Coyote Ridge FarmsWelcome To Our Rural Blog

The farm/ranch we are on, is bigger than a hobby farm, but according to the bankers (and most area farmers), it is too small to make a living on.  Regardless, the seasons never stop changing and our responsibilities, though smaller in scale, are similar to those on other farms and/or ranches.  We do fieldwork, plant crops, birth animals, put-up & fix fences and at the end of the growing season, we harvest and then take stock of our resources.  Being somewhat blind to the fact we are on small acreage, we aspire to not only pay the bills, but to make a profit.  In doing so, we try not to forget that the health of the animals, the soil and the water are always priorities when making our farm/business decisions.

Yesterday was the first day of the season that we had an opportunity to get to the fields.  Just recently, we saw our last traces of snow disappear., but things are still cool.  Lately, the weather has been nearly 20° F below normal, with only a few exceptions.  Yesterday was one of them – it was only 10° F below normal, but like I said, it was the first opportunity to be in the fields.  This is the time of the year where homesteading and farming are divided… at least the two lifestyles overlap.

Not knowing exactly how dry the fields were, I thought I could get a good feel for the conditions by going out with the rock-picker.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with picking rock, it is an annual affair… especially in these parts.  Every year, more rocks get pushed to the surface.  A couple years ago, I bought a small rock-picker a couple of years ago, but never had time to get it working.  Last year, daughter Madison and I picked rock by hand.  It was not fun, it never is.  Compared to doing it by hand or with a machine, trust me when I say that using a rock-picker is easier.  LOL

In the time I spent scooping up rocks, I concluded that it was dry enough to play in the soil with some real machinery.  After hooking-up the field cultivator (in our area we call them diggers) I headed out to work the farm’s two 10 acres fields.  These fields will soon become a wheat field and an oats field.  The digging went very well… the only exception was near the culvert tile that goes under the highway.  In and around that area, it was all mud.  In a week or so, with the cooperation of Mother Nature, it will be dry enough and warm enough to run over the fields again… and then plant the small grains.

Later in the afternoon, I unhooked the digger and hooked-up the plow.  I was able to start plowing the winter pasture, but had to cut it short because of the early evening rain.  I got a good start though.

It’s going to be a late planting year, that for sure.  I think most of the crops will be planted [at least] two weeks later than last year.

Related posts:

1. The Next Organic Farming Theme Song?
2. We Started Our 1st Batch Of Beer
3. Time For Field Work?