farm chick favorite

So, I am addicted baseball caps...

On my road trip to Texas, I found a cap [ and tees ] at Lazy J Ranch Wear. I fell in love. How can I not love a cap with a Hereford bull?!

This is my favorite new cap! You will be finding me wearing it all the time.

#farmchickfavorite

Friday on the Farm

So, I am checking on the field of rye this morning. It is snowing. The flakes of snow were falling from the sky and melting on the rye.  

[ agriculture photos @ monicastevens.photoshelter.com ]

a moment in Bishop Hill

Between farm errands and chores, I decided to enjoy a moment in Bishop Hill. Though dreary, it was the perfect day to enjoy a lingonberry iced tea from the Bishop Hill Bakery. I walked along the brick sidewalk covered in the colorful fall leaves. It was so peaceful.

 

I walked to one of the many cute shops in Bishop Hill. That morning, I went to Peasantworks. There, I purchased two old lamps I had seen earlier this summer. I will style them in my farm home. These lamps will be adorable with my rustic décor.

forage peas: week 1

We drilled peas on October 2 [ post from seeding peas ] and rye on October 3. The Austrian Winter Peas are forage peas. They will be chopped and bagged next spring as silage for our cows.

emerging peas

Today, I scouted the field. I was happy to see that the forage peas were emerging! And, I am excited to see how much they grow next week!

coffee protein shake

[ coffee + chocolate + milk = delicious ]

 

Here is a shake recipe I am very excited about sipping on in the morning! Coffee and chocolate is a great way to start the day.

4 ounces      brewed coffee
4 ounces      milk
1 scoop      chocolate protein powder

[ i will add a favorite fruit, peanut butter, or chocolate chips ]

Add the ingredients together in a blender. Blend until completely mixed. Pour into a glass and enjoy your morning!

farm find

 

So, I loaded up my truck with a hog creep feeder from the farm. Since it is no longer used, I thought it would be great to repurpose it at my house. It will be so crazy cute in my rustic landscaping! This summer, I bought a few native Illinois prairie plants [ Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem, Blue Flag Iris, Purple Prairie Clover, Sky Blue Aster, Spiderwort, and Wild Petunia ]. The rusty creep feeder will perfect nestled within the native plants. It will be such a cozy spot outdoors.

A large section of a tree truck had been sitting along the driveway to a pasture. After driving past it many of times, I finally decided to pick it up with my loader tractor and haul it to my house. I thought it would be so fun to grow flowers in it! The tree trunk had decomposed enough that it would be perfect as a rustic planter. When I dropped off my 'new' planter beside the pig creep feeder, my heart fluttered. They looked amazing together!

I am so excited to create a cozy area in my backyard to relax after a long day on the farm. It will be so much fun to landscape and decorate. I am thinking a fire pit will also be needed...    

Friday on the Farm

Austrian Winter Peas were seeded in a field. Eight acres of winter peas will be used as forage. Next spring, they will be chopped and bagged as silage for our cows.

austrian winter peas

Rye and Austrian Winter Peas were drilled in a field where corn was chopped for silage. Seeding rye and peas on the field will protect the soil from erosion. The rye and peas will be chopped and bagged next spring as forage. It should be great forage!

peas and rye

It rained this morning, so the forage peas and rye should have a great start to growing. It look forward to seeing the progress of the peas!

forage peas

We no-till drilled peas into a field. The Austrian Winter Peas are a forage pea. These forage peas will be chopped and bagged next spring. We will use the pea silage as feed for our cows.
 

Austrian Winter Peas

The peas were seeded at a rate of 50 pounds per acre. And, they were drilled at a depth of 2 inches. Soil conditions were ideal for seeding the peas. We purchased fifty pound bags of peas to be seeded over an eight acre field. 

The peas will be an excellent forage. The pea silage will be high in protein. From what I have read, tonnage and percentage of protein depends on the maturity of the peas when harvested. When peas are beginning to blossom, they yield 1 to 2 tons per acre and are 15 to 20% protein. When peas are developing pods, they yield 1.5 to 3.5 tons per acre and are 10 to 15% protein.

I had been wanting to grow peas as forage for our cows. After two years, we decided to plant the winter peas. I am so very excited to watch them grow!