The Farmer's Daughter USA

Hi, I'm Amanda! My family farms corn and soybeans in Southwest Michigan. I'm also a practicing attorney.

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Farming Friday!

August 15, 2014

Bunches of Furry Pods
Okay, so don’t tell my dad, but I stopped by one of our soybean fields last night during my run so I could give an up close look at the soybeans as they’re growing and developing. 
As you can see, the plants are still fairly short, even for this time of year, but they’re starting to get loaded up with pods. Thankfully, we got some rain recently and the plants really benefited from it. While most other corp yields are pretty much determined at this point, soybeans still have the ability to put more flowers on, more pods, and even continue to grow. On the flip side though, they could also abort flowers and pods and decrease yields.

According to Brian and Darren Hefty, as long as the plant is green the yields can change.

For now, if you push back the leaves, like I did below, you can see that there are pods all around on the inside of the plant Those pods have obviously taken the place of the purple flowers we saw a few weeks ago. Many of the pods have reached their full size at this point, but of course the plants may continue to produce more as the season progresses.

I picked a couple of the pods (seriously, don’t tell my dad…) so you could see them up close! Right now they’re covered with all this furry stuff. I was not aware until I was doing some research for this post, but apparently once the pods and beans inside get a little bit bigger, that’s when soybeans are used for cooking. But be careful — eating raw soybeans is not good for you, because our bodies cannot properly digest raw soybeans.

Open up the pod and right now it looks like this below. The lighter little round things will eventually get bigger and dry into soybeans as we’re used to seeing them. Of course, right now they’re fairly small. The beans themselves are still growing inside the pods.


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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: education, farming fridays, farming pictures, soybeans

Farming Friday!

May 31, 2013

Round-Up Ready
The corn is continuing to grow. The guys have started planting soybeans. Unfortunately, it’s been a bit wet. That’s causing some problems with tires getting stuck, but we’re making it through.
As you can see by the brown tips, the baby corn might have got hit by the frost we had last week, but apparently it is still growing and doing just fine. 

Can you see the difference in size from last week? 
The field is also starting to turn green. I’ll remind you of those photo in a few weeks. I love to see the transformation!

I mentioned before that we pretty much worked up all of our ground because we’ve done no till for a few years now and it needed it. However, we did have a couple no till corn fields (mostly soybeans). Because you leave so much cover on the ground, the field is ripe for weeds. That means we have to go through with Round Up and kill the weeds before they take over the soil and suck up all the nutrients. 
                           
No till is beneficial though, because it cuts down on how many times you have go over the field (thus saving money on fuel) and cuts down on soil erosion.. Thanks to seeds that are immune to the effects of Round Up (yes, GMOs), we can use these technologies to save costs on the farm and increase our product. 
Before we even started planting, I got a chance to help dad while he was working on the sprayer. 
We were assembling and putting these on:
Given a fancy little formula (that calculates speed, pressure, and something else…) dad is able to figure out exactly how much spray is being applied to the field. Obviously, this helps us keep the application precise, thus saving time and money, increasing efficiency, and protecting the environment. This is exactly what I mean when I say farmers are the real environmentalists – we figure out how to use our natural resources wisely, efficiently, and safely!

The little applicators then get clipped onto the sprayer and they’re ready to use! 
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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: corn, farming fridays, farming pictures

Farming Friday!

April 19, 2013

Prepping Fields

Despite the fact that it is mid-April, the ground around here is nowhere near being ready for planting yet. But that’s ok, because we’re still getting some of our fields ready. 
As you can see in the photo, toward the back, this particular field has water standing in it (and this was before all the rain we’ve gotten the past few days!). We just bought the farm (we previously rented it), so my brother set to work laying a drain on this field. 
Essentially, the approach is to dig a ditch, like you see above. Then he laid some piping down and covered up the ditch. The idea is that the water will filter into the pipe and get some of the water off of the field. 
If you live in a rural area, then you’re probably familiar with the idea — county drains are everywhere around here. Do you have a drain commissioner? 
Anyway, hopefully the sun will come out, warm up the soil, and get some of this water off the field. Too bad we can’t save the rain until July when we really need it!
Is anyone in your area planting yet?

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: farming fridays, farming pictures, water

Hi, I'm Amanda. My family farms corn and soybeans in Southwest Michigan. I'm an attorney and I'm passionate about agriculture!

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The Farmer's Daughter

1 day ago

The Farmer's Daughter

Some of the soybeans are starting to turn!(Different field than the last post, but still a positive!)

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The Farmer's Daughter

1 week ago

The Farmer's Daughter

Green soybeans as far as the eye can see. I took this photo over the weekend. These beans should be turning yellow and drying for harvest. So why aren't they? Because...the spring drought.Seeds need water to germinate. But after we planted we didn't have rain for weeks. So those seeds just sat in the dirt and never sprouted. Then, finally, it rained. And the tiny plants started popping up.The problem? It was several weeks too late for planting. The question is whether they'll be ready to harvest before the snow flies. We have shorter seasons in Michigan, so it'll be close.

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The Farmer's Daughter

2 weeks ago

The Farmer's Daughter

In my latest for AGDAILY I take a look at that status of plant-based "milks" and the FDA's moves on labeling.

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'Almond Beverage': Yes, a label is finally doing it right! | AGDAILY

www.agdaily.com

The FDA's draft guidance on the milk label is a decent compromise on which the nutritional differences with actual milk must be clearly stated.

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The Farmer's Daughter

2 weeks ago

The Farmer's Daughter

This man is a menace to society. It scares me to see certain groups giving him a favorable look."Conspiracy stories are simple, whereas reality is complicated."

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Why RFK Jr.’s Science Disinfo Keeps Outrunning the Truth

plus.thebulwark.com

A conspiracy theory can be halfway around the world before a peer-reviewed replication can alphabetize its sources.

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The Farmer's Daughter

2 weeks ago

The Farmer's Daughter

It’s harvest season in Michigan. Remember that even if you have to slow down to 20 mph and follow a tractor for one mile, it takes only three minutes of your time – about the same amount as waiting for one stoplight.

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thefarmersdaughterusa

I'm Amanda. My family farms corn and soybeans in Southwest Michigan. I'm an attorney by day, and "agvocate" at night.

Amanda Zaluckyj
Some of the #soybeans are starting to turn--finall Some of the #soybeans are starting to turn--finally!
Green soybeans as far as the eye can see. I took Green soybeans as far as the eye can see. 

I took this photo over the weekend. These beans should be turning yellow and drying for harvest. So why aren't they? Because...the spring drought.

Seeds need water to germinate. But after we planted we didn't have rain for weeks. So those seeds just sat in the dirt and never sprouted. Then, finally, it rained. And the tiny plants started popping up.

The problem? It was several weeks too late for planting. The question is whether they'll be ready to harvest before the snow flies. We have shorter seasons in Michigan, so it'll be close.
Sunsets on the #farm are the best. 😍 Sunsets on the #farm are the best. 😍
💜💜 💜💜
Don't let anyone make you feel bad about not purch Don't let anyone make you feel bad about not purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables. It all counts.

#modernagriculture #foodproduction #usfarmers #usagriculture #usfarms #food #knowyourfarmer #knowyourfood #modernag #farms #sustainableagriclture #sustainablefarming
I visited one of my favorite local farm stands ove I visited one of my favorite local farm stands over the weekend. I thought I'd buy a couple zucchini and cantaloupe. But the zucchini looked more like clubs, and the cantaloupe was too ripe for my taste. So I passed on those and bought some tomatoes that maybe cost more than I would have preferred.

But you know what I didn't do? I didn't complain about the zucchinis' size. I didn't fuss about the melons' ripeness. I didn't criticize the tomatoes' price. Instead, I smiled at the lovely lady and made small talk as I paid and went about my day. 

Why? Because I remember what it was like being out by the side of the road hot day after hot day. I know that we all poured everything we had into that produce. I remember how defeating it felt when some criticized it. I know that the price is probably around market value, even if it's cheaper in the grocery store. And I know that the farm family behind that cash register is giving everything they have to chase a dream.

I won't be the one to rain on their parade. 

#Respect
Happy #nationaldogday from Mischa! #nationaldogda Happy #nationaldogday from Mischa!

#nationaldogday🐶 
#pittiemix 
#blacklab 
#mischa
Mischa and I are home on the farm for the weekend. Mischa and I are home on the farm for the weekend. And we're loving it.
It isn't one or the other. Farmers care about all It isn't one or the other. Farmers care about all of it.

#agriculture #farming #sustainablefarming #sustainability
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