The Planting Plan
The planting plan starts long before planting season begins. Every winter, we evaluate the previous year’s crops and fields, and develop our plan for the coming spring. We decide what fields will be planting with what crops, and order the seed.
Corn seed stacked in the barn
Before planting starts, the seed is delivered and stored in the barn, waiting for the weather to cooperate so we can plant it. After the seed is stored, we create a list that details which variety of seed goes where in the barn. Since we’re planting eight different varieties of seed, it’s important to stay organized. That way, we know exactly where to go to grab the seed we’ll need to plant. We all have a copy of this list on our phones, and (because this farm wife never knows when she’ll be called to deliver seed) I also keep a copy of it on my refrigerator.
The planting plan is really just that: a plan. With the weather not cooperating and pushing us back a few weeks, it’s looking like that plan might have to change. We may need to plant what we call “shorter day varieties” which means the plant matures a bit faster, so that we are not combining or chopping in the snow.
Ultimately, our goal is to grow the best crops possible for our cows. The seeds we plant this spring will be harvested and fed to our cows, who will turn them into milk.
