A Year in the Life of a Farmer

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A Year in the Life of a Farmer

• If I was to look at a farmers calendar, what
  would I see?

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April

• The farm year does not start in January. It
  starts in April (spring time) instead.
• Time for the farmers to get their year organized
  by fixing machinery and getting seed and other
  supplies on hand.

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May

• The ground is finally warm! It is time to plant
  the crops. This is called seeding.
• Similar to planting a garden, but the garden is
  so big that you need a machine to help.
• First, the farmer needs to fertilize the soil and
  kill all the weeds in the field.
• Then the farmer uses his air seeder and plants
  the crop. The ground needs to be warm and moist
  for the crop to begin grow.
• If a farmer or rancher has cows, this is
  the time when most calves (babies) are
  born.

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June

• Now that the crop has had some heat and moisture,
  it has grown to have 2 4 leaves. Weeds will
  have grown in the crop also. The farmer does not
  want to have any weeds.
• To get rid of the weeds, the farmer has to spray
  his crop with chemicals to kill the weeds. A
  farmer has to know the right chemicals to use so
  kill only the weeds.

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July

• During the summer, the farmer watches his crop
  grow to be strong and healthy.
• A farmers crop needs just the right about of
  heat and rain to mature and become plentiful.
• If a farmer has cows, July is the best month for
  the hay to be cut for food.

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August

• In August, farmers begin to get ready for
  harvest.
• Harvest is when the grain is combined so the
  farmers can sell it and make money.
• Farmers need to get their combines, grain trucks,
  and augurs ready by making sure they are working
  properly and not broken.
• The farmers do not want any rain during the last
  2 weeks of August because they are relying on the
  suns heat to dry and kill their crops.
• If the crop is not given enough sun to fully
  mature and stays cool and wet for a long period
  of time, it will rot and spoil.

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September October

• The fall is known to be the time of harvest. We
  give thanks to the harvest during Thanksgiving.
• Sometimes, harvest does not take all of September
  and October to complete. It all depends on the
  weather.
• A farmer can not combine his grain if it is
  too wet because it will rot. Sometimes,
  a farmer must use his dryer to help the
  grain dry.

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November - March

• The winter is spent repairing machinery and
  spending time with his family. A farmer also
  will sell lots of grain over the winter months to
  earn his living.
• If a farmer has cattle or other live stalk, then
  the winter months are spent feeding the animals
  and making sure they do not get sick on the cold
  weather.