A moose visited today.  Our friend Laurie Allen took this picture.

Weed control is the name of the game in organic farming.  We tilled under the cheat grass infested portion of our field before our first cutting.  Some of that area had to be mowed (and not harvested) due to pig weed infestation.  (But the cheat grass is now gone!!)

I think the mowing is okay, but the tilling should be done with care.  Broken soil seems to invite pig weed.

Next year, we will try using this old cultivator I have redone with some new fittings and chains.  We tried it out yesterday, but the pig weed was too well established and it didn't do very well.  If we use it in the spring when weeds first appear, it should pull some weeds out without hurting the alfalfa.  Alfalfa is a perennial with very deep roots.

Yesterday, two men came in a truck with two trailers and an elevator to take most of our first cutting hay to an organic dairy in Washington.

 

 

The gas engine on the elevator was hard to start.  They thought it had suffered from some vibration that caused oil to accumulate in the cylinder.

 

This is the fully loaded rear trailer.

 

  

Here, they started loading the front trailer.

This is the fully loaded system with over 30 tons of hay.

It was truly impressive to watch the driver back this thing out through the gate and onto the road!

Our first cutting looks good.  There were some weedy spots that we tilled under rather than harvest.

Last year, our friend Wade came by with his bale wagon and stacked our hay.  He is not available at the moment.  I hope we will find some help of that sort, but in the meantime, we hauled in bales with our pickup and stacked them by hand (with the help of our loader).  Fortunately, our son Eli and his friend Fred were available to help.  Thanks Eli & Fred!!!

Buddy is shown being the dog in the farm yard.  There are reactions from other animals, but the outdoor cats just watch him and the ducks ignore him.  Not-Thomas is the black and white cat shown observing Buddy from a safe distance.

On his part, Buddy does not seem inclined to chase or otherwise molest any of the animals.

Buddy, a five year old White Shepherd, joined our farm family today.

CORRECTION: Finisia Medrano