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Contents
CHAPTER FOUR
Sourcing and Planting Seeds
35
The Value of Canadian Varieties 35
Producing Your Own Seed 36Germination Potential 37The Mechanics of the Seed-Planting Process 38Sowing Seeds in the Home or Research Plot 39
The Grain Drill 39
Caring for Your Grain Drill 43
CHAPTER FIVE
Early Growth and Weed Control
45
The First Signs of Growth 45
Dealing with Weeds 46The Tine Weeder 48How to Operate a Tine Weeder 51Understanding Your Crop 53 When to Weed Again? 53 Weeds as Soil Messengers 54
CHAPTER SIX
The Growth Cycle and Harvest of Cereal Grains
55
The Vegetative Growth Period 55The Reproductive Period 56Pollination 56
Grain Filling 56The Harvest 57
Binding and Reaping 57
Stooking Grain 58Swathing Grain 59
Harvesting in a Wet Season 60
Threshing 60The Combine 65
FOREWORD IXACKNOWLEDGMENTS XIINTRODUCTION XIII
CHAPTER ONE
A History of Grain Growing and Consumption in the Northeast
1
Grain Production in Early America 2Grain Production in Canada 9
Organic Grains in Vermont 11Growing Grains to Offset Feed Costs 15
The (Re)Birth of the Local Food Movement 16 A Growth Spurt in Research
and Community 17
CHAPTER TWO
Soil Fertility Considerations
21
A Brief History of Chemical Fertilizers 22The Importance of Soil Fertility 23
Managing Soil Fertility Organically 24
The Soil Test 25
Reading the Soil Test 27Soil Fertility as Part of a Holistic System 27
CHAPTER THREE
Getting Started with Tillage
29
Choosing Your Crops 30Preparing the Soil for Planting 31The Benet of Cover Crops 32
The Dangers of Tillage 32
Tilling Your Grain Plot 32
Secondary Tillage 33The Final Fitting 33
Preparing the Seedbed 34
The Organic Grain Grower
viDry-Down and Harvest 153Drying and Storage 164
Processing Corn for Animal Consumption 168Processing Corn for Human Consumption 169Corn Products for Good Eating 170
Corn Breeding and Seed Saving 171
CHAPTER TEN
Wheat and Its Relatives
175
Wheat: A Brief History 175
Agronomic Considerations for
Growing Wheat 178Planting Your Wheat 183Types of Wheat 185 Wheat Diseases 189Modern and Heirloom Wheat
Breed Varieties 196
How to Harvest High-Quality Wheat 201 Wheat Processing and Flour Production 204 Wheat for Livestock Feed and Other Uses 217
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Barley
219
Barley: A Brief History 219
Barley for Human Consumption 220
Barley for Livestock Rations 220
Types of Barley 221 Agronomic Considerations for Barley 224
Post-Harvest Considerations 233Processing Barley for Animal Feed 234Malting Barley 237
Barley for Human Consumption 240
CHAPTER TWELVE
Oats
245
Oats: A Brief History 245
The Basic Biology of Oats 246Finding and Choosing Seed 250The Culture of Oats 252
Processing Oats for Animal Consumption 260Processing Oats for Human Consumption 262
Advances in Oat Breeding 272
CHAPTER SEVEN
From Field to Storage
77
Storage Container Options 77
Grain Moisture 80Measuring Grain Density 82Grain Precleaning 83
The Grain Auger 84Grain Storage and Elementary Drying 85The Screw-In Grain Aerator 86Drying Grain in Silos 86
Pressure-Cure Drying 90
Drying Small Amounts of Grain 92Stationary Grain Dryers 94 Additional Drying Techniques 95
CHAPTER EIGHT
Preparing Grain for Storage, Sale, or End Use
99
The Butterworks Granary 100
Preparation for Cleaning 101
The Basics of Cleaning and Grading 101 Air Screen Cleaners 102 Additional Notes on Cleaning Infrastructure 107The Gravity Table Separator 109Other Types of Cleaning Equipment 111
CHAPTER NINE
Corn
113
Growing Corn in Colder Climates 113The Basic Biology of Corn 114Ensilage 116
Breeding for Productivity 116
The Growth of Corn Agriculture 118
The Rise of Genetic Modication 118My Personal Corn Odyssey 1975–2011 119Planting Corn 128
Emergence, Early Growth, and
Primary Weed Control 136
Cultivating Corn 143
Late Vegetative and Reproductive Stages of the Corn Plant 149
A Note on the Full-Season Nature of Corn 152
Contents
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CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Oilseeds
347
Lessons from Québec 347
Sunowers 348
Flax 359Canola 364
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The Minor Grains
373
Buckwheat 373Grass Seed 378
Legume Seed Production 379
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Preparing Livestock Rations with Farm-Raised Grains
389
My Foray into Formulating Grain Rations 390The Importance of Proper Grinding Equipment 391Grinder-Mixer Troubleshooting 393Putting Together a Ration 393Grain Mixes for Dairy Cows 396Rations for Poultry 398Feeding Farm-Grown Grains to Pigs 400
Some Last Thoughts on Feeding
Your Own Grain 402
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Where Do We Go from Here?
403
The Human Consumption Factor 403Other Infrastructure Considerations 406
Weather, Climate, and the Future 408
Corporations and Seed Sovereignty 410
The Long Look Back and a Peek into the Future 411
REFERENCES 413INDEX 417
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The Winter Cereals: Rye, Spelt, and Triticale
275
Rye 276
Spelt 284Triticale 293
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Soybeans
297
Soybean Origins 297
My Search for a Short-Season Variety 300Soybean Maturity Zones 301
Things to Consider Before Getting Started 303
Choosing the Right Variety 303Planting Soybeans 305
Early Growth and Cultivation of Soybeans 312Insects and Diseases in Soybeans 314
Fruiting and Maturation of Soybeans 316
Soybean Harvest 317
Storage and Post-Harvest Treatment
of Soybeans 321Organic Soybeans in an Ever-Increasing
GMO Environment 324
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Dry Beans
327
Dry Bean Production in the Late 1800s 327The Benets of Growing Dry Beans 328
Determinate and Indeterminate 328Fertility Considerations 329
Planting Dry Beans 330
Growth and Cultivation of Dry Beans 333Dry Bean Harvest 338Growing Beans at Butterworks Farm 342 After the Harvest 344