I used to love going with my husband in the truck during
maize silage time. This harvest is in
full swing at the moment, classed as essential work along with most other agricultural businesses.
The maize is harvested once the cobs are fully formed but
are still ‘green.’ That is, the kernels
are still at the milky stage and not dried as is needed when harvesting for
grain.
The harvester, known locally as The Chopper, would cut and
chop the entire plant before sending it through the chute and onto a waiting
truck.
As one truck was filled, another would be waiting to take
its place.
It was easy to see which part of the paddock had been
harvested! The pieces that were missed
would be collected by the chopper on its last circuit of the paddock.
The truck would then carry its precious load (imagine the
sweet smell of freshly chopped maize, I loved it) to where the stack was being
built. Sometimes this could be quite a
distance away, as usually the person growing the crop and the person buying it
would be different people.
The Stack Tractor is responsible for shaping the silage
stack and compressing it down firmly.
Once completed, the stack would be covered with polythene
and weighted down with old tyres. After
a couple of months it will be ready to use as supplementary winter feed for
cattle.
Farm life is a great way to stay tuned into the different
seasons of the year, as is caring for a garden.
Each season has its own work and its own beauty.
Let’s appreciate every day for what it brings,
Margaret.
I can smell that maize.
ReplyDeleteWow. Coming from a small town, now living in a big city this was an interesting read!
ReplyDeleteWhen visiting my boyfriend, aka now Hubby, who lived in a larger village, I saw the ... yellow rolls, but that was it - hay?. I also saw the tyres put on "something".
What did we learn at school?! Nothing important, it seems. DNA, yup, learned, forgotten, real life, nope, never heard from.
My Nieces live in a village. Sometimes they see a real milk truck. Maybe a horse. Chicken, I remember. There are no real farmers anymore.
The milk likely goes to South Germany. We have milk from there here in the North.
Buy local, I try. But often you just can not. Crazy times. Since so long, too!
Reminder of my childhood, we lived in rural Somerset, surrounded by farmland.
ReplyDeleteIt is a fine tribute to your husband that you mention him so frequently in your posts. You obviously had a great relationship, undiminished by time it seems.
ReplyDeleteWe were married for fortyfive years - it is not easy learning to be by yourself.
DeleteThe same happens here in October. Great photos and so informative!
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI love these farm field scenes, very pretty views. We live in a rural area and have similar farms here. Great post and photos. Take care, have a great weekend!
Margaret this brought me back to my childhood days on our livelihood class. We were tasked to plant a seedling and grow it on the school garden. My classmates brought single tomato plants, some brought okra, some brought peppers, but I brought a corn plant. It was so funny that my classmates' plants grew up to a feet high and started bearing fruits, but mine grew taller than we were and that was the very first time some of my classmates saw a corn plant. I bore four cobs, some smaller than the regular one though but I'll never forget my happiness when the corn plant grew so high!
ReplyDeleteAll that machinery took me back. My father a farm machinery shop though where we lived the big combines were for hay not maize.
ReplyDeleteGreat post
I love seeing your country scenes...even though they look familiar to here. Here where I live now is flatter than there, but I grew up in East Tennessee and it was very hilly.
ReplyDeleteLove those fields of corn ( or maize, if you prefer). I grew up on a mixed farm...milk cows, horses, chickens, ducks or geese some years, pigs..always pigs. I used to absolutely hate pig slaughtering day. The sights and smells revolted me and made me avoid meat to this day.
ReplyDeleteI really hated when they killed pigs as well, I think it was the noise they made - I used to make sure I was nowhere around!
DeleteBeautiful. Happy Easter.
ReplyDeleteMy son has just moved his family from the town to a country property, 6.5 acres, not exactly a farm.... but it's lovely there. I hope to be moving there too.
ReplyDeleteHappy Easter to you and your family!
The smell is quite different isn't it? There's alot of it here out in the country.
ReplyDelete