Table of Contents
Foreword ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction xiii
Chapter 1 A History of Grain Growing and Consumption in the Northeast 1
Grain Production in Early America 2
Grain Production in Canada 9
Organic Grains in Vermont 11
Growing Grains to Offset Feed Costs 15
The (Re)Birth of the Local Food Movement 16
A Growth Spurt in Research and Community 17
Chapter 2 Soil Fertility Considerations 21
A Brief History of Chemical Fertilizers 22
The Importance of Soil Fertility 23
Managing Soil Fertility Organically 24
The Soil Test 25
Reading the Soil Test 27
Soil Fertility as Part of a Holistic System 27
Chapter 3 Getting Started with Tillage 29
Choosing Your Crops 30
Preparing the Soil for Planting 31
The Benefit of Cover Crops 32
The Dangers of Tillage 32
Tilling Your Grain Plot 32
Secondary Tillage 33
The Final Fitting 33
Preparing the Seedbed 34
Chapter 4 Sourcing and Planting Seeds 35
The Value of Canadian Varieties 35
Producing Your Own Seed 36
Germination Potential 37
The Mechanics of the Seed-Planting Process 38
Sowing Seeds in the Home or Research Plot 39
The Grain Drill 39
Caring for Your Grain Drill 43
Chapter 5 Early Growth and Weed Control 45
The First Signs of Growth 45
Dealing with Weeds 46
The Tine Weeder 48
How to Operate a Tine Weeder 51
Understanding Your Crop 53
When to Weed Again? 53
Weeds as Soil Messengers 54
Chapter 6 The Growth Cycle and Harvest of Cereal Grains 55
The Vegetative Growth Period 55
The Reproductive Period 56
Pollination 56
Grain Filling 56
The Harvest 57
Binding and Reaping 57
Stooking Grain 58
Swathing Grain 59
Harvesting in a Wet Season 60
Threshing 60
The Combine 65
Chapter 7 From Field to Storage 77
Storage Container Options 77
Grain Moisture So
Measuring Grain Density 82
Grain Precleaning 83
The Grain Auger 84
Grain Storage and Elementary Drying 85
The Screw-In Grain Aerator 86
Drying Grain in Silos 86
Pressure-Cure Drying 90
Drying Small Amounts of Grain 92
Stationary Grain Dryers 94
Additional Drying Techniques 95
Chapter 8 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 107
The Gravity Table Separator 109
Other Types of Cleaning Equipment 111
Chapter 9 Corn 113
Growing Corn in Colder Climates 113
The Basic Biology of Corn 114
Ensilage 116
Breeding for Productivity 116
The Growth of Corn Agriculture 118
The Rise of Genetic Modification 118
My Personal Corn Odyssey 1975-2011 119
Planting 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
Dry-Down and Harvest 153
Drying and Storage 164
Processing Corn for Animal Consumption 168
Processing Corn for Human Consumption 169
Corn Products for Good Eating 170
Corn Breeding and Seed Saving 171
Chapter 10 Wheat and Its Relatives 175
Wheat: A Brief History 175
Agronomic Considerations for Growing Wheat 178
Planting Your Wheat 183
Types of Wheat 185
Wheat Diseases 189 Modern 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 11 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 233
Processing Barley for Animal Feed 234
Malting Barley 237
Barley for Human Consumption 240
Chapter 12 Oats 245
Oats: A Brief History 245
The Basic Biology of Oats 246
Finding and Choosing Seed 250
The Culture of Oats 252
Processing Oats for Animal Consumption 260
Processing Oats for Human Consumption 262
Advances in Oat Breeding 272
Chapter 13 The Winter Cereals: Rye, Spelt, and Triticale 275
Rye 276
Spelt 284
Triticale 293
Chapter 14 Soybeans 297
Soybean Origins 297
My Search for a Short-Season Variety 300
Soybean Maturity Zones 301
Things to Consider Before Getting Started 303
Choosing the Right Variety 303
Planting Soybeans 305
Early Growth and Cultivation of Soybeans 312
Insects and Diseases in Soybeans 314
Fruiting and Maturation of Soybeans 316
Soybean Harvest 317
Storage and Post-Harvest Treatment of Soybeans 321
Organic Soybeans in an Ever-Increasing GMO Environment 324
Chapter 15 Dry Beans 327
Dry Bean Production in the Late 1800s 327
The Benefits of Growing Dry Beans 328
Determinate and Indeterminate 328
Fertility Considerations 329
Planting Dry Beans 330
Growth and Cultivation of Dry Beans 333
Dry Bean Harvest 338
Growing Beans at Butterworks Farm 342
After the Harvest 344
Chapter 16 Oilseeds 347
Lessons from Québec 347
Sunflowers 348
Flax 359
Canola 364
Chapter 17 The Minor Grains 373
Buckwheat 373
Grass Seed 378
Legume Seed Production 379
Chapter 18 Preparing Livestock Rations with Farm-Raised Grains 389
My Foray into Formulating Grain Rations 390
The Importance of Proper Grinding Equipment 391
Grinder-Mixer Troubleshooting 393
Putting Together a Ration 393
Grain Mixes for Dairy Cows 396
Rations for Poultry 398
Feeding Farm-Grown Grains to Pigs 400
Some Last Thoughts on Feeding Your Own Grain 402
Chapter 19 Where Do We Go from Here? 403
The Human Consumption Factor 403
Other 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 413
Index 417
