Harvest is Underway

It's harvest season! Every year the earliness of harvest season takes me by surprise. When most people think of harvest (do most people think of harvest, or is that just a farmer thing...?), they picture fall, fields of dried corn, leaves swirling in the breeze.

In reality, harvest starts on our farm in late August, weather dependent. Oats are already in, the last of the hay has been stored in the barn, and our corn silage is safely fermenting in its bag.

Corn silage has to be chopped at just the right time: too wet, and you'll have liquid flowing out of the bag; too dry, and it won't be moist enough to ferment. This is the first time in three years that we've managed to chop corn silage. This is a big deal! When we don't have silage to feed our cows through the winter, that means they eat more hay, and when they eat more hay, that means we run out of hay, and when we run out of hay, that means we need to find some (and the money) to buy. In past years, rain has made the fields too muddy to work in, and we missed our chopping window (i.e., the corn was too dry). So, praise be(!), the silage is in!

Morning prayers during harvest season always include the intention of "good weather and a good harvest." So, thank you, dear Lord above, for allowing us this bountiful beginning to our harvest.

Enjoy the video below of our silage chopper in action (and if it doesn't work, bear with me, I'm still new at this).

Take care and God bless!