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At Lamb Farms we use
almost 8,500 acres to grow all the forage needed by our 8,000 animals.
On an average year, our crop land is divided into 4 basic crops: 4,200
acres of corn, 400 acres of wheat, 700 acres of various vegetables
and 3,200 acres of hay.
Our typical cow diets are 2/3 corn silage and 1/3 haylage while heifer
diets are 1/3 corn silage and 2/3 haylage.
Several specially designed pieces of equipment are used to manage
our crops and below we will show some of them. |
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Planting over 4,000
acres of corn is a big task on any farm and Lamb Farms is geared
up for the task.
Twin 12 row Kinze planters are used with a conventional tillage
system on most of the corn acres and a JD 7000 6 row zone till planter
fills in the balance on a small portion of acres.
Computerized monitors in the tractor alert the driver when any small
detail of the planting process goes astray.
Dry fertilizer, insecticides and herbicides are all applied at the
planter which reduces the need of making an additional pass over
the ground.
A tender truck containing fertilizer, chemicals and seeds keeps
the planter going quickly and efficiently.
Seeds from the big totes are put into the planter with a blower.
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Hay is cut every 28 days which averages about 4 times per season.
About 800 acres of new hay seedings are established each year and
most field will stay in hay for 3-4 years.
Most seeding are done in August following the removal of the wheat
crop.
A Krone "Big M" self propelled mower helps get the hay
cut quickly. 25 acres per hour can be mowed with this mower alone.
The "Big M" cuts 3 - 10' rows and lays them flat for quicker
drying.
When turning the "Big M" picks up all 3 mowing decks to
keep them from being damaged. The two outside decks fold up vertically
while the center deck picks straight up.
A Case IH 8880 with a 15' deck is also used to keep up with the
mowing.
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The flat
mowed hay is gathered into rows after is has dried sufficiently.
Two 30' mergers are used for this task - a Oxbow 310 and a Miller
Pro 310.
Three 10' tables work as one continuous table to gather the hay
into a row.
If the hay is rained on after it has been merged it is then spread
back out with a tedder and redried and merged again before it is
chopped or baled.
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A New Holland BB960A
is used to bale hay and straw.
This baler uses 33 knives to process the hay into short pieces which
makes it easier to incorporate into rations and eliminates a second
step of chopping the straw before it can be used for bedding.
4'x8' bales are tied with 6 strings and sometime a propionic acid
preservative is added to help keep the hay from molding.
A sensor in the bale chamber changes the rate of acid that is applied
depending upon the moisture of the hay.
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Silage is usually packed
with 2 tractors on the pile.
Here a Case IH 9350 with a 14' Degelman blade is pushing hay up on
the pile.
When the bunk is full it is covered with plastic sheeting. The sidewalls
from tractor trailer tires that have holes cut in them are used to
hold the plastic in place. The holes let water out making it a much
easier job to cover the bunk. |
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A close working
relationship with several different neighbors accommodates many different
crops.
Depending upon the situation cabbage, peas, beets, snap beans, carrots
and cucumbers are grown.
Field preparation, planting and harvesting are shared according to
the crop being grown.
Here two different varieties of cabbage are being harvested. |
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