The first of many days of Harvest 2015

Here's a glimpse into the first day of corn harvest 2015.

 

 

There were some very excited boys this morning when Daddy was getting ready to head to the field. Both boys wanted to be the first to ride. Daddy said one, so C1 was out the door with a bag of banana muffins in his hand for breakfast. C2 was promised a ride later in the day. I had a morning of washing laundry, paying bills, and bookkeeping things that were needing attention. C2 and I had our lunch then we loaded up with C3 to get lunch for Big C and C1. I'm in desperate need of a grocery trip.

 

Side note: Have you shopped with 3 little ones? I just keep making the food in the pantry work for another meal and pushing my trip later.

 

I picked up lunch from a great little diner and went to the field.

I left both boys to ride for a bit but that changed when we found out there was a breakdown at the grain bin site. I then took Big C to a semi to bring back to the field so he could continue to harvest while waiting for the other trucks to be unloaded. After we dropped him at the semi I took all 3 boys with me. We went to the pig barn to get records for me to enter into the database. Then we made a quick trip to The Dollar General for supper items and a few more meal items until I can get to a "real" grocery store.

 

We got home and it was naptime for the bigger boys. I put together some taco soup in the crockpot. It's was a chilly day to start harvest I don't think it hit 70 degrees today. Soup sounded good. Then I did more laundry and pig records. When C2 woke from his nap he was barely awake and said, "Take me to the combine." So to the combine he went. C1 and I ate soup then headed to the field with soup for Big C and C2 and two workers. Soup was well received.

 

I then traded boys. C2 came home with me and C1 got in to finish the day. 

 

 

We came home and I bathed the 2 smaller boys and got them in bed. Then I started my evening routine of starting the dishwasher and washing more clothes.

 

 I hope C3 cooperates as well as he did today. This will be a great harvest season with a baby in tow.

 

C1 stayed out with Daddy til 10:30pm. He felt quite big to start and end the day with Daddy. I told him working men get showers no matter how tired they are. He told me he almost fell asleep in the semi coming in from the field.

 

Now the night is ending watching UK football hoping they pull out a win.



More than funnel cakes and ferris wheels

When I think of the fair I think of greasy food from trailers and rickety rides that came in on a trailer.

In the agriculture community other words come to mind such as cattle shows, horse shows, blue ribbons, and grand champion. Since I didn't grow up with a farming background I didn't realize the livestock presentation side of the fair. I had been to a few county fairs growing up and we saw the animals but it seemed more like a petting zoo to me; not people's pride and joy. I still don't know all the steps to have a show pig or goat or cow. I do know it takes effort and work to get an animal ready to show.

 

We attended the KY state fair last week for a few days. There is so much more than food at the fair. We volunteered at the KY Soybean Association and KY Beef booth. There was a putt putt golf course with farm facts which was great for the non-farm attendees. I'll share a few.

Animal Agriculture (our pigs) is the number 1 consumer for US soy, consuming 97% of US soybean meal.
Kentucky is the 18th in the nation for soybean meal usage.

 We grow soybeans which then are processed and fed to our pigs.

Soybeans consist of 2 primary components 20% oil and 80% meal.
The meal is mainly used to feed livestock, while the oil is used in a variety of forms from cooking oils to biodiesel.

 

A staple at the KY state fair is Freddy Farm Bureau an interactive talking man.

We missed the fair last year since we were on vacation in Florida but C1 remembered him from when he was 3. He wanted to talk to the "big blue guy".