on the ground right now.

This is Tyler’s job. I don’t know how to drive a straight truck and I’m protesting learning how. I’m sort of closed minded, but I’m working on it.

Corn Dog | The Farm Paparazzi

So, when my farmer husband comes home this time of year sometimes his pockets are full of corn. One morning he grabbed his hoodie to throw on and corn went all over the floor. It was like a scene out of a Leslie Nielsen movie. It just keep falling and the more he tried to stop it, the more little kernels trickled all over the floor.

Corn Dog | The Farm Paparazzi

Normally I’m OCD and this would have made me crazy (I’m working on it), but it was so comical that all I could do was watch and giggle. Then the dog scampered in and started crunching away at the mess. He really loved it. He’s weird, but he’s working on it.

Corn Dog | The Farm Paparazzi

So instead of scurrying away to get the dustbuster and broom, I took pictures and chuckled. Farm Paparazzi at your service (even if they are blurry cell phone paparazzi shots).

Corn Dog | The Farm Paparazzi

Hope your day is filled with “corny” fun and laughter!

Corn Dog | The Farm Paparazzi

God Bless You & American Agriculture,

Liz

A cheerful heart is good medicine… – Proverbs 17:22 (NIV)

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D-U-N, Done

22 Nov

D-U-N, Done | The Farm PaparazziWe finished up our corn harvest on Oct. 31. I proceeded to celebrate by going quilting. Tyler kept working at other projects. See how I am.

D-U-N, Done | The Farm PaparazziOverall, our harvest was successful. Good yields, few breakdowns and relatively good spirits throughout. Praise God for all the bounty and for allowing us to farm for a living!

D-U-N, Done | The Farm PaparazziD-U-N, Done | The Farm PaparazziD-U-N, Done | The Farm PaparazziWhen my Farmer Husband took the last pass in the combine and unloaded the last dump onto my grain cart, I literally did a happy dance in my seat. I love harvest, but once all the crop was out, I felt a huge sense of relief. No more worrying about corn blowing down or early snow making it hard to get in the field.

The very last pass of T&L Farms 2014 corn harvest.

The very last pass of T&L Farms 2014 corn harvest.

The very last dump from the combine into the grain cart for corn harvest 2014.

The very last dump from the combine into the grain cart for corn harvest 2014.

We filled our grain bins up, so my Farmer Husband and Damon (our cousin and farm-team member), used some of the barley straw bales to create a temporary bunk for the rest of the corn. Part of the winter will be spent marketing the crop and delivering it to buyers.

D-U-N, Done | The Farm PaparazziNow that we’re done with harvest, my Farmer Husband will plan and prepare for next year. This includes wrapping up 2014 office work, settling up with landlords, purchasing seed and other inputs for the operation, maintaining equipment and fall/winter field work. My father-in-law also custom feeds cattle through the winter, so Tyler helps with that operation as needed.

"Playing with Diamonds." The quilt I started right after harvest during the 2014 Wheatwater Quilting Retreat.

“Playing with Diamonds.” The quilt I started right after harvest during the 2014 Wheatwater Quilting Retreat.

As for me, I think I’ll just put my feet up for a few months. That is, after all the housework is done, all my public relations projects are wrapped up, I check off the long list of tasks I put off during the busy farming season, I don’t have any more volunteer projects left and I paint the house and replace the baseboards. Then I’ll just lay around, eat chocolate bon-bons and watch HGTV and the Food Network.

D-U-N, Done | The Farm PaparazziWe hope your harvest was successful and you’re able to take time to spend with family and friends during the holiday season.

God Bless You & American Agriculture,

Liz

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. – Philippians 4:6-8 (NIV)

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