The "Lancaster County's Fall Harvest" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Traveling around some of the county roads trying to find some interesting photos of the fall harvest to share with you.  This year has been a fantastic year for crops in Lancaster, County, PA.  This year farmers have planted 175,000 acres of corn, 27,000 acres of soybeans and 9,000 acres of tobacco.  Believe it or not, tobacco is still a money crop for the farmers in Lancaster Co. As of today the tobacco harvest is about 80% complete with the leaves valued at $9,000 an acre.  Another cash crop for the farmers is alfalfa which has been profitable this summer.  One farmer told a local newspaper reporter that his neighbor just started cutting for the fifth time.  May even be able to get another cutting if the weather continues as it has been.  But, the biggest cash crop is corn.  Every so often I hop out of my car to take a photo and I am dwarfed by the size of the corn along the roads.  They have to be close to 7 feet tall in most fields.  The ears are also large on most of the corn plants which adds quite a bit of energy and protein to the silage.  Silage is made either by placing cut green vegetation in a silo, by piling it in a large heap covered with plastic sheet, or by wrapping large bales in plastic film.  Corn silage is a popular forage for ruminant animals because it is high in energy and digestibility.  Neat to see the large combines going through the corn fields, but it is even neater watching the Amish farmers use their equipment that cuts the corn stalks and throws them onto a wagon that is next to it which is being pulled by mules.  Some farmers also air-dry their grain corn and store it in corn cribs a little later in the fall.  As the corn comes off the fields I notice that the farmers are replacing it with cover crops that will help with soil enrichment for next spring.  Many also cover the fields with solid or liquid manure.  As you probably suspect, my journey today takes me through parts of the county that produce not only the crops, but some very interesting and ungodly awful smells.  Hope you enjoy the results of my travels.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - remember that you can click on any photo to enlarge it.

One of Lancaster County's many farms.  Soybeans in the foreground and corn to the right are some of the crops grown on this farm.  You can tell which farms are Amish farms by checking to see if any power lines travel back the farm road toward the farm.  Amish farms are not connected to electric lines.

Tobacco leaves that are ready to harvest.

This photo shows how the tobacco stalks are placed on tobacco sticks for transporting to the tobacco barn for drying.  Photo by my grandson Caden.

This entire field is stacked with tobacco on tobacco sticks.

The tobacco barn.  The tobacco is strung from the ceiling in this barn for drying.  Pieces of the barns siding can be removed or opened to allow for better air circulation.

This is showing mechanical harvesting of corn.  The harvester is to the right of the truck and it is chopping the corn and sending it through the large arm into the truck.  

This Amish family prepares to harvest their corn at one end of the rows of corn.

This process is a very dusty process as can be seen in this photo.  Workers cut the corn and place it in the metal unit which stacks it on the wagon that is pulled by the mules.

Another view of the Amish harvesting of the corn.

The corn is towed by the mules to the farm along county roads. Notice the wash hanging from the wash line at the barn.

Spreading of fertilizer on the fields that have been harvested.

Preparing the field for winter cover.

Conventional spreading of liquid manure.

Amish harvesting what is probably alfalfa.

Amish farmer mowing the grass along the side of the road with his mules and manual mower unit.

Favorite means of transportation for the Amish.  Easier that harnessing the horse to the buggy.

Amish farm with the buggy.  Most Amish farms are kept in immaculate condition.  The buggy is parked by the farm house. 

This Amish farm in the south end of the county has a wash line strung across the road from the house to the barn.  The use of a wheel and pulley are needed to run the wash across the road.

One of a herd of camels that I found on one of the Amish farms in Lancaster county.

This shows a round bale of hay sitting next to the silo on this farm.  I just had to show this so I could tell you one of my dad's favorite jokes.  Goes like this:  Why don't cows like to eat from a round bale of hay?  Answer: They can't get a square meal.  And every time I'm with someone and see a round bale of hay, I have to tell the joke, just for dad!