Cutting Corn Silage

We finished cutting the corn silage for the cows to eat over the winter.

Ed Jr. running the chopper with Jean along side with the trailer

Gene pushing up the pile and packing it down with the dozer.




Ed Sr. backing up to the pile to dump off a load of corn.




Gene back on the dozer.






And of course, the hardest worker on the farm, Diesel.

Gene

Feather Pots

I just read an article in the Connecticut Weekly Agricultural Report that says there is now a way to take chicken feathers and make flower pots from them. The chicken feathers which are an unwanted byproduct of poultry processing may have a more valuable use as an ingredient in biodegradable flower pots. This is according to an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist. The pot looks and feels like a normal plastic pot that you could buy at your local nursery. These pots are made to disintegrate naturally without harming the environment. These pots are manufactured without any petroleum components would release beneficial nitrogen into the soil. For the full article www.ct.gov/doag the September 16th issue. Well, Jane I guess we know what we should save all our chicken feathers for! It may take a while but we have time. (Only 24 chickens could take a LONG while so don’t wait for us to have pots for you for next planting season.)

Chris

Winding Down

This year has been quite a year for the Garden of Eat’n. We are winding down now on our weekly pickups. This week and next may be the last of the main vegetables. Potatoes and Turnips will be available closer to Thanksgiving. We of course, will let you know about that as the time draws nearer. We hope you have enjoyed what vegetables we were able to provide for you this year.
Our honey production for this year was not as plentiful as we hoped but what we did take this year was good quality. We are most grateful to our mentor John Howe of Willington who gave much of his time and talent to help Chris and Ed Jr. learn how to take care of the hives and bees. Thank you so much!
A very grateful thank you also goes out to Joe Jauss for his help in setting up this year’s shares at Emanuel Lutheran Church. Thank you so much!
If you wish to take home your bins home to store them until next year please feel free to do so. If you wish us to hold them over for next year we will be happy to do so for you.
When potatoes and turnips are ready you can bring a bin or bag as we will let you decide how many you would like to have for your family. We will give you notice by email, blog and/or by phone so you will know for certain that they are ready for pick up.
Again all of us at Rothe Homestead Farm would like to say thank you to all who shared our ups and downs with the weather and veggies this year! We hope to see you again next year!


Edward Jr. , Edward Sr. and Jane, Gene and Diesel, Jean and Chris

I know, I'm a slacker!

I haven't been keeping up with updating here. Even though the tobacco harvest is done, we're still busy here.

The newest addition to our Farmall family.....I think this one makes the count now 62.

A new fan assembly and a fix an oil leak.


One of the Cubs I'm workin on.


This one needs a new rear main seal on the engine.


Flywheel removal


A buddy of ours dropped of his H for me to fix. Engine was froze up. Got it freed, but it smokes like a chimney.


Bad valve guides.


Pulled the head...gonna put new rings on the pistons and new rod bearings in it while I got it apart.


Meanwhile, Ed Jr.'s been busy reroofing one of the tobacco sheds.


Ed Sr. helpin him out...ya ain't gettin me up there. I'll stay in the shop...thats where the beer is anyways!!!





One more day and he'll have it pretty much finished. Hope the Rain holds off!!

Gene

The Garden

This year we are trying something new with the basil and dill. Since the season was so wet and much of the herbs did not do well we decided that using the cold frame nearest the tobacco shed by Ed Sr.’s house might be the better place to grow herbs. These were planted a little late (cause not all good ideas come timely) and they are making a good showing now. We will be cutting them in just a week or so and bunch them. Then you will find 2 small buckets in the Veggie Shack with where you may take a bunch from each small bucket. We also planted cut flowers and savory and marjoram. I will have to see when these will be ready for the buckets too. Next year we will plant the herbs earlier and plan for wet or dry weather.
The tomatoes took a real hit this year. Not many of the farmers we have talked to have had a really great crop. It took corn quite a while before there was any available for picking. The weather this year could have been much, much better. But we should also be thankful that we did not have a real drought that lasted all season or year! Which is worse you ask; drought or constantly wet? Either can ruin a farmers crops in a year.

Chris

Tobacco Harvest is Done!!

The guys took advantage of every sunny moment of these days to get the rest of the broadleaf tobacco in. Just when you think the day will be great up pops a shower. You cannot take the tobacco in if it is not ready but you need to make sure that you are there when it is and getting the whole routine down takes some knowledge. The tobacco is cut down by the stalk with tobacco hatchets and left to lay on the ground to wilt. The stalk is sometimes 1 ½ to 2 inches in diameter. The leaves need to wilt so they will fold closer to the stalk when it is put onto the lathe. The lathe resembles the old lathe used in houses that horsehair plaster would be covered with for walls. A spear head is on one end of the lathe and it is placed into a “spear horse” which holds the lathe out so the end of the stalk can be pierced through. Six stalks are hung on each lathe. Leaves that fall off as this is done are not discarded. They are saved and put onto nails placed in other lathe. All tobacco is precious unless too destroyed to be any good. The lath with the stalks are loaded onto a tobacco rigging (think of the rigging as if it were a file cabinet and the lathe is the hanging folder). When the rigging is full it is pulled by Farmall tractor (of course) to the shed where it will be polled up into layers. Think of the poll as a bbq fork! The poll is centered in the middle of the lathe and when balanced it is handed up to the next tier to be handed on. The top most tier is loaded in each shed first and then each tier is filled to the bottom. The tobacco is spaced out so that air can flow through and wilt/dry the tobacco (this is called curing). The guys work from 9:30 am to around 8pm or later breaking only for lunch. This job is not for the faint hearted! This is not the end of the work. This is only one stage. There are more pictures in earlier posts.

Some Farmalls


One of the Spear-horses


Waiting to be unloaded into the shed


Ed Sr. putting loose leaves on a nail lathe



Chris

Still Chuggin' Along

Looks like the weather is going to be an issue for the last two acres of our tobacco harvest. The last two weeks of sun were perfect for havesting, unfortunately, it looks like we are going back to the weather pattern we had earlier this summer.









Gene