Now That's What I Call Recycling!!

Late last night, our crews finished the last major field work project of the year - hauling manure.  By taking the nutrients that pass through the cows and appling them to the fields it means we won't have to rely on commercial fertilizer which helps keep our environment greener!

The process of getting this done right is quite complex.  We begin with taking samples of the soil in 5 acre increments and determining how much nitrogen and phosphorus are already present.  Then we have to know what crop will be going in each field the next year - each crop has different needs in terms of nutients.  The difference between the needs of the crop and what is present in the soil is what we put on.  The manure is also sampled to determine how much is present in each gallon. 

The above picutre shows the actual application in the field.  The trucks are opperated by a custom manure hauler and our folks staff the tractor and disk that follows behind to make sure that the product gets worked into the soil.  This practice prevents runoff and reduces odor for folks living nearby.

Now it's time to sit tight until next spring - at which time we will again begin the process of planting and harvesting feeds for the cows from these same fields.  The nutrients are taken up in the crop, fed to the cows and the cycle repeats - all this to produce one of natures most wholesome foods - MILK.  Recycling at it's finest!

Jimmy Crack Corn....(and a shout out to Saxon Creamery)

Today is the first day of this years final harvest - high moisture corn.  Most of our 800 acres of corn have already been harvested as silage to provide for the forage needs of the cows for the coming year.  While our yields were not great, they were good enough that we have about 200 acres left for corn as grain.  We've been watching the corn dry down over the past several weeks to catch the proper moisture level and today was the day to call up the combine.  This machine takes off 6 rows of corn at a time and removes the kernels, leaving the stalk and cobs in the field.  The kernels are then transferred to a truck and hauled to our farm.

Once at the farm, the corn is loaded into a grinder (back left) and ground into a fine material.  This is necessary so that all the nutrients in the corn can be absorbed by the cows.  Once ground it is packed into this 40'x12'x200' feed bunker.  We pack it super tight with this large tractor to ensure that oxygen does not spoil the corn.  When we complete harvest we will cover with the large pieces of plastic that you see draping the walls and top with tires.  The corn will ferment for a long as possible before feeding to the cows.

Every year at this time, I find myself humming Jimmy (Dad) Cracked Corn.  Which did you know was Abe Lincoln's favorite song and was written about a slave and his master.  I always thought it was about farmin!

On another note, we are blessed to have a great cheese making facility in our neighborhood.  Please check out the front page article written about Saxon Homestead Creamery in our local paper.  Saxon Homestead Creamery Front Page Article.  While I haven't ever met a cheese I don't like, Big Ed's is my favorite at Saxon.  You can also check them out at http://www.saxoncreamery.com/. 

Enjoy the fall season!

Welcome to Blogging...Soaring Eagle Dairy Style!

While our lives are far from exciting, we are excited to share a glimpse into life on our farm and into our families.  To keep up to date on what's happening with us, please click follow and enjoy keeping up to date on farm and our passions. 

The families of Soaring Eagle Dairy - Our parents Jim and Sandie (left) and the 3 sisters and their families.  Julie Maurer, Kelly Goehring & Stacy Klotz.