Michibacy grow log 2016

[Michibacy]

A CAD drawing of the project I'm working on/inventing. Not the most complex machine but it's very beneficial to Sod growers, food plotters, anyone with pastureland etc. More to come if anyone is interested

And the plants so far. For 11 days since the last photo they really have taken off. I've done a healthy dose of fertilizer and hope to have my liquid inoculate up and running soon!

 

[Smokin Harley]

Nice looking plants Michibaccy ...we had some bad storms come through our area last night ,some carried tornadoes, it was heading to lower MI ,hope you didn't get any of it.

 

[Michibacy]

We aren't fortunate enough to get storms this year apparently, We've had 1/4" total this whole growing season, all the storms just kinda skip over us, I literally can watch the storms a hundred miles off into the upper atmosphere but don't really see any activity down on earth. Some thunder maybe, lots of heat lightning but nothing too much all in all.

Thank the lord for irrigation!

 

[Michibacy]

Here's to a wonderful Independence Day!

 

[ProfessorPangloss]

Hot dawg. Nice work on that lot. There's something so irrepressibly cheerful to me to see strong, healthy plants all in a row. Are your kids toddling yet? You're in for a world of excitement when that gets started.

 

[Michibacy]

Where to begin!?

I've been busier than I care to be as of...well the last 15 months. I'll itemize my accomplishments, been-up-to's and happenings around the farm.

Veggie Garden: It's overgrown with weeds, but still producing gobs of veggies, peas, beans, squash, bottle gourds, tomato, cabbage, hot peppers, sun flowers. Corn was not impressive this year, I've saved a few cobs for seed stock, the rest went into chicken feed.

Tobacco plot: some wind damage mid season toppled over some plants (some reaching near 13 foot tall in the PA Wrapper variety). I've gotten a second priming done, and am utilizing the late summer heat and humidity to help cure. 82*F/82% humidity is serving me well.

Chicken coop: Got our laying boxes made and the majority of the coop finished. The girls love sleeping in the rafters, which is fine as it keeps them safe from the ground if any critters get in (haven't had 1 infiltrate the compound yet!)

Grain Mill: Finished my grain grinder, welded together the housing, and scavenged an electric blower motor from my late grandfathers scrap pile that still works amazingly.

The daughters: walking around almost completely. They're crawl once in awhile but they're definitely mobile. They're showing off their personalities quite strongly which concerns me as they tend to mimic me...

The business project: Working on a patent right now, I've finished the prototype, fixed the bugs and it's working fantastically!

Check out photos and a video below!

 

[deluxestogie]

Worth framing, Dad.

Bob

 

[Michibacy]

Thanks Bob, we've already got it framed in our newly-made office. My sister's a great photographer!

 

[Floppy2]

..not knowing any better, I used what I planted my garden with to germinate my tobacco seeds. Composted garden soil, fresh from the farm. I hope that was not just first timer's luck. As it worked, I will try it again next year.

bjr

 

[Floppy2]

The picture of you standing next to your tobacco will be on that, when your girls have their families, they will show their children. It's just that kind of a picture. A man who made what he is standing next to, with his own hands.

Good job sir!

bjr

 

[Michibacy]

The picture of you standing next to your tobacco will be on that, when your girls have their families, they will show their children. It's just that kind of a picture. A man who made what he is standing next to, with his own hands.

Good job sir!

bjr

Thank you! I appreciate it greatly!

And I think you'll do just fine with the composted garden soil - being sure it's fully composted and not too "hot" you'll be fine. If it worked, it'll work (suffice it to say). Since we've bought this farm, I've really geared it to producing a near-as-possible self sustaining or "green" life as possible. Adding bacteria to the soil, planting forage in the lawn (when we eventually get goats), starting compost, reusing old supplies etc. Beyond being much much cheaper, I personally feel better about it, regardless if it's better for the environment.

Case in point on cost: adding a southern window to the chicken coop, a 50 year old window did just fine. The hens don't care what it looks like or how new it is. But why spend $100 or more on a new window, when a free one works just fine. I've got enough windows to build myself a modest little greenhouse, all which were out in the granary when we purchased it. Most of the wood short of some siding has come from the woods or elsewhere on the farm. Most of the hardware for doors is used, or pretty cheap and bought at local mom-n-pop hardware stores.

I know it's nowhere near the same, but I feel like my great great grandfather when he built the house. He didn't have much but hand tools and know how. I'm slowly learning, borrow tools when I can and strive towards doing my best. A lot of guys, Bob, Don, Chicken, the late Johnlee and many many others have helped instill that in me as well, I am greatfull for you folks!

 

[Floppy2]

Well...you and yours be blessed indeed. We are on the same path. Feel better about living closer to the land. Not an environmentalist. I just like doing for myself and my guys. My husband just signed us up for solar panels that will be paid for in 10 years. We are getting a fireplace insert that burns wood and will heat the house. We can stop using so much oil when we get the insert. The fireplace is no good anyway and we can use the wood on the property to build a kiln for the tobacco. I already have a spot for next year to grow much more. But, the guys have to help! I need them to get building!

bjr

 

[Michibacy]

The closer we are to nature, the closure we are to happiness as I see it. Wood burning furnace, grow our own food etc. My job focuses on agricultural so it's hard not to let that influence my life at home Good luck on the kiln as well, perhaps tossing a case of beer near the building zone will bait the workers into doing their jobs

 

[Michibacy]

Tested out the new hammer mill I built lastnight. 12 bushel an hour, more than I need it to do, but it speeds up my milling time quite a bit.

Best of all, the ladies (chickens) absolutely love the fresh milled grains.



The kernel outside the bag is an original kernel pre-mill, the contents inside the bag is post milling, and only was ran through one time.

Not bad for free!

 

[Michibacy]

Sorry to double post, also forgot to mention I got some photos from the machine I've been building for applying chemical to seeds. The photo is 2 weeks to the day post-planting, I dare say it's worth the effort:

 

[Michibacy]

Had the day off today while the girls mother went shopping in Frankenmuth to Bronners, so while the girls were playing I decided to make some Navy Coin pipe tobacco. 10% xhanti Yaka, 20% WSO, 20% PA Red 50% YTB, casing was 3 ml molasses, .3ml fennel oil, 1ml honey and 100ml RO purified water. Rolled into a 1" cigar, wrapped in butchers twine and sat in the sun to dry. Once dry, i sliced it with my cigar cutter, and out in the sun to fully dry.

 

[Michibacy]

Cellphone only lets me upload 1 photo at a time, sorry! Little bit closer up and better lighting. The sun light made it appear much lighter than it actually is.

 

[Michibacy]

Hello folks, how's life treating you all?

Been busy here at the farm (as per usual)

It's been a jump-to-it winter, with such mild weather I've been tackling projects such as:

-laying down batt insulation in the attic, which included finding some rather old relics such as old doors (buried amidst 30 year old "rats nest" insulation), a vintage table from the 50's, and some odds and ends I'll end up taking out to the shop to re-purpose or refinish to use elsewhere in the house.

- fixing flooding basements. I finally tracked down the root causeof the basement flooding. Being our house was built in 1886, modern materials weren't used apparently. Whether it be the grade change, the house settling or murphey's law, the basement "drain" aka the terracotta pipe that was used to relieve ground pressure, and direct water out of the basement, into the yard (gravity fed) ran on a grade from highest in the west to lowest in the east, after running a level, and doing some survey work, I have found the grade of the terracotta pipe runs from highest in the east, to lowest in the west. This, mixed with a septic system install, most likely roots, and a drain field interference, has caused all ground water (not septic) to run back into the basement when ever the water table raised. So, 2 bags of concrete later, some expanding plugs, and a hammer and chisel, I removed a portion of the terracotta that has burst last spring, and slapped in a total of 48"x3-3/4" structural concrete mix, and sealed off the leak 90%. All I have left to do is find some pin holes that leak in a few cracks (cellar style floor) and she'll be patched up.

-Keeping the kids alive (self explanatory with twin toddlers that have an allergy to sleep and are rather exploitative)

-Chicken keeping, all my hens are laying eggs and I'm getting between 5-9 a day.

-working on some more agriculture designs for my business, which hopefully come spring will bring in some revenue. This year, I came out in the green (already did my taxes) which is a sigh of relief. A few concepts I'm working on are a variable space boom (I'm referring to it as a Spacing Independent Spray Boom) and a straw mulch layer, which will in essence, allow you to insert a standard two band straw bale, and output a nice uniform row of straw mulch inbetween rows of crops.

Chime in folks, look forward to hearing from you!

Jeremy