How agriculture works thread

[ArlyA]

And that is why the "just add it" implements didn't gain much popularity.

 

[LouNY]

Growing up here in upstate NY it was mostly dairy farms and lots of silage corn. Our first field choppers were one room pull type. Prior to that they used a corn binder and the shocks of corn were loaded on flat wagons and brought to the silos were a chopper blower was set up to chop and blow the silage up into the upright silos.
Even in the 50's and early 60's we would go out with corn knives and cut by hand the outside two rows and then cut all the corners out so it would not get knocked down, bring all those corn stocks back and run them through the old chopper blower. Then we would cut a land or two through the field for more efficient chopping. Once all the fields had been opened up we would then swap from the chopper blower to a table blower (Both of those were flat belt driven).
We don't do that now but with the huge numbers of deer around here now the outer 8 to 15 rows of corn are decimated in many fields. We do tend to try and leave enough row to get around the fields without knocking a lot of corn down.
We are still a bit behind the times in some ways in that we still use predominately a pull type forage harvester both for haylage and corn silage. My nephew did pick up an older NH self propelled chopper this year for opening fields (a 3 row chopper) it doesn't have a processor on it so it will only be used for opening fields and hopefully before the corn gets into full dent stage. Many of the fields around here are smaller fields many of them quite steep with lots of serious side slopes.
We also still chop into self unloading wagons, no trucks. Hauling with tractors and unloading into ag bags.

 

[cqaigy2]

A lot of equipment and screwing around for some two-bit logs. What do they use those for?

Only a guess, here, but in my opinion, you see more of those firewood choppers where they turn that type of wood into big chips that get get burned.

 

[Creamer]

Growing up here in upstate NY it was mostly dairy farms and lots of silage corn. Our first field choppers were one room pull type. Prior to that they used a corn binder and the shocks of corn were loaded on flat wagons and brought to the silos were a chopper blower was set up to chop and blow the silage up into the upright silos.
Even in the 50's and early 60's we would go out with corn knives and cut by hand the outside two rows and then cut all the corners out so it would not get knocked down, bring all those corn stocks back and run them through the old chopper blower. Then we would cut a land or two through the field for more efficient chopping. Once all the fields had been opened up we would then swap from the chopper blower to a table blower (Both of those were flat belt driven).
We don't do that now but with the huge numbers of deer around here now the outer 8 to 15 rows of corn are decimated in many fields. We do tend to try and leave enough row to get around the fields without knocking a lot of corn down.
We are still a bit behind the times in some ways in that we still use predominately a pull type forage harvester both for haylage and corn silage. My nephew did pick up an older NH self propelled chopper this year for opening fields (a 3 row chopper) it doesn't have a processor on it so it will only be used for opening fields and hopefully before the corn gets into full dent stage. Many of the fields around here are smaller fields many of them quite steep with lots of serious side slopes.
We also still chop into self unloading wagons, no trucks. Hauling with tractors and unloading into ag bags.

Those kernel processers sure make a difference on how much goes through the cattle without being digested. When i was a kid we had free running hens that salvaged a lot of it out of the lots. By the time harvest came around and we were ready to clean out the lots they were picked pretty clean. I don't think that would fly selling eggs that were fed like that now though.

 

[Creamer]

Here is a video of the Chain Mover mounted on a truck loading a stack of large round bales. It was teh same process for loading a stack. keep in mind who is recording the video - the driver - he is outside watching the truck load just to make sure i is going alright. He tippped the bed, engaged the chain, and put it in gear and let it back itself under.

 

[ovrszd]

Here is a video of the Chain Mover mounted on a truck loading a stack of large round bales. It was teh same process for loading a stack. keep in mind who is recording the video - the driver - he is outside watching the truck load just to make sure i is going alright. He tippped the bed, engaged the chain, and put it in gear and let it back itself under.

That is very cool. Never saw one before. You'd need a growler low reverse. His setup is perfectly timed.

 

[ArlyA]

Here is a video of the Chain Mover mounted on a truck loading a stack of large round bales. It was teh same process for loading a stack. keep in mind who is recording the video - the driver - he is outside watching the truck load just to make sure i is going alright. He tippped the bed, engaged the chain, and put it in gear and let it back itself under.

Seen lots and lots of hay stacks moveds that way. When folks switched to round bales less so but till done that way.

 

[JethroB]

Here is a video of the Chain Mover mounted on a truck loading a stack of large round bales. It was teh same process for loading a stack. keep in mind who is recording the video - the driver - he is outside watching the truck load just to make sure i is going alright. He tippped the bed, engaged the chain, and put it in gear and let it back itself under.

Interesting. They load cotton modules & wrapped round cotton bales in the field in a similar way. The truck beds are enclosed. Off to the gin they go.

 

[BnRidge]

I don't think that would fly selling eggs that were fed like that now though.

The chicken farm down the road used to feed back a small percentage of dried chicken manure to the laying hens. Last year the same operation had to throw out the whole batch of chickens due to a bird flue virus. 3 million chickens and any eggs on site, mixed with compost to heat and kill the pathogens, then spread on the corn fields. Good way to recycle. We'll never know what else goes into their feed, but whatever it is, most can tell that those eggs are very different from any raised at home.

 

[JethroB]

The chicken farm down the road used to feed back a small percentage of dried chicken manure to the laying hens. Last year the same operation had to throw out the whole batch of chickens due to a bird flue virus. 3 million chickens and any eggs on site, mixed with compost to heat and kill the pathogens, then spread on the corn fields. Good way to recycle. We'll never know what else goes into their feed, but whatever it is, most can tell that those eggs are very different from any raised at home.

Huh. I spent 30 plus years in the broiler chicken industry and never saw that on an ingredient list or inventory. Rendered meat & feather meal yes. The intestines & poop is where the bad stuff lives. Different strokes.

 

[BnRidge]

Huh. I spent 30 plus years in the broiler chicken industry and never saw that on an ingredient list or inventory. Rendered meat & feather meal yes. The intestines & poop is where the bad stuff lives. Different strokes.

The dried poop added to the feed would have been about 35 yrs ago, so there is a good chance that has changed. Back then they had 13 barns, 3000/ea. Then a 30,000 building was added. Now they are down to 6 barns or so, but 2.7million chickens. They still dry the waste, but last I heard they ship it to someplace around Arkansas or Oklahoma. Not sure of it's end use. Either way, something is up with the eggs they produce. Why are the eggs so noticeably different than those on smaller farms. I also am not in agreement at all with this so called industrialization of agriculture. At what point did that become a thing?, industrial ag. Back in the 80s I trained as an agricultural engineer. I went on to work in manufacturing, making assemblies and parts for agricultural and construction equipment. So it's not as though I've been out of the loop. It's just that 3million chickens dumped into compost piles is no way to farm, and there is no earthly justification for it. 20yrd dump trucks, one every 4 minutes went past my place for 3wks straight. That's industrial. And that isn't right.

 

[ArlyA]

The dried poop added to the feed would have been about 35 yrs ago, so there is a good chance that has changed. Back then they had 13 barns, 3000/ea. Then a 30,000 building was added. Now they are down to 6 barns or so, but 2.7million chickens. They still dry the waste, but last I heard they ship it to someplace around Arkansas or Oklahoma. Not sure of it's end use. Either way, something is up with the eggs they produce. Why are the eggs so noticeably different than those on smaller farms. I also am not in agreement at all with this so called industrialization of agriculture. At what point did that become a thing?, industrial ag. Back in the 80s I trained as an agricultural engineer. I went on to work in manufacturing, making assemblies and parts for agricultural and construction equipment. So it's not as though I've been out of the loop. It's just that 3million chickens dumped into compost piles is no way to farm, and there is no earthly justification for it. 20yrd dump trucks, one every 4 minutes went past my place for 3wks straight. That's industrial. And that isn't right.

The industrialization of agriculture to you, is a family farm to someone else. Farms have been getting larger for the past 10,000 years.

 

[BnRidge]

Your the one with the industrial ag background, according to you. Mega farms are family farms, and they've been increasing in size for 10,000 years. That's a good one, I'll remember that.

 

[JethroB]

The dried poop added to the feed would have been about 35 yrs ago, so there is a good chance that has changed. Back then they had 13 barns, 3000/ea. Then a 30,000 building was added. Now they are down to 6 barns or so, but 2.7million chickens. They still dry the waste, but last I heard they ship it to someplace around Arkansas or Oklahoma. Not sure of it's end use. Either way, something is up with the eggs they produce. Why are the eggs so noticeably different than those on smaller farms. I also am not in agreement at all with this so called industrialization of agriculture. At what point did that become a thing?, industrial ag. Back in the 80s I trained as an agricultural engineer. I went on to work in manufacturing, making assemblies and parts for agricultural and construction equipment. So it's not as though I've been out of the loop. It's just that 3million chickens dumped into compost piles is no way to farm, and there is no earthly justification for it. 20yrd dump trucks, one every 4 minutes went past my place for 3wks straight. That's industrial. And that isn't right.

The bird flu scares the cr@p out of the chicken, turkey and other bird type agriculture industry. Avian flu H5N1 spreads rapidly in a house or multi house farm. If one bird gets it in a 20,000 chicken house they all get it. There is no treatment that works quickly enough because it spreads within hours. Destroy (kill) the birds quickly then bury, compost carefully or incinerate ASAP. We the consumers expect or demand inexpensive food products.

In the chicken industry the company generally owns the birds and supplies the inputs, the day old chick and mostly feed. The contract farmer provides the housing and labor.

 

[Bison]

Farming those big acreages looks more like assembly line work,days on end back and forth back and forth,.. boring beyond belief. BTDT til i bought my own place. i prefer a smaller mixed farm/ranch that i can do all by my lonesome free as a bird to do as i want how i want versus being a slave from dawn till dusk and often all night long as well.

 

[LouNY]

It doesn't matter if it's a 35 Hp with a 2 bottom plow, a 100 hp with a 5 bottom or 300 Hp with a 16 bottom.
Small tractor small acreage, big tractor big acreage it's still back and forth till the grounds been covered.
Same number of passes same amount of time just a different amount of acres covered.

 

[ovrszd]

It doesn't matter if it's a 35 Hp with a 2 bottom plow, a 100 hp with a 5 bottom or 300 Hp with a 16 bottom.
Small tractor small acreage, big tractor big acreage it's still back and forth till the grounds been covered.
Same number of passes same amount of time just a different amount of acres covered.

Absolutely. And in my area, the small diversified farmer can't make a living just doing that. He has a day job to generate cash flow. Then farms at night and weekends to feed his desire.

 

[JethroB]

It doesn't matter if it's a 35 Hp with a 2 bottom plow, a 100 hp with a 5 bottom or 300 Hp with a 16 bottom.
Small tractor small acreage, big tractor big acreage it's still back and forth till the grounds been covered.
Same number of passes same amount of time just a different amount of acres covered.

I remember my FFA project in the 70’s growing 20 acres of corn with a MF 135 and two row cultivating equipment. Every afternoon after school till supper time March thru May. 5-6 passes of 68 inches per pass. 3 mph tops. Putt putt

Turn
Harrow
Plant
Side dress with nitrogen & work in
Cultivate for weeds
” ” “ “ again.
Maybe spray for weeds.

My third year aflatoxin got in the corn and it had to be mowed down. That ended my farming career.

 

[paulsharvey]

I remember my FFA project in the 70’s growing 20 acres of corn with a MF 135 and two row cultivating equipment. Every afternoon after school till supper time March thru May. 5-6 passes of 68 inches per pass. 3 mph tops. Putt putt

Turn
Harrow
Plant
Side dress with nitrogen & work in
Cultivate for weeds
” ” “ “ again.
Maybe spray for weeds.

My third year aflatoxin got in the corn and it had to be mowed down. That ended my farming career.

So, I dont remember who it was, but a video in my suggest feed, they where discussing some of this; and the conclusion these two guys came too was; for a small farmer (we aren't talking 5 or 20 acres; actual farm); it is better to spend the money on the technology and smaller tractors (think in there example they used MF 4275), over brute force and large tractors. Their reasoning was for a relatively cheap self steer set up, proper fertilizer application, ect; there was far greater ROI on the tech over upgrading tractors, harvesters, ect. In addition, they talked about, realistically, we are nearly at self operating smaller tractor.

 

[LouNY]

So, I dont remember who it was, but a video in my suggest feed, they where discussing some of this; and the conclusion these two guys came too was; for a small farmer (we aren't talking 5 or 20 acres; actual farm); it is better to spend the money on the technology and smaller tractors (think in there example they used MF 4275), over brute force and large tractors. Their reasoning was for a relatively cheap self steer set up, proper fertilizer application, ect; there was far greater ROI on the tech over upgrading tractors, harvesters, ect. In addition, they talked about, realistically, we are nearly at self operating smaller tractor.

I think that self operating small tractor is a long way off yet. Especially in rougher country with hills and side slopes to contend with. Then throw in some sod waterways and a wet spot to have to skip and go around.