Life on the Farm

[bjrogg]

Thanks Rob. Still praying for your dads wife. Hope all goes well. Now you better go out and make sure the water troughs aren’t frozen.

I took all the hoppers and meters off planter. They are in the way for removing old wires and rerouting new ones. I switched the meters over to Sugar beets. I will take them to our Precision dealer and he will run them on his test stand to make sure they are working properly. We do this every winter. It can save a lot of costly problems.

I have the planter to the point I’m going to need to hook a tractor to it and unfold it. It’s single digits out and the planter tractor is on spreader for Biosolids. Ten miles from shop. In the cold. It’s probably going to take all day, but I need to change tracks on my old sprayer tractor. I need to take off narrow 18” wide tracks and switch to 24” wide tracks. Then put that tractor on Biosolids spreader. Then put planter tractor on planter.

Probably not that exciting and a lot of playing around in the cold. Hopefully tomorrow will be ready to actually work at planter again.

Bjrogg

[Parnell]

This is a fun thread, Brian!  Keep it up.

[Marc St Louis]

looks good Brian

Used to like making smoked jerky, haven't done that in awhile

[bjrogg]

Thanks Steve if people are interested I will try to keep you all updated and continue this thread.

Marc I gave some jerky and a couple sticks of summer sausage to my brother. He said the jerky was pretty addictive and hard to ration.

Ironically at the times it seems like I’m not posting or doing anything. I might just be to busy to post but I will try to.

We got a good ways on our projects. My brother got the tractors switched and I continued pulling off the old wiring harness’s. I’m far enough along now to see how the new harness is going to work. I also realize I need one more yet so got that ordered today.

I have two of the four harness’s run. Will have to make a couple extensions wires for the two vacuum meters.

I have the three variable rate hydraulic motors and shaft speed counters wired.

The rate controller, seed star box and 2020 monitor are all wired.

I have the harness for the individual rows monitor laid out but not run yet.

I think I’m past the scariest part.

Got hydraulic lines run for third v-rate hydraulic motor.

I’m cautiously optimistic at this point but I know there could still be lots of surprises and I’m a long way from field ready.

Getting closer though and still have a little time.

Bjrogg

[bjrogg]

And I finished up a nice Cherokee two fletch target arrow last night.

I’m really liking the two fletch. Don’t know why I didn’t try it a long time ago. Pretty simple to fletch, looks great and this is the quietest arrow I have ever shot. Seems pretty fast two.

River cane shaft, pole barn spike point.

Bjrogg

[chamookman]

Really enjoying this thread BJ ! The work is never done. Bob

[BowEd]

Good thread about farming BJ.It goes to show to the public that farming is'nt just putting seed in the ground and watching it grow.
There are no classes of jobs out there.Everyone is acquainted with the least meaning full job all the way to the most meaningful job.
You wear a lot of different coats farming.Appreciating each others skills to get to the final goal.

[bjrogg]

Thanks Bob. It’s never even close to all done and I guess for some silly reason I kinda like it. Just seems to make you feel like you have a purpose.

Yup Ed been learning the Jack of all Trades skills almost all my life.

Fix it with some baler twine to finish the job. Then take everything apart and fix it right when you can. When I was young you could see mechanically how something worked. About the time I graduated high school computers where just becoming available. Now you have to imagine how something works. Some of it is pretty hard to imagine, but it works. The technology in agriculture is absolutely amazing and essential. One has to remember the planter I’m working on now’s technology is twenty years old.
The new one will blow your mind. Each row driven by its own electric variable rate motor. It knows exactly where it is on the planter and exactly where the planter is. If it’s on the outside of a 90’ wide planter on the inside of a turn it knows it’s traveling slower than the row on the outside of the turn so it slows it’s self down to plant the right population. The one on the outside knows it has to speed itself up.


Well I’m pretty happy with our progress. I think I have all the harness we have installed. I’m going to have to wait for the last one awhile. Hopefully not to long. I think it’s all going to work, but I’m certain there will be surprises . I want to find them as soon as I can.

I’m sure I will have lots of other things to do before that harness gets here.

Bjrogg

[bjrogg]

Put in a little overtime and straightened a river cane shaft. Wrapped both ends with sinew

[BowEd]

It goes to show people there is'nt nothing a person can't do if they are willing to do it and have the patience to follow through.
Attention to details trait carries through to practically all things being made.
If it's done enough times a person can remember for the future and not have to go through the getting acquainted part again.
The purpose part to me is saving money as the cost of labor is out of this world.
A friend showed me the remnants of 2 whole deer he made into beef jerky.You could put the contents of 2 deer into a small Wal Mart shopping bag.
Nice shaft but I usually wrap the arrow shafts after self nock is cut/finished and arrowhead is mounted.To avoid any cutting of the threads.

[bjrogg]

So true Ed. Often times the scariest part is just getting started. Once you commit and tear it apart, we’ll then you have to stick with it and get it done.

I didn’t do much with the planter yesterday. I decided to do something with that river cane shaft. If your curious it’s posted in the arrow section. Obsidian point, two fletch build.

I think it might be headed somewhere special.

Bjrogg

[M2A]

Good thread Bj. Ill be following along.

Thats some big equipment. 

Maybe come April when things get moving around here I'd have something to add. Ought to get started planting Peppers and Toms in the greenhouse in about a month.
Mike     

[bjrogg]

Thanks Mike. Look forward to seeing what you grow. I think that’s a big reason I do this. I just love watching it all grow. Harvest is alway sad but sweet.

Actually some of the neighbors have much bigger and better equipment. A couple have planters three times as wide. We get along pretty good with this size though.

I had to take my wife to the eye specialist today and my daughter to the ear specialist. Took all day but at least good reports.

I think I have a meeting in the morning and some banking to do.

Have more Biosolids coming Wednesday and snow on the way.

Bjrogg

[bjrogg]

Well yesterday was spent getting ready for the big snow storm we’re supposed to get today, along with getting ready for more Biosolids due to arrive today.

This morning is one of my good friends funeral. I’ve talked about Gary before. Even had pictures of him in a article I wrote for primitive archery magazine.

Gary was a true inspiration. He was in a farm accident 16 years ago and has been in a wheelchair ever since. I have always been so impressed with his attitude. He wasn’t one to feel sorry for himself and definitely made lemonade when all he got was lemons.

Before Gary’s accident he loved hunting and walking. He walked several miles every day and hunted every chance he got. He even went to Africa and talked about it a lot.

After his accident he worked hard at getting any movement back he could. He couldn’t even “squeeze “ his trigger finger. He had to move his whole hand to pull his trigger.

His kids modified his wheelchair and mounted his rifle on it. The whole family went back to Africa and enjoyed another hunt there. Gary took a couple really dumb ones as he said. They had to be dumb for him to get them. Kinda like me hunting with my stick.

My buddy Randy was a fantastic friend of Gary’s. The two of them spent countless hours hunting groundhogs and trying to lower the population for the local farmers. They averaged over 200 a year with Gary shooting most of them. I’m really going to miss him. He won’t be forgotten. Every time I see a ground hog I will certainly be reminded of him. It’s pretty fitting that his funeral will be on ground hog day.

He’s out of his chair and got his wings now. RIP Gary.

Bjrogg

[bjrogg]

My friend Gary has a lot of hunting trophies. None of them meant as much to him as this one.
Bjrogg