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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Evaluating new possibilities!

As new technology emerges, Lamb Farms is always trying to keep up with the learning curve by evaluating the new possibilities. On August 5th 2006, the television show "Modern Marvels" featured Clauss's new Cougar 1400 mower.
This mower has 5 cutter heads that can each be operated independently of the others. Each cutter head is 3.3 meters wide, allowing for a total cutting width of 45 feet. Powered by a 435 hp Mercedes motor, this mower can average more than 40 acres per hour.

At the recent farm demo, different farm employees had their chance to get behind the controls. They soon found out why this machine was considered a "Modern Marvel".

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.

coming

Lamb Farms is Going Green!

In the summer of 2010 we embarked on a new project at Farm 1 with the start of our new methane digester.  The digester is a “plug flow” system designed by GHD out of Chilton, Wisconsin.

This technology is allowing us to use the manure from the cows to create energy, providing the electricity needed to run the home farm site.  In addition to providing a green energy source for our operation, the digester is also providing bedding for the cows and hot water which is used to wash the milking equipment as well as providing heat for the parlor in the winter.

At left is the electric generator for the digester.  The methane gas that the “cooking” manure produces is pumped into this engine where it replaces fossil fuel normally used to produce electricity.  The generator produces 400 kilowatts of electricity 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  This supplies all the electricity that the farm needs.

Once manure passes through the methane digester, where it is heated to over 101 degrees for 21 days, it is further processed through a separation system in this barn.  The "cooked" manure is run through screw presses that separate the liquids from the solids. The solids are squeezed dry enough to be used as bedding on top of the mattresses in the cows' stalls.

The liquids, now pathogen free because of the “cooking” process, are used as fertilizer for our crops.