Year in review

Was quite a year last year. Made a lot of progress on the farm and thought I would share with everyone.

The year started with getting livestock just before the first of the year.






One of my favorite jobs, grinding feed.




Moved the cattle outside the beginning of April





Field work started April 18, grandson Randell driving the 830




Planting started April 28, grandson Gage driving the 830 that day with me in the 1030









Granddaughter Ellie helping me check crops. She would walk out with me every time she was there when I got home from work.




Cut first crop hay the beginning of June







Haying crew grandsons Jordan, Gage and Randell






Added this chisel plow and grinder to the collection this summer







Had a family reunion at the farm this summer, my brothers and sisters except the oldest brother were all there. Was a good time.






Forgot I cut the oats late July and combined it early august.







Added this corn planter in the fall. Was intending on it to be for parts, but it's in very nice and usable condition, so I will sell or trade it to someone who can use it




Picked up this corn dryer just before harvest, it worked great







Harvest was tough with lots of mud. Corn yield was good tho.





Also added this skid loader to the fleet to help around the farm. It quickly became one of my favorite tools. Sadly it has engine issues now. Started with valve issues and many said they have issues with valve seats coming loose. And since a overhaul kit is crazy expensive I just bought a used engine. Sadly that didn't work out either as it had a knock and seized up right away. So I took my engine apart to see what the issue was and found it just needed a valve grind. So thats where it's at now. The guy that does my heads has it and says it will be done this weekend. Hope so, the pig pens are getting full.




Almost forgot I got this round baler too.




Didn't seem like that much while I was doing it, but now looking back it was a busy year. I added a lot of stuff this year too, that also didn't seem like much over the year either. Guess that explains why I'm broke. Lol

Really looking forward to this year. Got the second batch of pigs and the first steers sold direct and going to butcher in February and March. So there will be money for planting from that this year. Got more steers now that will sell in mid summer and fall and hope to add another batch of hogs soon for summer sale. Didn't get any fall tillage done, so planting will be tough, but hope it's dryer this year. We are due for some dry years.

What did you folks do this year and add to your collections?

Dang Jon, you make me feel like I spent this year in a nnalert - Maybe I need to switch to Case equipment !!!

Jon ,
THANKS for sharing , looks like you had some ups and downs { like most of us this year } Was wondering is most your ground pretty level ??

THANKS AGAIN and hope you have a great year ............ mark

Looks like a great year in the kingdom! I am sure you and your queen are very happy there.

We did not add any tractors, equipment, nor livestock. Instead we did REALLY FUN STUFF like a new boiler system for our house and a new septic system to be installed come springtime. What a blast. LOL!!

It is pretty flat, but very low and heavy clay so it's real hard to farm. That's why it was cheap. Lol

Thanks for posting these.

Added 2 augers for grain moving. Mostly to load out with 10x41 and a 12x31. almost forgot put a new ring on the bottom of one bin and added a full floor air floor to it after the new ring was put on. We did it our selves. Put in a longer unload auger so the 2 bins will dump into the truck auger without moving the truck auger when one bin is done. Sounds pretty little compared to Jon.

Jon, I enjoy your farm photos a lot. Livestock look great. Here was my addition for 2020. A 2010 Kawasaki 4010 4x4 mule. I enjoy it a lot. Kow Farmer Kurt. 🐂👩‍🌾

Kawasaki mule pic.

That is a pretty good year in my opinion, are you not the one that was driving the single drive Dart truck 2/3 years ago

Was three years ago in November that I left Dart and that truck was traded a year before that.

Looks like you had a busy, good year!! You gonna paint that round baler Case colors?? grin!!

No, but I may trade if for a newer case some day. Lol. Hate to have something I. The kingdom that is not case but could be. This was cheap and that's all I can afford, so it will have to do for now.

Proud for you and know you have a better quality of life. I passed somewhere (TX or Okla I think) and there was a field full of those single axel Darts sitting can,t remember where now but guys said they could not sell them.

Great story about getting stuff done. What percentage of your crop stays on the farm for feed vs. sell for cash? We will get out there in May so I hope to catch up to you then.

Here in southern WI we had a very good year on the farm. It was a little cool in the spring and hurt corn stands just a little. The weather for hay making was better than it has been for years and we had a nice dry and warm fall for harvest. Baled some of the best and driest bedding in years. Even had time to do a bunch of clean up jobs. Hauled manure Dec 15 and 16 on a fender tractor without coats in the afternoons. Bad part is have been sick since the 18th of Dec and done nothing since but might be turning a corner now. Tom

At this point I don't have enough stock to feed much. Sold 2,000 bu and have over 1,000 left. Will sell some more in spring but waiting to see how much I'll need. Sold about 150 square bales of hay and 30 round bales so far. Will sell another 8 round bales later this year. Going to double my acres this year with a lot more hay, so will sell more next year.

Jon i wish i could do what your doing. Love your pics. I added an sc thinking about selling it. Got to many tractors. Putting up a 25x40 building. Still won't be able to get'em all under cover. Your animals look good. RB

Great pictures . All in all the farm did pretty good it looks like . I have had a few projects that had a pretty rough start but with some a help and some cold hard cash I’m pretty glad I’ve drug most of them home with the exception of one round baler but even ended up trading it for a really nice quick attach loader .







Added a few more head of stock myself pretty well bred replacement heifers



Finally got the old dump truck and after an extremely expensing carburetor overhaul and a new set of spark plugs and corn squeezin free gas it runs like it never has since I’ve been around it about 5 years I’ve used it



Sure makes moving hay around easier

I was on an austerity program this year, I needed to pay off a balloon payment on the 55 acres of land we bought, was due last month, so I worked very hard to not buy much.

My bottle neck is trying to haul away the crop in fall, so I did buy these two wagons. Rated at 400 and 500 bu, that is of course optimistic rating. But with my pair of 365 wagons and some smaller wagons I can get a few rounds made at a time combing and then get more hauled per trip. I need to speed up harvest, I shopped hard, the Minnesota wagon was a real good deal, the J&M brought my average back up but it will be nice to have them.

Worked more on my small patch of 15 acres of oats and cover crops, I rotate it on 3 different fields over 3 years, have the neighbor put hog manure on after the straw is baled off. See if I can build up some dirt into better dirt.its only a small acreage, but I can only get rid of so much oats and straw a year...... I have some clover, alfalfa, turnips, and the reseeded oats as a fall cover for green manure.

I have a sand hill that rarely makes a good crop, 4-5 acres in a regular field. For a decade or more I had it planted to alfalfa, which turned into grass hay. It makes a good one cutting from spring rains, then might accumulate 1/2 of a cutting the rest of the season as it just gets too dry. Well I decided to work it up this spring and plant corn into it, we finally had a dry spring I could get a good crop planted on time. Then it rained no stop all summer, boy we have been wet for 5 years now, terrible wet. I had several 2-3 inch rains close together, a 6 inch rain, water standing everywhere, but still this was a better year than the previous 4, as we had a dry early spring to get the crop in early. Anyhow, that corn on the sand yielded the best I’ve ever seen corn there, ever, by far, and I was a little kid hanging on to dads knee going over that sand hill many decades ago. I need to get it back into alfalfa, but might do beans this year, I need to get a few thistles under control. Beans tend to get almost knee high, and then stagnate in September when it gets dry and end so short they don’t even feed into the combine. Corn typically ends up nubbins that pull through the header. Anyhow it was nice to get a real crop off those acres.

Unfortunately I broke that rib and cracked another when the ladder broke under me and I fell back on a wagon hitch the first of October, so I missed out on most of harvest. Neighbor did it for me. I got good enough to combine the last 20 acres, and could do a few loads with the new wagons. Very carefully......

I did get the land paid off, still living the austerity program, but things look good. Doc said my rib should be 100% in three months, which is today so I feel good about that too.

Certainly an odd year, but was close to normal as a farmer, compared to so many. I count my blessings. I tend to be a loner and shy in real life, but I really enjoy the occasional seed corn meeting, county fair, even drive to a place to pay bills and chat 10 minutes with the office crew. I really miss that interaction, it starts to feel lonely when so cut off from everything. It was nice when live auctions started again in late summer here, and I could distantly attend several of those and see some people. My wagons came from two of the auctions.

Enjoyed your much more interesting message, Jon.

Paul

I always enjoy your farming pics Jon. I saw a nice 1030 for sale on craigslist about an hour from me. He had a 730 and 530 I bought as well, then ended up with a nice 930 a month ago. My trucking business expanded from 32 fo 42 truck with the addition of a fleet from a guy who retired. A month ago I bought a trucking facility 20 minutes north of my current location. It has a house, granary, 40x120 cow shed ( Case storage ), offices, warehouse and truck shop. It was a well needed addition for us. My family is all healthy and the girls stay busy with the 2 horses, mule and donkey. The boys help with the trucks. Like you Jon, I am working hard, but having a lot of fun. Bill

Deere 105--Memories--This one was on Big Iron's auction this week--It was out in Neb. If it was across the road I would have bought it! Brought $150--I have never seen a 105 round-back---Tee

The wife said I don't need to be buying anymore machinery for our operation cause I am getting too old. Will only be 77 tomorrow. Need to buy my sons L185 NH skid loader, just because he thinks he needs a newer one with more options.

Thanks for sharing all your photos, really enjoyed your year.