Forage Harvesting

In my book, I talk about the origin of the tower silo, how the word originated, and trench silos, which both predated and outlived tower silos. Just to give you a visual of what the creation of silage is like, as well as what is meant by a trench silo, here are the Peterson Farm Brothers handling forage harvesting (the creation of silage) on their Kansas farm.

September on the Farm

Farming reminds us of the cycles of life—but so do other things. This summer, I’ve spent most of my time a couple of states away from my home, caring for my mom, who is in her late 80s. The weeks I’ve spent with her at the hospital and the nursing home have exposed me to all stages of life, as children and grandchildren visit aging parents.

As a result, I haven’t been posting much this summer—but I’m definitely not through with farming!

I particularly like the September Life of a Farmer video from the Peterson Farm Bros, because it’s mostly about corn—as is, of course, my book. One of the things I discuss in the book is the creation of silage. I also mention trench silos. You get to see both in this video.

Also in this video, they make silage out of sorghum. This is not a grain that will be familiar to most Americans—unless you’re from the South or have a farm. If you want to know more about this surprisingly important grain (fifth most important grain in the world), check out my post on sorghum on my The World’s Fare blog (and if you like baking, the post is followed by a recipe for sorghum cake).

Now here are the Peterson Farm Bros sharing what September is like on their farm.