How do you harvest your buckwheat?I grow a couple acres of buckwheat per year. I cannot fathom the work involved in hand threshing 1/4 or 1/2 acre.. You are talking over 500 pounds of seed!
So, full disclosure. I'm not a farmer and I'm not a fabricator, so don't laugh.
I'm a long time IT guy who spent some time on a friend's family farm in my younger days, with a strong DIY streak and a desire to be more self sufficient. I don't have any plans to sell grain, but am interested in experimenting with some of the heirloom grains as a way to reduce gluten intake. My daughter is gluten intolerant, which got me interested in this.
What is the purpose of the buckwheat if it’s not harvested?
Cover crop that unlocks phosphorous in the soil. It grows fast, also, and in dense stands (high population) it can overtake weeds. It also promotes healthy organism growth in the soil.
extension.missouri.edu
For deer? I’m not familiar with food plots.
Oh I see that you raise bees. That’s understandable.
I understand the concept of cover crops, but they are typically a short term soil management strategy for lands intended to grow other crops.Cover crop that unlocks phosphorous in thrle soil. It grows fast, also, and in dense stands (high population) it can overtake weeds. It also promotes healthy organism growth in the soil.
Tilled in the organic matter is, furthermore, good for the soil.
Growing Buckwheat for Grain or Cover Crop Use | MU Extension
Rob Myers Adjunct Associate Professor Division of Plant Sciences Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench.) is a fast-growing crop most often found in northern temperate regions, such as the northern tier of U.S. states. It is native to southwest Asia, and is currently grown most extensively in...
Edit to add -
The principal of "cover crops" is something we are studying. There are numerous directions to go with it, however with the right application of crops to soil you can do any number of things. Around here (central Ohio) farmers use field raddishes to add organic matter and break up compacted soil, among other benefits.
If you dig in to the subject of "cover crops" youll find a whole other world within agriculture.
A word of caution on threshing grain inside of a building is that under certain conditions the dust can be explosive. I have clue exactly what those conditions are but the explosion usually is quite dramatic.So, full disclosure. I'm not a farmer and I'm not a fabricator, so don't laugh.
Here's a short video of the thresher as it currently sits and the theory of operation.
I still need to add some baffles for air flow and I need to fabricate some kind of bracket for mounting the motor inside the back open area. I'm going to try this with a 1/2 HP motor that I have sitting on the shelf. If that isn't powerful enough, I'll swap it out for a 1 HP model. I did some basic CAD drawings for dimensioning purposes, but don't have a material list to go with it. If it looks like something you're interested in, I'm happy to share.
As for your questions about the logistics, I'm not certain what to expect. The machine is pretty heavy, but adding some wheels would make it easier to move around in the shop, which is where I plan to do my threshing. It will have to be hand fed, so it will still be a slower process than a combine, but a lot faster than trying to do it by hand. My goal is to have a two stage solution for threshing and winnowing. I know it won't be perfect, but hopefully, it's good enough.
As for portability, I suppose that I could mount it on a pallet and move it out to the field and use a generator to power it. I hadn't really thought about that.
I really appreciate the heads up. I guess I won’t be doing any threshing in the shop!
Most grain explosions are are at the mills were it is being ground or in large elevators were the grain is being moved swiftly and creating fine dust.I really appreciate the heads up. I guess I won’t be doing any threshing in the shop!
