How agriculture works thread

[5030]

I was wondering if that was a driving force. As a side note I've noticed a lot more unplanted fields around here this year.

And most wheat fields have been harvested and the straw (?) baled, mostly in large rectangular bales. I guess headed to be mushroom dirt.

Around here wheat straw is baled in rounds and then fed into a hammer mill-grinder and mixed with feed and fed to cattle. One of the guys down the road does nothing but round bale wheat straw he buys off combined land and sells it to cattle diary farmers to grind into feed.

We will leave Hay Dude to supply the grass hay to mushroom dirt thing. Wheat straw, preferably rained on makes good bedding too. The rain washes off the wax coating and allows it to be more absorbent.

 

[ovrszd]

Around here wheat straw is baled in rounds and then fed into a hammer mill-grinder and mixed with feed and fed to cattle. One of the guys down the road does nothing but round bale wheat straw he buys off combined land and sells it to cattle diary farmers to grind into feed.

We will leave Hay Dude to supply the grass hay to mushroom dirt thing. Wheat straw, preferably rained on makes good bedding too. The rain washes off the wax coating and allows it to be more absorbent.

A small square bale of wheat straw will sell for $6 here. Bedding for various animals. And a lot of it is used commercially for mulch.

 

[Jstpssng]

A small square bale of wheat straw will sell for $6 here. Bedding for various animals. And a lot of it is used commercially for mulch.

I'm not sure what kind of straw, but I try to keep a couple of bales around. As you say it's handy for mulch, and great for covering fall plantings for wintering over, such as garlic and carrots.

 

[5030]

A small square bale of wheat straw will sell for $6 here. Bedding for various animals. And a lot of it is used commercially for mulch.

Here to, to a certain extent. Some years ago I bailed a 50 acre combined wheat field the local road commission purchased for the straw to run through their straw blower. No touch, on the ground, they handled everything. Got 50 cents a bale, baled from dawn to dusk, fuel and twine were my expense, nice long 1/2 mile windrows. Best money day I ever had. Think I missed maybe 5 bales the whole day. Went through a lot of balls of twine however. Just broke for lunch. If I remember correctly, I bailed just under 5000 bales.

Once in a lifetime deal.

 

[5030]

I'm not sure what kind of straw, but I try to keep a couple of bales around. As you say it's handy for mulch, and great for covering fall plantings for wintering over, such as garlic and carrots.

Speaking of Garlic, bad year for Garlic here as in no germinate.

 

[ovrszd]

Here to, to a certain extent. Some years ago I bailed a 50 acre combined wheat field the local road commission purchased for the straw to run through their straw blower. No touch, on the ground, they handled everything. Got 50 cents a bale, baled from dawn to dusk, fuel and twine were my expense, nice long 1/2 mile windrows. Best money day I ever had. Think I missed maybe 5 bales the whole day. Went through a lot of balls of twine however. Just broke for lunch. If I remember correctly, I bailed just under 5000 bales.

Once in a lifetime deal.

In the late 70s and early 80s I owned a New Holland square baler and an 861 Ford tractor. I custom baled for people. 10 cents a bale. Thought I was cutting a fat hog.

 

[ArlyA]

Wheat field fire in Montcalm County, Michigan just a few days ago caught on a drone cam.

 

[ArlyA]

Harvesting wheat (? they call is cereal) in Suffolk, England with large Claas combines. Might be 40 or 50ft heads they are using.

 

[Creamer]

Started one of those once - the 4020 diesel I was driving threw a spark when we were cutting hay next to a ripe wheat field. We had about a 20 mph wind blowing that day and it was good and dry so burned 250 acres or so before we got it out. The custom harvesting crew started cutting on the wheat field next to the hay field and were actually cutting right through the fire which I was shocked at. The neighbor got out his chisel plow and tractor working ahead of the fire but got too close and lost a tire on the chisel plow rendering it useless. The wind changed though and kind of blew the fire back on itself and then the fire dept got it under control quickly. Pretty exciting hour or so.

 

[Creamer]

Around here wheat straw is baled in rounds and then fed into a hammer mill-grinder and mixed with feed and fed to cattle. One of the guys down the road does nothing but round bale wheat straw he buys off combined land and sells it to cattle diary farmers to grind into feed.

We will leave Hay Dude to supply the grass hay to mushroom dirt thing. Wheat straw, preferably rained on makes good bedding too. The rain washes off the wax coating and allows it to be more absorbent.

I noticed that at a dairy a few years back. I remember at home on the farm Dad didn't really like saving wheat straw because it wasn't very nice. He much preferred oats or barley straw.

 

[Hay Dude]

Around here wheat straw is baled in rounds and then fed into a hammer mill-grinder and mixed with feed and fed to cattle. One of the guys down the road does nothing but round bale wheat straw he buys off combined land and sells it to cattle diary farmers to grind into feed.

We will leave Hay Dude to supply the grass hay to mushroom dirt thing. Wheat straw, preferably rained on makes good bedding too. The rain washes off the wax coating and allows it to be more absorbent.

It’s not just left to me. It’s an entire industry. It covers the mid Atlantic states from New York to Virginia. Your ignorance on what mulch hay is and why it exists astounding, but not surprising. The biggest growers in the mid atlantic are all involved.

The best part allows any rained on hay to be sold at a lower cost ($120/ton), instead of trying to pass it off as good feed hay, 5030/ sidecarflip.

 

[5030]

Normal procedure is, if you don't bale it, tou combine chop it and let it lay in the fields and allow it to compost back in to provide some nutrient value.

On a side note, new crop corn here is below $5.00 a bushel presently. There is no way with current fuel and input cost that any grower will break even (without government welfare, aka: farm bill). Beans aren't much better at 8 bucks, new crop.

 

[ovrszd]

Normal procedure is, if you don't bale it, tou combine chop it and let it lay in the fields and allow it to compost back in to provide some nutrient value.

On a side note, new crop corn here is below $5.00 a bushel presently. There is no way with current fuel and input cost that any grower will break even (without government welfare, aka: farm bill). Beans aren't much better at 8 bucks, new crop.

Here, if they don't want the straw they combine the wheat as high as they can. If they want the straw they combine low and windrow the combine ouput.

Definitely a manipulated grain market.

Last year at this time my friends had contracted their grain for this year at $5.85 for corn. Early last Spring they were wondering if they made the right choice. They feel better about it today.

 

[5030]

Here, if they don't want the straw they combine the wheat as high as they can. If they want the straw they combine low and windrow the combine ouput.

Definitely a manipulated grain market.

Last year at this time my friends had contracted their grain for this year at $5.85 for corn. Early last Spring they were wondering if they made the right choice. They feel better about it today.

I don't know. With input costs so high, not sure if $5.85 will cut the mustard, especially around here as we seem to be having a pest infestation in the corn and the beans.

It is 100% manipulated but not by the growers but by the corporations like the Andersens for instance. Produces are always on the back end of the train.

 

[5030]

Harvesting wheat (? they call is cereal) in Suffolk, England with large Claas combines. Might be 40 or 50ft heads they are using.

Wheat barley and oats are are all classified as cereal grains.

 

[5030]

Wheat field fire in Montcalm County, Michigan just a few days ago caught on a drone cam.

They did exactly what they needed to do, chisel plow a fire break in front of the advancing burn. In reality a roasted stubble field saves the farmer some tillage work. It's dry down here in SE Michigan too. Strange year this year.

 

[5030]

I noticed that at a dairy a few years back. I remember at home on the farm Dad didn't really like saving wheat straw because it wasn't very nice. He much preferred oats or barley straw.

Wheat straw that hasn't been rained on has a waxy coating on it that makes it not very good bedding material because it won't absorb any urine to amount to anything. Good wheat straw is straw that got rained on and dried before bailing. Easy to tell the difference too. Virgin straw will be 'bright' whereas rained on will be dull. I plant potatoes in rained on square bales of straw. Makes excellent medium for spuds to develop in. Easy to harvest too. Cut the twine, separate the flakes and out come the spuds. No weed issues and no digging plus the bales become mulch for the garden for next season.

 

[ovrszd]

I don't know. With input costs so high, not sure if $5.85 will cut the mustard, especially around here as we seem to be having a pest infestation in the corn and the beans.

It is 100% manipulated but not by the growers but by the corporations like the Andersens for instance. Produces are always on the back end of the train.

They bought their input products before the price increases, including diesel fuel.

Definitely not manipulated by growers. Traders should be required to take delivery. That simple requirement would stabilize market prices and help growers.

 

[Jstpssng]

They bought their input products before the price increases, including diesel fuel.

Definitely not manipulated by growers. Traders should be required to take delivery. That simple requirement would stabilize market prices and help growers.

Even I understand THIS comment.

 

[ArlyA]

A couple of pics from a family members farm in central SD. The combines with the same headers would be theirs but the remainder would be contract. This is winter wheat they are doing.