I fertilize oats but have adventures along the way. Probably more of a quest for fertilizer rather than a trip for fertilizer

Some years ago I purchased a 1972 Ford LN8000 with a 6-71 Detroit diesel, 13 speed, tandem axles, 24ft bed. It is loud, rough rough riding, and it is getting long in the tooth. I can't remember when I acquired it. Probably 15 years ago. (The earliest reference I found on this blog for  Detroit 6-71 was in 2011.)  I bought it off of Craigslist. Got a good deal because the car battery the guy was using, wouldn't spin the engine fast enough to start, and there was an air leak in the shifter so it was stuck in low range.

It is bad enough that the nephew quit using it to haul hay. Kept falling through the holes in the bed I suspect. I have been using it haul fertilizer. I got stuck when we had the thunderstorm and got 2” rain in 15 minutes.
The front tires sank to the axles in the hay field so I just left it until I could get help to get it out.
A month later, someone got it unstuck and drove it out to the field road.

Only problem was the left front tire was flat came off the bead.
I had to get fertilizer so I ended up fixing it.
I couldn’t get a jack under the axle with the tire flat. I was a little worried about taking the forklift down the hill with no brakes.  Then I had a grand idea! 

The Crane Truck.. 

 

I lifted the left side off the ground, found a can of starting fluid and a lighter and popped the tire right back on. Only a small amount of flames. Pretty slick concept really.

The next day I topped off the air and set off to get fertilizer. 

Our formerly local cooperative, which is now owned by some company from Idaho, has decided to rebuild the local fertilizer plant. Apparently the new thing is to close all the small plants and move to one big location so as to be less convenient for 80 percent of your customers. Great idea! 

Since I had to drive a half hour to the other soon to be closed location, I just continued on another ten minutes to the competition who are slightly cheaper. 

On the way a wasp nest dropped off the sun visor on me.  

I killed it. 

Then my neighbor called me and somehow I ended up driving right past the dealer whose box I was using and driving 2 miles out of the way to get one bag of of Orchardgrass seed that turned out to be $200 for 50lbs. Of course they only take cash or check…but I have cash from chicken feed so no worries. Maybe I will get a planting job.

I had to pickup 6,000lbs dry 40-0-0-6 (urea based) and 400 gallons liquid two different types in 350 gallon tanks. 
The guy at the fertilizer plant had a tic. He would suddenly, and with no provocation, jerk his head to the right and go “uurrrrp!”
Scared the heck out of me the first time it happened. Of course I jumped and turned to see what he was looking at.
Freaked me out. After that I pretty much managed not to react. Nice guy I didn't mean to be a jerk.

But I digress... 

Now, you need to keep in mind, It was a good half hour drive to the fertilizer plant in a 1972 Ford LN8000 with a loud under powered Detroit 6-71 engine and a 13 spd transmission that you have to shift for every little hill to maintain 54 mph.

Right out of the yard the shuttle tanks I was using to hold fertilizer started sloshing so bad I thought I was going to lose one off the side. 10-34 fertilizer is like 13lbs to the gallon, so 200 gallons sloshing is a big deal.
I stopped and added straps. Not a big deal but the winches did not line up with the tanks. I finally found some clamp on winches in the bottom of the tool box. Now I am one my way.
So, I took off down 99W and about 2/3 of the way home the accelerator goes to the floor and won't return. Later I was to discover that the alternator broke off and fell on the throttle causing the diesel engine to run wide open. Not a big deal as it is an old Detroit 6-71 and you pretty much run it up against the governor anyway. BUT To shift I had to reach down and pull up on the accelerator pedal. 

A bit dicey in downtown Amity… 

When I got home I popped the hood. 

A few minutes with the welder and I am back in business. Of course the tire went flat again so there is that... 

Spreading fertilizer on oats for hay. I should have spread fertilizer and then planted through the fertilizer but wasn't able to coordinate getting a spreader. We really need a working fertilizer spreader. Hopefully we have enough days left for good growth on the oats.

 

 

The Nephews Buy A truck and I cut hay. Over achievers are we...

The Nephews have been jonesing for a truck since they got their first Tonka Toy.

Finally, through the wonders of online auctioneering and possibly the poor judgement that accompanies that aforementioned anonymous pleasure that is the downfall of so many farmers, they are now the proud owners of a Ford LN9000 crane truck.

The new truck devours my nephew... It was a little tight getting to the battery!

 

Its a beauty!

We went and looked at it before bidding. The batteries were completely dead and the auction yard was unable to start the truck. Without starting it was impossible to lift the hood so you could only kick the tires.

Nephew crawled under the hood and was able to check the oil with was perfectly clean. The auction company claimed it was an 8 spd but it was a Fuller with a blue knob and a red flipper so that means 13 spd. It also had a fifth wheel plate mounted and a frame long enough for a dump bed.

I did look up the vin and other information and discovered that it was a special order heavy truck and most likely had a big cam Cummins 400 and a 9 or 13 speed Fuller. Crane trucks and Low Boy trucks often have lower miles and are on a regular service schedule with a big company and often are good buys. Or so we rationalized. 

We set a price and someone went just a we bit more. As will happen...

So yesterday we went after it. Took a generator and a battery charger and just let it charge for a while. I knew it was going to be a good day when the generator hit the tailgate, knocked the tail gate open, dumped charger and generator onto Highway 18. While there are a few scratches, now the electric start feature works on the generator! I am very happy with that development as I did not spend the extra $50 for the Harbor Freight extended warranty and the electric start failed after one year and three days. Aside from a wee bit of embarrassment, I would classify this a pennies from heaven, but then I am an optimist.

But I digress...

We got it started. Fired right up with minimal smoke and then cleaned up pretty fast. Might have a ticking fan blade. Pretty sure it is not in the engine. After moving the crane out of the way we discovered that the truck had been setting so long the hood hinges had corroded stuck. (Aluminum with steel pins.) 

It is not quite Minneapolis-Moline Energy Yellow. I feel the color will grow on us. The crane is cool, it is a shame to sell it.

 

No turn signals but the brake lights worked. So we drove it home.  

Truck ran great! Blinkers actually worked twice on the way home so I feel more success is in our future. 

Major Bonus! The turn signals may not actually work but deer will not cross in front of this truck. I have always wanted one of these devices but never actually have seen one in the wild

 

After playing with the crane briefly...

I hooked the mower to the Vista and cut hay. Have not run the Vista in 20 years. Nephew fixed the brakes and hydraulic pump issues. I think the mechanic nephew also worked on setting the oil pump pressure last summer.  

We have ten days of warm weather but it is April 30. This is not the time of the year when you cut hay in western Oregon.

I cut five acres of Clover that was getting a lot of radish blooming and a field of Timothy that was full of annual ryegrass and wild carrot. Hopefully the Timothy will get serious about growing and I will get a crop of hay in a month when it will probably be raining...

I really just want to keep cutting but I have not even attempted to start the stacker yet this years so I don't know. 

 

I increase production by 500 percent-Upgrading to a 16" Pellet Mill

I got a new pellet mill!

I found private financing, or rather, private financing found me...

I went all out and got the PelletMaster 16" PTO flat die pellet mill. I traded in the stock 6 mm die for a 4mm.

They even sent me a new hopper for my old 9" mill which I want to dress up a little and sell.

The mill takes a little bit of set up.

It does not come with oil in the massive gearbox. You have to fill it with oil and grease everything. It does come with its own grease gun and tools. 

I had to build brackets to get the PTO geometry to fit the Minneapolis-Moline M670 Super. This was not a huge problem. I will later build a better stand for it to set on. I want to be able to move it with a forklift and I want to have the PTO shaft set up so there is not an angle when running. (I currently have it setting on a pallet.)

I greased the rollers and the gearbox. Gearbox takes a lot of oil. I used 80/90. There is a level plug on the side that you pull out and you put oil in until it runs out. There is also a dipstick which is hard to read. (I probably should also read the instructions but I have trouble concentrating.)

It is very important to condition the die before starting. The die is a pain in the arse if you plug it up. You have to drill out all the little holes. I made that mistake with my 9" mill. 

I made a mixture of sand, vegetable oil, and oats. You start with it really goopy and then add oats until you start getting somewhat of a pellet. The instructions said run this mix for a 1/2 hour.

Save the mixture because if the mill sets in damp conditions if may need to be conditioned again.

This took all day and so I did not really get a chance to run the mill. I finished up a mix of oats/alfalfa as I had a sale. The mill ran smooth and there was definite boost in production.

Friday I did a run of chicken feed. Oats/Peas/corn/rye/alfalfa/clover screenings. I timed my output. I did 1,9500 lbs in one hour with the 4mm die. The old mill would never pass 500lbs with the 3mm die. I would spend all day on one batch.

This time I was able to do a 2400lb batch and then stop for the batch to cool. I will have to build a cooler for continuous production but I generally don't do it that way. However, I used to take me all day to do a ton! So now I can do a batch and possibly bag it in a day. (if I can get it cooled down) 

I do need to check the fuel consumption. The M670 Super was only using like 2.5 gallons an hour with the old mill. I suspect fuel consumption will increase doing a 1900lbs an hour vs 300lbs an hour.

It arrived all shiny and red, The last day of December. My accountant says I have to show it in service before the end of the year!

It is significantly larger than the 9" mill I have been using. Note the comparison in roller size.

I was happy to see it came with tools. The big socket is for the nut that adjust the roller pressure. Roller pressure is pretty important. Too much pressure will make excessive wear and horsepower usage. Also smears the pellets. Not enough pressure and it obviously doesn't make pellets. I adjusted it so I could spin the rollers by hand and there was no drag on the PTO. There is a lock nut which screws down onto the adjusting nut. Sort of a hokey setup but I bought what I could afford...

I had to laugh at the category one three point. It takes 65 PTO hp to run. Also, why did they put the slip clutch on the tractor side??? I probably should buy a new PTO shaft and swap this around as I need to use the tractor for other things. OR, I could buy another M670 Super! Or a G900! Or a White 2-85, or a G950 or a G955!

First thing is to condition the mill. I used playground sand, vegetable oil, and oat pellets. Start with a lot of oil and then add sand and oats. I mixed up half a bucket and ran that through into a second bucket while adding oats. I added oats until I started getting a gooey pellet and then just swapped buckets and added a few oats until I got a good pellet. Takes about half an hour to do it correctly. I didn't have the patience so I went into full oats after 15 minutes and it worked fine.

Making pellets in the mud! Note the size of the mill. Very heavy duty.

I will say that the key to making these pellet mills work properly is controlling the feed. This mill has a adjustable grate. I was tempted to cut it out but was in a hurry to get going. The grate turned out to be a great feature. While my mix is super fluffy going in, it did not plug up as long as I kept my feed conveyer the right speed. If I did over feed and cover the rollers the mill pulls really hard and production does not increase. I could shut down the grate and the mill cleaned out right away.

The pellets are pretty good. I need to add a binder I think. These pellets are Oats, Peas, rye, corn, alfalfa, and clover screenings. I also added garlic and red peppers. This is a chicken feed. They could be more solid so I will fool around with moisture but I really think I am going to have to buy kelp meal or clay.

How to avoid the Pearson's square when formulating a feed ration, how to get corn out of a bulk bag, and a better mouse trap

Its been a week.

I am tired. Lots of rain. Not a lot of motivation. I have been trying to clean my shop. That is depressing.

Friday it was finally decent enough to make feed. 

I have a couple pallets of feed in my shop to keep dry. The sheer volume of rain overwhelmed the aluminum roof and it leaked on my oat/alfalfa mix.

And mice have moved in.

So Friday I set about cleaning up the random 800lb bags of oats stuffed in the barn and trying to get the 3,000lb bag of corn off my truck so I can haul the oat bags to a better location.

I borrowed this handy tool from my neighbor.

You screw it into a bulk bag. I has little razor knives that cut the bag and then you thread it in to the bag. It worked amazingly well. Note: Just because 3,500lbs of corn will fit into a bag doesn't mean you can actually pick up the bag without the handles ripping...

Earlier in the week I made pig and chicken feed and then diluted it into cow feed for my friend. I just boosted the oats to get the protein down to 13%.

Friday I started getting messages about my Oat/Alfalfa pellets. They haven't been selling so I told the first guy that if he got there in an hour I would knock off $50. He showed up!

But I got more messages! This continued through Saturday. I sold another 1000lb bag. Then took an order for two more, and then another two. I figure I will actually sell three bags. I probably need to get up early Monday.

This is my current mix below.

I made this mix because my friend likes corn. But then he was worried about too much corn. So I put more oats in it. I was going to add 500lbs of alfalfa but the alfalfa was mixed with third cutting canary grass which was like 100 percent leaf and smelled good so I figured it would work.

It made nice pellets

I got a special order for a little extra. I can't believe this got mold. It has been a couple years. It stinks! 

I need to find a building. Everything is now mud.

I bought electronic mouse traps. I catch at least three mice a day

I have been trying to read. My daughter got me a couple Piers Anthony books for Christmas. I do have quality reading material already. I miss books. 

Forget Lego Trains I need a flatbelt

I busted the belt for my hammermill! Where do I find a six or eight inch endless flatbelt that is 20 to 40 feet long? Any of you folks have a flatbelt setting in your barn?

A song for the Nude Year-er New Year!

Perhaps 2010 won't be such a crappy year after all. I have actually accomplished two difficult tasks this morning. I am soaking wet and slightly annoyed but yet strangely optimistic.

I made up a song about it.
Sung to the tune of "I shot the sheriff"

I started the Studebaker
It was not all that e-a-sy!

I started the Studebaker
It took me five cups of cof-f-ee!

I started the Studebaker
and then I moved the Vista off the river-bottom

I started the Studebaker
And now I am positively giddy!

What a way to start the New Year-as personal triumph and a song. If only I had a banjo...
Ooooh! I should also start the Triumph!

What I did was fix the flat tire on the Studebaker Cruiser and charge the battery. I sprayed a little starting fluid in the intake and she fired right off. I even had a sound track. I did a big no-no and left my Tom Petty cassette in the tape deck. IT started right up with, "Sometimes this world just seems a little hopeless..." I do not dare to ruin this fantastic radio shack stereo as you cannot buy dual shaft radios that will fit in the dash of old cars. Plus this one has a input jack for my ipod!
The flat tyre was also a problem. I found a tyre repair kit which is the kind you stab a patch into the tyre. Fortune was with me and the tires were only like 2 ply cheapos so it was not so hard to stab the patch through the steel belts.

 I didn't actually drive the car as I got distracted.
I was thinking about tires and I realized the our 1967 Minneapolis-Moline G1000 Vista that once belonged to John Fogerty (or his brother or cousin or something, according to the auctioneer-course they will say anything...) was still setting in the clover field with a flat tire. I had about 100 ft of airhose on the reel in my pickup so I strung it out to the tractor and waited for an hour.

The tire is so bad the side walls are shredded. I had to keep moving the tractor to keep the tire from leaking. I barely made it up the hill into the pasture before it was clear flat. I turned the tractor so the tire guy could get to it. I love that tractor, I wish I could restore it.

I am waiting for my friend from High School to call me. He is visiting for the holidays. He called and said he would come visit me. I suggested lunch at the Amity Cafe. This will not happen as I started to add up the time from where he was when he called to what he needs to do and the other people he needs to see and where he planned on going tonight. It is nice to have goals and it made me feel pretty darn swell that he called me. Perhaps I will drive the Studebaker in to have lunch. The tags are pretty much expired but perhaps I can get off with a warning if caught. If is a 1964 Studebaker. Obviously I don't drive it much and I have proof of insurance as I forget to de-insure it.
I do have to be careful about driving it as the green idiots that run this state have mandated alcohol in the gas. Alcohol in the bloodstream is fine. Of course in this advanced modern world they have got it all turned around. Alcohol in the bloodstream is now considered bad but alcohol in the gas is GOOD! Go figure...

Edit: 12 people have viewed this blog since this morning. But-does anyone comment? Look, you can say something rude if you want, I don't care. Just my luck, I find the 12 lazy farmers left in this country and they follow me. You could at least click the offensive button. My easily offended follower seems to have given up on his little hobby...

Some photos of Minneapolis-Moline tractors

We have been cleaning house to get ready for Thanksgiving. I found a journal from 1993. I think I was a different person then. Perhaps not. There are things i would like to say but really who cares. It takes a person a long time to learn some very pretty simple truths. Truths that they don't teach you in school and they don't teach you this stuff because THEY (whoever they are-I suppose you could just say that it is the modern adult conspiracy, er post modern adult conspiracy...) don't want you to know this stuff because it is a lot harder to sell things to you if you are self contained.
I just talked to a friend who wants to quit his job. It is a not a good job. It is selling insurance. Insurance is a scam, and making cold calls selling people stuff they don't want but know they have to have is horrible. But, it is a job. You get paid. You don't really have to work real hard.
A person has to learn to separate things. You are not entitled to be happy. You are not entitled to have the perfect romance, the perfect job, the perfect anything. You must take your happiness when you find it. Have a hobby, have a happy spot in your mind, do what you have to do survive and make the money to live. Save for a happy day. Make your own happiness. One freaking foot in front of the other, you get up in the morning and force you butt out the door and down the street and you just do it...
So, when I look back on 1993 and I read what I missed and see that I was an idiot it doesn't matter. I do what I do now and I must do my best...
Anyway here are some photos. End of my speech. I need to call this guy and say, look you got a wonderful girlfriend, you are an artist, you have another life, just put your time in and save some cash and take the next opportunity. I'm not sure working for me and going to school again is an opportunity. I think it is a cop out... I probably won't call.
Photos! Your are here for pretty pictures not philosophy.

(Ed Winkle, if you read this tell me what photos have been posted on NewAgTalk cause I don't
 remember..)

This was me in 1982 or so...

 This is how you get the uni-combine off the power unit. If you ever see a hoist like this at a farm you know they had the uni-system. They seem so small now!

This is the tractor that put us into the 100 horsepower range. Bought it used at a farm sale. Seemed like a big tractor when we got it. Has been 17 or 15 years I guess now. Before we farmed with three M670 supers. Did 200 acres or so. Usually had 50 acres of corn.

This is from the early 1990's. When we really got serious about baling. We did over a thousand ton a year with these two balers. I remember stacking straw. Sometimes the stacks would be over 1/4 mile long. Put the straw up with a New Holland Super 1048. Loaded the bales on trucks with a farm hand F-11 loader on a 1964 M670.

This photo makes me sad. It is from ten years or so ago. We found the Studebaker in a barn. Had fairly low miles on it. We absolutely killed the truck. We should be banned from collecting!

 

The Sun shining on 1/2" of Water in the field

I got my field planted...
If I were not such a lazy farmer I would get out of my armchair and get my camera. I could yell at me wife to do it and if I said "please" there is a really good chance she would, because she is a happy and helpful person. But, i hate to push that. Perhaps I'll try for another cup of coffee from her, and see if I can talk her into fixing me something really good for breakfast.
I'll try psychology.
"Those were really good sausages we had yesterday," said I.
"Those were really fatty," she says.
No such luck.
I'm eating the heel of a loaf of bannana bread.
"Are you saving this foil for something else," she says.
"Yes," I reply.
So much for psychology...
S. has two basket ball games and we have a wedding to attend. I should not try amature psychology on my longsuffering wife under such circumstances.
She grew up in the city. Her father was home evenings and weekends.
I am often gone even though we live on the farm now.
I always work on Saturdays.
When I don't work I am tired and often grumpy and I never get stuff repaired around the house.
In my imagination farms are like the Marx farmsets from the 1960's.
Barn full of cows, chicken house with chickens, a little Minneapolis-Moline 335 for a tractor, four kids. That sort of thing.
Have you ever been in a barn stuffed to the rafters with hay? Especially if you worked your bottom off stuffing that hay in to the rafters. And you picked up the hay in the field with a 1949 Studebaker and a 1942 Chevy truck....
It is the middle of winter and cold outside. But the cows keep the barn warm. There is a warm yellow light from the old incandescent lightbulbs screwed into the dusty white porcelain fixtures. You can smell a comforting mixture of grass hay and molassas and just enough of a faint hint of cow crap that you know you are not just waking up to a breakfast of hot oatmeal, (unless you actually live in a barn).
When you open the old barn door you hear the squeek of the pulley on the counterweight. Someone had a good idea 40 years ago. When the cows hear the squeek they all start talking at one. They know it is feeding time. You climb the stack and kick down a couple bales of grass hay. The hay is so green inside and the smell of summer comes out of the bale. You fork the hay into the manger, you get a five gallon bucket of oats and screenings, and then top it all with a dribble of molassas. The cows are all happy and chewing away. You can hear the sound of 20 cows all chewing at once. There are some snorts and sniffles and cows playfully butting each other. If you stick your head over the manger a curious cow will stick her head up and give you a watery sniff and sometimes stick out her tongue. Of course as soon as she lifts her head, her neighbor dives into her spot as she is sure that there is something better next to her.
The chickens are all asleep as it is dark out. When you open the door you hear a faint murmer of clucking. They know it is breakfast time as well. The eggs are still warm when you pick them up. You have to watch old mamma hen who wants to set. She will peck you if she gets the chance. Sometimes the water is frozen and you have to pour hot water on the waterer to thaw it out. You fork some clean straw in and the more adventurous chickens start scratching for seeds.
By now it is light out and you have to make a run for the house, get your school clothes on and make it to the school bus on time.
We don't have cows. We don't put hay in the barn by hand. The barn is full of stuff we can't throw away. We burn the bad hay. The kids watch cartoons in the morning.
I don't feel like getting up early.
Progress I suppose.
 So I wrote all that and realized what I wrote didn't match the post title.
My lovely wife brought me poached eggs and toast. But, no coffee. I don't have the nerve to ask.
I finished the field I was so worried about. Sadie and I went out yesterday morning and we just fired up the White 2-155 and put the drill down and went.
We had to use the 4wd pickup to get to the field. There was a 1/2" of water on parts of the field and the sun was shining. I have some photos but I left the camera in the pickup. Every opener was plugged with bits of straw from the combine run oats. I pretended I didn't see it. The no-till coulters were working the ground enough that the harrow covered up the loose seed that spilled freely out of the seed cups. There was only four acres left plus another four acres of headlands. The field was two foot tall wheat stubble, probably 130 bushel yield, cut with a 20 foot header. There were windrows. I realized why I bought the Great Plains drill. It all flowed through, didn't plug, the air-design scrapers worked perfectly. I didn't look at seed depth. I didn't see any seed on top of the ground.
We got it done. It was a little slimy on the headlands.
There there was the delemia of getting the tractor out of the field. I needed to move the drill home but S. is only 7 years-old and shouldn't be driving on the highway. I put the truck in 4wd. S. drove the truck and followed me. It was pretty slick getting the tractor and drill out but S. did really well in the truck. Once on the highway I went back and shifted the truck into 2wd and put the flashers on. Sadie followed me down the highway several hundred yards to the farm grain tanks. She did very well. She is a careful driver.
Then we went to the cafe for lunch. We are farmers!
The drill is absolutely covered in mud. A good two hour wash job.

Long Live The Family Farm

Here are some family farm photos for you. So there are still some poor suckers using AGCO orphans!


(Note: Photo's are not from 1980...)





AGCO wants to connect with farmers. They have a shill on the NewAgTalk website. Oh, and they have a blog. And A picture site. Wonder how long that will stay around...



Was just looking at photos on AGCO's website. http://www.longlivethefamilyfarm.com/ Ed Winkle did a blog about the site on his blog. (http://hymark.blogspot.com) For his efforts he got a plug on another AGCO website (http://agcodtb.blogspot.com/)
Ed seems to be a pretty positive sort of guy, while traditionally here at the Daily Strumpet we have pretty much thrived on finding the black lining to every silver cloud. Back in the day of the paper publication of The Daily Strumpet, much of the humor was gained for finding the odd little tidbit and blowing it completely out of proportion...
So, I suppose I should do a quick history of Moline and post some photos over at the Long Live the Family Farm website.
The problem is that I really don't like Agco. I never liked White. I did have some admiration for a company that could take two companies, Oliver and Minneapolis-Moline, and totally alienate their most loyal followers in the course of a decade. They were able to take two companies which had something like 10 percent of the tractor market each, and merge them into one company with like seven percent of the market.
I did like White-New Idea. It seemed like they were really trying to build on the old lines. I thought the White American series was a pretty neat line. The last small tractor really built in America, I guess that is not a good advertising slogan. I wish they would have rebuilt the M670 Moline or G1000 rather than the Oliver 1800 but I appreciated the effort. I still dream of having White American's with FWA and Cabs pulling my hay equipment. Of course I was totally broke at the time the White American came out.
The merger with AGCO was a dark day in my new found White appreciation. It would seem that Agco's goal is to become the General Motors of the farm equipment business. Instead it seems more like the American Motors of the ag industry. They have bought up legions of small line manufacturers and made them disappear. Sure there are a lot of logos on the AGCO heritage site but that is basically all they are. Just logos...
So now we have the Long Live the Family Farm site. Just what does that mean? There are no family farms of the sort represented by old calendars and Marx play sets.
I live on a "family farm." We are going broke farming 400 acres. We got rid of the cows because we are off the farm doing custom baling and planting to hold of going completely broke, and we don't have time for the livestock. We don't all come in for a big dinner, we don't milk 10 cows, but we do run old Minneapolis-Moline and White equipment. Does AGCO really care? I think if they did they perhaps would not charge $800 for a hydraulic valve or $100 for a valve rebuild kit.
And then there is the issue of Hesston. I understand the disappearing brands. After AGCO concentrates really hard on a brand, gets rid of the old engineers, cheapens the construction, irritates the customer base, then they have to retire it. The key to understanding when this is going happen is to watch for the last gasp advertising campain where they tout the "Heritage" commitment of AGCO and it's love of small farms which still use, for example: Hesston products.
MasseyFerguson was one of the best selling world wide brands. But, really it was the only brand AGCO had not completely ruined by associating its name with. So it has become the final target of destruction. (Although, I see all Orange on the new AGCO websites. So perhaps they think people have forgotten the royal screwing all the AC owners got back when the signs were all green and the old dealerships were forced out of business.
So, there is no more Hesston. My grandfather worked for the fellow who started Hesston. (Was a while back.) I switched to Hesston when I bought my first real (meaning expensive) mower. A Hesston 1340. It has been an excellent mower and the parts prices were at one time so affordable I could actually run it. Later I bought a Hesston 4690 three tie baler, also a very good buy. (I hear Hesston will discontinue the three-tie baler soon). Almost bought a new 1345 but didn't want on that said Massy-Ferguson on it. So I bought a Great Plains drill instead...
Then there is the White corn planter. The White planter is considered one of the best planters on the market. It has a very loyal following-so why would you rebrand it MF? Hesston has a long line in the hay business, MF does not... So the obvious choice for AGCO... Rebrand Hesston.
Or what about this for an idea. Sell Yellow tractors to Cat industrial dealers so that they can COMPETE with AGCO and Hesston dealers who have been struggling to promote their brands for years. That is sure brilliance!
Anyway, perhaps I'll post on the site anyway. DOn't think I'll get a link back...

What I will do for cash...

I really do have a lot to do this winter. But, I have trouble with winters. Last few years I have had trouble with the whole farming situation. Those of you who have just tuned in may not have figured out that I am not a Big Time Operator.
Anyway, instead of getting ready for summer or making a new catalogue or website for my father, (see www.lehmanfarms.net ) I have been grinding feed. You have perhaps heard of turning straw into gold. I figure basically what I am doing is turning gasoline into cash-this is at west a one to one sort of translation.
Feed prices are still very high at the local feed store, so I'm grinding up leftover odds and ends of various harvesting operations. For the last two days I've been running a mix of wheat and triticale. This should have pretty good protein. Don't know if the cows will like it. I did dump a fair amount of molassas in with the mix. Spent an hour digging it out of the hammer mill.
My neighbor farms a lot more acres than I and is quite a bit younger. He also has a seed cleaning facility. He followed triticale with wheat. Triticale (a cross between rye and wheat) tends to shatter pretty bad. The seed salesman won't tell you this. You can use this to your advantage. After combining your triticale just leave the field alone. It will sprout and with a little fertilizer you will a nice forage crop for next year. We got nearly 18 ton per acre silage off a small field managed in this way. (I do use the term managed quite loosely). I don't think this was his intention as he worked the field and planted wheat. The triticale seed and wheat seeds are nearly the same size so there is no way to separate them. Of course I found out about his problem much too late in the year to profit from it. I planted for several people who were planting forage crops this year. Dairies are short of affordable feed and this fall were trying to find spring silage crops. A couple people planted oats and peas. It sort of gets you off to a bad start if you are paying $800 a ton for seed (120lbs/acre rate) in order to plant a silage crop. However, at $5.50 a bushel, ($150 a ton?) the cost per acre goes way down. The wheat/triticale would have worked with the addition of winter peas as well. That would have added to the price per acre.
Triticale is an amazing plant. With a little extra N it will grow at an unbelievable rate. It is a bugger to combine (in my opinion) and the hay popluarity in this area has declined. I think people probably cut it too late. I know they like to do that with oats as well. I know if you cut your oats just out of bloom or even in late flowing stage, the tonnage will be down but the quality and appearance of the hay is so much better.
Anyway, I'm grinding it for feed. I keep getting a small order here and there. Sold two 50lb bags day before yesterday. Took an order for a ton yesterday, and earlier in the week sold two 500lb bags. Most of the transactions are a barter or cash. I think lots of livestock are raised on a sort of underground economy.