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Be Vaaawy Quiet

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bjrogg:
Those grain bins aren’t mine Ed. Those are bins from a small town elevator. We actually don’t even own any bins.

Like you I grew up with cattle. We milked cows till I graduated high school and went to electronics school. Then my parents sold the cows. Five years later I came back to the farm. My brother and I bought cows and started our own milking herd. Then in 1992 we sold them and just had beef cattle.

We grew up hoeing sugar beets, balling hay and straw. Feeding, milking and taking care of the cows. We never said we were bored. Dad would find something for us to do if we did.

My dad grew up taking care of the cows and his youngest brother did a lot of the field work. I helped him plant and take care of our crops from the time I was about in the fifth grade. I did a lot of tillage and cultivating. Back then we cultivated our corn at least twice, our beans three times and our sugar beet five or six times. Plus hoeing. Sugar beets were always weedy. We didn’t have very good herbicides for them. We mold board plowed every acre. We even had some summer fallow. Fields we left without a crop that we kept tilled all year to try to kill the weeds and quack grass. We did then and still do rotate crops. Spread manure and had alfalfa and pasture. We raised chickens and I have many memories of butchering them. Us kids would hold the legs and wings tight while my dad and grandpa would put the head between two nails on a block of wood. Then they would chop them off. We had to hold on tightly or they might get away. We got a good scolding if they did. We would hold them tightly till the blood stopped and they became still. Then we took very hot water and scolded them, which allowed us to remove to feathers more easily. Then we cleaned out the chest cavity and washed them up good. Mom packaged them and put them in one of our freezers.
We always had a huge garden and we helped mom can vegetables. My grandpa loved strawberries. He was very good at growing and eating them.
 
I never farmed with horses but my dad and uncle’s did. It is amazing the evolution that farming has done in my lifetime. I know many people complain about the changes, but I embrace them. When I was a kid we hardly ever saw a deer. Never saw a coyote or turkey. Never grew cover crops. Worked in extremely dusty unhealthy conditions. With crude equipment that was not very accurate, but better than our previous generation had.

I like where our operation is going. There are many more like myself and I think we should encourage more. We are stewards of the land. We share it with all of our makers wildlife. I always feel both honored and responsible to do the best to leave it better for the next generation.

Bjrogg

bjrogg:
This was my grandpa’s first tractor. It arrived on the farm the year my dad was born. 83 years ago. They are both still ticking, but I’m pretty sure this tractor will outlast me.

It’s not much more powerful than today’s lawnmowers. As my uncle would say. It was much better than looking at the rear end of a horse all day.

Bjrogg

BowEd:
We are a lot similar as I did'nt get into all the details of all the chores and field work around the farm as it would take quite a bit of typing.Always something to do.Lots of diversity of livestock[hogs,cattle,and horses] and poultry[chickens,geese,and ducks] too.Garden canning from large gardens too.I'm from generations of farmers also.My grandpas on both sides of the family farmed with horses and mules.
Dandy looking old Jon Deere.I still have the old 1966 Oliver I farmed with.Runs like a champ.Use it as an acerage tractor.Sold all the old Internationals.
Safety equipment???Never heard of it.I always had to laugh when we hired help.Back then we depended on neighbors helping neighbors when big jobs came up.It is'nt that way any more.
Some changes are good but some are'nt.A person was more independent back then.Fended for himself.Nowadays the chemical companies and equipment companies want you depending on them.
Farming practices are better for the land that's for sure.Leaving things better than when we worked them.

Hawkdancer:
Safety equipment was simple! Don't stick your body parts where they don't belong, and watch your step!  Some dogs bite, some don't!  As a city kid, I only had a partial exposure to farming, but I was fascinated until I figured out it would take well over $250k to get started!  I did learn a bit by listening and trying to ask good questions.  I remember the real farm kids bucking hay for .10 a bale.  I had a chance to go to college, school of hard knocks, and a war, couple other life events, only took me 17 years to graduate!  Can't say all my choices were good ones, but I'm still here!i
Hawkdancer

BowEd:
It is expensive to get started.I started from the bottom treated as any other working stiff.Had access to farming ground though which is a big hurdle.Nowadays $250 thousand would'nt be near enough to do it right.I paid that $250 thousand in rent alone over the years treated just as a stranger.Working my way up with used to newer.Fixing things along the way.Making due.Choices are whether we want to take a gamble or not.Some want to take the chance and some don't,but there's nothing wrong with being a steady man either.Having a friendly banker is a must.Bills are due.You get used to working for nothing many many times.Just the breaks that's all.Some people can't handle that.They want a gauranteed paid back for their time every time.A good way to live but not as much of a challenge and less to learn.When it's good make the best of it priority wise.Manage things wisely.In the end doing what you love means everything to me.It's a mentality of preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.Depnding on ones' decisions.It's the reason I have so many back ups of archery making materials or any materials of my other hobbies.It's why I'm 2 years ahead on my supply of firewood for the house too.
I never liked school.Rather be out doing instead of sitting.Everything is an investment when trying to better yourself.Even education of course if one is sure it's what they want to do.I guess I'm the meaning of the school of hard knocks,but have learned quite a bit along the way from success and failure both.Accidents happen.Most times because you are in a hurry or are tired.

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