Harvesting Grass seed: Combining

NOTE:  We do still have U-Pick/We-Pick Blueberries.  Available Thurs-Saturday, 9am to 4pm.  Still TONS of berries left!  5371 Brooklake Rd NE, Brooks OR 97305.  (4 blocks from U-Pick apple location.)  Also dark Sweetheart cherries available this week.  They are at their sweetest!  So amazingly good.

Well the swathing of grass seed is finished and now we are on to combining!

Like I explained in the previous post, combines separate the seed from the straw.  We keep the seed and the straw gets blown out the back to lay on the field.  It is a slow process because you can only drive 1.9 - 2.2 mph!  But it is the best job on farm- air conditioning, radio, low stress, and there is a buddy seat so sometimes you can have a friend! ha

You have to watch the humidity to know when you can start combining.  You want it less than 50% humidity otherwise you might not be shaking all the seed off that is there.  If it is a good, dry day, combining usually happens between 10am and 10pm. But Saturday, I was still sitting here at 3pm waiting to combine because there is too much moisture in the air.  When it is a cloudy or wet season, sometimes you have several days of 4pm-10pm, and it makes for a long season because you can't get much done each day.  Rain is not good for grass seed harvest either.  Sometimes you have to wait and wait days for the rows to dry out, seed can mold, or the grass underneath the swathed rows can start growing again and you will see it trying to push through!

This week, my son was excited to come ride with me.   He is almost 4.  Last year he rode with me and I thought he would last about 1/2 hr and he'd be ready to move onto something else.  He ended up lasting 3 1/2 hours, talking and asking questions the whole time!  I was pretty amazed.  This year he lasted quite awhile too but feel asleep after an hour.  And this for a boy that doesn't nap anymore! 

My daughter got her chance to ride in the combine for the first time too this weekend.  She rode with my dad while I got a little break.  Looks like I'm going to lose my combining job sooner than I think.  First time in, and she is already driving!

After a field is combined, the straw that is left in the field is either baled or it can be chopped up and let lay on the field.  A lot of times it depends on what price you get for the straw and also the field needs.

Lastly the field gets mowed and it waits to grow another year!

So that is what is happening right now on the farm.  Thanks for checking in!