For the Dogs?

Do you know what goes into dog food?

You will never guess....triticale.

Today a big truck came to the farm

 and took the fourth load of triticale to the dog food factory!

I did not know so many different animals ate the grain that we grow. 

I feed grain to my chooks, to make them lay eggs.

Dad feeds grain to the sheep, to help them grow wool and meat.

Pop feeds grain to his cattle, to grow meat.

AND they even use it to make my breakfast cereal.

That makes the grain we grow very important for lots of different animals.

Fields of Gold.

Action stations everybody...........harvest is on again!

This year Dad has got another man to help get the grain off, his harvester is alot bigger and quicker than ours. Dad would take days and days, maybe even a couple of weeks to get the grain off. And there are lots of other jobs on the farm waiting to be done.

Harvest is a busy time, lots of trucks, tractors, headers and augers.

I can't ride on our header, it is too dangerous.

BUT I can ride on this one....

Can you see me?

 This crop of triticale has made Dad very happy, lots of grain has come off it.

4.3 tonne of grain for every hectare.

The silos are fast filling UP! All our silos are full and we have had to use some of the neighbours!

The triticale grain will be sold later, it is used for breakfast cereals and feed for pigs and cows.

Crop Inspection.

Sometimes we just like to drive around.....BUT there is always a hidden purpose to Dad's drives!

We had a phone call this morning to let us know that the neighbours cattle had been on our crops. So what better reason for a drive and an inspection of the crops. Most of the crops we have grown are on our new farm. They were once paddocks covered in weeds and NOW................

I couldn't believe my eyes....the crops have grown SO much. They look fantastic!

Oats in the White House Paddock......last year it was all weeds!

Triticale in Lucan Paddock....last year this was all Paterson's Curse!

CAN YOU SEE ME?

HERE I AM!

Triticale in flower....then it will fill with grain.

I wonder where we can put all this grain at harvest?

Dad has done a really good job with the crops.....all the weeds have nearly disappeared. He has had a little help from the fertiliser, sun and the rain. Hopefully they will make it to the finish line and fill all the silos with grain!

We secured the gate where the cows got through...hopefully that will keep them out!

On the way home we had a chance meeting with a shingle back lizard.