We finally put a wrap on Seeding 2019 last week.
We finished the cash crops the last week in May, but we still had 900 plus acres of cover crops to put in, plus all the field prep that goes with that and the in-crop harrowing of the stuff that was already seeded, and, and, and….. you get the idea. It was a long freaking haul and we were VERY happy to finally have it all done (especially since most of the neighbours have been done for the better part of a month).
So, I’ve only been tractor driving for the better part of seven years, despite having grown up on a farm (I don’t think my Dad trusted me or my sisters with anything bigger than the lawn mower), so I am still learning when it comes to running equipment, and, as such I thought I would share with you a few tidbits of knowledge I have learned (or re-learned) over the last two months.
If your husband says you are fired off the rock picker because the 13-year-old can run it this year, don’t get your hopes up. Chances are about 95% that you will once again spend many hours on the damn thing because your kid is 13 and doesn’t pay attention to the amount of rocks ACTUALLY in the field.
Always have a hair tie on your wrist. Chances are really good that when it is your job to grease the rotory harrow (or cultivator, or disc, etc.) it will be very hot and the wind will start gusting and you will end up with grease in your hair.
It will take at least two washings to get grease out of your hair because you forgot to bring a hair tie (see number 2).
The air conditioning in the tractor will only quit when it is 25 degrees and sunny outside and you have to get the harrowing (or rolling, or cultivating, etc.) done before the rain. (The AC quit on my TWICE this season. . . . It was like Sweatin’ to the Oldies in the cab).
Be thankful that your tractor decides to have epic breakdowns (AC not withstanding), while your husband is driving it. He is much better equipped to handle that crap.
If you are trying to resurrect a 30-year-old rod weeder that hasn’t been used for 27 of those years, don’t cheap out and fix it “enough”. It only ends up costing more money in the end.
Trying to back up with a land roller is A LOT harder than it looks.
If you think part of the field looks dry enough to drive through. . . . it isn’t. . . .so don’t.
If you insist on driving through a dry looking spot, try and do it when your husband and the other tractor are not 30 klicks away.
It may seem like the list of things to do is getting longer than the time you have to do it in, but buckle down, it’ll all get done.
