Tractor Line-up (the Deers)

Number 1


This is the 8300. It is our largest John Deere and our only tractor with tracks (rubber).

We have only 1 of this type.










Number 2 of the big boys is the 8120.

It is 4 wheel drive with duel rear tires.

We have 1 of this type.









Number 3 is the 7330.

A little smaller 4 wheel drive with single rear tires.

This tractor's wheels are adjusted especially to work in the potato fields which have slightly different spaces between the rows.

I use this tractor the most. We have 1 of this type.




Number 4.

Here we have the 6120. It is also 4 wheel drive.

This is the beaver of our tractors, it is used on all our field maintenance equipment and used steady through out the summer.

We have 3 of these tractors.




Number 5.

Last on the John Deere list is the 6110. It is a little smaller than the 6120 and is only 2 wheel drive. It is the most agile of the Deere's and can turn in its own length.








All our John Deere's have enclosed cabs, with air conditioning and a stereo radio. Life is tuff eh!

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Cranberry fields in flower....

Cranberries are pollinated by bees and they are very important to a good crop. The difference between a good and fair crop can be in the amount several hundred thousand dollars. Nothing to trifle with.

This is a photo of the little flowers, each one if pollinated produces a cranberry.






These are the buds and flowers that are so very critical. If we were to get a frost it would kill them and the crop would be very small.

All the cranberry fields are protected by a computer system which monitors the temperatures and will start up and stop the irrigation system as required. The water is warmer than the air thus raising the temperature.









Frost protection running.









In this photo we have a view of field #3 located right outside our door where we are camped.

You can see the light pink through out the field where the buds are coming into bloom.










Now we bring in the honey bees.

We have a bee contractor who supplies us with over two hundred hives. They are distributed through out the cranberry fields and do the majority of the pollination required for a good crop.








Here is another location with hives.

The hives are in place for approximately 3 weeks.

The cost is over $35,000.


And.... we do not get to keep the honey!





Here they are hard at work for another season.

We would not have cranberries if it were not for our bees.

What will happen if our bees disappear like they slowly are.







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Weed control, does it ever END!

NOT while a crop is growing!

Introducing the ROTARY HOE

This gadget that goes on the back of a tractor is called a rotary hoe. It is composed of dozens of little wheels and each wheel has a bunch of hoes on it.
As the wheel turns, a little hoe goes about 1 inch into the soil at the front of the turn and flips soil out at the back of the turn.
Any plants with only short roots gets pulled out of the ground.






It can be used to weed in fields that have been planted before the seeds germinate.

It can also be used in fields where the crop has broken surface.

When a bean plant breaks surface it has established a root that goes down several inches anchoring itself. We can now operate the rotary hoe again in these fields.





When the weeds seeds germinate they are in the top 1/4 inch of soil, a small root starts and a small green sprout breaks surface.

During this stage they are vulnerable and easily taken out by the rotary hoe. The crop is not affected by the little hoes.

You can see the rows of beans behind the rotary hoe as it passes over them.





Robert is operating the rotary hoe again this year. It is a time consuming job as each field must be redone every 3 to 4 days. If one waits longer the weeds get a longer root and can no longer be take out with this machine. Bad news if this happens.









This piece of equipment can operate for 2 twelve hour days at 10 miles per hour doing many fields for the same price as a large crew of hoer's working for 1 hour.

Yes, even with the cost of fuel as it is now.









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Weeding cycle for corn

Corn is a little simpler than potatoes.

See the weeds behind me, and on the left edge see where I have gone over with the rotovator.








A view of the corn rotovator which is set up different than the potato rotovator.














Then the weeding crew comes in again.













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Weeding cycle for organic potatoes

As I mentioned before, weeding does not stop.

We have had 8 days of rain and wet weather so the fields have been too wet to work.

The potatoes have grown, and of course the weeds.

Can you see the weeds between the rows of potatoes?

This is what happens next.........





First the in-row rotovator goes through the fields chewing up the weeds between the rows leaving the potatoes intact. This gets rid of the weeds between the rows.

Sorry, I missed a photo of the equipment.








Next, our hoeing crew tackles the weeds within the rows. Yup, its all done by hand.



























The hoeing crew has gone through this field. You can see their footprints in the soft soil.












Next, we go through the field with the cultivator which softens the soil in preparation for the hiller which comes next.












Here is a photo of the hiller making those nice hills in which the potatoes grow.











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Organic potatoes and late blighjt

Potatoes can be susceptible to a nasty fungus called "Late Blight".
This is especially serious for the organic farmer who cannot use the strong chemicals available on the market. There is only one item approved for organic farming that makes a difference and that is made up of copper in a form we can mix with water called "Copper Hydroxide". Our soils are low in this mineral as well so the addition of copper is a benefit to its mineral balance.



We like to start our spraying when the plants reach 4-6 inches in height. The leaves are coated with the copper which forms a protection from spores when they land on the leaves.

In this photo I am driving through our first potato field that is ready for spraying with the sprayer behind me. You can see the potatoes are at the required height.






Here, you can see the booms extended with the sprayer in operation. We are using a pressure of about 250 psi, traveling at 5 miles per hour and this will apply 2 kg of copper per 10 acres.










My view of the booms in the mirror. They must be kept level and at the right height above the plants for best coverage.











From now on until harvest we will continue to spray every 5-10 days depending on weather conditions. The more rain the more often we need to spray. As the new leaves are forming they are vulnerable to the blight spores and must be covered before any land. Copper spraying is my 1st priority on the farm.

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Lost ocean going ships

Could it be that this ship made a wrong turn and is going up our irrigation ditches?

Wow, here is another one traveling in the opposite direction.The United Spirit is a car carrying freighter.

One sees the strangest things while working in the fields.


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Potato Planter

This is the potato planter being pulled by a tractor. The planter has a bin full of cut seed potatoes which it plants in neat rows. This planter does 4 rows at a time.












The next stage in potato planting is to follow the planted rows with a cultivator.
There are 2 reasons for this:
1. First stage of weeding.
2. Soften the soil to prepare for the hiller.

Here I am following the tracks of the planter, you can see the passes I already made on the left and right sides.




This picture shows the hiller on the back of a 6120 John Deere tractor.













A view to the rear showing the hilling plows at work.











Finished fields.

Now it will be a continuous schedule of weeding. We do as much weeding with equipment as we can. If we do not keep ahead of the weeds this way, when the potatoes are out of the ground and reach a size too large for the weeders they will have to be done by hand. Contract labour is very expensive.





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More soil working stages

Over a period of several days, this field has been worked over with a disc or other implement that breaks down the soil and kills the weeds and grass.

The number of passes depends on the condition of the weeds and soil and weather.

Sunlight on the roots is a major factor in killing the grass




More and more passes are made, always at a different angle.















Here is a picture of the soil when we are just about ready to plant.
No grass or weeds to be seen.










This is the last pass prior to planting. Notice the lumps are smaller and the tracks from the packer breaking down those lumps.









Next we will show the potato side of our farm.

Working the soil - and grass to no-grass

First and second stage.

Composted manure has been spread over the grass and weeds in the field.
The manure is then disced in with one pass. This starts the process of working the soil as well as covering the (smell?)
See the grass on the right and one pass on the left.
























A view of what we are working with.
This is what the field is completely covered with. No herbicides were used in this field.



















Third stage:

There is a second pass with the disc which is done at a different angle to the first pass.
See the change in the soil.


















A close up of what the soil looks like on the second pass of the disc.


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