All the Wheat, Hay, Spuds, Grapes, Chestnuts, and even Mushrooms, had been harvested, and the last on the list was this Maize.
My neighbour Jean-Claude had sowed a late Maize crop (end of June I think), and yesterday was the day when the combine arrived.
The moisture content of the grain was fine, the weather was perfect, and, after an hour or so, all was soon inside the big blue container ready to be taken off to the seed merchant.
So, does this mean that all farmers now sit back and wait for spring?
Unfortunately not, there are hedges to be cut, trees to be felled, fields to be ploughed and sowed, bonfires lit, and buildings to be patched; amongst other things.
Still, I expect they do breathe a little less anxiously.
do they not sow winter wheat?
ReplyDeleteYup, that's what most of them are doing now. In fact they don't grow Wheat, they grow Triticale.
DeleteThey don't.
ReplyDeleteKnowing farmers, probably not.
DeleteWhat a wonderful harvest. I dream of getting to your level of productivity but find it hard enough to just keep the grass cut. But that does mean it will be haymaking time for the local farmers soon.
ReplyDeleteThis isn't MY crop, although I have grown Maize in the past.
DeleteHow satisfying!
ReplyDeleteA farmers life seems very hard to me …. I don't think that they get enough credit for providing us with so many delicious things. XXXX
ReplyDeletewhatever harvest we didn't get to was fairly well finished off by last week's snowstorm. those who left kale may be all right, and perhaps some beets.
ReplyDeleteThe few times I tried growing maize, the deer thought it a lovely treat, so I stopped after the fourth attempt and bought some from a local farmer instead.
There is always more to be done, but a sigh of relief is always heard when we put each task to bed.
ReplyDeleteCro, my state of Nebraska is in the bread basket of the USA and is mostly agriculture. However, the farms here are massively commercialized farms. It's not uncommon for a farm to be several thousand hectares. Center pivot irrigation systems pump millions of liters of water on the crops to ensure maximum harvests. The totally sad part of all this growth and harvest is that a sizable portion of the maize harvest is used for ethanol production. It's so inefficient that the government has to subsidize the process for it to even stay afloat. I truly admire small operations and homesteads that still are small scale like my Dad's was. My operation is very small and at the present confined to three gardens all in Urban areas of the city. One is my back yard and the other two are on purchased vacant lots. They are still under development and not at full production yet.
ReplyDeleteHave a great harvest done day.
A huge lorry has just been to take the Maize away. Lots of arm waving, swearing, and despair, but it got away OK in the end. They do like to make a drama of the slightest thing!
DeleteOur hedges are being cut today as I write this - by a contractor.
ReplyDeleteIt does.
ReplyDeleteJean x
Good when it's all safely gathered in, but the work never stops there does it!
ReplyDelete