Farming Fridays! - The Farmer's Daughter USA

Welcome, Soybean Pods!

We are now a week into August and that means we’re getting closer and closer to harvest (can you believe that?). A couple weeks ago, I pointed out the soybean’s purple flower and explained that the flower would eventually turn into the pod. If you look closely in the picture, you can clearly see where the pods are showing up:

We will keep tracking them as the season continues.

In other soybean news, we definitely are in need of some rain here. I know, it seems a bit contradictory because we’ve been complaining that it was too wet for quite a while. But the beans are getting thirsty and we have not had any of the recent showers. Just a reminder that the weather is such a big part of what we do, but also out of our control. Slight changes make a difference.

As an aside, one of the best things about AGvocating is the really awesome people I’ve “met” in other states and, even, other countries. Not only do I love engaging with those that read and follow the blog, but I also enjoy connecting with other agriculture bloggers.

Last week I received this card from one of my favorite blogger buddies and it totally made my day.

It is definitely nice to connect with people that are the same page and have the same goals to connect the general public with what we do. I won’t out her identity, but I definitely appreciate and love the gesture!

Finally, I want to wish you all a Happy National Zucchini Day! If you’ve ever tried to grow them, you know that once the zucchini starts producing, you quickly get way too many of them! Apparently, on National Zucchini Day, you’re supposed to be a good neighbor and leave some on your neighbor’s porch. Of course, if they also have a zucchini plant, then it might not be nice to leave them even more on the porch! 😉

Thanks to Fix.com for letting me use their graphic!

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The View from the Combine

This week our fields dried out enough so we were able to get in there and start picking corn (finally!). I wanted to share a few photos with you guys to show you some of the technology we’re able to use to get real time results and data.

The photos above show a monitor that we have in the combine. The photo on the left shows real time data of the field. As we go across the field, the system is actually creating a map of the field which reflects the yields across the field. It’s literally a GPS system tracking the field for us. After harvest, we can access these maps to see where there are problem areas. For example, if a particular area has really low yields, we may be able to do a soil test to see if something is missing. Obviously, this helps us increase yields and also direct nutrients to the soil exactly where it’s needed. Talk about efficiency!

The screen on the right is the one usually showing while we’re picking. It shows real time data for the yields as the combine is crossing the field. It also shows a field’s average yield, how much we’ve harvested so far, our overall yields, and other relevant information.

And, most excitingly, I managed to get a video from the combine as my brother was picking. Sorry the video quality isn’t very awesome, but the ride is a little bouncy!