Our Products
Field Corn
All of our grain corn is grown for cattle feed. Several local feed yards buy our corn as part of the ration used to feed their cattle. If the grain is going to be stored dry in large bins then we wait to harvest until it is below 20% moisture in the field so it can easily be dried to 15% for safe storage. If it will be made into silage then it can be harvested at higher moisture levels. Silage is a feed product that has undergone a fermentation process to preserve it for storage. In this case, up to the whole corn plant may be harvested and ensiled.
Sweet Corn
Our Sweet Corn is contracted with a local processor. It ends up in frozen bags, frozen on the cob chunks, and fresh corn on the cob in stores around the nation.
Canola
Canola – Our Canola is planted at the beginning of Fall and does most of its growing during the cooler parts of the year, taking advantage of our natural precipitation patterns. This means that it requires relatively little supplemental irrigation, making it a great rotational crop in areas of the farm with higher water costs. Although Canola is primarily open pollinated by the wind, its abundance of flowers and duration of the bloom period makes it great spring forage for a variety of pollinators. The Canola seed we harvest is sold to a local processing plant where the oil is extracted. Canola oil is used for cooking, as well as bio fuels and lubricants. After the canola oil is extracted from the seed the remaining material, called meal, is sold as livestock feed.
Buckwheat
Buckwheat is used to make a gluten free flour that is quite popular in Asia. It is typically planted as a second crop behind earlier harvested crops like grass seed or wheat and is then itself harvested in the fall. It is a very aggressively growing plant that will outcompete most weeds. Buckwheat blooms profusely for about one month, typically during late summer and is pollinated by honey bees and, like Canola and alfalfa seed, provides forage for many additional species of insects.
Alfalfa Seed
The Alfalfa seed grown on Madison Ranches is cleaned and bagged in Idaho then shipped all over the United States to be planted for alfalfa hay production. Pollinating the alfalfa flower for seed production in our environment requires specially adapted bees. For this critical step in alfalfa seed production we utilize Alfalfa Leafcutter Bees, which are a really unique species of bee that is very effective at pollinating alfalfa flowers!
Alfalfa
When grown for hay, Alfalfa is harvested 4 to 5 times a year and is capable of producing over 9 dry tons of forage per acre annually. Alfalfa is a deep-rooting perennial, meaning that once a field is planted it will stay in alfalfa for 3 to 5 years depending on stand health and farm wide crop rotational needs. To harvest alfalfa hay, the plants are cut when at peak growth, allowed to dry and then baled. The bales are stacked near the field edge where they are tarped to preserve quality and to await trucking. Typically, our baled alfalfa hay is exported by container ship to countries all around the world, shipped locally to dairies for cattle feed, or sold to local ranchers for beef cattle feed during the winter months when grass is buried under snow.
Kentucky Blue Grass Seed
Blue grass seed is a relatively new crop for us. We are working hard to develop a reputation of producing clean, quality seed. Our grass seed is either shipped globally or nationally depending on the varietal traits. Blue grass is a sod-forming grass that is primarily used in lawns and landscaping as it has a fantastic color, is soft, performs well in a variety of temperatures, and handles traffic well.
Hard Red Winter Wheat
Hard Red Wheat is growing in popularity in our area due to its ability to produce high yields in our environment. We grow it for both seed production and for commercial production. The wheat we grow for seed is certified prior to harvest cleaned, treated and sold to neighboring farms and ranches as well as other seed companies. Hard Red Wheat typically has a higher protein level than soft white wheat and is used in products requiring more size such as breads and rolls.
Soft White Wheat
Soft white wheat is very commonly produced in the Pacific Northwest. We grow it for both seed production and for commercial production. The wheat we grow for seed is certified prior to harvest then cleaned, treated and sold to neighboring farms and ranches as well as other seed companies. The soft white wheat grown for commercial production is grown to enter the food chain. Due to its naturally low protein properties, flour ground from soft white wheat is utilized in specialty products such as cakes, cookies, crackers, pastries, and muffins. Most of the soft white wheat grown in the Pacific Northwest is exported overseas.
Fresh Red and Yellow Onions
Our fresh red and yellow onions can be found throughout the food industry nationwide. From the fried onions you put on your green bean casserole to the fresh onions in your favorite grocery store or fast food joint. We pass rigorous food safety audits every year to ensure that all of our onions are Global G.A.P (Good Agricultural Practices) Certified. So you can rest assured you’re eating clean, safe, healthy food.
Dehydrator Onions
The Dehy onion is not what a person thinks of when they think of an onion. The primary purpose of the Dehy onion is for seasoning. It is much smaller and is much more dense than that of a traditional onion. The Dehy onion is dried down and processed into onion powder, minced onions, or flaked onion. It is very often found in steak seasoning mixes, or any seasoning that lists onion powder as an ingredient.