I know we're going to get a few hot days yet, but it feels as if the seasons have changed. It was only 10°C (50°F) this morning, and the dew was heavy on the grass. In the farm fields the wheat harvest is mostly over, and the harvest of mixed grain is underway. It's late summer for me, with a taste of early fall. Much better than July!
Didn't get a picture of a combine at work, harvesting the grain, but there are lots of farmers now out baling the straw that is left behind. Not many of these old balers left, tossing the small 'square' bales onto the wagon towed behind. This was the mainstay of baling hay or straw for decades.
After the combine goes through, the straw (the stems of the grain) is left in swaths, and baled usually for use as bedding. A lot is shipped off in big rectangular bales to horse farms further south for this purpose. Not much nutritional value in this, though beef cattle can tolerate a bit in their diet if they're hungry.
I never did find a field of the big rectangular bales, but
Al of the Bayfield Bunch (one of the best blogs I know), featured 'Huron County Canyons' made of straw bales in his blog a few days ago. A pile of them fills a transport truck headed south pretty fast!
Many farmers who combine their own grain just use their hay baler to create the big round bales, the same as they do for the hay earlier in the season. Hay still has all the seeds of the grasses in it, so it has good nutritonal value.
This is a field of mixed grain that sure looks ready for harvest to me, but still awaits the combine.
And here on the home front we had one of those late summer mornings that makes me feel like fall, with heavy dew. It showed up best on this clump of Tamarack trees that I planted several years ago.
I guess the tiny needles hold the moisture well in the cool morning air.
Linking to:
We live in a rural area and I enjoy seeing the farmers baling hay, too. I guess it gives me a peek at the simpler life. After your first shots, it was surprising to see the 'colder' photos but they are lovely as well.
ReplyDeleteI like those big round bales! Hard to believe summer is winding down where you live....August is the hottest part of the summer around here.
ReplyDeleteThe wheat looks ready to harvest here too. Great photos!
ReplyDeleteFantastic old baler, when I was a child.. in the 1940's and early '50's, the bales were all oblong, even I could manage to heave one onto the trailer, and feeding out was a lot easier, no special trailer, but with bigger farms everywhere, huge herds of cows, and flocks/mobs/droves or mobs of sheep, the round ones started to come in.I do like the baler that has a chute to toss those bales onto the trailer, and those high sides are really handy. It looks like you will have a frost very soon.
ReplyDeleteI remember helping my grandfather do the baling years ago. That's a lot of hard work.
ReplyDeleteYou can send some of that cooler weather down our way. I enjoy the warmth but his is getting ridiculous.
Be Safe and Enjoy!
It's about time.
Excellent scenery! I love the pic of the hay bales and cloudy sky, superb. It hasn't cool off for us farther south.
ReplyDeleteLovely golden shots.
ReplyDeleteWe had a tamarack tree/shrub by my childhood home. I had lethal limbs for switches for bad little girls! Beautiful fields.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed seeing all your pics in our post. It would be a great job to take care of the fields.
ReplyDeleteWonderful golden fields , so lovely to look at .
ReplyDeleteI always look forward to mid August's early signs of Autumn and especially this year with it's long hot and dry summer. Autumn's magical enchantment has always been my favorite time of year and I even have a birthday right in the middle of it. You have some really nice late summer photos there. It's a beautiful part of the country we both live in and thanks for the mention:))
ReplyDeleteThe cool weather is in the air and soon the heat waves will be over for another year.
ReplyDeleteHello, pretty scenes with the hay fields and beautiful skies! Enjoy your day and the week ahead!
ReplyDeleteI love seeing the crops harvested through the summer but it is also a reminder that the season is going by pretty fast. I enjoyed your harvest photos.
ReplyDeleteI like the look of the hay in the fields. Around here they cover them with white plastic so they look like huge marshmallows. :-)
ReplyDeleteOur Summer is not nearly over here.. DARN! Here on the Cumberland Plateau, we have had a very hot summer this year --and it's been EXTREMELY dry. Our yard/flowers have suffered with this weather --but we are watering them to keep them alive...
ReplyDeleteI'm So READY for FALL...
Hugs,
Betsy
After growing up in Vermont and living out west for 20 years, it was a shock to my system to see these new fangled haying technologies.
ReplyDeleteAfter growing up in Vermont and living out west for 20 years, it was a shock to my system to see these new fangled haying technologies.
ReplyDeleteThe tamarack trees are a particular delight. I believe some of those get a golden shade in the needles in the fall.
ReplyDeleteWe have a lot of tamarack trees around my place. They turn golden brown then drop their needles.
ReplyDeleteIt is still so hot here in Ontario. We went into town early this morning before the heat of the day. We saw lots of farmers working on their hay while it was still cool.
Looks a lot like around here. Most have the rolled hay but still some of the other kind around too.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures.
It's still really hot down here, but it cools off faster at night than it did a few weeks ago. Yes, fall is in the air.
ReplyDelete