Farm – Page 137 – Dan Routh Photography

Working Land

Justin Sparks from Wilkes County and a coworker were in our neighborhood this week preparing land. They are on contract with a local dairy to produce silage for cattle feed. They were using some special equipment and while they were tilling the land they were also incorporating barley seed that had been broadcast on the fields. The barley will be a cover crop that will provide green fertilizer for next year’s corn. It’s interesting to see ways farmers are working to be more efficient. It’s pretty cool riding around in the cab of a eight wheel, 450 hp tractor as well.

Trailer Load of Pumpkins

Farm, Pumpkin, Vegetables

A load of pumpkins and squash at a neighbor’s farm in Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

Sheep Dogs Working

Animals, Dog, Farm, Sheep

Sheep dogs demonstrate their natural herding instincts at the Open Farm Day at Rising Meadow Farms in Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

View from the Feed Bowl

Chicken, Farm

Chickens feed in their lot in our backyard in Grays Chapel, North Carolina.

Pressing Cane

Farm, Molasses

Sorghum pressing time at my neighbor Gary McMasters. A few images as Gary’s crew runs cane through the mill to make juice to be cooked into molasses.

Muscadines

Agriculture, Farm, Portraits

Darrel and Tammy Smith are raising several varieties of muscadine grapes on their farm in Grays Chapel, North Carolina. They pick them for both table use and wine. Muscadines are the only grapes native to the Southeastern United States, and include the brown variety folks often call scuppernongs. Their vineyard is located on the slopes of Caudle’s Mountain, one of the most scenic spots in Randolph County.

Corn Harvest

Agriculture, Farm, Portraits

Neighbors Joe Capps, Sr. and his son Joe, Jr. were hard at work today combining corn. It’s been dry and hot this summer and the corn crop isn’t the best around here, but the harvest goes on anyway. Jack Fagg came in behind the combine with a rotary mower chopping the left over stalks so it will be easier to get the ground ready to plant grain in the fall.

Old Hitch Ring

Farm, Still Life

An old hitch ring on the wall of our barn in Grays Chapel, North Carolina. The barn was built about 1870 to house work-horses and mules and the ring was to tie animals outside of their stalls. Though it’s been some 60 years since we used a mule, the old ring still hangs there waiting.