The Official Farming Thread...

[nbbt]

Weekly garlic glamor shots. No skypes yet, been watering a bit more due to weather conditions,
stalks seem to darker green and going to through a very noticeable growth spurt.




Did some weed cleanup/soil cultivation around the onions and almost overnight they are showing some better growth characteristics.

 

[Deputyrpa]

Baler trouble fellas. I have a hesston 5540 from the 80s. I've done a lot to it over the last few years, and hate to give up on it. Parts are tough to get here though. Any of you guys know where any of these are that are being parted out? It makes a 4x6 bale. The upper roller was spinning on the bearing and ruined the end. I need a roller tube for it.

I have a Hesston 5500 from the same era. I got main drive sprocket and bearings from a local NH dealer.

 

[Lnk]

Weekly garlic glamor shots. No skypes yet, been watering a bit more due to weather conditions,
stalks seem to darker green and going to through a very noticeable growth spurt.
View attachment 380320

View attachment 380322

Did some weed cleanup/soil cultivation around the onions and almost overnight they are showing some better growth characteristics.

Any strawberries yet? We have been eating them for about a month now.

 

[hoskvarna]

Any strawberries yet? We have been eating them for about a month now.

Sending me all your berries you don’t want.
I love strawberries

 

[ajschainsaws]

Sending me all your berries you don’t want.
I love strawberries

Same here

 

[ajschainsaws]

Baler trouble fellas. I have a hesston 5540 from the 80s. I've done a lot to it over the last few years, and hate to give up on it. Parts are tough to get here though. Any of you guys know where any of these are that are being parted out? It makes a 4x6 bale. The upper roller was spinning on the bearing and ruined the end. I need a roller tube for it.

he hasn’t done too bad that baler it gotta be 40 yrs old that model was badged as fiat over here

 

[nbbt]

Any strawberries yet? We have been eating them for about a month now.

Strawberries are forming, nickel size and larger, but likely a week or two out yet. There are everbearing and juneberries in that patch.

Now the black raspberries seem to have a lot more than usual starting and the reds, are just starting to show berries. will try to remember pictures.



I don't know whether to believe the closest official temp of 88 or from measurements in the back yard where there is limited air movement.
It feels warm enough to melt.

 

[Lnk]

Strawberries are forming, nickel size and larger, but likely a week or two out yet. There are everbearing and juneberries in that patch.

Now the black raspberries seem to have a lot more than usual starting and the reds, are just starting to show berries. will try to remember pictures.

View attachment 380354View attachment 380355

I don't know whether to believe the closest official temp of 88 or from measurements in the back yard where there is limited air movement.
It feels warm enough to melt.

Ours are overbearing as well. Blueberries are doing well now that I made some hardware cloth cages. Seems the birds have been eating them for the last few years. Also have some blackberries I just started to get berries from. Almost thumb size. No idea what cultivar, just big blackberries. Some of the plants are thornless. Raspberries are minimal, just a few per day. I think that late frost did them and my mulberries in this year. Grapes are doing well and seem to have a lot of fruit this year. So jam and wine will be good this winter.

92 degrees here right now.

 

[karrl]

Baler trouble fellas. I have a hesston 5540 from the 80s. I've done a lot to it over the last few years, and hate to give up on it. Parts are tough to get here though. Any of you guys know where any of these are that are being parted out? It makes a 4x6 bale. The upper roller was spinning on the bearing and ruined the end. I need a roller tube for it.

I’ll ask my dad in the morning where he gets his parts from. I know there’s a big ag equipment salvage yard out in PA. Maybe check your regional farm newspaper, Lancaster Farmer has a lot of resources in the ads and the classifieds but that’s probably too far for you.

 

[Mastermind]

I have a Hesston 5500 from the same era. I got main drive sprocket and bearings from a local NH dealer.

Very few dealers for anything near us. There's a couple of places in Crossville that sell tractors, but unless its John Deere, nobody seems to sell parts.

he hasn’t done too bad that baler it gotta be 40 yrs old that model was badged as fiat over here

I actually love that old machine. Simple as dirt. Makes a damn fine bale, but like you say, its old as hell.

I’ll ask my dad in the morning where he gets his parts from. I know there’s a big ag equipment salvage yard out in PA. Maybe check your regional farm newspaper, Lancaster Farmer has a lot of resources in the ads and the classifieds but that’s probably too far for you.

Nowhere is too far. Anything can be shipped.

 

[Mastermind]

Just finished baling. Made 102 bales.

 

[nbbt]

Blueberries are doing well now that I made some hardware cloth cages. Also have some blackberries I just started to get berries from. just big blackberries. Some of the plants are thornless. Raspberries are minimal, just a few per day. So jam and wine will be good this winter.

92 degrees here right now.

7 producing blueberry plants, there were lots of flowers this year, and the berries are sized from just starting to pea sized.

Thornless would be a treat, I didn't plant any of the black raspberries, they just showed up 12-15 yrs ago. Ya got to like donator stuff from all the wildlife droppings. HAHAHa.

A good bit of our unused fresh berries get frozen, to be used later for flavoring mead. Just after new years I've got a habit of brewing a couple of carboys of mead. Have settled on a 3 stages of adding honey to the fermentation. ABV can become intoxicating if done correctly.

 

[Lnk]

7 producing blueberry plants, there were lots of flowers this year, and the berries are sized from just starting to pea sized.

Thornless would be a treat, I didn't plant any of the black raspberries, they just showed up 12-15 yrs ago. Ya got to like donator stuff from all the wildlife droppings. HAHAHa.

A good bit of our unused fresh berries get frozen, to be used later for flavoring mead. Just after new years I've got a habit of brewing a couple of carboys of mead. Have settled on a 3 stages of adding honey to the fermentation. ABV can become intoxicating if done correctly.

I used DADY for making ethanol, er, for fuel. Has a tolerance around 19% before it dies off. Probably what moonshiners use, I wouldn't know though. I use other yeasts for wines. Never made Meade, may try this year. See what I think. Would like to sample some to see if I even like it, before I bother. I like honey though.

DADY = distillers active dry yeast.

 

[nbbt]

The key for higher ABV is adding more feed for the yeast before the mixture gets to a dry (lack of sugars) state. If it dries out it kills the live yeast. I found that a Brix of at least 15 works good when using a extra dry campaign yeast EC-1118. When getting ready for the third stage of adding honey, rack your solution off the dead/consumed yeast, improves the flavor.. Meade, with 3 stages of honey has been repeatable at between 28%-31.5% ABV

I've also used this process using maple syrup for the sugars. The yeast likes the sugar sands/minerals a lot and the fermentation is faster yet. With the syrup you cant hide the ABV, calculated (based on sugars consumed) to be about 40% on last seasons batch.

Part of why I do the fermentation early in the year is the slightly cooler ambient room temp has been helping to keep the process slowed down, a bit easier to regulate for me anyways.

 

[nbbt]

Part of the black raspberries.

 

[nbbt]

I used DADY for making ethanol, er, for fuel. Has a tolerance around 19% before it dies off. Probably what moonshiners use, I wouldn't know though. I use other yeasts for wines. Never made Meade, may try this year. See what I think. Would like to sample some to see if I even like it, before I bother. I like honey though.

DADY = distillers active dry yeast.

If you were closer I'd break open a couple of bottles. Many different ways to do the process. It's another thing to find a fermentation method that is repeatable. I may have that part figured out after making it for about 10 years. Some of the early batches were let go till the yeast dies off, getting the product (very) dry, this didn't taste very good IMO, until it aged for at least several years. My newer way can easily be consumed on day of bottling. And it gets better as it ages.

 

[Lnk]

If you were closer I'd break open a couple of bottles. Many different ways to do the process. It's another thing to find a fermentation method that is repeatable. I may have that part figured out after making it for about 10 years. Some of the early batches were let go till the yeast dies off, getting the product (very) dry, this didn't taste very good IMO, until it aged for at least several years. My newer way can easily be consumed on day of bottling. And it gets better as it ages.

What do you use for an airlock? I use either a sandwich bag with a pinhole, rubber banded, or a balloon with the same pinhole. I know they make special water airlocks, but like you, I use carboys.

Would take you up on your offer, and would bring some of my stuff, my muscadine wine is really good. Not going to lie. Lol

 

[Mastermind]

What do you use for an airlock? I use either a sandwich bag with a pinhole, rubber banded, or a balloon with the same pinhole. I know they make special water airlocks, but like you, I use carboys.

Would take you up on your offer, and would bring some of my stuff, my muscadine wine is really good. Not going to lie. Lol

Get some rubber carboy bungs for your air lock. I used to make a lot of wine and brandy before I quit drinking.

 

[Dustin4185]

Neighbor sprayed some multiflora rose in the fence rows with DuraCor and it seemed to do a good job with them. We are hitting thistles and nettle right now so I need to look into getting some as well so I can get some spraying done.

Duracor is a good product. Has a long residual.

 

[Only the Tony]

Duracor is a good product. Has a long residual.

When I get a bit of time I need to see if anyone has it local or I will need to order it shipped in. Hard to do shopping with the work hours I run. A lot of places are closed by the time I get off and don't open in time for me to stop by in the morning. Got to do a bit of parts figuring on a Kubota loader valve while it is at the house.