What farming takes: 50+ years ago this corn picker got plugged up with stalks during fall harvest. My father-in-law jumped off the tractor to clear the clog. As he turned to climb back...

Haymaker

50+ years ago this corn picker got plugged up with stalks during fall harvest. My father-in-law jumped off the tractor to clear the clog. As he turned to climb back onto the tractor, a loose stalk was grabbed in the now free moving chains and teeth and wrapped itself around his hand and pulled him into it. "Always disengage the PTO!" was a hard learned lesson for him. This picker/sheller unit has been stored in the back of a shed for many years and recently was being sold. My intent was to commemorate this example of how demanding a mistress farming was and is. Thanks for having a look.

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Old Timer Loc: Greenfield, In.

I was a youth coming up through this period, as of now some thought they were strong and faster that machinery. When the snapping rolls got a good grip on the stalk it went through almost instantaneously. There were a lot of farmers that lost a hand that way. Had one neighbor got his knife out with other hand and cut his hand off to get loose. Some got pulled in farther lost their arm and even life.

Haymaker

Old Timer wrote:

I was a youth coming up through this period, as of now some thought they were strong and faster that machinery. When the snapping rolls got a good grip on the stalk it went through almost instantaneously. There were a lot of farmers that lost a hand that way. Had one neighbor got his knife out with other hand and cut his hand off to get loose. Some got pulled in farther lost their arm and even life.

We have several neighbors and family members missing parts. Thankfully, safety of these implements has improved to some degree.

alby Loc: very eastern pa.

yup ... i knew 3 who lost at least fingers and 2 who lost an arm or parts of. one life. farming is dangerous. 'nuf said!!!

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

And that's what it takes to put corn-on-the-cob in the grocery store. Most people have no idea.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Retired CPO wrote:

And that's what it takes to put corn-on-the-cob in the grocery store. Most people have no idea.

Tractors are subject to roll over (the older tricycle wheel arrangements even more so.

When I was in grade school the high school age son of some friends of my parents got thrown off a tractor when it lurched over an uneven piece of ground and went under the disk he was pulling. He died in the ER during surgery a short time later.

Most people don't know it but farming/ranching is on the list of "Most Dangerous Jobs".

LowellR

I am a retired cabinet maker, on the day of my retirement the owner of the business asked me how I had been a cabinet maker for 45 yrs and had all my fingers, I told him that when I started I seen a worker cut a finger off and after that I didn't do what he did, he asked what was that I said -working

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Snapping rolls were always the big danger. We used a New Idea that had had a gearbox retrofitted to the pto so it could be reversed and hopefully spit the clogs back out. At least when one had to pull stalks out, the rolls wouldn’t suck you in. I thought that was a great invention.

2Dragons Loc: The Back of Beyond

Hardest job in the world, especially if you are a dairy farmer. 24/7, 365 and there are less and less of them because their children aren't interested in becoming a farmer after growing up with no days off and having to be in bed before 9:00 PM and up by 3:00 or 4:00 AM. They are a very special breed.

Haymaker

jaymatt wrote:

Snapping rolls were always the big danger. We used a New Idea that had had a gearbox retrofitted to the pto so it could be reversed and hopefully spit the clogs back out. At least when one had to pull stalks out, the rolls wouldn’t suck you in. I thought that was a great invention.

The one pictured is a New Idea, too.

Haymaker

2Dragons wrote:

Hardest job in the world, especially if you are a dairy farmer. 24/7, 365 and there are less and less of them because their children aren't interested in becoming a farmer after growing up with no days off and having to be in bed before 9:00 PM and up by 3:00 or 4:00 AM. They are a very special breed.

Yep. It took us a very long time to decide to switch to beef from dairy. We were looking at get big or get out options. Limited land and ridiculously low base price per CWT ($8.54) finally forced our decision back in 2000.

Haymaker

LowellR wrote:

I am a retired cabinet maker, on the day of my retirement the owner of the business asked me how I had been a cabinet maker for 45 yrs and had all my fingers, I told him that when I started I seen a worker cut a finger off and after that I didn't do what he did, he asked what was that I said -working

Haymaker

Retired CPO wrote:

And that's what it takes to put corn-on-the-cob in the grocery store. Most people have no idea.

There is a definite disconnect between farmers and consumers. There is also LOTS of misinformation around that uninformed folks take as gospel truth. There just doesn't seem to be enough time in a day to produce food and educate consumers, but it is important to help them learn.

2Dragons Loc: The Back of Beyond

Haymaker wrote:

Yep. It took us a very long time to decide to switch to beef from dairy. We were looking at get big or get out options. Limited land and ridiculously low base price per CWT ($8.54) finally forced our decision back in 2000.

It would just break my heart back in the late 80's and early 90's when I saw so many of the dairy farms in Vermont auctioning off their herds. Dairy farms were/are such a part of the attraction to Vermont, besides the beautiful green hills. Poor milk prices and increased taxes on their land did many of the farmers in.

StanMac Loc: Tennessee

IMO, consolidation of middle-production operations in both beef and dairy products has given those operations more leverage to pay less to the farmers and get more from the retailers. Mergers and acquisitions seldom help producers and end users.

Stan