Christmas Memories

As I prepared for Christmas 2009 I could not help but to reflect on Christmas Traditions from my Youth. I recall that in the late 1940s and early 1950s when my Brother and I helped our Dad on Christmas Eve. We lived on a small Farm in Northeast Iowa in Jefferson Township, Clayton County which has as it's Eastern Border the Mississippi River.

Our Family always attended Chruch on Christmas Eve. The Farm Chores were complete. The Animals had been fed and the cows milked. All was well with the Farm. However all the barns, stalls and sheds for the livestock had to be cleaned out and new straw in place so that at Midnight the Farm Animals could bend a knee to show their respect and adoration to the Christ Child. This was a Tradition for my Dad and I suspect that His Dad had established this as a Family Tradition when he was a Young Farm Boy.

I can not verify that information now because my own Dad died on Christmas Eve 1999. He had lived a long complete life and had just celebrated his 86th Birthday.

As I grow older I often look back and realize that my Dad, and also the Dad to my five Siblings was able to instill a sense of pride in all of us. Yes, He expected us to work and to perform to our best ability and Yes, we can all reflect back now and acknowledge that He gave us the guidance and tools to live a successful life.

Was it easy to be a Farmer's Kid? Of course not, but then I consider myself well Blessed because I was a Farmer's Kid. I can state that none of use grew up self centered. There were six of us and we quickly realized that not one of us was the focus of our Parent's Affection.

In fact, a story I am quick to relate is we all enjoyed the same bicycle. We could take turns riding it.

Please enjoy a Blessed Christmas 2009!!

Life With A Snow Blower

It is certainly nice to have an operational Snow Blower after the snow storms dump an abundance of snow. This farm lane scene in Jefferson Township in Clayton County Iowa shows how nice it looks after an Iowa Tractor Boy comes through with the snow blower.

Food

for

Iowa Tractor Boys

In an earlier post today I focused on fuel that many Iowa Tractor Boys use to heat their homes. This post of course will be about food. As you can tell this ten point buck was recently harvested during the opening days of the Iowa Deer Hunting Season for rifle hunters. With the abundance of crops grown each year the Deer thrive and the venison is choice meat.

Home Heating

in

Tractor Boy Country

Many citizens in the Great Upper Midwest have acquired alternative sources for heating their homes. This heating system with the firebox remote from the house burns wood. In the case of this application the home owner resides near the Mississippi River which has an abundance of timber areas in addition to ample areas for cultivating cereal crops. If the land owner has a mix of crop area in addition to timber area the supply of wood is only limited by the ability to replant the trees. In this case the landowner has a plan in place to replant the trees that are harvested for lumber and using the tree tops for a fuel source to heat the home. Certainly an excellent source of furl and certainly cost effective.

2009 Corn Harvest Report

As a former Iowa Tractor Boy now residing in Georgia I know that once the Corn harvest is complete that there is a feeling of accomplishment on another year of crop production is complete. A satisfying feeling to be sure. My Nephews in Clayton County Iowa reported that the last corn stalk was run through the Harvester on Sunday afternoon, November 15, 2009.

Even though there is a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction on a Crop Season being Completed the focus soon changed to preparations for the 2010 Crop. Here you see one of the Nephews operating a Green Tractor, a John Deere of course, with a chisel plow. The seedbed for the 2010 must be prepared when the weather is cooperating such as right now.

I post this blog entry to simply let my city friends know that a Farmer's Work is never done. In order to be successful in the business of providing our foodstuffs they must constantly work within the parameters of the weather to also be ready for the next season.

As a former Iowa Farm Kid and now living in the City I can appreciate the labor and committment of our Nation's Farmers.

Thank You!!!

Corn Harvest

Clayton County, Iowa

Recently I posted an entry regarding the fact that it was too wet to harvest. Here you see two Iowa Tractor Boys, even though they are not visible engaged in the 2009 Corn Harvest in Clayton County, Iowa.

Note the climate controlled Operator Stations on both the Tractor and the Harvestor. This equipment allows the operator to breath dust free air and also contributes to the well being of the farmer when the weather conditions are such as the almost freezing temperatures during the early days of November each year.

It now appears that us City Folks will have ample supplies of corn so that we can enjoy our Corn Flakes and Corn Bread.

Thank You, Iowa Tractor Boys.

Harvest Time In Iowa

Most Iowa Tractor Boys are patiently waiting to get on with the 2009 harvest. The soybeans are ready and of course the corn crop is next. But as of October 7th, 2009 it was simply too wet for the harvest. This scene is from Clayton County, Iowa and duplicates the situation in far too many areas of Iowa.

Former Iowa Tractor Boy at Work in Georgia U.S.A.

Here you see the originator of this Blog in a long sleeved shirt to avoid skin cancer working with his Son as they finish the electric fences around the future pasture for a beef cattle operation. Of course both of us were well supervised by the Young Girl who was a keen observer of our work.

This picture was obtained yesterday, August 14, 2009 near Dublin, Georgia.

Iowa Tractor Boys

and

Thinking Green

Admittedly not everyone in this picture is a current Iowa Tractor Boy. This Blog Originator now resides in Georgia but you can be sure that every Summer he connects with his Iowa Heritage. Here you see two real Iowa Tractor Boys. Of course the one in the middle is the most proflic Iowa Tractor Boy. In addition to being a Farmer he also works for John Deere.
Here you are viewing a Country Church on the edge of an Iowa Corn Field in Clayton County, Iowa. Many of you may not appreciate the fact that farming is one vocation that involves a lot of risk. The weather being the most critical. One hail storm can wipe out an entire year of crop production.

Just as city dwellers appreciate kicking tires at their local automobile retailer, Iowa Tractor Boys enjoy kicking tires at their local implement dealer. Here you are viewing a row of small, general purpose, handy around a farm.

Of course this is one huge Tractor with eight drive wheels. I checked the options list for this Tractor and if you desire the large flotation tires it is a $12,000.00 extra.

This row of Harvesters was also most interesting to view. If you have to ask the price you have no business considering becoming a farmer. Depending on the model and the options you need for your operation you can quickly run up a price tag of at least $350,000.00. Recently I watched a television special on the manufacture of these Harvesters in Moline, Il and learned that you can watch your machine being built and receive a gold key and run your Harvester off of the production line. To learn more about the Gold Key Program please visit:

http://salesmanual.deere.com/sales/salesmanual/en_NA/combines_headers/2008/model/gold-key-tour.html

John Deere Tractors

a

Brief History

As a former Iowa Tractor Boy I recently had the opportunity to visit the Museum in Froelich, Iowa that showcases the development of the first gasoline powered traction engine. Shown here is a model of the first one which was operated in 1892 and developed by John Froelich.

To learn more about this first traction engine which was powered by gasoline please visit:

http://www.froelichtractor.com/

As the machine age progressed John Froelich sold out to a firm in Waterloo, Iowa. They improved the traction engine and marketed a tractor known as "The Waterloo Boy."

From that humble beginning we can see that in later years the owners of the Waterloo Boy Tractor Works sold out to a firm that we now know as "John Deere," the implement manufacturer that paints it's products green.

Now You Know!!!!!

Iowa - the Beautiful

My nephew, a real Iowa Tractor Boy, has a Crab Apple Tree growing in his front yead. These pictures were taken on May 14, 2009.

Of course the bees flourish in this type environment. To see the bees better simply click on this image.

Former Iowa Tractor Boy Farming

Everyone knows that the publisher of this Blog grew up in Iowa but now resides in Georgia. The one acre lot that also contains his home is filled with trees and a small area along the street with real grass that needs mowing.

A few weeks ago the lawn looked rather sick so the decision was made to apply some 33-3-3 to improve the color of the grass. The grass has quickly overcome the weeds and with the recent rains has flourished. Here you see the Former Iowa Tractor Boy mowing during a break in the rains. The grass does look good and now requires mowing every 2 1/2 days. The "farm" equipment you see here is a 22inch, six blade McClane reel lawn mower. It does an excellent job in keeping the Bermuda grass looking good.

Turkey Hunting

Iowa Tractor Boys and Free Time

We have all heard the adage "All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Dull Boy." Here is a picture of an Iowa Tractor Boy with a Turkey that he has just harvested.

Some of you may know this young man who is also a former Sailor in our United States Navy. While he served he was a Gunner's Mate. That stated, I would remind the readers here that he was an excellent shot even before he joined the U. S. Navy.

Old Time Farming Equipment

In a previous post I discussed the modern high tech methods that today's Iowa Tractor Boys employ to use chemicals to control weeds in a most effective manner.

Today's post will show you how the Iowa Farm scene looked in 1940. I was born in 1940 but I do recall when my Dad acquired his first tractor in 1944. He farmed 80 acres and retained his team of horses in addition to the new Allis Chalmers Tractor such as you see in the first page of this Blog.

This picture was acquired by a relative of mine who lives in Clayton County, Iowa. It shows the draft horse and some farm equipment from the 1940s and prior time frame. The Amish have a rather large settlement in Southwest Clayton County and they still farm using the old methods and equipment. Certainly interesting to see how things were done a mere 70 years ago.

When you view this picture and reflect back it is realized that one of the reasons that Farm Families during the first half of the last century had a large number of children. Children were a great source of labor as they grew up. Of course my Dad always stated that we were cheaper than a hired hand and that one pair of shoes usually lasted at least a year.

I enjoyed the opportunity to reflect back on the past as a Former Iowa Tractor Boy.

Technology At Work

Eliminating Weeds in the Corn Fields

Two Young Iowa Tractor Boys prepare to spray the Corn Fields with pre-emergence chemicals to prevent the weeks from growing.

This sprayer has a 60 feet boom and it is operated by GPS. It shows a map of the field and shows any patches that are missed as the Operator goes along, automatically stops the spray out of any one or more nozzles if spray has already been applied on that parcel. An Iowa Tractor Boy is running this with touch screen. The blue things on the end drop foam to indicate where he last was. You can see drops of foam. The farmer plugs in how much they want applied per acre and it keeps track. The Operator can also control it manually.




Here's the GPS screen in the tractor with the sprayer. The sun was shining which prevented the photojournalist from obtaining a clear picture. The green outlines the field that the Operator was spraying. The green outline was obtained by driving around the field to create the borders. The plus sign in the circle is the current location at when this picture was taken. It filled in green as the spray was applied. It is barely visable but you might be able to see some very thin white lines in the bottom green part. That is where we missed spraying. The operator may have been over too far. Or side winds blowing prevented the weed chemical from falling where it should have. The 15.0 at the top right is 15 gallons per acre. The other indicators provide additional data for the operator. In the fall, they move this screen to the combine and it tells the Iowa Tractor Boy Operator the number of bushels per acre at every spot.

All I know as a Former Iowa Tractor Boy is that today's modern equipment is very technical but I understand that it allows the Farmer to use less chemicals and to reduce their operating cost.

More than riding on a Tractor

You can quickly ascertain that Iowa Tractor Boys do more than operate Farm Equipment. Some of them raise Beef. Here is a new Mom - a Beef Cow - with a young calf. Yes the terrain looks a bit rugged but for a March is is quite normal, especially in Eastern Iowa along the Mississippi River.

Garden Grooming

As you can appreciate, real Iowa Tractor Boys live on functioning farms in the Heartland of our United States of America. Although they are actively engaged in full time farming activities they also take pride in the yards and gardens surrounding their homes. The title of this Blog is "Garden Grooming." In as much as I, the author of this Blog have spent some time in England I refer to yards and lawns as Gardens. Thus this title.

The young Iowa Tractor Boy shown here is operating a device mounted on the front of his John Deere Riding Lawn Mower which is called a "Rotary Broom." I have been informed that it is not a detacher and is used for grooming. This young Farmer also works at John Deere as a welder. Additionally he has a contract with the Clayton County Board of Supervisors to maintain several Cemeteries in Clayton County. A busy young farmer, but I must also say a very dedicated young family man who also is an Elder in his local Church.

As you might gather by now, Iowa Tractor Boys are generally engaged in their Occupation, their Family and in their Community.

Getting Ready for Harvest 2009

While it may appear to be folly to be preparing for the 2009 Harvest in March it is really a prudent undertaking. The implement dealers have staff that is under utilized and the Combine is now ready for action. This John Deere 9400 shown with the Corn Header has been thoroughly cleaned and serviced.

Kale Avenue - Near Guttenberg, Iowa

This is a view of what Iowa Tractor Boys are enjoying today, February 21, 2009. This Image is of a back yard (garden) scene and also shows the consideration that the property owner has for the Birds.

A Georgia Tractor Girl

During a recent visit to Dublin, Georgia I had the opportunity to visit the Georgia Tractor Girl. If you look close you can see her Dad grilling Nathan's Hotdogs for a Family Dinner.

Venison Processing

Until the last Deer is shot on the Iowa Countryside the Iowa Tractor Boys will not go hungery. The hills and valleys in Northeast Iowa along the Mississippi River have an abundance of Deer. My Nephews and their Cousins and Friends recently harvested 30 some deer. This is Corn Fed Venison that you see being processed here.