Firewood and Farm Tractor Ride

We cut about 7 cords of wood a year on our farm and use it to heat our house for the most part over the winter. There are more than enough forest land on our farm that with snow, ice and just natural or insect damage tree death, we can leave the green trees and only cut dead wood. We use our John Deere 5055d with an old carryall to get into the woods to cut and haul out the firewood.

The video link shows me riding on the back of the carryall and discussing/showing some of our hay fields as we go to where the firewood we are gathering is located. I'm driving on the return trip. Things we show are some current hay fields, old pasture that grew-up and was clear cut a few years ago and our hay field plans for those, as well as some split rail fencing, rock piles, farm memories and other chit-chat.

Enjoy...
Firewood and Farm Tractor Ride

Thanks for posting I enjoyed the video

Any idea who, how, and when the path was carved into the hillside just beyond the gate?

x 2!!

Pretty place.

For all the Flatlanders, that's what hill farming is all about. Good video, I enjoyed it

Bob,

I think you are talking about the road embankment going up and along the road we are driving on? If so - the road has been there more than my lifetime. It was much narrower and followed the ground contour to some extend. The road was widened when we had the old overgrown pastures clearcut so they could get tractor trailers back in there; that was how that cut away embankment was created. If I?m not answering your question, tell me the minute-second time in the video and I?ll look at it again.

Thanks!
Bill

Nicely done, enjoyed the tour.

Very similar to this place, now and like you describe in the past, though your terrain must be higher in elevation. Several fields here that were in crop production or pasture, are literally impassable, I'm trying to figure out how to reclaim some of it. Like you say there's only so much time given ones job. The worst is the vines, we have been invaded by all kinds of them and they are choking every single desirable tree around most of the place. Just becoming a wasteland, and is why it should now be cleared back, thinned and so on. I'm not sure I want to take it back 100%, it provides some great wildlife habitat, but that does not pay the taxes LOL !

It would be a good thing to produce hay, the soil, the conditions, I cannot think of many better areas or conditions judging from the stands I have worked all around here, and on this land, orchard/timothy type hay can produce very well here. No barns left to store, and the investment in that and equipment, very intimidating vs potential return. I'd want to make the highest quality unless the market was also there for other like what you produce for those with goats. We did for many years put up 3 to 4 thousand bales ourselves, so I'm no stranger to it. There is a lot of horse traffic through here in the summer with a big show up in VT., but I am unsure how it would sell, see a lot of ads for good hay locally for somewhat average prices, some a little better. Kind of speculating and for conversation, but any revenue that could come of it would be worth it even if only 1500 bales.

Same thing here with firewood, mostly dead standing, some blow down, it's more than enough, though I have little time to get out there the last few years. Beyond that, there are trees big enough now in overgrown areas that can be cut for firewood when clearing, lots of it is birch. If there were not other priorities, I would spend a lot more time working these areas this time of year. Insects are brutal here at times, the mosquitos from all this rain are the worst I have ever seen, they will swarm you, that was unheard of even after dark.

I have a carryall for my 8n. Very handy .

Thanks for posting.

I will never clean up the dead wood in my timber in my lifetime.

Are the Oaks dying in your area? Here the White Oaks especially are dying in large numbers.

My grandparents started dairy farming in the late 1920's. They cut firewood to heat the house. I was told it was an enormous relief when they finally made enough cash to heat the house with coal. Its funny how things change through the years. I guess not having a chain saw made it difficult chore.

?Are the Oaks dying in your area? Here the White Oaks especially are dying in large numbers.?

Some oaks are dying, ash bore is doing a number on the ash trees around here. My brother is a member of the American Chestnut Foundation and they have what they hope to be a blight resistant chestnut. My brother has been planting those chestnut trees around the farm over the past few years as seed comes available. Chestnut trees were everywhere on this farm in my great grandfather?s time on this farm.

?My grandparents started dairy farming in the late 1920's. They cut firewood to heat the house. I was told it was an enormous relief when they finally made enough cash to heat the house with coal. Its funny how things change through the years. I guess not having a chain saw made it difficult chore.?

I firmly believe in the hills and hollers around here that the invention of the chainsaw saved many lives from freezing to death.

With full time day jobs, haying is the perfect crop of choice for this farm. We get real busy when haying , but when it?s over, it?s over. No cattle to chase out of the roads, fence to fix, freezing cold feeding chores, breached calf and vet visits. I do not miss the cattle. I enjoy the hay and with regard to penciling out - we work to make top quality, forage tested hay targeted to horse folks. Our hay is typically low in sugar (ESC+starch), potassium and iron. We have customers drive in from WV and NC to buy our hay for their special needs horses, ie insulin resistant, cushings, etc. Quality, forage tested hay gives us a clear differential from others making ?horse quality hay? in name only and with it, higher prices for our bales of hay. This is how we pencil out haying on our farm. I?d say if you have horse customers close by, that strategy might pencil out for you too.

Good luck,
Bill

When I was a kid we used to cut trees with bucksaws and cross cut saws then limb them up with an ax,load the long lengths on a wagon haul them to the cordwood or buzz saw as some call them and saw the wood into stove lengths.We heated and cooked with wood it was a job but no harder than anything else that was done back in those days.

I have heard there is some kind of blight affecting white oak trees in Wis that will do to white oaks what ash bore has done to ash trees.
Tall Kid was talking to a friend of ours a few days ago there are places in Freeport Il where all of the ash trees are dead or dying.
Friend in stump removal business said he will be busy for long time when weather is good.

I'd love to see the true Chestnut trees make a come back,it was a terrible financial blow to the SE US when the blight hit I've was told from my family members.Does it look like his tress are doing OK so far? BTW we still have a few old Chestnut rails around.

His trees are doing great.

I would think that you could be a lot more productive cutting it into 4 ft lengths and do the cutting and splitting down at your yard. Add corner stakes to your carry-all, add whatever weight you felt appropriate to the front and you should be able to carry three times more.