In years gone by, farmers who were wise enough to rotate their crops from year to year were pretty much limited to one crop per year, either corn, wheat, or soybeans. With the development of crops like winter wheat, farmers could rotate and get three crops in a two year period. Here's how they do it: When this GC was written up, it was the start of Autumn. Looking down Griffin Green Road, on the left was a corn stubble field, so we'll start our 2-year plan from this point. Within a few months, this stubble field will be planted with winter wheat or some other winter-tolerant grain.
Next spring, the farmer can either harvest the grain "green" for hay bales, or let it mature for a harvest of grain. In both cases, soybeans will then be planted and harvested in the fall. There may or may not be a "green manure" planting of a grass, but either way, corn will be planted next spring. In the fall, two years beyond where we started with this narrative, we would be looking at a harvested corn crop, just like when I originally wrote this up. So, in two years, he's had 3 crops: hay or grain, soybeans, and corn.
So why is this stuff part of the Beautiful Stanly series? The alternating crops on the left are opposite the cycle of those on the right side of Griffin Green, so, the brown/gray stubble field of 2013 was offset by the vibrant green of the soybeans on the opposite side of the road. In the dead of winter, the field on the right will be dull, but that on the left will be brilliant green. The entire two year cycle offers contrasts like that. It is a beautiful thing.
As you log your find, please let us know what crops are in which field.