Being the corn crop here isn’t the best, the guys decided to fill two of the silos along with the bunker with silage. You may remember that the guys filled the bunker last week. Now they are onto filling the silos.
My hubby works the blower position. He makes sure the silage gets into the blower and into the silo. The silage in the wagon dumps into the blower. I blows the silage up the tube to the top of silo and then it falls into the silo.
His boss drives the chopper in the field and cuts the corn. Two or three extra guys haul the loads in and out of the field.
The silo filling hasn’t gone as smoothly as the bunker filling did. The chopper broke two separate times bringing them to a complete stand still. They had been planning to finish up earlier in the week but with the breakdowns that didn’t happen. Now of course the oppressive heat is back and they are sweating through it. Working, doing these jobs, with heat indexes up in the lower 100’s is no fun.
Typically the loads get hauled so quickly in and out that they do about 60 loads a day. The wagons are constantly moving.
Just a few minutes ago I heard the blower stop. I looked out the window to see a big line up. I was worried that the blower had broke down.
Not another break down!! Then I realized the first silo was full and now they are filling the second silo.
Keep your fingers crossed for no more break downs.
I love the smell of freshly cut silage – a sweet green odor. Our silage was packed in a “bunker” type silo, cut into a hill on the farm. I have so many wonderful memories of those days. Thanks for bringing back those memories.
Nancy, I love the smell of silage, too! I am from Iowa, and it was one of those smells I just really missed while I was living on the coasts.
I have hauled the wagons and filled silos and it is hot and dirty work. But you gotta feed the cows in the Winter. I live in NW Illinois and the corn is so-so here.
I always thought that it was the actual corn in the silo’s…. what do I know????
We have had days like that, too. Now, though, we put everything (corn silage and haylage) into bunks. Then it gets scooped up and added to the mixer as needed throughout the year.
Here recent rains greened up the corn plants, but this spate of hot weather is drying it down fast. Sounds like I will be driving the chopper next. week as we fill our bunker before we go to the silos. Always know that fall is in the air when the choppers are in the field.