Barley Harvest 2015

Hey everyone!

Yes, we are still in the midst of harvest around here, although it has been somewhat disjointed. We've had a lot of stop and go with harvest this year, largely because the crops are all ripening at different times. Even within the barley harvest, we had a few days break between cutting barley at Tom and Carol's and cutting the barley that Jeff and I raised. At this point our barley harvest is more or less finished, so I thought I'd give you all a brief wrap-up of that. If you want to go back and read up on how our winter wheat harvest went, you can do that by CLICKING HERE. The winter wheat post was one of my most-clicked posts of the summer, so that tells me that people must be enjoying the farm-related posts and hopefully learning something, too! 

So. Barley. 

When barley is ripe, the heads bow down.

 We raise what's called 2-Row Barley. That means that the grain head itself has two rows of seeds. There are other types of barley, such as 6-Row. In Montana, most everyone raises 2-Row. Our friends in North Dakota raise 6-Row. From what I gleaned from Jeff's explanation, it sounds like 6-Row barley produces a higher yield. Makes sense-- more rows, more seeds. But 2-Row barley may have better, more consistent malting qualities, and that's the desired end-use for the barley we raise.

So, what happens during harvest is we cut the barley and send a sample to the malt plant with whom we have contracted our grain. They will test the sample to see if the grain we raised is sufficient for malting. They have a lot of stipulations, including test-weight, protein, moisture, plump vs. thin kernel size, germination... on and on. Jeff just showed me the list and after reading through it, I began to wonder how anyone makes malt grade, ever. But, I guess demand for beer doesn't go down, so sometimes the malt companies will be a little more lenient. Actually, it seems like you're less likely to get docked by the malt company than you are by the wheat buyers. So, there's that.

Something else I learned as I was doing a little research for this post is that malt is made from germinated barley kernels. So, at the malt plant, they soak the kernels in water so they germinate, then they dry them out with hot air. Something happens within the seed during germination process that makes it sweeter. When the malted grain reaches the desired dryness and color, it's ready to go.

We are at the point where almost all of our barley has been cut, but we're not sure if it will make malt grade yet. We have to send our samples in and then wait and see. If it doesn't make malt, then it'll be sold (for a lesser price, most likely) and used in animal feed. We hope that's not what happens.

I don't have a ton of photos from barley harvest because anyone who knows anything about barley kind of tries to stay away if they don't have to be involved. Barley dust is really itchy. It's kind of a burny, stingy itch that gets in the sweaty areas at the back of the neck or in the inside of the elbows and doesn't go away until you take a shower. This year, some of the barley cutting days were in the upper 90s, so that means more sweat and worse barley itch.

There was also the day that the air-conditioners broke. Our friend Brett helped us cut barley this year because we were planning on baling the barley straw and his combine makes a better straw-row than ours does. One day, both combines had been running hard all day long on a hot, hot day and then, oddly, around 7 p.m., the air-conditioners quit in both of them. Being in the glass-walled cab of a combine is like being an ant under a magnifying glass- it's hot! And there's no opening windows when you're cutting itchy barley. There was no going on that evening without the A.C. Honestly, I don't think anyone minded the early quitting time that day, though!

In this photo, Jeff is driving combine and Tom is in the truck, just across the road from Tom and Carol's house.
Taken on the first day of Barley harvest, July 31.

Right now, we are in another one of the harvest pauses that seem to be the norm this year as we've been working on other projects and waiting for the spring wheat to finish ripening. Once we get rolling on the spring wheat, probably by Thursday, I'm hoping we can just cut through it without any more multi-day pauses. I think everyone is ready to put the bookends on this harvest and move on. Stay tuned for more harvest posts as we plow ahead! 

Barley Harvest

(See how long you can go reading this post without getting that classic Sting song, "Fields of Gold," stuck in your head!)

Another phase of harvest is more or less complete as of yesterday-- our barley has been cut. During the barley harvest this year, I realized that I don't think I have ever written much about barley during harvest, or really any other time. So, I rode around with Jeff for a few rounds in the truck a few nights ago and snapped a bunch of photos.

First of all, I should say that the barley crop was actually that of Tom and Carol. Tom has raised barley every year since I've been living here and always has a great crop, especially for dryland farming. Jeff has referred to him as the "Barley Wizard" from time to time. This year was another good year for his barley crop.

Tom is in the combine, emptying barley into the red truck, which Stennie is driving.

 Jeff and I had actually wanted to grow some barley on our own farm ground this year, but were not able to get a contract. My understanding is that barley is a crop that you have to have a contract with an elevator or malt plant in order to raise it, promising them so many bushels, etc. If you don't have a contract, you may be stuck with your crop, unable to haul it anywhere, or only able to haul it to an elevator very far away because they're the only one who will take it. So, since were not able to secure a contract, we didn't raise any.

Photo a little fuzzy with the sunlight, but I still really like it. Can you pick out the farm and then the Sweetgrass Hills in the background? 

 Barley is great in a crop rotation because it has different nutrient needs from wheat. Barley's roots also grow differently in the ground, so it breaks up the soil a little differently, too.

Another kind of fuzzy photo, but I just love the mood of this photo. We have had some great skies lately!

 Barley dust has a way of sticking to sweaty skin, which then makes a person's whole body feel itchy. Of course, our hottest days of harvest so far this year were the days we were cutting barley. Stennie has been a real trooper for signing on and sticking with us! Although, I am thinking we talked it up so much that maybe it was actually slightly less itchy than she expected? I hope?!

Thumbs Up for Barley! 

Love this view through several windows out to the combine. 

Tarping up the truck by the light of the setting sun.

Among the fields of barley... 

 Barley looks pretty similar to wheat, but has a longer awn. Read a bit about awn here: Farm Awn. Also, when barley is ripe, the head kind of gets that sad, laying down look. This is because the kernels are so heavy that they weigh down the heads. So in fact, it's not sad-- it's happy when the barley does this because it means it's time to cut!

Our barley is raised as malt barley. So, once it's cut, a sample is sent to the elevator/malt plant in Great Falls and they'll test it to see if it makes malt grade. Then we haul the harvested crop to the elevator. I'm not actually sure what would happen if the barley doesn't "make malt," as they say, because since I've been here, that's never been an issue.

Some of you are probably a step or two ahead of me, but since we raise our barley for malt, the final to-consumer product is...BEER! The elevator we sell to is a malt supplier for many different brewers. From Miller-Coors to small craft breweries, when you take a swig, you could be supporting Prairie Sun Farms! Drink up! :)

And because who can resist this cutie, the next three photos are of Harvey checking out the Barley!

Such a handsome Vizsla!

As of now, we are about right in between the winter wheat/barley harvest and spring wheat harvest. We're going to have a bit of a break before the majority of the spring wheat crop is ready to cut. Stennie and I are thinking about a day-trip or two to close-by environs. Jeff and Tom may do a bit of custom cutting for some of our neighbors. Then, likely next week sometime the spring wheat harvest will pick up and we'll really begin again.

Anyone else still harvesting out there? If not crop, then what are you harvesting in your life (either literally or metaphorically?)

Until next time!

Meet Stephanie!

Now that I've mentioned Stephanie in a few posts, it's probably about time I formally introduce her to my ever-expanding blogosphere (ha!).

Stephanie is a dear friend of mine from my hometown, Ames, IA. What's funny though is that we never actually met until college while on the same study abroad program. So, even though we grew up only a few miles from each other, had some great mutual friends in high school, and then proceeded on to attend the same university (Iowa State-- Go Cyclones!), we actually met for the first time in Lyon, France! The world is a crazy place. That would never happen where I live now. The difference between living in a large town vs. a rural, small town area where everyone knows everyone else from before they were born. But I digress.

Wind blowing in our faces, that's me and Stephanie from early July 2007 in front of the Golden Gate Bridge!

Stephanie has always had interest in agriculture and was in 4-H as a kid, winning prizes for dairy showmanship at our County Fair. For the past two years she has worked on farms, seasonally full-time. They have been CSA "Old McDonald" farms with produce, livestock, and dairy. She has lived in every time zone of the USA gaining experience at every farm where she has worked, but has discovered that dairy is ultimately the key to her agriculture passion. Stennie (short for Stephanie) loves cows!

I have been bugging Stennie to visit me and Jeff here on the farm since before I lived here, so when she contacted me earlier this summer about a potential visit in August, the answer was Yes, Of Course! After much discussion between Stennie, me and Jeff, what was originally to be a visit of about 1-2 weeks has turned into something a bit longer term and she'll be staying on through September! Stennie has been helping with our grain harvest by driving truck. We are doing our best to make her feel welcome and like she is part of the team.

A little hard to see, but Tom, Jeff, and Stennie contemplating something about this grain bin.

For my part, I love having Stephanie here. It's so, so wonderful to have one of my closest friends available and interested in seeing where we live and what we do, especially as someone I knew before living here was even an inkling of a possibility in my mind. It's great to have her perspective and her questions as to why we live the way we do and do what we do and farm the way we do. Jeff's family is as patient and welcoming to her as they have been with me, which is something I am so very thankful for. Stephanie's questions and interests help make me realize just how much I have learned since moving here and all the ways this place is home now.

Stephanie's first time unloading a truck without Jeff's assistance.
She did great, even with me hanging around distracting and taking photos! 

Even more than all that, though, I have been truly struck by her willingness to just jump in and help with harvest-- our busiest, most stressful time of the year. Yesterday, we began cutting our barley crop. It was in the 90s outside with no wind, and itchy barley dust sticking to everyone. Not the funnest time. But Stephanie continually had a smile on her face and a positive attitude, which helped keep everyone's spirits a little higher than they might have been. It means so much to me on so many levels to have her here.

Stephanie monitors barley emptying out of the truck and into the auger.

I have somewhat of a twang of guilt that I am not the one driving truck, but since we knew she was going to be here through harvest and beyond for a while, it made most sense to teach her. I'll be starting school next week (YIKES!) and would be out of commission at that point anyway. This way, they could teach her early on and let her fly, rather than giving me a pretty major refresher lesson only to ultimately show her the ropes anyway. So, Stennie works hard outside and I continue to be support staff-- working in the garden, helping with meals, parts runs, and other odd miscellany that still needs to be kept up with during harvest.

Future Beer! 

With all of this, we're still managing to find times here and there to do a bit of baking. I think I mentioned in a previous post that Stennie is an excellent baker. We made a batch of pie crusts the other day and mostly froze the discs of dough. One did get held back, rolled out, and is awaiting being filled with delicious Key Lime custard, baked, and then topped with raspberries. Can't wait to try it!

She's doing a great job! Like and old pro already! 

As I also mentioned in a previous post, she's a wonderful writer and photographer, too, so there's always the chance of a guest blog appearance. If you are one of my readers who lives around here and you see Stephanie on the road, give her a friendly wave and a hello!

From Barley to Beer

It's always nice to see the end result of hard work.  Or, in this case, to taste it!

Last Friday, while at the brew fest in Bozeman, Jeff sampled some beer from Red Lodge Ales.  Red Lodge Ales is a Montana microbrewery located in Red Lodge, MT.  Their beer is pretty good, and who doesn't love a beer that's at least pretty good?  But what we noticed about the man who served Jeff his sample was the Malteurop logo on the shirt he wore under his lederhosen.

Malteurop is the world's third largest malt barley processor and distributor.  They have three malting facilities in the United States, located in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Great Falls, MT.  Barley farmers who raise malt-quality barley crop can sell their barley to Malteurop, who processes the barley into malt at their facilities.  Then, Malteurop sells the malt to brewers all around the world.

Malteurop also sells malt to small, local brewers... like Red Lodge Ales.  According to their website, they take pride in locating their malting facilities in prime barley farming areas, and selling to local brewers, thereby reducing the environmental impact of transportation.

For the past seven years or so, Tom has contracted his barley to Malteurop.  So, our barley is taken to the plant in Great Falls, where it is processed into malt, then sold to beer companies from Coors to Red Lodge Ales.  Next time you drink a Coors or a Bent Nail IPA, think of us, and raise your glass!

Tips for a Successful Meal in the Field

Carol has been out of town the past few nights, so that has left me in charge of meal duty.  Jeff and Tom have been working hard to get crop cut, so I have been taking meals to the field.  Carol gave me a few pointers before she left yesterday, and what she missed, Jeff kindly filled me in on for the next time.

Yesterday's menu was pork tenderloin, baked sweet potatoes, fruit salad, bread, and brownies.  Carol had the pork and sweet potatoes pretty much set up before she left, so I didn't have to do much to prepare that.  She gave me pretty good directions on how to find the guys, who were wanting to finish cutting all the barley last night.   I was pleased with myself that I was able to follow Carol's directions pretty well and actually find the correct field where the guys were cutting!

Jeff and Carol had also given me a few other tips which may seem obvious but I hadn't thought of until they brought it up:

- Don't forget to bring chairs! (Or salt and pepper, cutlery, and serving utensils!)
- Bring a small container of soapy water and a towel so the guys can wash their hands
- Check the direction of the wind before you park!

I didn't think to check the direction of the wind before parking, however, but it wasn't very long before it became very apparent that if I were to stay where I was at, the food and eaters would be covered in barley dust.  It also was not long before it became very apparent to me that barley dust is very itchy!!  I had heard Jeff and Tom talk about this before, but was surprised at how little time it takes for a person to feel the itch!!

All in all, last night went pretty well.  Today was even better!  It's nice to know that I can help contribute to the overall productivity of harvest by bringing out a picnic meal.

Winter Wheat Harvest

A good stand of winter wheat, about to be harvested. 

Winter wheat harvest is underway around here.  Jeff and Tom cut for our landlord last weekend and have been cutting their own over the past several days.  Winter wheat is a smaller percentage of our overall crop, and the spring wheat was seeded later in the spring, so once the winter wheat and barley are in the bins, we will likely be waiting a while before cutting the spring wheat. 

What is the difference between winter wheat and spring wheat? Winter wheat is actually seeded in the fall.  It sprouts, then with frost or snow the green leaves poking out die off and the plant lies dormant over the winter.  In springtime, it (hopefully) sprouts again and grows to maturity.  Spring wheat is planted in the spring and grows over the summer, to be harvested usually around the same time or shortly after the winter wheat.  Our harsh, cold, long winters usually make spring wheat a more promising crop-- even though winter wheat is supposed to lie dormant over winter, too deep or too long of a ground freeze can damage it.  

Jeff and Harvey, a little over a week ago, checking out the combine.

From the combine, the harvested grains are poured into trucks like this red one, then brought to the yard where it is poured into the augur and then into a grain bin for storage. 

The size of one wheat kernel is so small!

So far, my role in harvest has been pretty minimal.  I have done some help with cooking and that's about it.  Once we get rolling with cutting spring wheat, this may change.  Our winter wheat and barley fields are located pretty close to the house, so meals and communication are easier.  Much of the spring wheat is farther away-- Meals-in-the-field will be a more common occurrence.  More to come on harvest as it continues!