Farm work is never done

It is starting out to be an exciting season. The weather has been cooperating with my work schedule and so far my decisions have resulted in planting success. The warm weather has brought Soybeans out of the ground after about a week. Most of my Soys are planted on land that was plowed last year, and this ground is holding moisture very well. I had to work the ground shallow to avoid mud, fortunately the beans sprouted before the wind dried out that top inch - and grow they have.

As with any rush, things go wrong. My most anoying failure was the left marker on my grain drill - it kept slipping wider. This makes it frustrating, while trying to set up the marker and finding it keeps needing adjusting. The first thoughts are that i am just not following properly, but only in one direction. With no cab, dry ground on top and a wind in line with the rows, I couldn't always see my mark so it took 40 acres before i figured out what was going on. Then, of course, that fine thread odd size u-bolt breaks. Well, no one to blame but myself, it was a replacement part with a made in China tag. With a little ingenuity and making use of a steering wheel puller, I fabbed up a sollution in the field, which lasted until I was done. Now I must not forget to go back and fix this properly before I use the drill next, this fall for wheat.

Had a few misjudgements on how much seed I was planting. Thats the down side for buying bulk seed when you don't own a scale. I can only eyeball what is in the wagon and when your off by 7 units of small seed after 50 acres its not a gross error, but you need a good suppliers to get you the seed on a Saturday afternoon of a long weekend so planting can continue.

I enjoyed being on the tractor watching the sun rise and set nearly every day for a week. I didn't mind getting that great farmer tan (or burn) on my arms from not using sun block. The dust following me up and down the field carried with it that sweat smell of soil when it is fit. The truth is, as much as I wanted to sleep in on a couple of mornings, I would really like to have a few more acres so i could keep doing it.

However the end of planting is no time to take a break. I now have weeds to control, fields to scout and even a main tile to fix. Its amazing how giant holes in the ground only show up when you are facing backwards. Then there is all the work i put off while planting. I still have to get the unload auger on my corn bin working, now that trucks will be rolling up next to week to be filled. And my grain header for the combine isn't done and wheat harvest is maybe 6 weeks out.

While putting equipment away I usually use the small MF265, but as it was hooked up to the sprayer and I had to put my packers away, which are sectional and only one at a time can be backed up I created quite a scene. It looked so funny to see a 125Hp tractor on a 5ft packer I couldn't resist to snap a picture. Sometimes the craziest things are just necessary.

Not everyone in the area is having the same level of success. My neighbour has been plagued with much more sever breakdowns and on ground that not having been plowed in recent memory is as hard as rock and it is drying out quickly. Although offering my equipment to help him out, as I am sure I would, he turned down the offer and is trying to do it all with his own. Its still early enough to get a good yeilding bean in the ground. But I would really like to see all those other fields turning green soon as well.

The pace has slowed a bit, I am not using lights to keep working these days. Once the sun is down, I clean up and wait for the next day. But I, along with the roosters in the yard, still enjoy being at work on the farm when the sun rises. Just don't get much done before I have to head off to the day job - but I guess that is what weekends are for, getting to work all day on the farm!

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Comment by Joe Dales on May 28, 2012 at 1:01am: Nice job getting the crops in Gus.

Be safe and good luck.

Joe

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