The ewes have news, finally starting to show
Lambs to come in November. So excited!

Pickings are getting smaller by the day.. here's todays..
Unfortunately summer is almost over, which means the garden is almost done producing produce of the summer varieties. I am so thankful I decided to have a garden this summer, I did it just for a hobby and so glad I did. Gardening is so fun, especially  being able to have enough to give others and be able to supply my family and our house with fresh produce weekly. 
Literally some weeks.. My thoughts were "What am I going to do with all this?" 

Plants that are still producing as of this week are:

• Tomatoes (3 different varieties)
• Green Peppers
• Habanero Peppers 

Today I picked the last:

• Cantaloupe 
• Watermelon

It is sad to see this gardening season coming to an end...
BUT..
I am SO looking forward to next summer already: I have BIG PLANS in mind and cannot wait to share! 

Double crop beans are looking good, they have been enjoying this rain the last couple of days. Notice this field, you've seen before of course, if you remember it had wheat on it earlier this year, then was harvested and then planted with beans. This field has defiantly met all needs for the year along with many others. As far as non-double crop beans/full season beans they are starting to dry out and drop their leaves before long, it will be time to get the combines back out. So on your drive into work, check out the beautiful scenery change from green to golden.

In January I decided  I wanted sheep. So, I first thought just one maybe a bottle lamb and see how that goes. I started to look and after maybe a day or two I found chops here and yes I had to name him that because I like puns, and it's fitting.

Bottle babies have always been my thing especially when it was a calf. Those phone calls from papa were and still are the best. 

But a bottle lamb is so much different than a calf. Most importantly I was able to bring them inside a little easier, with less of a mess. And yes I did bring chops inside on occasions. 

Now chops is a little over 8 months old, loves running, chasing his ewe's and most importantly he sometimes likes to head butt you, its like he waits for the perfect opportunity and gets you when your least expecting it, of course he is just playing. 

Honestly when I first got chops I didn't know that I was gonna love sheep just as much as cows and y'all know that is ALOT! 

Great learning day at the University of Kentucky Research and Education Center KATS training today!  

Talks that were given today were over the following topics

• ​Fundamentals of setting a combine
• Combine adjustments and operation to reduce harvest lost
• Updates on corn disease management 
• Soybean disease management
• Forages as a cover crop

I was able to learn how to identify diseases in corn such as Diplodia Ear Rot, Diplodia Leaf Streak, Northern Corn Leaf Blight, Southern Rust and more. Knowing what to look for in your crops is very important whether it be a fungi, weeds, or even damage from weather conditions, or chemical applications that may have burned the plant.

These trainings to me are so beneficial, I love learning new things, things are changing in the industry daily. 

KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION IS ALWAYS IMPORTANT IN ANY SITUATION

It is also important to know, if you have a fungi what fungicide to apply and at what time, and same goes for herbicides for weeds, you need to know what each product does the best on, or application timing.  For example if you tried to spray Dicamba in a field for all weeds one being waterhemp. Lets say you  went back a couple weeks later and all waterhemp was killed but all grass was still there. You cannot figure out why, well that's were product knowledge comes in handy. Dicamba  isn't going to kill the grass, it is safe on most grasses. Dicamba is more for broadleaf weeds and woody plants.

There are a lot of important things to know when using chemicals like mode of actions, or if it is a contact or systemic, and even more.(stay tuned for more blogs & more information on what you should know about the products your applying)

Here are some photos I was able to snap today

Can you guess in any of these photo what disease is what?
(Answers will be posted tomorrow stay tuned)

These last few weeks have been very dry. So grateful and thankful for all the rain today.

Everything needed a good shower to replenish especially crops, gardens and even creeks for all of our livestock. 

I know many are so happy with the cold front that has came along with the storms. I know I am, fall is just around the corner, which means it's  almost time for harvest again, and I cannot wait!
​

Routine mowing waterways and along the outside of the fields.

So Friday in the mall I received a big yellow envelope that said "2019 Kentucky Tree Survey", from the Arbor Day Foundation. Honestly at first I was like what the heck is this, and then I opened it, and obviously it was a survey but...

This survey taught me something and that is how slim I actually know about types of trees/identification. So with that I am pushing myself to look up more types of trees and get to know more. 

So for tonight blog I would like to do something different. This shall be a fun interactive post, and I cannot wait to see everyones responses if you choose to do so.
POP QUIZ...NOT...Just for fun

1. How many trees do you have in your yard?
2. How many of those have you planted?
3. Can you name some trees you know off the top of your head that you could identify if shown one?
4. What is your favorite type of tree?
5. If you were to take a walk, in someones yard could you identify their trees?

Basically after this survey I took a lot of thought into how many trees I could identify off the top of my head or point out and honestly I cannot identify that many at all. 

So how am I going to apply this and learn from this survey?
I am going to  look up types of common trees and push myself to know a little more about all the different types of trees, wether it be what there shade coverage is, or what they are used for in terms of making things, basically everything, 

In the nice green field pictured, you are looking at a Sudangrass, SudanX hybrid, and a Sorgo- Sorghum Sudangrass made by Super Sugar. In late June, this field was drilled with each variety individually. This was a test plot to see the difference in each variety. 

Lively H is trying something new, the boys have been hard at work, cutting and baling corn for silage!

Update on the new baler: It hasn't stopped moving since its been at the farm...I'm serious. Just making all types of bales: Hay, Straw, Silage, Haylage..
YES!  We are still producing marshmallows thanks to the
silage
​&
haylage
 bales that have to be wrapped. 

 Stay tuned for upcoming blog on what's the difference is between those, 

Remember my blog post on June 28?
If not, or you didn't see it go back and check it out.

On June 28 I posted this same exact squash but in an earlier growing stage and not ripe, I also talked about how I was growing many different varieties of squash in my garden this summer. 

Do you know what type of squash this is now?
The shape defiantly gives it away. 

If you guessed butternut squash, your correct!