Farming in the 50's

A fellow asked a good question Machinery Talk yesterday. He asked "what's the oldest thing you can remember" as a child. I would word that, what is the earliest things you remember on the farm?

I grew up in the 50's and 60's but I remember back to when I was two and shoveling dirt in my mouth with a spoon beside the old house that is gone now. Mom and dad were getting ready to take me to the county fair and I got all dirty while they were getting ready!

I answered "The oldest thing I can remember is Elmer Yochum cutting dad's wheat with a pull type IH on dad's Oliver 77. That same tractor picked our corn with a number 4 Oliver corn picker with flatbed wagons, shoveled off. I remember the lines of wheat to unload in Sardinia in front of our house, 100 bu was a big load then.

Dad still cultivated corn with his team of Percheron's, Jim and Jane, when I was little but they were old and clumsy and stomped down too much corn. I do remember picking by hand and making shocks a year or two before dad bought the picker.

I distinctly remember dad buying the Oliver 50 twine tie baler with no one to drive, mom hated doing it so he put 5 year old me on the seat! About all I did was steer while he stacked and ran several marathons between the wagon and tractor. I remember being a little scared of making a mistake but I thought I was king!

An NAT friend asked what a Go Devil corn cultivator was and I found the picture and posted it there and for today's picture. I would hate to have to use that tool very long, but it sure beat hoeing in the early days!

Now farmers in the south are hiring hoe crews to chop out resistant weeds in their fields! I hope we are not going back to that or food will get MUCH higher! I have lots of blogs about resistant weeds the last 3 years, especially in the last 6 months if you care to browse.

So what are your earliest memories on the farm?

Ed Winkle