Of corn that is. We’ve got ears of corn coming out of our ears.
Well…no we don’t, actually. Not yet. But we’re prepping in hopes that we will!
May is corn-planting season, and although barley is our key crop (you know we run a malthouse, right?) we have a lot going on when it comes to corn.
Annually, Olander Farms grows three different types of corn: silage, which is used as feed for dairies, distilling, which is used to make those tasty spirits at our partner distilleries, and Abenaki, a heritage corn that we’re just beginning to experiment with in partnership with The Family Jones. All three types will get planted this month, for a grand total of 83 acres of silage corn, 200 acres of distiller’s corn, and 10 acres of the experimental Abenaki. And that’s just for us! We’ll also plant a couple hundred acres more of silage corn for some of our local farmer friends.
Corn is tricky. Soil temperature, seeding rates, timing, water availability, and nitrogen availability all can make break a corn crop. It’s a little more sensitive than the other grains we grow, especially in a drought year like this one is shaping up to be. We always consider ourselves farm nerds, but growing corn requires us to really dig deep and find the innermost nerdiest of nerds to devise a plan that coordinates all of those factors into a successful harvest.
Wanna be the nerdiest of nerds with us? We’ll be geeking out on the topic of corn this month in our #fieldnotesforfarmnerds series. Follow the hashtag and never miss a post.
Because impressing your friends by quoting corn seeding rates in a drought year versus a normal year will absolutely make you the coolest person in the room.
No, really.
Corn aside, we’re also hoping to see the first of the irrigation water turned on this month. The complexity of Colorado’s irrigation system makes corn planting look simple. The short version: farmers have to “call” for water when they need it. But just because you call for it, doesn’t mean you’ll get it. The water won’t be sent through until enough farmers call. If it’s dry, it might be turned on sooner. If it rains, it might be turned on later, regardless of calls.
You know the childhood rhyme, “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream?” Replace ice cream with ditch water, and kids with farmers, and it’s a not-inaccurate (albeit entirely oversimplified) analogy for how irrigation works.
We’re confident the water will come, however, though we don’t know how much with as dry as it’s been.
While we wait, we’re just gonna sit here and enjoy these photos and videos of Abigail the Bovine Dog.
Abigail is one of this year’s calves whose momma rejected her. Chad, one of our farmhands, took her and now she’s living her best life with him, his fiance…and the family dogs. She’s running around the yard, playing with her pals, and probably developing a bit of an identity crisis that will take years of therapy for her to overcome (What do you mean…I’m adopted?? I’m not a dog?)
In the meantime, however, it’s all pretty dang cute.
A Merry May to you all!
“May” your malt be local, your brewery patios warm (but not windy) and your entire month filled with the joy of spring!
