September 24, 2010
-
Amish Farm Scene
My Ma and I went to Lancaster County yesterday
to visit her brother and go to a few thrift stores.
On the way home we like to get lost on the back roads.
I stopped to take a photo of the field being worked.
We were surprised to see it was a girl, we could not tell at first.
She is using a Disk and a Cultipacker.
When there is corn stubble left in field (to the right you can see it)
that means that they made silage with the corn.
When the corn starts to turn brown
(It needs to have some green in it to ferment properly)
it is chopped for silage and stored to feed the cows in winter.Silage consists of green forage preserved by fermentation in a silo
Sourse
for use as succulent fodder during periods of feed scarcity.
The process of making silage is called ensiling.
After the corn crop they us a disk to break up the soil.
and then a cultipacker to break up the clumps.
Read about Farm Equipment HERE
Read more about Silage HERE
How to plow a field
Disk and Field Cultivation
Comments (60)
Those are neat shots... Amish confound me, most days.
Excellent! My ex and her mom were visiting ancestral graves in Ohio last spring, and at one place, the farmer showed them the original deed to the land, nearly 200 years old, written on deerskin. I haven't seen any photos. I hope they took some.
@Passionflwr86 - most days... you have daily contact?
What wonderful pictures!
@Roadkill_Spatula - LOL... nope. I'm saying most days if I think of Amish I'm confounded. Other days... I'm impressed. Still others... yeah, confounded mostly describes it. We do see them often in Walmart...
Cool photos! I can see a coffee table book called "Lost In Lancaster County" filled with your photos!
@saintvi - That would be an excellent book to have!
@Passionflwr86 - a lot of them use cell phones now, at least in Ohio. In Iowa I've seen them on tractors. I heard of a church that split over the use of Pampers, Velveeta, and something else I can't remember. They have a fascinating ethic of technology. They're pretty cool, and sometimes amusing. My father-in-law has a lot of great stories.
i
amish farms i want to move out there
I love the beauty and simplicity of the Amish way of life. I'm surprised to see a girl working the field, too, but I guess she's gotta do what she's gotta do. The third photo of her is beautiful.
I'm shocked to see a girl plowing, especially with a 5 horse hitch.
Great pics Beth.
What a hard day's work! I love the pictures. Love the progression.
What difficult work that is...thanks for sharing the pics!
I always enjoy your photos! I had never heard of a disk or cultipacker, but my brother had a metal toy tractor when he was little, and it had that same thing on the back of it! Looked just like what you have pictured!
Kathi
Beautiful pictures!
I'm not all that shocked to see a girl plowing. The horses do all the work, all she has to do is control the horses. Maybe those horses in particular are very easy to handle.
I really enjoy seeing these pictures.
OMG. I can't say for sure that you were next-door to my house, but it sure looks familiar. We just sold the old disk and cultipacker, which I must have dragged behind the Farmall 'M' at least the distance to the Moon and back starting at age 4. Got 49 bucks for the lot, for the iron melt-down weight.
Nowadays farmers in the know use no-till methods. Minimal disturbance of the soil level; the planter somehow miraculously schtups the seeds into their places even through last year's stubble.
Plus, the Amish have lately and sadly taken to cutting the tails off of cows. So much for respect for God's handiwork. I have what's known in the profession as an enlightened understanding of their quaint charm. Helps that 'Ich kann a bische Deitch schvetze un' leze'.
Kudos on the excellent photos, my dear beth
@jsolberg - My nephew plants no-till and started the herd grazing too.
I love these we have an Amish community not far from us I go there and buy honey and Jelly
@seedsower - Yes, always painful in part to change the old ways. My idea of a field ready for planting is a brown expanse of heavily-worked land unto the horizon. We always thought that God Himself had dictated that. Now, apparently, He moves in mysterious ways, aided by the County Agent.
@jsolberg - ha haaaaaaaaaaaaaa, not that is funny.
That's my kind of lady.
Girl Power! It's the bandana~ it has super powers.
Their cloths are so clean!
I have to admit, the Amish are some hardworking folks! Nice pics!
This is a really interesting and informative blog. I learned several things! Thank you.
I really like your pictures too.
Cool. Looks like a step back in time about a hundred years or so! You time traveler you!
excellent fotoz!! isn't it unusual for a woman to be working the fields? she is handling those big ol beautiful horses quite well!! i'm familiar with the disk, but i don't remember a cultipacker ... we must have used something else ... hmmm ... maybe a spring tooth? I'll hafta ask my dad ... i spy someone's pretty nice aluminum trailer ... great story!! i like to get lost on those back roads too!
Awesome. But unfortunately the only thing this made me think of was Borat at a matchmaker:
Borat:
"If possible, she must have plow experience."
Matchmaker:
"You're not going to find an American woman with plow experience."
Borat:
"Maybe just one year plow experience."
@anaraug - That is classic!
Wow, this was really interesting. I wonder if the Amish would want a pirate to move in next door. (Hey, I gotta respect a lady who can keep that many horse's on the straight and narrow!)
WONDERFUL pics.
Thank you.
Mornin Glorie...the third photo reminds me of a winslow homer painting....have a great weekend Beth!!!!!
My grandmother lives about 20 minutes away from the Amish in New Philadelphia, Ohio. I love going out to their stores and looking at the beautiful landscapes. It's amazing how they live their lives, I don't think I could do it.
I would love to visit an Amish Farm. These are wonderful photos. Thanks for sharing.
Wonderful photos and thank you for sharing these.
I'm surrounded by Amish.
It's interesting to see what different elders in the communities count as "worldly". It sure ain't the same across the board! But I tell ya, Amish ladies can certainly carry their own in just about anything.
~V
nice pic
Brilliant pictures. Thankfully your camera didn't capture the smell of silage. Then again maybe it smells better from corn.
I'm curious about your thoughts in photographing the Amish. They generally don't want to be photographed believing it is sinful. So, I won't photograph them out of respect. I'm not trying to condemn your choice, just curious about your thinking on the matter.
Great shots. Amish are sure fascinating folks.
@repressedwriter - They think it is a graven image to have the face photographed and displayed "photographs
which, especially if displayed in the home, demonstrated a lack
of humility" it is not seen as sin but could lead to sin.
I ask if it is of the face or just take it if the face is not seen.
Ever met pharmacists and physicians that are below average in looks and intelligence who act stuck up around someone who is better than them? As these dumb hos stand there and brag about their accomplishments, that person will tell these dumb b's to stop pretending in front of the public as they will be put in their places. They are just like everybody else, just diss them. A bunch of dirty lowclass male and female sluts who somehow got into medical or pharmacy schools.
@seedsower - Interesting. Thanks for explaining, I appreciate it!
@saintvi - Ooh -- I want that book too!!!
Beth -- these are absolutely stunning photos! I particularly like #3, but they're all wonderful!
I love these photos and had seen a disc and cultipacker before in photographs of my grandfather working land with horses that way.I'm impressed to see horses still being used to work the land, although I am also wondering about the environmental friendliness of it...
Handling those horses looks like it would be pretty hard for a guy . . . I'm really impressed with that woman! We just kick butt, don't we???
@myfanwe - They use the horses for travel and work,do you think they would be worse than cars and tractors?
Fantastic! Thanks for posting this.
i cant believe this - non-industrial farming? :O
@seedsower - I was thinking more in terms of the tearing up of the soil with the disc and cultipacker, than the actual horses. In Australia we have a lot of problems with loss of topsoil because of this kind of farming. I think a horse for transport is way better than a car or a tractor as far as carbon emissions go.
@myfanwe -
Ha,yes that can be a problem,my nephew farms "No-till" here and he had been really pleased with the results.
The guys must all be really busy to let her take the team out and disc... Love the 3rd photo!
Beth, these are beautiful! Interesting to see a girl doing this job.
Fabulous pictures as always Beth!! I love the Amish....we had a Mennonite lady take us on a tour when we were in Pennsylvania a few years ago...it was so interesting to hear an "insiders" stories!!!
They still work with horses . And they don' t let anything behind . The ground is also well worked .
The girl is courageous . I don' t see well if she is sat or if she walks behind the horses . This is dangerous .
( There is a while I didn' t hear from you beth )
Love
Michel
Great shots, especially the one of the girl!
the picture of the girl behind the horses . . . breath taking . . .
That is something I keep meaning to do- get lost in Lancaster and just take photos. I love how beautiful it is there. Thanks for sharing your photos