Provider: Ryan & Hope Pjesky
Profession: Farmers/Ranchers
Hometown: Goltry, Oklahoma

Summer 2006 Diary Entry

June

June is the month of beginnings and endings for our farming operation.  It is the end of one crop that is harvested and the beginning of the process that leads to the next crop.  In June, we harvest the wheat that has been growing and maturing for eight months.  The process of harvest begins when the wheat has turned a golden color and the grain’s moisture content has reached 13% or less.  When this happens, we use our combines to harvest the wheat.  The combine cuts the wheat and threshes the grain.  As we harvest, the wheat is trucked to the local grain elevator to be stored until we decide the market is right for sale.

Harvesting Wheat with our Combine

For us, harvest normally takes from seven to fourteen days depending on the weather, how many equipment problems we have, and the yield.  This was the best harvest we’ve ever had from a mechanical and weather standpoint, so we were able to finish in only six days.  However, it is one of the worst we have ever experienced from a yield standpoint.  We are experiencing a bad drought in our area that caused us to have a very low grain yield.  I have attached some pictures from harvest and will bring some wheat to our Provider Day.  After harvest, we begin the process of tilling the soil to prepare it for planting the next crop.  The first time over the land we prepare the soil by implementing a disk.  The disk chops the straw and mixes it into the soil.

Grain elevator where the wheat harvest is stored until sold

July 2006

During the month of July, we are very busy with all phases of our farm. Over the year, the soil has become compacted and doesn’t readily accept moisture; we usually need to make a deep tillage pass on our wheat land during July. We use an implement called a chisel that we pull eight to ten inches deep, which helps open up the soil and further incorporate the straw into the soil. 

We sold two loads of 900 pounds of wheat in early July.  We also began to feed our remaining big cattle protein to help them use cattle the grass they are eating.  The protein helps them convert the grass into weight gain.

In late July, a group of cattle got spooked and tore down the fence on one our places.  It took us all afternoon to get the cattle back in and fix the fence.  We also began buying 400 – 450 pound cattle to get them weaned, healthy, and ready to put on wheat pasture in the fall.

August 2006
The month of August is the hottest and driest month of the year in northwest Oklahoma.  This has been the hottest and driest summer we have ever experienced.  We have had many days of temperatures above 100 degrees in a row.  During August, we normally cultivate our wheat ground to kill weeds and preserve moisture.  However, this year it hasn’t been necessary to do since there has been no rain to make the weeds grow. 

In late August, we apply fertilizer to our wheat ground so the wheat we plant will have enough nutrients to make a good crop.  In August, we also prepare our wheat drill (planter), trucks and augers for planting.  Ryan spent several afternoons replacing the floor in a flatbed trailer we bought to haul big round bales of hay.

We also continue to feed our big cattle protein and start to take them to market, as they now weigh 850 to 900 pounds.  We buy more 400 – 450 pound cattle to get them ready for wheat pasture.  We also sold our remaining lambs at the market this month. 

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