paul

Well-known Member
Looked at my barley, a very rare crop here any more.

For about zero effort on the 8 acres, it looks pretty good to me. Last year everything drowned out, I didn’t get 40 bu off of 4 acres, and that was chaff. The year before I got some but it wasn’t the best either. I’m sure this is pathetic compared to the actual barley growing areas, but in my wet climate with clay soils, it’s a nice hobby patch for me. Better fertilizer management and probably some fungicides would spruce it up.

This year I spread some urea, only a few lbs, after I side dressed corn. And hit it with some broadleaf killer, the mild stuff that doesn’t kill clover/alfalfa to knock down some giant ragweed.

It’s short this year, but I think it’s always short. The pigeon grass is coming up terrible now, but doesn’t matter much as I swath small grains anyhow.

Paul


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Neighbor down the road raises heritage hogs, they tend to get older and bit more fat. Barley keeps the fat whiter, he wanted to try some. So that’s the main reason, my cattle will eat any extra.

He is a diesel mechanic, I don’t mind a person like that feeling they owe me a favor in a neighborly way........

Paul
 
That looks good. I had contemplated & was going to put in some of the brewers variety this year, but thought better of it. Found out you need a real dry late summer, early fall for a successful harvest. That doesn't happen much. We're only 12 mi. inland from Lake Michigan. We may not get much rain, but you can usually water ski on the lawn in the morning from all the dew.

Next year I will be starting a couple tiny, garden sized patches of wheat. I found Garnet & Utrecht Blue. Ought to be interesting. The Blue is an old variety from the Netherlands & the Garnet is a dirty word in Canada. Didn't actually think I'd find any.

Mike
 
He has Mangalica or Mangalica cross breeds if I recall right. He only has a handful. But it’s fun to help out.

Paul
 
Mangalica. That's a wooly pig. They're kind of funny looking creatures. Pigs are a lot of fun to work with. I think the best part is staying smarter than they are. Those pigs can be some crafty animals & pretty agile for being so darned big. When I was visiting my great uncle back when I was a runt, I seen a feeder size pig standing lengthwise & next to about a 3' wood gate & it was sniffing at something on the air. Just when I thought it was going to lay down, it springs up & over the gate & takes off down the alley! There wasn't 4' between the gate & the wall in the barn, so I guess the pig figured out that it wasn't jumping over it the conventional way of nose first. Don't know what it was after. The pig headed west & I headed east to find my uncle.

If I ever get the room, one of these days there will be some Large Whites around here. In honor of that infamous "spring pig".

Mike
 

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