Since my last report summer has already begun, it's very hot and dry. At this time of year everyone is on red alert for forest fires. This summer Montana has had thunderstorms quite frequently with rain and wind. It is quite unusual to get so much rain in the summer.
It's the dry thunderstorms that cause the forest fires when the lightning strikes the trees. There have already been big forest fires all over, burning down thousands of acres of trees. One of the nearest fires to us is Red Lodge; it took the fire department quite a while to get it under control. Although this is 1 ½ hours away, the air has been very smoky.
The next major event I attended was the Stillwater 4H County Fair in Columbus. Cori was showing her two rabbits for the first time. The 4H fair is when 4H members enter animals to show and other items such as crafts to be judged. The classes of animals were small animals: rabbits, ducks, poultry, cats and dog obedience. Large animals consisted of steers, sheep, goats, pigs and horses. The fair took place the whole week with most of the main events taking place on the Thursday.
The last class on Thursday was the 'Round Robin' in which all the Grand Champions and Reserve Champions competed for the overall award of Supreme Grand Champion. There was both a senior class and a junior class. Each young person had to rotate and handle each animal in each class- steers, sheep, horses, goats and pigs. They were judged on how they handled each animal.
It is really great to see young people working the animals and to get to this level of achievement.
Towards the end of my stay Jon was starting to prepare for harvest, both the winter wheat and spring wheat was almost ready to cut. He also had to think about cutting the second cut of the alfalfa grass for hay. The growth has been slower this year, as the wheat hasn't ripened as quickly, due to the weather not getting hot till July. Normally towards the end of July, farmers would be cutting their wheat but everything is 1-2 weeks behind this year.
In preparation for harvest all the machines had to be greased and tyres checked.
My host had bought a new John Deere Combine this year, so he had to arrange for the mechanic to come out before harvest with the head and to ensure everything was working properly. The mechanic also had to come out on the first day of harvest, to ensure everything was running smoothly. Unfortunately I just missed harvest by a few days before I had to leave. This was a real pity, as I would have loved to have been able to see harvest and especially the new combine in working order. My host promised to send me some photos of harvest.
Before I left Jon cut the 200 acres of alfalfa grass, to make the second cut of hay. Although it wasn't a heavy crop, he had to cut it early before he started harvest the following week. I was lucky enough to get a ride in the swarthier, which is the machine used to cut the grass for hay. When I was in the swarthier I was able to see some patches of grass where the grass hoppers had damaged. Grasshoppers are a big problem and my host is going to have to spray all his pastures by air next year, to get rid of them.
After harvest Jon is planning to put the pivot on the alfalfa grass again, to get a good third cut for grazing in the winter. He plans to put the pivot on till mid September. Jon can't put the cows on the alfalfa grass in the winter until it freezes, as it can be very dangerous for them. Once the ground freezes it will be safe to let the cows graze on the pure alfalfa grass.
From now, harvest time until November will be my host's busiest time of year; November is when he will sell the calves. After harvest my host hopes to get some custom farming- combining, spraying and seeding, to make money out of the large equipment he has.
I have really enjoyed my exchange to Montana this summer and it has been really interesting learning about farming on such a large scale. It is also a great way to make new friends and learn about different cultures. I would recommend to anyone thinking about exchange, to go for it as it will be one of the best times in your life.
Finally I would like to say a big thank-you to Young Farmers and 4H Montana for making this exchange possible and for giving me the opportunity to represent Northern Ireland. I would also like to thank the Ulster Farmers Union, Fuel Services and the Northern Bank for making my exchange possible.