He wants a start in farming. So he bought the baler & built the racks. Rents the 4430 from his brother. Baling on 50/50 share with me (my hay) fair split you think?
He’s 19. Most his age are at the lake or sand dunes
The only two pieces of machinery left after my buddies sale. The combine will head north in a couple days, the M I bought and it will stay in his shed until the ALS will no longer allow him to be outside , don’t want him looking at an empty barn
Today’s seed delivery to my oldest customer at 82 years old. Put 80 bags (2 3/4 ton) in his 1970 1/2 ton International truck.
Will miss this guy when he’s gone, has many a good visits with him over the years.
At the intersection of our back road at the main road, sits a young guy in a new F-150. I asked if he was OK and he said he had a flat tire. Do you want help? No he replied a wrecker is on its way to change it
Dads, teach your sons to be a man
Dear Principal Mrs. Woormwood
Please excuse Lil D from class today as she traveled with me to purchase one of the last great dinosaurs that Fargo made. It will be a great fit for her soon when she is old enough to drive it.
I have an agreement with my neighbor, since my father died a decade ago, that if he should see me doing something stupid, he was to stop and yell at me, which he has several times. He just drove by and smiled and waved at me so hammer down
#plant21
Well my lifelong friend Greg passed away yesterday from a 6 month struggle with ALS. So I did what any good friend would do, I sat with his family and drank up his good beer told stories and laughed till we cried
With the recent 8” rainfall and the dam breaking on a nearby impoundment, an old steam shovel was found abandoned at the bottom of the lake near the dam. back in 1925 when the dam was constructed, water filled the area faster than they could retreat
A couple of young guns that I rented 40 acres of my farm to this year. They are brothers both extremely hard-working and good mannered. Come from small family farm. Love seeing them work together and their enthusiasm
My favorite young dairy couple. They have hammered it out for 15 years starting from absolute scratch.
They made the decision to hang up the milkers for the last time. Staying on the farm but taking off farm jobs. Their choice, but I hurt for them
Took the kid and drove her Galaxie to get ice cream today.
We had a few minor fixes to get it on the road. Plus the good thing about small towns, if we’d had broke down, it doesn’t take long for a friend to help you out:)
Wow, crops not quite ready in my hood, so saw the 80 yo neighbor sitting on his porch this evening. I spent an hour visiting with him, talking bout old neighbors long gone and stuff like that. Walked away with renting a portion of his farm nxt year
Blessed
A little landscape work to do, but this is our new roadside Beef sales barn. The heck with giving our animals away to the packers, I’d rather sell my beef to locals who’d enjoy a reasonably priced quality product!
I don’t own the buildings, but I own the farmland around it. Another classic farmstead that raised 3 generations of the same family. Blessed to add acres to my farm but hurt by the silence of another small family farm
Wearing an old hand me down coat,
Used to be my buddy Greg’s
His wife gave it to me after he passed, took 2 years for me to muster the strength to put it on. It brings me some odd comfort, especially on days I feel mentally tough
Opening day of firearm deer season and I never even loaded my own rifle.
This young man lost his father a year ago and Kevin was a great friend to me me.
Privileged to have his son hunt with me at my farm this am
Myself and my fellow firefighters just responded to a fatal accident in our hometown where the innocent victim was killed by a drunk driver. The victim used to work at my farm several years ago for a couple years. Folks, please don’t drink and drive
Sitting on I-75 with our fire trucks, awaiting a transport of a fallen soldier to his hometown just north of us.
We will join in as they pass
Some gave all
Kids today who think they have it so rough, my grandfather on the right, in a fox hole he dug by hand, in or near Bastogne, battle of the bulge. Survived the war, but passed before I was born
On the farm we’ve hired many a kid over the years.
Some stand out more than others, and some are outstanding!
The young man on the left is him on his 1st deployment.
4-H and FFA and a commitment of community service
Godspeed Greyson
Like any good 4-H calf, immediately following this picture, he stomped on her foot and drug her sideways through the corn. She held on like a trooper But eventually lost the battle 1/2 mile run back up the lane we reconnected w/him:)
Something about the whine of the chopper, the smell of Deisel and corn silage on a cool fall day
Can’t tell if it’s an addiction or a reminder of days gone by...
My friends toy tractor collection sold on auction today. He passed last March after we sold his farm equipment a year ago.
I bought way to much, but how could I not:)
No luck today at the auction trying to buy a 2388 combined. But I did manage to purchase this one horse open sleigh :-) complete with the hitch. Wonder if I can pull it behind my snowmobile ?
Pickin and a grinnin with gramps tractor.
So glad we kept it around although we nearly destroyed it through the years of dairying.
1955 Ford 960
@maxarmstrong
We laid to rest our retired fire chief of 18 years today He was a milk hauler since ‘64 and a Mack truck fanatic
Had to Vicegrip a blown brakeline on the suburban to transport him to cemetery
He’d be proud!
One last look at my office space as I pack it up. 2 day warning to retirement from the best off farm career a kid could ask for. Time to get back to full time at my farm and my family
So many blessings
I joke about starting my own magazine company called “stressful farming“ but at the end of the day this is pretty good relaxation. A bird dog a John Deere 4440 and a cold beverage. Hope you all had a good one today
I’m kind of the new kid on the block around here in this hood. But the old boys drive by to check on me, give me rides to to and from and bring me a coffee. One lets me plug-in to power. That’s the kind of old man I want to be someday
Had a funny noise coming from my Duramax this morning when I started it. was worried it was something major. Turns out it was just a spare cat that apparently we no longer needed around the farm
My neighborhood church-
125 years old, I’m the 4th generation of my family helping to keep the lights on in it
Last week’s pic as I plowed the snow from the grounds
I had a neighbor drive my tractor to do field work for me yesterday so I could spray his wheat for him.
Cooperation, teamwork, whatever you’d call it, I enjoy this type of comradely
Sometimes rare this day in age.
I could be home sittin on the couch bein lazy.
But I challenged myself to find another source of cash for fun money
3 or 4 afternoons hauling milk during the slow time of farming does just that. I enjoy this
Work hard, play hard 👍
Do you tip your tire guys? They do the dirty work for me so I take care of them. We normalize tipping other servers, I enjoy good service at a local tire shop. I want them to know I appreciate it.
The nice thing about not having to conform to a BTO status, is that I can use my antique equipment with a sense of pride for my seed tendering needs :-)
John Deere glass fuel filters, everyone is sold out in Michigan, none to be had. Lo and behold I had a set in my on farm inventory. Willing to trade for a low hour 4440
1987, still have the jacket. My advisor’s advice on public speaking “it’s just like spreading manure, 75% of your success is in how you unload it, the other 25% is the load”
I heard today that it was not a good idea when working cattle with your wife, to give her a love tap with the cattle prod. Don’t ask how I know, but I can barely see to type through my left eye lol
Todays view
Today’s thoughts-
We bust are asses to make a living and a life. And in an instant it can be all over. Make sure your endeavors are your passion and don’t sweat the small complications
RIP to my bud Dave who died at 59 last night
There is a certain amount of satisfaction from using my late friend Greg’s tractor at my farm. It could keep it clean and shiny and tucked away in the shed, but what fun would that be
Wife bought some glass bottled milk straight from a somewhat local dairy, nothing to do with it being organic. Just that we’d like to support an independent family farm occasionally, not just always a major processor brand
It’s Jan of ‘24 and the 4 mile rd trip to Lot
#3
is too cold on the open IH 856
Your local dealer, JT calls and has a nice ‘63 JD 5010 with a cab. You make the switch and enjoy comfort wile feeding steers
#trattertales
Things that make a salesman/agronomist drink at the end of the day. We may have missed cold soaking rains, but we did not miss a lot of cold temperature swings. The old adage of better to plant early than late, that’s not one that I believe in
I might be a girl dad, but I can still teach her how to turn a wrench.
Rebuilt starter and we soldered new battery cables to the clamps and made a new starter wire. More homeschooling:)
Pulling my first crop off of Bud’s farm & the first crop that it has raised in over 30 years. He and my grandpa were neighbors and friends. wonder if one of them is riding shotgun with me tonight or both just laughing at me still harvesting corn in January