Mississippi River

Traffic

You do not get the opportunity to view this

type of boat on the River very often.

This is an example of the usual traffic.

A tug which pushes Barges loaded with

coal, corn and other products

Of course there is the occasional

House Boat.

Iowa Tractor Boys

Leisure Time

Some has to crack the black walnuts

This is done during the Winter Months

This is a Northeast Iowa Winter

Usually plenty of Snow

Modeling a row of Tall Corn


Reading the Press, printed in
Guttenberg, Iowa
this is a Weekly Newspaper



Everything will be alright!!!

Iowa Tractor Boy

Equipment Lineup

Ready for the Harvest

Harvesting the Soybeans

in

Clayton County

Iowa, U. S. A.

U. S. Army Corps of Engineers

Lock and Dam Number Ten

Guttenberg, Iowa

Winter Maintenance

I have one Sibling Brother and one Nephew who are also Iowa Tractor Boys; however they also work for the Corps at Lock and Dam Number Ten in Guttenberg, Iowa. This is a series of shots of the interior of the Locks which show these two working with others to perform maintenance. The Mississippi River if frozen so the maintenance can be performed without delaying the Barge traffic up or down the river.

As I viewed this picture I thought to myself, are these employees discussing how long before the next coffee break!!!

Before and After

Clayton County Iowa's First Snow

2011

This picture was taken on November 4th, 2011 on a farm on Kale Avenue. The pumpkins as well as the leaves are a reminder that Fall is in Season.

This picture was taken just four days later, November 8th. A total of 2 1/2 inches of snow fell. A sure sign that Winter has started.

Tilling Soil for 2012

Once the harvest is complete everyone is focused on the 2012 planting season. Here you see several pictures of chisel plowing. You will note that a fair amount of corn stalks remain on the surface. This helps control water and also wind erosion.

When I was an Iowa Tractor Boy the preparation of the soil for planting involved turning the soil completely over so that there was no stalks visible. This was the thinking of that era. The seed been needed to be free of rough material so that the crops could germinate and grow with no material preventing growth.

The new concept of minimum tillage reduces erosion and the crops also flourish with out the soil being eroded away.

This close up view allows you to see the amount of material left on the soil surface. Of course you are viewing John Deere equipment. The operator of this Tractor is a full time employee of John Deere Dubuque Tractor works.







For readers of this Blog who are not Farmers, please be aware that the focus of farming in this time is to be excellent stewards of the land. For those who may not already know, the State of Iowa has 25 percent of the Grade "A" farm land in the United States of America. Thus the name for Iowa is also "The Bread Basket of the United States." While several states may grow more of a specific crop, Iowa leads the nation in total production of food stuffs to feed the people, not only in the U. S. A. but in Countries around the World.



The tugs pushing barges loaded with grain are a common site on the Mississippi River. For those not involved in agriculture, I wish to inform you that Iowa Tractor Boys, as well as other Farmers in the Midwest are keenly aware of what is happening in the global market place regarding crop production and the impact that the weather on a worldwide basis has on their respective operations.



Yes, agriculture and farmers have to think on a global basis.

Fourth Generation Iowa Tractor Boys

This picture was taken on October 30 as the Sons of My Nephew were displaying their Jack-O-Lanterns for Halloween 2011.