The Summer of 2012

Following a mild winter, spring came early which meant we were able to get into the fields early and get the planting done.

Everything was set and we seeded more than 1300 acres in a few days without much of a problem at all.

We seeded a few fields with a no-till drill with the hopes of going completely no-till in the next several years.

By the time the boys celebrated their 5th birthday on April 19th we were hopeful that by getting into the field early we would have a stellar year yield wise.

Then the hot and dry summer of 2012 started. While June and most of July were abnormally hot, we didn't get much in the form of rain at all.

Because the wheat was able to mature before the heat could damage it we were able to have a very successful wheat harvest.

With the help of the Ron Ellenson crew, and uncle Bill Vinje, we were able to take off more than 1300 acres of wheat in about 10 days.

Coop farming was something new for us this year and it was such a success we will probably continue to team up with Team Ellenson for soybean/corn harvest.

The summer has been a busy one on the farm, Jack and Owen were involved in Vacation Bible School, swimming lessons and gymnastics. That along with trips to the family lake cabin in Minnesota and a trip to Medora made for a full summer.

As we look ahead to fall, both Nick and I have mixed feelings about our "babies" starting school.

Jack and Owen will be starting kindergarten in Aug. 22nd and will be in separate classes.

So, we shall see how all that plays out!

Have a wonderful rest of the summer, and check back to find out more about the adventures on the Vinje Farm!

 Last day of combining, Tues. Aug 7th

Vinje Family Bike Wash

Winter Trip

Sunset in Key West, FL

Baby Gators

Gater wrangling at a gator farm in Homestead, FL
Playing in the sand, Cocoa Beach


While we have been enjoying an extremely uneventful and warm winter, we did decide to take the boys to Florida to visit the FL Vinjes and revisit our old stomping ground at Conch Key Cottages.
Our 12 day trip was filled with adventure....as we were able to visit the Mike Vinje family, NASA, a gator farm, Key West, and Cocoa Beach.
We ate lots of great seafood, drank a few margaritas and really enjoyed a break from snowy North Dakota.
We were delighted upon returning home to find the 8 inches of snow that was on the ground was gone...not a speck in sight.
Apparently while we were soaking up the sun in FL, North Dakotans were enjoying some record breaking weather, with temperatures in the mid to upper 60s which was about 20 to 25 degrees above normal.
Currently as I write this blog entry temps are about 15 degrees above normal and we are expecting temps to remain in the 50s and 60s this week.
Last week we saw at least one farmer out planting what looked like either wheat or barley.
Now, it is not unheard of to plant this early but the threat of frost reminds us all that it is only the beginning of April.
Work around the yard began last week and Nick is planning on hitting the field possibly by the end of this week or the beginning of next week.
The plan at this point is to get all the wheat and barley in the ground and then have a short break before planting soybeans and corn.
The boys already planted a small crop of barley, peas, coybeans, goards, and sunflowers...the barley is doing wonderfuly in its cup on the kitchen table...in front of a window!
We are looking forward to a promising spring and as soon as the wheels start rolling, I'll be out capturing our adventures to share with you!
From the Vinje Farm-
Heather V.

Winter Roundup

So far this winter, we've enjoyed extremely mild temperatures. A brown Christmas was fun until the boys asked for the snow. Sorry, we told them...maybe next year!

January on the farm is typically the time of year when Nick hauls out any grain that has been stored on the farm.

For the last several days, he's been hauling out 2010 barley to an elevator about 15 miles away...the barley will then be shipped out and eventually turned into beer...so drink up, we're counting on you!

January is also a time for home improvement projects to get done...so far, we've got a half finished basement and a bare fireplace...but after the grain is hauled out, hopefully we can get back on track with the home stuff.

So far, we've gotten about a 1/2 foot of the white stuff but with record breaking temps in the 50s earlier this month, there is just a little bit of snow left.

We're loving not having to blow snow or shovel but the boys are anxious to have dad create some sort of sledding hill somewhere in the yard...we'll see about that.

Gramma Vinje has taken a mid-winter break and headed to DC to see Bill and the boys. I'm sure she'll be coming back with plenty of stories and photos which i'll share via facebook.

That's it from the cold and snowy farm, hope everyone is well and having a great 2012.

Fall Roundup 2011

Converting a bin

Our field of radishes and turnips

Halloween festivities at the local Good Samaritan center...

Hey everyone, it's been a busy fall on the farm. Since last post Nick went to being overjoyed about harvest wrapping up to being completely bored and tired of digging.

Most of the fields needed to be dug in prep for next year...except the field we are trying a no-till experiment on.

The thought of going no-till on a farm this size is exciting for a number of reasons. First you don't have to dig your field in the spring or the fall. You basically leave the ground alone..which is great when we only have one person farming more than 1700 acres of land.

What we did do with that field is planted a "cover crop" of non-edible radishes and turnips.

As you can see in the picture above, it was a great field and we did great with our "yield." Basically to help the health of the field we planted radishes and turnips and then will dig them into the soil come spring.

Digging is a very tedious job...and also a very boring job. After about a month of digging, Nick was done but had several fields to ditch...again for the health of the field and to make the most out of drainage in the spring.

And don't forget, when living on a farm...there is always projects that need to get done.

We took two of our bins and converted them to "hopper bottom bins"....a project that was very interested to watch and also an expensive project.

We hope in the future to convert more of the bins but right now, we're happy with this years results....as you can see in the pic above.

As the fall season winded down the boys geared up for one of their favorite holidays, that being Halloween.

Last year we were in DC for the holiday so of course the boys wondered if Max would be joining us this year. Although we couldn't work out a trip we had a great time trick or treating with the Winterquist cousins at their neighborhood in Argusville.

With field work wrapping up, Nick spends much of his free time either doing our projects outside or trying to wrangle his paperwork in the office.

On a side note the boys are doing great at school and enjoy going to open gym with their best pal Mitchell who...again...can be seen in the pic above.

We wish everyone a happy, and healthy Thanksgiving holiday!

Soybean/Corn Harvest 2011

It was almost too easy....

Normally when harvest rolls around we take a deep breath and pray for no major breakdowns or rainy weather.

This year...for some reason, the gods smiled down on the Vinje farm and we had one of the easiest harvests we've ever had.

Now, having said that, our yields were among the lowest we've ever had...so I guess, with everything, there is a trade off.

Corn harvest this year was different because last year we had the crop custom planted and custom combined (hired the neighbors).

We decided early on in the spring, that we were going to take advantage of some healthy corn prices and plant more corn this year...double what we raised last year. And this year, we were going to plant and combine our own crop.

So after soybean harvest wrapped, we went directly into corn harvest...starting on Oct. 6th and wrapping up less than a week later on Oct. 12th.

Not sure what the plan is for next year but at least the harvest of 2011 is in the books!

Currently Nick is digging several fields in prep for next spring.

After that, there is a little bit of corn to haul into the elevator and a bunch of 2010 barley to get rid of.

We've included a few pictures of corn harvest along with one of this years Pumpkin Fest...in which the boys invited over a few friends to carve pumpkins and decorate cookies. A fun time was had by all, even if more frosting got into the kids' mouths than on the actual cookies themselves.

Also a great big happy 1st birthday to Toby Vinje, who celebrated on Oct. 6th.

Indian Summer

Northern Cass School where the boys are attending PreK classes

I guess we're having what you could call an indian summer. Granted, North Dakota isn't known for its stellar temperatures but this year has proven to be one for the record books.

Following a cold and rainy spring and fall we've been treated to temperatures in the mid 80s for the past several days.

I didn't think I would have to rescue the baby pool from the barn but it looks like we might have a few days to "pool it."

Soybean harvest kicked off last Friday and rolls on without much drama. Besides a few minor breakdowns the soybean harvest of 2011 is going rather well.

Nick is combining...and then dumping trucks when they get full.

So far, so good and we expect to roll right into corn harvest following soybeans.

If all goes according to plan, we expect to wrap up combining beans on Thurs. or Fri.

The only gitch in our plan is a local meteorologist forcasting rain for the end of the week.

We shall see...

p.s. Jack & Owen love riding with their dad but Owen informed us the other day, he and Jack will be farming with John Deere combines...

again, we shall see!!

Summer/Fall 2011

Greetings from the Vinje Farm!

We're new to this blogging business but we thought it was time to start keeping our family and friends up to date with the happenings at the V.F.

The main purpose of writing this blog is to keep the Vinje family informed and up to speed, so to speak with how the farm is operating.

V.F. was started by Nick with the blessings of his family, especially Grandma Donna Vinje. While raising her 4 boys, Donna was no stranger to the farming life and wasn't sad when her own boys went off to college and then settled in places other than Gardner, or even the midwest.

In the early days of farming, Nick attended nearly every auction sale in tri-state area, and did his best to "wheel & deal" to get the farm up and running.

Over the past 13 years the Vinje Farm has grown from just a few hundred acres to nearly 1700 acres. Most of this land is rented through the Vinje Bros. Partnership which was established by John, Wayne, Steve, and David Vinje. Nick was also able to aquire a few hundred acres from relatives on Dave's side of the family.

The season of 2011 started out late as the fields never seemed to dry up and the rain never seemed to stop coming.

While many neighbors were forced to leave their fields sit empty, we were able to plant all of our ground. Just over 580 acres was seeded to wheat, about 1000 acres to soybeans and the last 160 was planted to corn.

The wheat harvest this August went extremely smooth with good weather and almost zero equipment breakdowns. However yields were low, probably the lowest in recent memory but as we've learned in the past....we cannot dwell on one crop alone....we must push forward and get ready for bean and corn harvest.

On a side note, Bill Vinje was able to come and help as he has in many years past. Along with Bill came Max & Toby, two great little boys. Max loved being on the farm and enjoyed riding with his dad in the combine and tractor. Jack and Owen were in heaven with their little cousins and we were all sorry to see them head back to D.C.

That's it for now!