Combining barley

Dana · August 06, 2007, 08:04:26 AM

I didn't make the pig roast as I had 10 acres of barley ready to combine. The weather report called for rain this week (forcast has now changed :

)

so I spent Saturday in the field. I hope to see you all next year.

Quartlow · August 06, 2007, 08:07:36 AM

Thats a Gleaner E isn't it? Wifes cousin just sold one this summer,, replaced it with a K
Barley? you making beer?

Dana · August 06, 2007, 08:17:16 AM

Quartlow, It is a Gleaner K. Not planning on making any beer, but have lots of grain for anyone who wants to.

thurlow · August 06, 2007, 08:44:41 AM

Never cut barley and never ran a "K", but have run a "72", "E", "AII", "F", and "LII". Is it cut so low to the ground a-purpose (necessary to save the grain) or are you baling the straw?

Coon · August 06, 2007, 01:39:36 PM

Love to see those older machines still working. We don't see very many old units like that around here working in the field. Most farmers have newer and bigger equipment than that. I live in the heart of grain farming country too. Don't get me wrong there are quite a few farmers that run older equipment around here but a Gleaner "K" is not all too common anymore.

Combining season is not upon us yet this far north. From what I understand they are harvesting in the southern part of the province but here we are a couple of weeks away. Swathing is just starting and the combining will follow about a week or two later. Looks like a bumper crop year with decent prices to boot. Gotta love that cuz in these farming communities if you have a bad crop or low crop prices the whole community hurts. All of our farming communities have been hurting for a few years now so.....

farmerdoug · August 06, 2007, 09:47:52 PM

I am sure that he is baling the straw. Around here they like barley straw bales to put in the ponds to control algae. Brings 5-10 dollars a bale around here.
:

Farmerdoug

Dana · August 06, 2007, 09:58:55 PM

FarmerDoug you are right I'm baling the straw. Glad to hear prices on "pond" barley straw. I may try that first but can sell it for $3.00 a bale to the landscapers if no one wants it for their pond.
Coon you are right about this being an antique. Everytime something major breaks I wonder if I will find the part. Allis Chalmers had good engineers though since most parts are available at the local parts store. They even used a 6 cylinder chevy for power.

Faron · August 06, 2007, 10:51:16 PM

We ran a K in the 70's and early eighty's. They are a good, solid, simple to maintain machine. Ours met a bad end, though. My brother came up a hill and over the top. When he started down the other side, it popped out of gear.

He almost made it down using the brakes, but it got to whipping from side to side, and finally hooked a tree on the roadbank with the header and turned it over. He wasn't hurt, but the K didn't survive. :(

Lanier_Lurker · August 07, 2007, 01:07:05 AM

Down where I'm from they bale peanut vines/straw and fed it to both Holsteins and beef cattle.
After trips through a peanut picker and the intake rakes on the baler, much of the sand and grit gets slung off.

Good for the cow's teeth I guess. :D

One thing I learned whilst operating a combine many years ago: don't get too close to any kudzu with it.

As a youngster I had the misfortune of getting some kudzu vines into a row crop header on a large combine. What a mess! >:(

It took me about 2 hours to clean it out. >:(

Handy Andy · August 08, 2007, 11:30:04 PM

I planted some winter barley a few times,, the darn stuff gets ripe the same time as wheat.
What kind is that? Maybe spring planted? Anyway, the last time I planted it, the darn stuff got ready during wheat harvest, and when the wheat was finished, the barley had shattered out on the ground. Jim

Quartlow · August 09, 2007, 08:54:57 PM

Well if ya get bored with barley , you could always plant spelts or buckwheat. ;D

Coon · August 10, 2007, 01:24:56 AM

Barley tends to shell out,bleach and shrivel if not harvested at the right time. Wheat can stand a little longer. Around here the barley is ready just before the wheat as it takes fewer days to mature.

Dana · August 10, 2007, 08:10:40 AM

HandyAndy, It was spring planted barley. I planted it the first week of May but it could have went in as early as April.
I always try to get my Oats in by April 15 the ground is free of snow by then and can be worked up and planted. We then esually get one more snow that will stay for a couple days. That snow really seems to get the oats germinating quickly. Barley can be planted during that time period as well. This land didn't come available to me until late this spring so I didn't get it in when I would have liked. I did get a very good high quality harvest however.
Late this week or next I will start on the Oats.

Coon · August 10, 2007, 01:19:26 PM

What did the barley crop run for bushels/acre? What variety of barley is it? Could it be sold for malt barley if you had the market for it? There is usually a good premium paid out for malt barley but at the same time they do have certain qualities they are lloking for.

Weekend_Sawyer · August 10, 2007, 01:44:28 PM

X marks the spot, did you find the treasure ???

Handy Andy · August 10, 2007, 02:04:54 PM

I was wondering what the X was too. Here the best time to plant oats is the last week of Febuary, and does best if it gets snowed on. That darn stuff is ripe same time as wheat too. Jim

thurlow · August 10, 2007, 02:11:06 PM

I assumed the "x" was the glare off the windshield................

Dana · August 11, 2007, 07:26:02 AM

The x must be from the suns reflection on the window. It was in all the photo's taken from inside the cab.
I haven't figured my bushel's to the acre yet. There is a bin calculator for doing so and I have to do a few measurements on depth and width. The barley was certified seed. There are a lot of micro-brewrey's in the area. I don't know if I planted the right variety for brewing though.
The bin is new to me, which is another story. I got it from a neighbor a couple miles down the road. I just cut up a couple 8x8 for skids and haulled her down the road to our farm. It was all back roads so no problem with traffic.

Mr Mom · August 11, 2007, 07:28:51 AM

I thought the x was a stone chip in the window.

Thanks Alot Mr Mom

SwampDonkey · August 11, 2007, 03:42:35 PM

Dana I see some farmers cutting barley here this week also. The 'on the ball' farmers have their grain cut before spud harvest in September. The not so on the ball folks try to cut wet, lodged, sprouted grain in late October. :

Dana · August 12, 2007, 09:16:44 AM

SwampDonkey, Those farmers are probably the same ones who start cutting hay in July. Nothing dries quicker than good brown grass. :

It must be a real pain to combine wet, sprouted grain. The Gleaner starts to balk if I combine into the evening.The moisture on the straw causes plugging problems. As soon as the dew settles its time to stop.