Life on the Farm

[bjrogg]

Yesterday morning started in the darkness.

Then a beautiful sunrise appeared and showed empty trucks to fill.

Bjrogg

[bjrogg]

With hopes for a big day we start day two of harvesting our sugar beets.

As things often do happen during beet harvest we have a breakdown. We have a belt that gives out. We fix it and a few other things, but it takes probably a hour or more.

Bjrogg

[bjrogg]

We have our repairs done and load up all the trucks and send them to town. And then the lines start to get long. The tractor keep up for a few rounds but then they can’t keep up and we have to wait a bit.

Snapped a picture of my tractor and digger in the undug rows waiting for trucks

Second picture is topped beets in a row and entering the digger wheels. The steel wheels are at a angle to each other and lift the beets out of the ground along with dirt and rocks

Bjrogg

[bjrogg]

We finish the strip we opened up just as the moon replaces the sun. It was beautiful and I’m sure my picture won’t do it justice

We decided not to open another strip and just do service work on all the equipment.

Bjrogg

[bjrogg]

Gotta go. I’m thinking those trucks will be showing up in a little bit again

Bjrogg

[bjrogg]

It’s been a busy weekend.

Saturday morning was another beautiful sunrise. Loaded the first round of trucks as the sun rose and they hit the road in clear weather. Before they returned I became a foggy pea soup.

We decided to try putting shims in the digger wheels to make the pinch point 1/2” wider. Hopefully it helps with the sliding digger wheel problem. By the time we get done with installing the shims the fog has become more broken. We start digging again and the shims really help. Had to believe that little change made such a difference. I’m really glad it did though because operating the beet digger how it was, was extremely difficult and frustrating. Not to mention sloppy and leaving beets in the field.

By 5:00 pm the sugar company said our beet temperatures were right at the cutoff point. They shut us down. We were allowed to unload the rest of the beets we had topped, but that was all.

By that time it was about 1 1/2 hours before dark so having my bow along I decided I would stay and do a little hunting

Bjrogg

[bjrogg]

Two carts full ready to pad the empty truck

Bjrogg

PS this is after the fog cleared

[bjrogg]

After shutdown I kneeled down here by this erosion structure. The wind was right and I saw about 12 does and fawns that passed between my tractor and my hunting spot. Nothing quite close enough for a shot, but close enough to make it interesting. Then they passed by me to my downwind side. I watched were they came from hoping another would come out a little bit closer and at the same time watching the group that was slowly grazing it’s way towards my downwind scent.

I looked back towards the group that had passed and a nice buck was standing about 40 yard away, slowly approaching. I watched knowing that any second one of the doe’s would scent me. Then it came. A snort and a doe ran out into the field. She snorted again and all the does left. Only the nice buck remained. I watched him till dark and then walked to my tractor. That felt pretty good.

Bjrogg

[bjrogg]

Yesterday morning we started early. We had the second round of trucks loaded before the sun started to break.

Bjrogg

[bjrogg]

We kept the topper right in front of the beet digger. This helps keep the sun from warming the beets. We always keep topper pretty close. Usually about a pass ahead but with the lines and waiting for trucks that pass sometimes sat in the sun longer than we liked. We managed to keep our beets cool enough to dig the rest of the day and finished our field. That is a big relief. The rest of the fields will be shorter hauls and trucks should be able to keep up better.

It’s supposed to rain today and we still have some stuff to move. Glad we didn’t get shut down and rained out before we finished that field.

Time to go. I’m not sure we will be digging today, but we still have a lot of stuff to do

Bjrogg

PS   122 acres down   228 to go

[PaulN/KS]

After reading how much work it is to grow and harvest sugar beets I'm starting to feel guilty for only putting 1/2 and 1/2 in my coffee. 

[bjrogg]

After reading how much work it is to grow and harvest sugar beets I'm starting to feel guilty for only putting 1/2 and 1/2 in my coffee. 

Lol. Just don’t use any of those artificial sweeteners Paul. Just natural sugar.

We didn’t dig today. They are only allowing digging from 2:00am till 1:00pm

We had to much stuff to move in the dark and stuff we wanted to fix.

Got a lot of stuff fixed. Hopefully we can get everything clicking.

Going to get cleaned up, eat supper and try to get a few hours of sleep.

Good Night everyone

Bjrogg

[bjrogg]

Good morning everyone. That was quick, but I did sleep good.

Getting ready to go dig beets again. Hopefully we can get it to click today.

Bjrogg

PS I did do some more straightening on that red osier shaft while eating lunch yesterday. It’s nice and straight now. I will keep checking on it and keep straightening it from time to time. This is the stone point I knapped from stone I found on my farm. Sure wish I could find a bunch of this stuff

[chamookman]

The local Farmers were really hustling Sunday, to get Beans and Corn Combined. Thanks as always for sharing - Bob.

[bjrogg]

Sure was a beautiful day Bob. Way to nice for digging beets.

We started digging beets at 2:30am and shut down at 12:30. Was kinda nice finishing in daylight. I cleaned and poked mud of digger. Looked it over really good. Greased it. Fuel tractor and got everything ready to go again at 2:00am.

Had my supper and about ready for bed .

Bjrogg