hamtrack Loc: Omaha NE

At the age of 18, I left the farm because I wanted to see what was on the other side of the mountain. 72 years later, I am still looking, but at a much slower pace. While on the farm I experienced just about every manual labor chore of the times, including the use of horses for tilling and planting. Now I drive down the by ways and see equipment that I cannot comprehend. Yesterday, me and my Black Lab Sophie took a trip to see what might be photo shootable. Both corn and beans are being harvested now and I drove for several miles to find what I thought might be interesting. I found it right next to the Missouri River on the Iowa side, in the form of a local farmer and his Harvester Machine accompanied by a huge tractor pulling a wagon that held 500 bushels of corn. I began taking photos of him in action and he pulled up close, stopped, and yelled "you want to ride along"? Yes, of course. He had to help me up the ladder a bit and took my camera for safety. This machine only picked 6 rows at a time, shelled the ears, chopped up the stalks and did so at flank speed. He apologized, saying this was an older machine and that they were selling new machines twice the size. I asked about the cost. He related that his unit would be about $350,000 plus the picker head for another $35,000 and the bean head for $30,000. The attending tractor was $100,000 and the wagon about $10,000. So thats more than a half million and he was apologizing for it's shortcomings. Inside that cab was dust free, FM radio, GPS and of course his cell phone so he could give instructions to his helper. My Father paid $500 for a brand new International Harvester F-20 tractor in 1939 and the related equipment probably and equal amount. At the end of the day I had about an inch of dirt and dust on me and in my lungs, and still had to milk the cows and slop the pigs. My host has no cows, pigs or chickens. Also no fences to mend. So, you say, So What? The so what is "I was either born too soon or made the right decision to look over the mountain". I did take a few photos of Mr Lincoln and his machines.

plessner Loc: North Dakota

I am glad you enjoyed your trip back to the farm. Our kids are 5th generation in my husbands family on our farm, but neither of them will carry on the tradition--sadly. We are not sure what will happen when we are done. It is too bad it is all about the money, but as you found out--how do young people get started now a days at today's prices?
Anytime you are in the area stop by for a ride, and do bring your camera. Mine is always with me when I am in the tractor or the truck!

cockney greg Loc: London E17

What a lovely story and accompanying pictures hamtrack. Thank you I'm so glad I looked in on this.

hamtrack Loc: Omaha NE

You are right and it is sad. When I showed up in 1933 I have to think that my parents said "now we have another mouth to feed". When my Father was still with us, we took a ride through the country side and I spotted a round baler so I asked him why we didn't have those when I was growing up. He says "we did not need them, we had you". After I go old enough to be good help, I spent most of the summers on baling crews neighboring with other young bucks, going farm to farm on all three cuttings. I probably sound like I was being abused. Not so. Ate like a horse, got tough as a boot and I would not trade the experience for anything. When I took basic training in the Army the drill Sgt said, "I need some more of these farm kids. These %^$#@!!!!** city kids don't know Jack----! And he was right.

plessner Loc: North Dakota

I can relate---I am the oldest of nine kids and we grew up stacking bales all summer--I believe I remember we put up about 9000 plus we milked a few cows and had a few pigs and chickens.
We used to have milk cows when we were first married, then beef cows, and then a few horses. This past summer was the first in my life for as far back as I can remember that I did not have to [or maybe I should say get to] touch a bale! I did kind of miss it....I kind of feel when kids get into trouble today it is because they have nothing to do to keep themselves busy--if they had lots of chores they would just plain be tired at night and go to bed!

tk Loc: Iowa

Amen!
<--------- Love farming. After years away, I went back and am so glad. Never been happier.

noknees438 Loc: NYC

Nice pix and a great, interesting story. Very illuminating to a "city-slicker" like myself. Well done.

Mr. B Loc: eastern Connecticut

Hamtrack,
Nice series and commentary. I remember riding a horse-drawn hay dump rake converted to tractor-drawn (John Deere Model M). I was thrilled when dad bought a side delivery rake and an New Holland 66 baler (except when the thing would vapor lock) The "old" combine you were so fortunate to hitch a ride in wouldn't fit through most of the old 1700s stone wall barways out here!

Calsnap Loc: Seattle/Montana/San Diego

Great story and good photos, congratulations on having the gumption to say yes to his offer. I grew up on dairy farms and 55 years later still can't look at a cow without remembering how much I don't like them.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Thanks. This reminded me what it's like to be in the countryside at harvest time.

The machinery may be expensive, but did you ask him how big his farm is and what his income is from it? In the UK, farms have got a lot bigger and they can generate very large incomes. Not true of dairy farms, though. Supermarkets have pushed down the cost of milk, and dairy farming is not a big earner.

The farm beside me where I grew up had a binder that produced sheaves that would eventually end up going through a threshing mill. Now the bales are a funny shape and get wrapped in bin-liner plastic sheeting and quite often get left in the field. Sheaves were far more photogenic :-) .

hamtrack Loc: Omaha NE

Well, my age will be showing but I don't mind. I actually shocked oats for thrashing. There are still old machinery days not far from where I grew up. As a kid I ran the blower on the tharsher and then later drove a team of mules with a wagon picking up the shocks of oats. It was a mark of passage if you could handle a team of mules next to a roaring thrashing machine.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Thanks for the pic :thumbup: . The threshing mill they used was self-contained apart from the traction engine needed to drive the belt and to tow it to the farms. There weren't any mules where I grew up - just tractors, but hey were quite a bit smaller in those days.