Glenn Gleans

Gleaning is the act of collecting leftover crops from farmers' fields after they have been commercially harvested or on fields where it is not economically profitable to harvest. Some ancient cultures promoted gleaning as an early form of a welfare system.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday, Glenn was a gleaner.

Check out his haul…pretty impressive. 

 

Glenn is helping a local dairy farmer harvest his silage corn (upcoming blog).  There is a certain amount of edible plant material for livestock, including whole ears of corn, remaining in the fields after the actual harvesting.  This residual is due in part to some of the corn stalks being blown flat to the ground during heavy winds throughout the growing season and which cannot be recovered by the chopping harvester and in part to a certain amount of wastage by the process of harvesting.

Glenn was invited to glean what he could from the fields.  This is the first truckload.  Glenn estimates that he can retrieve another five or six truckloads.

This morning Glenn scattered a portion of his bootie to our cattle and sheep.  Within seconds, the cows were chomping down with determination.  These corn stalks are a special treat for them.  Corn is like a banana split not just a one-dip cone, is like an entire cake not just a sliver of a slice, is like the entire candy bowl not one polite piece.

 

Licking the bowl...
 

Yep, our cattle are happy today and will be for many days to come. 

Glenn a gleaner…yes, on welfare..no - more like not letting this valuable food source be discarded, but gathered.

Waste not, want not.