What plants we grow, when they are grown and how they grow
What plants we grow:
We grow primarily 2 cash crops: corn and soybeans. (They are called cash crops because they are harvested and sold on the market. Like My Forever said, it’s the final thing you sell. Sometimes corn is intended as cash crop, but ends up being silage or grazed. It all depends on the weather and outside influences.
When are they grown?
In NE Kansas where we are located, our growing season for these crops are from April-ish to September-October-ish. Planting and harvesting depends a lot on the weather. For example, sometimes we have a wet spring and we can’t get into the field because they are wet and muddy. We do not want to leave tracks in the field. Planting and harvesting are stressful seasons. A lot needs done in a very short period so that means exceptionally long days!
How they grow:
We are a no-till operation. That means that we do not till the soil. We plant directly into the soil without turning the soil over with a disk or field cultivator. We feel like soil’s needs are very similar to what we, as humans, need in order to stay healthy. We need shelter, food and exercise. Soil needs the same. Soil’s shelter is the material left on top of the ground providing shade in the summer months and as a coat in the winter. This is where cover crops come into affect. After harvesting the cash crops we immediately plant something into the soil to start growing so that the soil isn’t left bare.
Next food! Just like us, soil needs a diverse diet. We shouldn’t eat the same thing all the time, duh! Whether that one thing is lettuce or donuts, it’s not good for us if we eat nothing else. Our bodies are made for diversity. Think about how our ancestors would have lived. They would have eaten in seasons when the food was available, diets always changing. (No Aldi, Walmart or Target to run to back then.) That is what soil needs as well! Soil is alive. There are all sorts of organisms living in it. Some we can see, some are only microscopic. When we “feed” these organisms a diverse diet, they thrive. Another reason why we believe in cover crops with a lot of diversification in the seed mixture. The organisms are able to find what they like and need in the vast variety that is offered when we plant a lot of options.
Last, exercise. If we listen to some of the most successful people, almost 100% of them say that regular (read daily) exercise of some kind is in their schedule. So many of us feel like we can’t fit it in, but our bodies are made to move. They actually start breaking down when we don’t move our bodies like we should. Exercise provides stress on our bodies which encourages them to find ways to adapt and to grow. A little bit of stress on the plants are just like that. Too little moisture encourages them to really dig those roots deep into the ground to find moisture under the ground. A little pest control about the ground, encourages the good bugs to show up and take care of the bad ones, etc.
This is a whole system and it takes time to get a working system that is taking care of itself. It takes patience and really understanding how everything is intimately interconnected and everything we do has an effect on lots of other things as well. We aren’t afraid to use cattle on the farm ground, in the right situations. We don’t want them to tear it up after a rain, but we want them to put their all natural fertilizer (poop) on the soil for the organisms to use. We find cattle to be very beneficial in operation.
As you read about our diversified operation, keep in mind that we believe in holistic management! Everything is intimately interconnected. I know I keep saying it, but it’s true! With that in mind, we can make decisions for our operation.
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~Matt & Kelsey