Native Grass Straw

Harvest is mostly finished on the farm and now we are focused on cleaning the seed and getting ready for fall orders.  We also have most of the straw for the year baled up and ready to be used on projects. 

Leymus triticoides, creeping wildrye, straw freshly baled

Straw stack mover collecting the bales from the field

Straw stack mover dropping off another stack of straw

The majority of the straw we have now is really nice Leymus triticoides straw. We also have a limited amount of Hordeum brachyantherum and Nassella pulchra straw. We sell the straw by the bale as well as the ton, depending on how much you need. Our straw is certified noxious weed free.

The straw bale sizes are variable but they are roughly 3.5' x 2' x 1.25'. The Leymus triticoides and Nassella pulchra straw bales weigh around 80 lbs each (~ 25 bales/ton) while the the Hordeum brachyantherum straw bales weigh around 90 lbs each (~23 bales/ton). 

Native grass straw can be used for erosion control, mulch, and as seed cover. Most straw contains viable seed, but we do not recommend using straw as the only seed source. 

Straw is used to cover a hydroseeding trial on the farm (more on the trial to come!)

Snakes on a Farm!

This spring and summer there have been numerous snake sightings in and around Hedgerow Farms. There are several species of snakes that have been found here, but more of the snakes being spotted this year are rattlesnakes. Below are some pictures of a variety of snakes found on the farm through the years:

Rattlesnake found on the farm in 2003

Gopher snake found on the farm in 2006

A king snake found on the farm in August of 2010

A rattlesnake found in May of this year digesting a large rat!
(It was roadkill and John opened it up to see what was inside)

Another rattlesnake found in the seed storage barn in June.
In that same week 4 other snakes were spotted, 3 being rattlesnakes.

With large numbers of snakes comes a high probability of bites. Within  a week there were two dogs bit by rattlesnakes on the farm. One snake bite occurred in some grass along a canal right before the fourth of July weekend and the other happened in the outdoor dog kennel right in the yard (no one saw the second snake, we just saw that Rottie, the farm dog, had a very swollen face).  The two days after the second dog was bit two additional rattlesnakes were found.

Rottie, thefarm dog, appeared to have been bit on the lip while in her kennel. She received one round of antivenom and recovered quickly

Darin, a black lab, was bit on the inside of his forearm. He received two doses of antivenom and after two weeks of recovery is back to normal.

We are all being diligent when it comes to being aware of snakes while walking around. There is an abundance of them this year!

Shop Fire

NOTE: WE ARE OPEN FOR BUSINESS AS USUAL! BUY SEED!

On Monday, July 18th, Hedgerow Farms lost its machine shop to a fire (this is the mechanic shop that contained tools for fixing farm machinery, NOT the seed cleaning shop or the storage barn! Those are fine). We still aren't certain how it started, but the whole building burned to the ground in about an hour.

It happened around 3pm and from the office we noticed some suspicious looking smoke (it actually looked like a dust cloud at first) coming through the front door.
Within a minute there were visible flames.

It was a three alarm fire with Madison, Yocha Dehe and Esparto fire trucks and additional crew from Winters. We also had several water trucks assist, one being from Willow Oak Fire.
We really appreciate all these folks did to keep the fire contained and under control!

 Here is a sequence of photos during the fire:

 

The roof collapsing

The fire created a large smoke cloud

There were several water trucks that brought additional, necessary, water.

After the fire had burned, there was a pile of scrap metal

 The frame of the Honda that was in the shop

Harvest Time!

Hedgerow Farms has entered full harvest mode. The unusual amounts of rain and the cold spring have proved challenging, but we hope that by the end of the week it will dry out and the weather will be back to normal for this time of year. 

Below are photos introducing the steps used to harvest the seed in most of Hedgerow Farms larger production fields:

When it is determined that most of a field is ripe the field is swathed:

A swather cutting Nassella ssp.

The swather cuts the grass (or flower) plant material and creates a windrow (see below) behind it:

windrow

Seed and plant material are left in windrows in the field to dry and cure. A windrow helps prevent seed loss by creating a basket weave out of vegetative plant material, capturing the seed as it shatters. 

After the plant material has dried a in the field (this can take just one day or a week) we use a combine to separate the seed from the rest of the plant material. After it has been combined the seed usually spends more time drying and curing on a tarp before it is cleaned.

A combine emptying seed and chaff onto a tarp

Other methods we use to harvest seed will be highlighted in upcoming posts. 

CNGA Field Day at Hedgerow Farms: A Success!

Thanks to all of you who attended the 4th annual CNGA Field Day at Hedgerow Farms!  We had beautiful weather and a great turn out. Below are a few of the highlights from the day. All the photos are by Phil Hogan of the NRCS, who did a great job documenting the day.

The road to the entrance of the farm was beautiful with Ceanothus and Lasthenia glabrata (yellow ray goldfields)

We had two main tours.  One was on on straw bales and featured irrigation canals, hedgerows, our habitat area, planting techniques and weed control techniques:

The straw bale tour heading to the habitat area 

We are currently grazing sheep in the habitat area on the farm for weed control

The tour included a demonstration with our native seed drill

The second tour was a walking tour featuring many of our flowers, some meadow plantings, landscaping ideas, a tailwater pond and some of our research and development plots:

A tour stop looking at a field of Layia chrysanthemoides (smooth tidy tips)

At lunch we had three speakers who focused on the ecosystem services native grasses and forbs provide.

Tom Griggs, with River Partners, talked about what native grasses have taught him about ecology

Dr. Truman Young, with UC Davis, Department of Plant Sciences, talked about  why native grasses are beneficial

Rachael Long, with the UC Cooperative Extension, gave her annual research update with pollinators in hedgerows 

Thank you to everyone who came; a lot was learned and shared!

Sacramento Bee Article and Hummingbirds

On Monday Gina Kim, with the Sacramento Bee, wrote an article on hedgerows that featured Hedgerow Farms.  See the link below to read it:

Sacramento Bee article on hedgerows

She did a fantastic job of explaining how hedgerows can enhance farm land and create strips of habitat for a wide range of animals and insects. 

The birds around the farm are one of the few assurances that it is spring. We have been watching some hummingbirds that have nested on site. Recently one moved out and left the second one in the nest.  He has stuck around despite all the rain we have been getting. 

Two Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna) chicks in their nest 

There has also been a very territorial Rufous Hummingbird in the same area.

A Rufous Hummingbird (Selaphorus rufus)

Nursery update!

Now is a great time to plug plant. Our nursery is beautiful and and we have many grasses, sedges, rushes and forbs in stock. Give us a call for more information, and take a look at the selection of plugs available: (scroll down for photos of each species) 

Phacelia californica (California phacelia) -- early season bloom

Clarkia unguiculata (elegant clarkia) -- mid season bloom

Euthamia occidentalis (goldenrod) -- late season bloom

Monardella villosa (coyotemint) -- mid/late season bloom

Carex pansa (Pacific dune sedge) -- sedge

Grindelia camporum (gum plant) -- late season bloom

Aster chilensis (California aster, new name: Symphyotrichum chilense) -- late season bloom

Lupinus formosus (summer lupine) -- all summer bloom

Clarkia concinna (red ribbons) -- mid season bloom

Frankenia salina (alkali heath) -- late season bloom

Lupinus albifrons (silver bush lupine) -- early/mid season bloom

Leymus triticoides (creeping wildrye) -- rhizomatous grass

To see more photos of each species and get more information, click on each scientific name.

Our nursery at the beginning of March. So many shades of green!

Phacelia californica (California phacelia)  plugs available now. This drought tolerant perennial forb is great for attracting pollinators! It has scorpioid cymes of light purple flowers that bloom in spring. 

Phacelia california plug. 

Phacelia californica's inflorescences (called specifically scorpioid cymes) unroll
as the flowers bloom.

Clarkia unguiculata (elegant clarkia) is an endemic annual forb with bright pink showy flowers.

Many native bees and honeybees forage on this species' flowers. 

Clarkia pictures taken in June.

Clarkia habitat, with Melica grass flowering in the foreground.

Euthamia occidentalis (goldenrod) is a long lived perennial species that flowers in late summer. This species provides nectar and pollen for native bees and wasps. Its rhizomes provide excellent bank stabilization and weed control. 

Euthamia occidentalis plug.

Close-up of Euthamia flowers.

Monardella villosa (coyotemint) is a perennial forb that has showy
lavender flowers and attracts many pollinators. This species is very drought tolerant.

Monardella flowers in late summer.

Monardella plant in bloom.

Carex pansa (Pacific dune sedge) is great for lawn replacements. We are going to install a demo lawn in the Hedgerow Farms yard this month! C. pansa lawns require very little water to remain green all summer (2-3 deep waterings) and can be mowed or left to grow naturally. 

Carex pansa plugs.

Grindelia camporum plug plant posing on a branch of the willow tree in our nursery!

Grindelia camporum (gum plant) is an endemic perennial forb that
provides summer habitat for insects including pollinators. (This picture was taken in summer.) 

Aster chilensis (California aster) blooms in midsummer.

Aster chilensis flowers. 

Example of an Aster chilensis plant.

Lupinus formosus is a perennial lupine species. This lupine blooms all summer long.
Our seed is harvested by hand as it ripens. The flowers continually attract bees. 

Lupinus formosus blooming in summer.

Leymus triticoides (creeping wildrye) is a native rhizomatous grass. This species grows well in riparian areas and in canal and moist ditch plantings. It is slow to germinate but is very competitive once established.

We also have... (pictures coming soon)...

Clarkia concinna (red ribbons)

Frankenia salina (alkali heath)

Lupinus albifrons (silver bush lupine)