We’ll start sowing in spring...
What are we sowing, grandpa?
Corn, wheat, and cucumbers.
Oh, I love pickles!
Hi, Weston.
First we grow the cucumbers. Then we ship them to a pickling factory.
Our friend Kay will be there, and she’ll explain how pickles are made.
Will we make anything out of the wheat and corn?
Yes, Clover. We’re gonna make bread and canned corn.
First we’re gonna plow the ground. We’ll be using this moldboard plow.
What’s plowing?
Plowing breaks up the blocky structure of the soil so that the plants can have good drainage and root growth.
After plowing we’ll be using this disc harrow. Discing breaks up clods and crusts in the soil, and it also makes the soil more granular.
We’re all finished! What a long, hard day.
The life of a farmer is never easy. There is always something to do and something to fix. We’ll do the sowing tomorrow.
Okay, guys. We’re ready to sow!
Clover, you’ll be sowing the cucumber seeds.
Weston, you’re in charge of the corn.
I’ll be sowing the wheat.
We’ll be pulling these planters through the field to embed seeds in the soil.
We’re done! Time for a rinse!
- Grandpa? - Yes, Clover?
How long will it take before we can harvest our crops?
The cucumbers will take about two months. The corn will take about three months. And the wheat will take about four months.
We’ll harvest the cucumbers first and send them to Kay for pickling!
I love pickles!
Bob, fill my tank to the max. I’ll need a lot of propane today.
Grandpa, why do you need propane?
Weed management is a necessary part of any small farming operation.
Weeds can suck up water and nutrients and cramp sprouting crops and their roots.
Uncle Jack is still sleeping.
Guys, let uncle Jack sleep. He’ll have a lot of work harvesting wheat and corn in the fall!
I need your help installing center-pivot irrigation.
It’s been so dry lately that our cucumbers are not doing very well.
What is center-pivot irrigation?
In center-pivot irrigation, irrigation equipment rotates around a pivot, and crops are watered with sprinklers. We’ll be using groundwater.
Tomorrow we’re getting up early to harvest cucumbers!
Hello, Kay. The cucumbers are on the way to your factory!
Can you please explain to us how you make pickles out of them?
Absolutely. First, the cucumbers are washed through.
Once they are clean, the cucumbers are sent for blanching. Blanching is scalding vegetables in boiling water or steam for a short time.
Now the cucumbers are ready to be put into jars. The jars are washed, and most of the product is packed by a machine that shakes the pickles into the jars.
Once the cucumbers are in the jars, we add the pickle juice, also known as brine. This is what gives pickles their flavor.
Here we make our brine by mixing water, vinegar, and our own secret spice blend.
After we add the brine, we cap the jars and vacuum-seal them.
Then we pasteurize the jars to make sure the pickles are shelf-stable by heating the pickles to the right temperature and then cooling them.
The last step is labeling the pickle jars and packing them into the cardboard trays.
I’m sending a couple of trays your way for you to enjoy!
Thank you, Kay! We’re excited to try your tasty pickles!
Guys! Stay back!
Lower! Lower! Slowly. Careful!
Now we can fasten the rail to the railroad ties.
And now we can send our grain harvest by rail!
That’s right! Some of our grain will be shipped over long distances. This way of transporting it will be more efficient.
Tomorrow we’ll harvest corn, and uncle Jack will help us.
Uncle Jack! Uncle Jack!
Good morning, Weston!
It’s time to harvest the corn!
- What? It’s already the end of summer? - Yes!
Well... Let’s get to…
Jack! Time to do some work!
Let’s pick some corn!
Oh, no! The weather is changing so fast! I can’t believe that Jack didn’t check the weather before going to the fields!
Oh, no! No! No! Jack! Jack!
Tornado! Behind you! Look!!! Look!!! Tornado!!!
- Bill? What? - Tornado!!!
Bill…thank you, my brother. You saved me! I cannot believe the tornado formed so fast.
Push! Push! Pu-u-u-ush! Pu-u-u-ush!
Finally! Tomorrow we must finish harvesting.
Being a farmer is not easy, Grandpa.
That’s right. It’s hard work, and you never know what will happen. But it is very rewarding.
We’re done harvesting the corn!
That’s right! Let’s call Kay. She’s at the corn factory.
Hello! I’m at the corn processing facility.
So can you tell us how the corn is processed?
Of course! The cobs are transported into the plant on a conveyor.
First, a machine removes the leaves that surround the cob.
After the cobs have been cleaned, they fall into a chute and go into the kernel remover.
The kernels are removed from the cobs within a fraction of a second. Nothing is wasted; the corn leaves and the cobs will be used as animal feed.
Then the kernels are packed into tin cans.
Lids are added to the cans, and the cans are sterilized to guarantee that the product will be shelf-stable for about 18 months.
Finally, the cans are labeled and boxed.
Thank you, Kay!
Grandpa! Grandpa! Hurry!
The silo is on fire!
Grandpa! Grandpa! The silo is on fire!
Weston, what are you saying? I can’t hear you!
The silo is on fire!
Silo?! Oh, no! This dry weather! We must call the fire department! The fire is spreading to the wheat fields!
I have to do something!
Where are you going, grandpa?
Stay here! The fire crew needs my help. I must stop the fire from spreading or we will lose our harvest!
Great job, grandpa!
Thank you. The folks from the fire department did most of the work! Next week is harvest time.
Well! We’re all done! This wheat is going to Kay. She’s at the flour plant right now.
Hi, Kay. The wheat is on the way to you. Can you please tell us what you do with it?
Absolutely! I am at the old flour watermill and bakery.
This is a small batch bakery.
The mill and its machinery are powered by gravity.
Water pours over the water wheel and causes it to turn, and the millstones grind the grain into flour.
The flour is then sent into a big mixing bowl, where yeast, salt, and water are added.
The machine mixes the mixture until it becomes dough, and the dough goes into a machine that cuts the dough into equal lengths.
The dough is then rolled and placed into baking molds.
Finally, it is baked, and we have fresh bread!
Thank you, Kay! I think we are done!
Your pickles, canned corn, and bread have arrived!
You’ve worked very hard this summer, so the food should taste even better!
Thank you, guys! And thank you for watching!
Being a farmer isn’t easy. But thanks to farmers like us, there is food on your plate!