The Official Farming Thread...

[JimBear]

Easy there, or your tons will suffer..

I’d say grazon would be the most effective, but you do not want to do that until the grass population is thick enough to make up for all the clover that is not going to be there.
There is way worse things to make hay out of than lidino clover.

I sprayed a couple little patches with Grazon two years ago to kill off the Canadian Thistles knowing it would wipe out the Red/White Clover. The first cutting this year I got 2-1/2 bale acre off of it, all Red Clover, without reseeding it. As fragile as that stuff is to chemicals it’s extremely resilient as far as repopulating it’s self. But that doesn’t make any difference; in the heavy stuff it still takes forever & a day to dry it down even in the best conditions.

There seems to be no lack of Honey Bees around here. I have been kicking around the idea of getting a few hives myself. A friend of mine has several and usually gets around 28 gallon from his.

 

[Mastermind]

@SpaceBus

What pesticides are the farms using??

And for what??

See this question? You never even made an attempt to answer it. Instead you went on and on about things that any 10 year old probably knows about Monsanto.

Yes...we know. The world is polluted with roundup.

What the hell does that have to do with you saying pesticides are being used, and someone asking you which ones?

You wind up here in every single thread you begin posting in. Yet somehow it's not your fault.

It's like I'm not allowed to have any farming opinions on a farming thread.

Is being an expert required to comment on threads in the OPE forum?

I'm going to remove your ability to post in this thread like I did in the other one if you can't figure out how to coexist with the other people here.

 

[amberg]

Just because you own 10 acres, a tractor, and a few alpacas does not make you an expert in agriculture dynamics. Most the fellers in this thread support themselves and families by honest to God farming. They have combined farming experience older than the United States itself. Please for your own good, use your ears more than your mouth and you might learn how the real world works.

Hmmm, have sprayed many thousands of acres since 1976. Always loved to run the spray rigs.

 

[legdelimber]

Heck fellers. I wasn't meaning to get a squabble going!
Sorry about that.
As was mentioned by the Staff: There's lot of knowledge here, So I poked in with a question.

I've just noticed the lack of honey bees in my area and wondered how the population was looking in places out away from the city(s).
As far as pesticides?
I've used the "Spectracide" brand granules in the past, but for several years I've not spread any around my house, out of concern for the bees and earthworms.
Ants are getting so bad now that I need to do a bit of selective dosing though.

 

[Mastermind]

Heck fellers. I wasn't meaning to get a squabble going!
Sorry about that.
As was mentioned by the Staff: There's lot of knowledge here, So I poked in with a question.

I've just noticed the lack of honey bees in my area and wondered how the population was looking in places out away from the city(s).
As far as pesticides?
I've used the "Spectracide" brand granules in the past, but for several years I've not spread any around my house, out of concern for the bees and earthworms.
Ants are getting so bad now that I need to do a bit of selective dosing though.

It ain't the topic that makes the squabble. It's how its presented.

 

[Only the Tony]

Heck fellers. I wasn't meaning to get a squabble going!
Sorry about that.
As was mentioned by the Staff: There's lot of knowledge here, So I poked in with a question.

I've just noticed the lack of honey bees in my area and wondered how the population was looking in places out away from the city(s).
As far as pesticides?
I've used the "Spectracide" brand granules in the past, but for several years I've not spread any around my house, out of concern for the bees and earthworms.
Ants are getting so bad now that I need to do a bit of selective dosing though.

Nothing to do with your questions. Matt just wanted to know what was being sprayed and why. Different areas of the country for different problems. What little spraying I do of pesticides has to do with the few fruit trees I have and I am way behind on that with the job and weather. I saw a few honey bees yesterday in a small patch of white clover while I was heading into the field to pick blackberries. Didn't see as many this spring, but we also had a colder couple weeks this winter that we don't usually have. I keep saying I need to put out a few hives, but then I also need an extractor.

 

[Steve]

Heck fellers. I wasn't meaning to get a squabble going!
Sorry about that.
As was mentioned by the Staff: There's lot of knowledge here, So I poked in with a question.

I've just noticed the lack of honey bees in my area and wondered how the population was looking in places out away from the city(s).
As far as pesticides?
I've used the "Spectracide" brand granules in the past, but for several years I've not spread any around my house, out of concern for the bees and earthworms.
Ants are getting so bad now that I need to do a bit of selective dosing though.

No, you are at no fault. In no way, shape, or form was your question derogatory or have mal intent. We have been having issues lately with some members politicizing every question or post it seems.


Now on to your answer, I am no expert in honey bees but I know my neighbor has 5 healthy hives and I actually have a natural hive in a hollowed out oak tree on my property. I'm sure we as humans have done things not favorable to the honey bee. There is also a mite that has been around my area that is not helping either.

Urbanization also has played a part in honey bee demise. All the fields full of native flowering plants have been mowed over for houses and fescue lawns. One bee keeper I was talking with last year was telling me he has had to feed his bees the last few years around February a honey substitute because of the colder winters here they just ran out of fuel!

Habitat loss seems to be the consensus from the bee people I have talked to over the years. And the reason for that loss seems to be from quite a few sources.

 

[Steve]

Hmmm, have sprayed many thousands of acres since 1976. Always loved to run the spray rigs.

How are we all doing in Virginia on this beautiful Independence Day Charlie?

 

[SpaceBus]

Are you telling me that large farms do not spray crops with herbicides and pesticides? Glyphosate and noenicitinoids are common chemicals that lead to animal and bee deaths. Monsanto/Bayer sell seeds coated in neonics and roundup contains glyphosate and is a commonly used herbicide. Glyphosates and noenicitinoids have been banned in many countries.

Except for here, I listed the active ingredients that are causing the damage and which have been banned in other countries. Sorry you guys take offense to this, but numbers don't lie.

Maybe you will trust some scholarly sources:

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/p... 2006, there have been,of honey bees from CCD.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/neonicotinoid-pesticides-slowly-killing-bees

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5488186/ - I don't particularly trust the NIH and I have a lot of time spent at their facility, but they still agree that neonics are causing bee decline.

Here are some bits about Glyphosate killing bees, which is the active ingredient in many herbicides:

https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/n...red several products,the bees within 24 hours.

https://www.pnas.org/content/115/41/10305

https://e360.yale.edu/features/bee-alert-is-a-controversial-herbicide-harming-honeybees



@Mastermind you claim I can't get along when your lot attack my opinions. Dall tried to assassinate my character because I believe all people should be earning a living wage if they work hard for 40 hours a week. Plus that USMC ret dude. Just because I might disagree with people does not mean you all have the right to personally attack me. I don't insult anyone, start fights, or lash out. All I said was agricultural chemicals are not helping the bee situation, which has been well documented. You and others complain about cancel culture, but you are attempting to cancel me.

 

[Steve]

Except for here, I listed the active ingredients that are causing the damage and which have been banned in other countries. Sorry you guys take offense to this, but numbers don't lie.

Maybe you will trust some scholarly sources:

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/study-strengthens-link-between-neonicotinoids-and-collapse-of-honey-bee-colonies/#:~:text=Boston, MA — Two widely used,of Public Health (HSPH).&text=Since 2006, there have been,of honey bees from CCD.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/neonicotinoid-pesticides-slowly-killing-bees

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5488186/ - I don't particularly trust the NIH and I have a lot of time spent at their facility, but they still agree that neonics are causing bee decline.

Here are some bits about Glyphosate killing bees, which is the active ingredient in many herbicides:

https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/new-study-undisclosed-inert-ingredients-in-some-popular-roundup-products-found-to-be-highly-toxic-to-bumblebees-2021-04-16/#:~:text=The study compared several products,the bees within 24 hours.

https://www.pnas.org/content/115/41/10305

https://e360.yale.edu/features/bee-alert-is-a-controversial-herbicide-harming-honeybees



@Mastermind you claim I can't get along when your lot attack my opinions. Dall tried to assassinate my character because I believe all people should be earning a living wage if they work hard for 40 hours a week. Plus that USMC ret dude. Just because I might disagree with people does not mean you all have the right to personally attack me. I don't insult anyone, start fights, or lash out. All I said was agricultural chemicals are not helping the bee situation, which has been well documented. You and others complain about cancel culture, but you are attempting to cancel me.

Please, just drop your agenda.

 

[SpaceBus]

Please, just drop your agenda.

What agenda? I said the chemicals aren't helping the bee situation and all of you jumped on me. I'm allowed to have my opinion and you yours. If the lot of you hadn't all at once asked me to post more on the topic I would not have. This chemical discussion continues because I keep getting attacked for my opinions. Unfortunately there are not a lot of forums out there for OPE, and this is the *least* toxic one I could find. The least all of you could do is lay off the personal attacks when I have done nothing of the sort to you. If I had this experience in every internet domain I visited I could agree that perhaps something is wrong with me, but that simply isn't the case. I exist on many forums and share my opinions without being jumped on.

Perhaps if I said something that wasn't backed up by scientific bodies all over the world these responses would make sense, but they don't. It seems like I'm being gaslighted into believing that using glyphosate and neonics don't lead to bee decline.

 

[Mastermind]

You and others complain about cancel culture, but you are attempting to cancel me.

When have I complained about the cancel culture? What might surprise you is how I actually feel about many of the topics you continue to dredge up. But we have a rule on this forum about politics. We leave it alone. No political talk, no religious talk.

That is how we....a group of people who come from different backgrounds, and who have differing opinions, manage to get along.

Like it or not, wages, pollutants, clean energy, etc, have all become hot button politicized issues. So we generally avoid talking about them.

In each thread you land in, you start out doing ok.....and before long you are up on your soapbox. Why can you not just stick with subject matter that doesn't rile folks up?

I feel like you are actually picking up solid information from the forum, so I don't want to see you "canceled". I'd rather see you agree to leave the more politically loaded issues alone.

What is tough for many people to understand is that it is possible to see both sides of a situation, lean more toward a certain side, and then keep your opinions to yourself. I do that everyday. And I do it for the sake of our group. You would be hard pressed to find a better bunch of people.....even if you don't agree with all of their opinions.

Now. Can we move on?

 

[Mastermind]

I said the chemicals aren't helping the bee situation

We all know that.

Heres the flip side of that. Try feeding 8 billion mfers without the use of any chemicals.

Could it be done? Maybe.

Do any of the farmers in this thread have the ability to do that today? Not really.

Personally, I don't use any pesticides. And 24D is the only herbicide I use. But I'm not growing row crops.

Now.....can we agree to move on?

 

[Mastermind]

Coffee first....then tedder.

Waiting for the dew to burn off.

I really need to get a bigger tedder.

 

[Steve]

Coffee first....then tedder.

Waiting for the dew to burn off.

I really need to get a bigger tedder.

Waiting for parts for our Tedder. 4 baskets are nice!

 

[Steve]

Any of you fun lovin' mfer's grilling today? Just got mine washed up. Any of you have nothing to do today jump in the car and get over here. I got plenty of foods!

 

[Mastermind]

Waiting for parts for our Tedder. 4 baskets are nice!

It takes me about the same amount of time to tedder as it does to mow. And the 2 basket tedder doesn't really distribute the crop evenly. Hopefully by next season I can manage to get a 4 basket.

 

[Mastermind]

Any of you fun lovin' mfer's grilling today? Just got mine washed up. Any of you have nothing to do today jump in the car and get over here. I got plenty of foods!



View attachment 300601

I think Glenda and I are going to watch fireworks tonight in Cookeville. I'll take a day off of my "diet" today so I can enjoy a good old fashioned burger, and some chips.

 

[Sagebrush33]

Coffee
I'm harvesting my first cup right now....one sip at a time.

 

[SpaceBus]

I checked on my desiccating rooster pelts and they look good. No signs of microbial growth, no weird smells, and the skins are already starting to stiffen up. Another two weeks and I'll try and sell them. With the chickens free ranging I have been able to afford to feed them organic. If these pelts and future pelts sell for even $20 each I'll be eating organic chicken meat and eggs for free. We use nearly every part of the bird and had no use for the feathers previously. Skinning is also easier than plucking the birds. The only other parts we don't use are the gizzards, intestine, crop, gall bladder, and spleen. The heads, necks, other organs, feet, and bones/carcass are cooked down into broth and the solids are ground up and used as dog food.

Been shopping for mowers but haven't found anything used. Based on my current tractor and plans I'm looking out for a used sickle bar mower, but all of them seem to be in very rough shape, in Maine at least. For the short term I'm looking into buying a new brush hog or flail mower for maintaining our small blueberry barren. I'm hoping to convert some of our forested area to pasture in the next two to five years.