Have you ever wondered what there is to do on a farm after the crops are harvested?

[Cranky]

I didn't read all these posts , clearly most of you don't know or realize what farmers have to do .
around a 1000 acres and 397 head of cattle ,machinery, horses ,milk cows, and even a few hogs ,and 500 white leghorn chickens a couple of diff times >all back when I was a kid , there was always always something that needed to be done , always !

Used to live next door to a dairy farm in my 4th and 5th grade years and spent a good bit of time over there. Don't recall how many head but there were quite a few....and plenty of work.

 

[Hey-O]

Theresa's family had a few big time farmers in it. One had hogs and dairy cattle. There was no down time. If they went anywhere it was after the morning milking and back home for the late afternoon milking. They also shipped about 90 hogs a month. There was always something to do. They really had no life at all. They had the biggest barn I've ever seen, all wooden quonset barn. About 175 by 100 sitting on 8 foot concrete walls and about 40 foot tall. I remember loading the loft with hay and it took 5 of us all day and when we were done I was completely shot, broke down like a rented mule!! LOL.

 

[Cranky]

Theresa's family had a few big time farmers in it. One had hogs and dairy cattle. There was no down time. If they went anywhere it was after the morning milking and back home for the late afternoon milking. They also shipped about 90 hogs a month. There was always something to do. They really had no life at all. They had the biggest barn I've ever seen, all wooden quonset barn. About 175 by 100 sitting on 8 foot concrete walls and about 40 foot tall. I remember loading the loft with hay and it took 5 of us all day and when we were done I was completely shot, broke down like a rented mule!! LOL.

I did a little bit of hay but was mostly in the way lol.

 

[Hey-O]

I did a little bit of hay but was mostly in the way lol.

I was about 25 and full of piss and vinegar. Today, I'd bring my own body bag!! LOL

 

[ckessel]

I didn't read all these posts , clearly most of you don't know or realize what farmers have to do .
around a 1000 acres and 397 head of cattle ,machinery, horses ,milk cows, and even a few hogs ,and 500 white leghorn chickens a couple of diff times >all back when I was a kid , there was always always something that needed to be done , always !

Before I ran the Gravely, I used a push mower. In order of learning to operate: mower, Gravely, Massey Harris 50, WW2 Jeep, truck. I had two summers solid of cutting down Avocado trees. 2000+. They were replaced by Lemons. And in between the switch of trees, I replaced the old junk steel irrigation system to PVC. Yeah, many people don't get what happens on the farm/ranch when the labor force is the family.

 

[Budnicks]

 

[retractable]

I grew up on a farm and after the 4 years if the USAF my wife and I farmed for 25 years. Corn,soybeans,and 3000 hogs farrow to finish. We could not get away other than a afternoon off if chores got done early. Shut it down in 1993 when we decided we were not big enough and we're not getting as good a price and larger hog farms. Sold the hog operation to a hog farm with 65,000 hogs.

 

[khryslerkid]

Little brother and I had field cars we goofed around in during any down time. Dukes of Hazzard, ha!

 

[kiwigtx]

I have a great appreciation for the work that farmers do....I grew up on farms also. My brother and I would sit on top of hay bails on the transport tray feeding out to the cows as they followed us....going up and down hills. Chasing wild cattle and milking etc, we had about 500 pigs at one time, 60+ cows milking and later on we decided on 10 sheep for meat......those damn sheep. The day they went to the 'Works, my brother and I spent all day chasing the things - across 3 adjoining farms, and eventually bailed up the last inside the neighbours open garage.

If you get sheep, don't get a few, get thousands...easier to control more than less.

 

[Richard Cranium]

 

[GTXDAN]

I thought he was talking about the farmers daughter there for a second.

 

[QuickBpBp]

I was a commercial grape grower for 2.5 decades. Had 30 acres of grapes and another 5-6 acres in waterways and access roads. I had to plan my marriage, honeymoon around harvest and our kids around the growing season. I don't miss the stress or all the chemicals I sprayed.... Before that I took care of 8 Hackney Clydesdales for 4 years at the same farm. There is ALWAYS work to be done on a farm and it's tough work.

 

[3sloppydogs]

A friend of mine farms. He has roughly 1500 acres + or- depending on the year. Which around here is big. He owns some and leases some. He has a fleet of JD tractors, older ones so the Deere police won't get him. He maintains them perfectly. He harvests wheat,beans, corn and hay.
In the winter after the harvest he goes to Aruba or St. Somewhere, someplace tropical.
Lol then he tells me how broke he is, I just laugh.

 

[RemCharger]

A friend of mine farms. He has roughly 1500 acres + or- depending on the year. Which around here is big. He owns some and leases some. He has a fleet of JD tractors, older ones so the Deere police won't get him. He maintains them perfectly. He harvests wheat,beans, corn and hay.
In the winter after the harvest he goes to Aruba or St. Somewhere, someplace tropical.
Lol then he tells me how broke he is, I just laugh.

It's just a different kind of broke!