A Certified Naturally Grown Farm - Saint Marys, Pennsylvania
Sub-Soiling Between Two Posts…Deep Thoughts
The time had come to begin preparing the large hopyard for round 2 of its existence, this time with better-prepared soils and hills. We (I) took out the remaining two hills in 2022 after we’d given up on the three initial hills about four…
“Bring me the hydrospanner!”
So at the end of last week’s work, I fired up the IH674 to head up to the large field for a small task I’ve put off for years. When we put in the large yard, my Dad and I spent an afternoon attempting…
And The Hits Just Keep Onnnnnn Comin’
Like most hop yards, we plan days, or most often weeks in advance for specific activities to take place on the Farm. Many of which revolve around the Solstice, June 21st. That’s the day hops need to be to the top of the wire…
Fertigate The Night Away
Probably not quite the hit that Van Halen’s “Dance The Night Away” was, unless you’re a fellow hop Farmer, but I’ll take it 😉 This past weekend’s list of activities included a project we’ve wanted to add almost since day 1…fertigation! That is, adding…
Cabling The Hopyard
I knew it was going to be a challenge today. It rained…HARD…all weekend, so I was curious what the field conditions would be like. Today we’d have not only the tractor in the new hopyard (a tractor that tips the scales at around 10,000lbs.),…
IH674 Is Up and Running!
Our “new” International Harvester (IH) 674 diesel tractor arrived late in the afternoon on Monday, April 11th. It was a cool, rainy day…I know, a shocker for Spring in Pennsylvania. Bill, the driver that picked up the 674 from our good friend George Schettler’s…
“It’s alive…ALIVE!”
Sorry for the dramatic title but…we just got word today from Hines Equipment in Altoona, the Case-International Harvester dealer we took the tractor to…that repairs have been completed on the 674!! We will be clearing out room in the barn this coming Monday as ironically…
New Hop Yard Is In!
Well…it took us three days to do it, mostly due to very wet fields on day 2…but all the poles are in and are they beauteous! Even for someone who’s used to walking amid these 20′ giants, to see 45 of them jump out…
