Alfalfa is a fun word.

     The Alfalfa is still growing. It's what it does best.

     This is old seeding. Remember how alfalfa is a perennial? The individual plants grow better in later years, though there will be fewer of them. Alfalfa that was planted this spring will be called new seeding and the alfalfa planted in previous years will be called old seeding. The only difference is the size of the plant itself.

     See the little deals at the base of the leaves? Those are what will eventually bloom into flowers. Both old and new seeding have them. If you're a regular reader you'll have figured out that the leafcutter bees will soon have something to work with. One thing at a time, though.

State of the Wheat

     The wheat has started to "head out." That means that it's started to grow it's seeds. See them up there? Though it might feel a bit early (and it is much earlier than any other crop) it's not entirely unexpected.

     The cool and wet brought in by the rains might be a contributor to this, though they are mature enough. It's also givin' much of the wheat a bit of a "combed" look. The cool air makes the leaves soften a bit and the wind lays them all in the same direction. The cold and wet also provides perfect conditions for this:

     Those yellow spots are bad. It's a fungus called "Striped Rust" and it loves the moisture.

     It damages the plants leaving them unable to produce seeds. In effect, this fungus is stealing the farmers crop which makes your potential food disappear. So it will have to be dealt with. Soon the farmer will spray a fungicide to deal with this pest. But that's a post for another day.

Spring Showers

     It started yesterday. The white puffy clouds that have been floating overhead for a few days turned dark and did their best to be menacing. Individually they did little but drop a few drops here and there and sleet a bit.

     But, inevitably, they eventually combined into one cohesive front. So today is a rainy one. That doesn't change much, really. The farmers and ranchers still have work to do. They won't be out messing with mud, but what they do has a lot more to it than dirt and it's wet relative.

     Irrigation continues as usual, the artificial rain mingling freely with the natural rain. For the rest of the day many farmers and ranchers will move indoors to fiddle with more indoorsy (it's a word) stuff.

     Animals react in different ways. When it rains you can see more of certain birds, like this Ring-Necked Pheasant. Feathers shed rain pretty well, but if you're hiding in the weeds the rain runs down any stems strait to your skin. Ever had a big drop come off an awning and fall inside your collar? I imagine it's like that. The rain also muffles the approach of any predators, so it helps to be out in the open where you can rely on sight instead. Smaller birds will, for the most part be able to find dry spots, hopefully their nests.

     Cows just hunker up and wait. This is the primary way a cow deals with most circumstances. They're more or less waterproof.
     For the most part, the rain is welcome. So long as the rain remains as gentle as it has been, all the plants from the newly sprouted to the green and growing, appreciates the extra water. While the rain may delay some of the groundwork the farmers were hoping to do, they're more or less used to the short rainy season we get here in Owyhee County.

Windrower

     Windrower, swather, mowing machine, these are all names for the same machine. I mentioned it yesterday and today I want to share how it works.

     Here it is again. The most prominent feature of any windrower is it's header. That's the part up front. It does most of the work. The very forward most section of the header is called the reel. On the reel you can see tines extending from beams on a drum. It rotates and as it does it places whatever plant is being cut in prime position to be cut much like a barber might use a comb to put your hair in prime position for snipping. The sickle bar is difficult to see in this picture (any picture for that matter) so I'll show you this:

     This is a sickle bar and only a sickle bar. The bar has pointy bits and triangle shapes at the base of the pointy bits. The triangles are sharp and they move laterally along the length of the bar through a groove in the pointy bits. The whole bar lays down sideways and as you pull forward through a crop, the sideways-moving sharpened triangles cut the stems of the plants. The pointy bits keep the plants from just being pushed from side to side. The windrower has a sickle bar running underneath the reel at ground level.

     This little machine is the predecessor of the windrower. Without a reel, the plants would often just be knocked over and not be cut at all. Most farms still keep one around because they're small and mobile, which makes them handy for chopping weeds if they get out of control.

     In the back of this header there is an auger conveyor. As you can see, it has a ridge of metal spiraling around it. It spirals in opposite directions on either side of the drum. As it rolls forward anything in the bottom of the header is pushed towards the center by the ridges. Many Headers use a conveyor belt to carry the plant matter to the center of the header instead of an auger conveyor.

     The material then just falls out the back of the header. (Some windrowers have a "conditioner" that further prepares the cut material for it's intended fate but as they're not inherent to the machine I won't discuss them here.) The rest of the machine is just a means of carrying the header and driver. The idea is to be left with workable windrows, which are just what the lines of plant matter are called. Several different things can be done with the plants at this point, but those are posts for another day.

     There are a great deal of variations in windrowers, but they all fill the same role. They cut plants and put them in rows. That much should be obvious at this point, what may not be obvious is that they're a vital part of bringing goods to the populace. Farmers and ranchers all over the county (and world) use them. In fact, short of tractors, they're probably the most commonly used (and useful) agricultural implement anywhere. Knowing that, being patient when you get stuck behind one on the road should be a snap.

First Cutting

     I'm running late, so today's post will have to be a brief one. I apologize for this.

     Some of the hay growers of Owyhee County have already started to cut their hay for the first time.

     Unfortunately, the wind is blowing quite hard this morning so I wasn't able to catch anyone in the act. The tell tale wind-rows, are starting to pop up, though.

     Here's one of the culprits, but as you can see, it's not doing anything. The only person I could find was raking his hay, and was in the process of calling it quits.

     On days like this, it's best to try to avoid from stirring up things that blow away. So the farmers and ranchers will most likely have to spend the day turning wrenches and such.
     That should give me enough time to write up a proper post, that is, if the county doesn't blow away.

Onions

      Onions are another important crop here in Owyhee County. They sprouted a couple of weeks back, but until now they looked pretty much like grass and in a lot of ways still do.

      They're not grass, though. They're an allium along with garlic and leeks. One of the major characteristics of this group is the leaves.

     They're round and hollow. You might have already known that, especially if you've ever done any cooking. They grow in a small bunch from the top of the bulb (The round tasty part that we usually eat.) The bulb remains below ground while the onion grows.
     Onions generally aren't planted this close together. When I asked the farmer what inspired the change in practice, he would only tell me that he was "trying something." A magician never gives away his secrets, you know. I hope the gamble pays off for him. Until that time comes, though, these little onions have a lot of growing to do.

Killdeer

     Poor wounded little bird...

     Or at least that's what it wants you to think. This is a Killdeer and they are everywhere in Owyhee County (and the rest of North America as well). It's named after it's primary cry, which sounds a bit like "killdeer" and it's a kind of plover. This is either a mother or a father (they look the same so it's hard to tell) and it's acting very wounded and pathetic so that predators (and photographers) will follow it away from these:

     These are Killdeer eggs, but I'm sure you figured that out already. They're camouflage, and can be extremely hard to find. Killdeer start laying their eggs early in the year. Many nests are already hatched. In fact, just a few hundred feed away, a nest recently did.

     The chicks hatch with (more or less) the same colors as their parents. But instead of feathers, they're just all fuzz. They prefer to stay hidden in tall grass, so I had to sit very still for quite some time before this little one would come out. The mother and father both keep a sharp eye out, and will call out for the chicks to hide at the least sign of danger.
     What do Killdeer have to do with agriculture? Not much. But they are very close neighbors out here. They thrive off of the insects that agriculture attracts in large numbers. If you want to know more about them, there's always wikipedia, and for birds I like this site.

Outbreak

     Here in Owyhee County and the west of North America at large there has been an outbreak of disease. Not amongst people, but among horses.

     Some of whom would appear to not like their picture being taken.
     EHV-1 horse herpes is a virus that is quite common among horses, but a recent strain has proven fatal to many horses. As a result, many of our equine events here in the west are being postponed or cancelled outright. And the ranchers of Owyhee County have had to keep close watch on their horses.

     So far we haven't had any deaths here in the county (so far as I was able to find) but folks who work in equine-related fields or just love horses will be busy concerning themselves with this disease for some time.

The Wind

     Sometimes it seems like the wind always blows here in Owyhee County. Of course, that's not true. It just blows here much of the time.

     Here's the thing about the wind; It's notoriously difficult to photograph. So I went and found the most wind-susceptible tree I could and photographed it instead.
     In agriculture the wind must always be taken into account. I searched in vain for a farmer who was bold enough to work his ground in the strong wind. They tend to try and avoid it if at all possible as the wind will carry away precious top soil. As well as erosion, the wind can also harm plants, especially when they're first sprouted or drying out in the autumn. It also has a tendency to move around anything that isn't too heavy or strapped down.

     This is a smaller example of what the wind can do. You can probably guess that these wheel lines don't belong in this ditch. The wind can (and often does) move much larger objects as well. Not long ago one of the trees where I live was destroyed by the wind.
     It's just something we have to live with here. Besides, the winds have brought us much of our topsoil (sorry, Oregon) and it brings the rains in. Agriculture (and life in general) is subject to the cycles and movements of nature. Folks complain about them often, but it's important to be thankful for them. They stir the pot, as it were, and without that movement not much would be possible. But maybe I can be positive about it because I kind of like the wind. Either way, it's here to stay. Maybe I'll go fly a kite today.

Wake-up Call

     You all remember the loose leafcutter bee cell I showed you on Monday, right? Well it's time for all the leafcutter bees to start waking up. Since we're on the subject of loose cells, we'll start with them.

     Leafcutter bees cut leaves to build cells that they lay their eggs in. On the farms here in Owyhee County and beyond, they are used to pollinate alfalfa. The bees build their cells inside of holes. They'll build them anywhere, but farmers put out tempting boards that they seem to prefer. Once the eggs are laid and the cells sealed off they can be poked out of the boards. In the spring, they end up here. This tray has a screen on the bottom so that any small junk can fall out and the air flows freely around the cells.

     These trays were put inside a climate controlled container (alliteration!) to be kept nice and warm so that they can finish pupating. They only have to chew their way out, and once they do, they'll be put out into the fields. In this region, for the most part, leafcutter bees cannot sustain their numbers at a level that farmers need them to be. While you can purchase loose cells, these are bees that are descended from last years purchase. This years purchase you can see in the back of the picture.

     These came in February from way up north in Saskatchewan, but of course you remembered that didn't you. Up in the northern plains of Canada the bees are able to thrive in greater numbers. Farmers purchase them from there and other places and import them. This room will be kept at about 80°F (26.7°C) until the bees start hatching, at which point they'll be moved.
     Only about half of the loose cells went into the heated room. The other half went into a different tray.

     Originally these wooden boxes held the foam bee boards like you saw in the picture up there. Now they have the remaining loose cells in them. These bees will be in a trailer that is unheated. They won't develop as fast or as predictably as the bees in the heated room, but they'll be just fine.
     Leafcutter bees are a very important part of the alfalfa business, so a lot of time and effort is put into them here. The days of summer are rapidly approaching, and the farmers work hard now, so that the bees can work hard then.

Monocots

     Behold! A field of Monocotyledonous plants!

     What? You don't see anything? Well you'll have to look closer...

     Remember when I talked about cotyledons? They are embryonic leaves that a newly sprouted plant starts with. It's complicated stuff and probably not anything you'll need to know anytime soon.
     Put simply a monocot (short for monocotyledonous plant) starts with one cotyledon. Crops that are monocots include: wheat, onions, and corn like this seed corn that just sprouted. Dicots (short for dicotyledonous plant) start with two cotyledons. Examples of dicots are: alfalfa, beans, and this sugar beet.

     Remember these? They sprouted quite some time back.
     The monocot on top may or may not be showing it's cotyledon, some monocots never do. I'm not sure if seed corn is one of them or not. Regardless, they're up. Soon their true leaves will unfurl and they'll be growing fast. On really bright sunny days when the corn has lots of water, the corn can grow so fast that you can hear it!
     There are other differences between monocots and dicots. Hopefully I'll be able to talk more about them later. For now, the important thing is that the corn has started to sprout. Almost all the crops are up out of the ground now (still waiting on the popcorn, though) and the next big step in farming will begin: Cultivation!

Sleepy Monday

      It's a cold, dim, and dreary morning here in Owyhee County. The kind that makes you just want to go back to sleep.

     For farmers and ranchers, sleep is out of the question. Things need done, and agriculture waits for no man. (or woman) Bees, though, can sleep all they want.

     This is a leafcutter bee's cell. Actually there are six of them. In order from left to right in the cells there will most likely be a bee, two cells of food, another bee, another food, and one last bee. These cells were built inside a hole and then pressed out. As is, the bees could just munch their way out the side when they're ready. But in the hole, they would need food on their way out. (except for the bee on the outside) That's why the one in the very back gets two cells of food to eat, as she'll be the last one out.
     They're actually not so much sleeping as pupating, and not really even that. Their pupation has been held in suspension by an artificial winter inside refrigerated storage. So long as you keep them cold, they'll "sleep." Soon though, they'll get their wake-up call. A person can actually time how fast these bees will develop by controlling how much heat they're exposed to. As they get "heat units" (a measurement of heat over time) they'll develop at the same steady rate.
     Remember how the farmers have been abusing (maybe not the best word...) their alfalfa to keep it from growing too fast? Well now it's growing, and the heat will go into the bee storage, and it will all have to line up so that the bees hatch at just the right moment as the alfalfa blooms.
     More on that when the time comes. For now, I'm gonna go pupate a bit. (That doesn't really sound right.)

Poppin' Corn

     More corn today. But this time it's popcorn! This corn is a hybrid, which means that it will have two different varieties mixing to make one type of hybrid seed.

     Each parent is a different kind of popcorn, one is coated in green...

     And the other is coated in pink. This is so you can tell them apart. For those of you who know how two parents come together to make one offspring, hybrid is a pretty self explanatory term. For those of you who don't, I'll explain a bit of it. For the rest you'll have to ask your mother.

     This is the same planter that I described before. You may remember that it has six planting units. Four of these units (which are in the middle) plant a single row of one variety of popcorn per bed the other two units  (which are on the sides) plant a single row of the other variety per bed. While this farmer plants, each pass he takes will overlap by one bed on each side, making the two units on the outside plant a second row on the beds.

     To clarify, each of the high parts of the ground is a "bed," and the low parts in the middle are corrugates. Beds, as you can see, are where planting happens. Note how the four units in the middle plant down the middle of the bed and the outside row is offset to the side. When the farmer plants the second row he'll be planting on the other side of the bed. I'm sure I've thoroughly confused you at this point.

     Just know this: Every fifth bed will have two rows of corn on it. Also, you need to know, that corn is neither male nor female, but instead acts as both. They can in fact fertilize themselves. The two outside rows will be the only rows that are allowed to produce pollen. The other four rows catch the pollen and genetic material therein. Think of the single rows as the mothers and the double rows as the fathers. The resulting offspring are therefor a mix of both varieties.

     I'll be able to show you this better at a later date when it's actually happening. Until then, hopefully it doesn't get too hot and all the seeds pop! (For all you gullible people out there, that last sentence was a joke...)



Slight Delay

Blogger has been down all morning, (That's the site that hosts the blog.) so there will be a delay in today's post. I should have it up pretty early this afternoon.

Owyhee Monuments

     Have you ever been travelling through farmland when an odd wooden tower grabs your eye? They're actually quite common. Surprising considering that I don't know of anyone who uses them anymore. It's called a Hay Derrick and, not surprisingly, its use involved hay.
     Back in the days before the baler was invented (and for quite some time thereafter) folks stacked their hay "long." That's the traditional hay stack that you see that looks like a big pile or loaf of grass. It involves more than just piling, though I'm not sure exactly what is done. The method used makes the hay last longer. I only knew of one family in the area that still put their hay up this way, and they've recently quit the farming and ranching business. They also didn't use derricks but instead used loaders. Everyone else I know of uses balers.

     It should be apparent from this picture that a hay derrick is a form of crane. The word derrick actually just means: a framework.
     Back before hydraulics became the way to move things, cables were the way to go. You can see a bunch here, but in operation, a derrick would have even more. The ends of the cables would often be attached to horses who would pull here and there to move the derrick around.
     So here's the picture. After cutting the hay, men would put the hay on a wagon or slip and bring it to the derrick, where they'd pick up the hay with this:

     Just one of many ways to move hay, this fearsome rig is just for picking up hay, so no need to have nightmares. The intricate shape above the hook would have had more cables attached to it. Depending on which one you pull, you could use these cables and the rig to pick up the hay and then turn the derrick and dump the hay, making nice big haystacks. The taller the haystack, the less useful ground it covers.
     Hay derricks were hard work, and as you can guess, dangerous. So it's not surprising that, for the most part, hay growers have moved towards more mechanized methods. But for some reason, they seem to have some sentimentality about the old derricks. I think they leave the up as monuments to those who came before. They're full of memories, of fathers and grandfathers and the sweet smell of newly cut hay.

Tractor Seat Chemistry

     The profession of farmer requires many skills. One of those skills is in the proper mixing and application of chemicals. The word chemical has become somewhat of a bogeyman of our times. I assure you that a farmer knows his or her business just as well as you know yours.
     Chemical application is a simple form of chemistry. It involves knowing your substances, their effects and volumes. As with most forms of chemistry, you need a lab of sorts. This is how a farmer's looks.

     Like most of a farmer's life and livelihood it's far more open aired than most labs. The old truck is permanently on water duty. It's big green tank fills slowly from the tap but holds enough that it can empty into a sprayer (or anywhere else) quickly. It's even got a little pump to speed things up. Most of the volume inside a spray tank will be water.
     The sprayer, here, is a small orange one on the back of the tractor. It contains a small pump (powered by the hydraulic system of the tractor) that will agitate or mix the spray inside constantly and pump it out when the proper lever is turned. This sprayer has booms (the wide arms) and a nozzle for spraying at a distance.

     Depending on what kinds of weeds a farmer wants to deal with, he'll need different ingredients. Each chemical works in a different way and has a different concentration. So an applicator has to measure carefully. I was able to snap this picture somewhat mid-mixing so you can see one such measurement along with a wide variety of ingredients an applicator must know.

     An unfortunate part of weed control, is that if you want to do it correctly, you have to control all of the weeds. So this farmer is spending his time spraying roadsides. Common roadside weeds include: puncture vines, kochia, and cheatgrass so he'll have included the best chemicals for each. He covers the roadside with the boom and with the nozzle (in his hand up there) he gets the weeds in the ditch. A note: He's also spraying the asparagus, (remember yesterdays post?) so he'd tell you that today (and for quite a few days after) is not a good day to pick it.
     The reason for all this is that by controlling the weeds, a farmer significantly increases his output. Which means that there's more food and raw materials for the rest of the people to use and process. This is especially important as as (more and more all the time) all across the world the vast majority of people are provided for by a very small minority.