I grew up on the farm I live on, dad had two farms totaling 370 acres but when his health went bad in the early 70's he sold 200 of one farm and down sized to 50 cows, mom sold the other 50 acres of that farm in the 90's. We farmed with 8N Ford, 850 Ford, Fordson Dexta and WD Allis, all two roll stuff, 100 head of cattle, tobacco, hay cut with a JD #5 mower, baled with neighbors #12 Massey, Corn was planted with two row plate planter after ground was prepped with 2 bottom plows, 7' drag disc, corn was picked with Ford 601 side mount picker dad bought new in 64 into flat bed wagons and shoveled into cribs.
I loved working with tractors, putting up square bales and picking corn, hated working in tobacco and fencing,my younger brother was a better cattleman than me.
Dad passed in 76 and us kids helped mom with the farm but we all had to take jobs to survive.
I worked river boats, mechanic'd at dealerships before starting a thirty year long haul trucking career, much of it as a owner operator but still helping on the farm when I could until 96 when I started hauling for a local mill and had more time for farming.
Bought my first 4000 Ford in 91 to replace a Ford 871, we where changing over to round bales and the 871 wouldn't pull a round baler safely on hilly ground. Purchased 60 acres of a neighboring farm in 2000, mostly wooded but have cleared up some hay ground and have added another 35 acres since.
Sold my trucks in 05 and retired from driving in 08, also in 05 the wife and I put up 3 500 ft poultry houses, she quit her job to raise chickens for a major food supplier, I worked part time doing maintenance at the mill until 2012 when I retired to full time farming.
Took over MIL's 150 acre farm in 2010 when FIL passed and now cut hay on her neighbor's farm.
Presently own or tend 400 acres, 60 beef cows, down from 80 but building back up, 97,000 chickens per flock, chicken poo makes great fertilizer and it's free.
Plans are to go another 5 years and let one of my younger brother's and his sons take over while the wife and I do some traveling, I've see a lot of the US through a trucks windshield but she hasn't, we'd like to stop and look at some of those places, others I don't ever want to go back to.
Presently farm with all Fords, 881D, 4000, 4000SU, 4500, 5000, 6610 with cab, no plans to update other than a 7710 maybe, I can do all repairs on this older stuff, no way I'd pay the price their asking for new computer controlled junk.
Hay equipment is newer, 2014 Kuhn trailed disc mower, 97 256 rake, 97 M&W tedder, 2012 NH BR7070 round baler, do a few hundred squares with the old NH 270, a few acres of corn is planted with Allis 4 roll no-till plate planter, picked on the ear with my Ford 601 side mount picker, still have dad's for parts, corn is ground for cattle feed with a Gehl grinder mixer, most loader work and ground clearing is done with a ASV Posi-Track skid steer, I call it my big toy.
I really enjoy the guys input on this site. Thanks!
