The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor

[Hay Dude]

I like the way you think. The answer is, some young farmer will come along with an old soul that is as passionate as you are and willing to do the work. Or maybe not. Maybe it will grow up and return to nature. The good news is one of your last thoughts will be your memory of the work you did. I sometimes fear for the new generations. There may came a day when they don't have anyone that even knows how to grow food to feed them. God bless the farmers of this country.

I think that is why DJT struck such a nerve with me with the “M@G@” movement and all that, you know?
The farm takes me back to a time when I was a small child. The fields were covered with cattle. The railroad ran. Everyone was making money. It seemed like America was such a giant and so prosperous. The farm represents hard work leading to success.

Now it’s just idled and has to live on funding & generosity of wealthy people just for the buildings & grounds to be maintained.

It’s like the days I spend haying and working on this farm take me back to decades ago when things were better.

 

[Hay Dude]

I enjoy reading your posts. Concerning the weed wacking have you thought about buying a wheeled string trimmer?

The ground is very uneven, almost ”ankle breaking” and its also very mucky.
Short answer is yes, I have, but wheels would get jammed in low spots or sink in mud

 

[tradosaurus]

The ground is very uneven, almost ”ankle breaking” and its also very mucky.
Short answer is yes, I have, but wheels would get jammed in low spots or sink in mud

I use one around my small pond. You might be surprised how well you can maneuver the trimmer even partially submerged in water.

 

[workinonit]

I feel the same around here. I've been looking at the cotton bales that they roll up like round hay bales and remember the days of hand picking cotton and then when the one row pickers first came on the scene. Every mile or two down the road was another 20 acre farm. Now we have a handful of farmers for our entire area. No tobacco, very little cotton and peanuts.

 

[Hay Dude]

I feel the same around here. I've been looking at the cotton bales that they roll up like round hay bales and remember the days of hand picking cotton and then when the one row pickers first came on the scene. Every mile or two down the road was another 20 acre farm. Now we have a handful of farmers for our entire area. No tobacco, very little cotton and peanuts.

PA was so unique. Not to say your state isn’t, but PA was so strong. We farmed, we drilled for oil, we made steel, we railroaded. We had everything.
Now we are subsidized, running deficits, degraded, broken down, shut down and just wore out.

 

[dodge man]

I know the feeling. What you see as a decline is somewhat true but also just a natural change in rural areas. I started bicycling a couple of years ago and started taking pictures of barns and homesteads. I’m drawn to the abandoned ones and try to picture what it looked like years ago. Hear is a picture of what I’m sure was a nice house at one time that had a proud owner living in it at one time.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Excuse me for that small rant.

Yesterday and the last 5-6days we did a lot of weed wacking. Our customers farm has a pond and stream that cuts through about 1000’ of the property. Each year we cut around all that at the end of growing season.
In the background you can see where the once mighty B&O railroad tracks & berm is. The long trail of weeds left uncut in the small stream. At the base of the berm you see 2 yellow steel posts (water company pipeline markers). In between them is a tunnel with a long 6’ diameter pipe under the railroad berm for the stream to run through. The workmanship on the tunnels they built back in 1900’s was amazing. It will long outlive any of us. We used to build things to last seemingly forever.

I have since finished cutting the weeds in the stream. Needed my waterproof boots for that part.

View attachment 829687

Not very glamorous work, but it really gives you time to appreciate what you have, think about what we have lost. Think about the 100’s of years of sweat poured into this farm by the family that preceded me.…
This is the most beautifully haunting place to me. On a hot sunny day it feels full of life. On a cold cloudy day, the emptiness of no livestock, the fields dormant, nobody living here can send a chill up your spine.

View attachment 829688

I almost feel like I was put here to take over the work and to make sure this place continues to be farmed & maintained. I ain’t getting any younger. Who will take over from me?

View attachment 829689


Nobody lives here on the farm anymore. The house stands as a “museum” of sorts. It represents the work ethic of a German immigrant family that gave it everything they had and succeeded. It was sold to a Conservancy in the 90’s. They are a blessing to our community. They have preserved much farm land from the ravages ox urban sprawl and ugly vinyl box houses.

Make no mistake we are all replaceable and will be replaced, someone will come along to pick up the slack, might not be exactly how we do it or would like to see it done but it will get done, I am cleaning up a farm that is grown up and has been let go by the youth of that family, just 8 years ago it was a small working farm with livestock and row crop farming, today the fields are grown up with volunteer trees and weeds, but the new owner wants it cleaned up and that's what we are doing. As far as the good times go, we all go through that, we are in a state of decline, look at society as a whole, even our churches are shrinking as the older generation dies off and as we both know by prophesy that America isn't spoke of in the end times, but we believers have a much greater reward waiting for us.

 

[FriendwithTractor]

When I went to college, I found my place with a group of young men who thought similarly to me, who came from similar backgrounds to me. Out of the five of us, only two are left in the field we went to college in. For the other three, the call of the land was too strong. I'm sure if I had the opportunity I'd do the same. Don't despair, there are still plenty of young men and women left with the earth in their veins and grey matter between their ears. I'm simply hoping land prices come down enough that I get a chance at a piece of decent ground to call my own and to be a steward to.

 

[Hay Dude]

Make no mistake we are all replaceable and will be replaced, someone will come along to pick up the slack, might not be exactly how we do it or would like to see it done but it will get done, I am cleaning up a farm that is grown up and has been let go by the youth of that family, just 8 years ago it was a small working farm with livestock and row crop farming, today the fields are grown up with volunteer trees and weeds, but the new owner wants it cleaned up and that's what we are doing.

I like cleaning up and restoring farms and farm land. I have put quite a few acres back into production.

As far as the good times go, we all go through that, we are in a state of decline, look at society as a whole, even our churches are shrinking as the older generation dies off and as we both know by prophesy that America isn't spoke of in the end times, but we believers have a much greater reward waiting for us.

Indeed we believers really do have a much greater reward. Amen.

 

[Molalla1]

HD, I'm a happy man, my oldest son is taking over my land.

 

[two_bit_score]

Excuse me for that small rant.

Yesterday and the last 5-6days we did a lot of weed wacking. Our customers farm has a pond and stream that cuts through about 1000’ of the property. Each year we cut around all that at the end of growing season.
In the background you can see where the once mighty B&O railroad tracks & berm is. The long trail of weeds left uncut in the small stream. At the base of the berm you see 2 yellow steel posts (water company pipeline markers). In between them is a tunnel with a long 6’ diameter pipe under the railroad berm for the stream to run through. The workmanship on the tunnels they built back in 1900’s was amazing. It will long outlive any of us. We used to build things to last seemingly forever.

I have since finished cutting the weeds in the stream. Needed my waterproof boots for that part.

View attachment 829687

Not very glamorous work, but it really gives you time to appreciate what you have, think about what we have lost. Think about the 100’s of years of sweat poured into this farm by the family that preceded me.…
This is the most beautifully haunting place to me. On a hot sunny day it feels full of life. On a cold cloudy day, the emptiness of no livestock, the fields dormant, nobody living here can send a chill up your spine.

View attachment 829688

I almost feel like I was put here to take over the work and to make sure this place continues to be farmed & maintained. I ain’t getting any younger. Who will take over from me?

View attachment 829689


Nobody lives here on the farm anymore. The house stands as a “museum” of sorts. It represents the work ethic of a German immigrant family that gave it everything they had and succeeded. It was sold to a Conservancy in the 90’s. They are a blessing to our community. They have preserved much farm land from the ravages ox urban sprawl and ugly vinyl box houses.

Somebody must be looking after that goat. Are there other livestock on the place? That building looks well taken care of.

What cutting head were you using on that 131 when you trimmed those weeds?

 

[Hay Dude]

Somebody must be looking after that goat. Are there other livestock on the place? That building looks well taken care of.

The former owners grandson lives across the street on a farm parcel which I also cut hay from for him. He lets the goats in/out & feeds them every day. He has been granted permanent guest use of the farm by the Conservancy as part of the deal in selling them the farm.
No other livestock, but someday I am going to ask them if I can stock the front 8 acre field with whiteface or black angus. Maybe both, so we can meet today’s DEI standards
The building gets maintenance as needed. If it needs a large repair, a grant is requested and repairs get done. Last year the metal roofing was painted.

Overall, it could be better, but the buildings are fairly well taken care of.

What cutting head were you using on that 131 when you trimmed those weeds?

On the grassier stuff, just standard orange 090. On the brushier stuff, a Stihl tri-blade.
I have 2 Kombi shafts and keep the different heads on each one so I can quickly change them out.

 

[Hay Dude]

On Monday while I was cutting I had a visitor drop by in the form of a drone.

I also started the front fence lines along the road with a pass with the F3680.
Now that lawn mowing season is pretty much over, I can “sacrifice” my mower blades.

We get massive amounts of Pepper vine on our fences.

 

[workinonit]

Those drones make good target practice around here.

 

[Hay Dude]

Those drones make good target practice around here.

Yeah where’s my Mossberg 935 when I need it?
I figured I had better be nice since it could be the property owner hired someone to video the property….

 

[tradosaurus]

Those drones make good target practice around here.

But not good target practice while mowing someone elses land.

 

[workinonit]

No. Probably not a good idea to shoot down one in that situation. But they are fair game if I catch one over my farm.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I hear the Amazon ones (drones) drop prizes.

Kind of like an aerial pinata.

 

[two_bit_score]

I am going to ask them if I can stock the front 8 acre field with whiteface or black angus. Maybe both, so we can meet today’s DEI standards

Maybe Black Baldies would cover the bases. LOL

Interesting way that conservancy works. I appreciate the enlightenment.

 

[Hay Dude]

Here’s some pictures from today’s progress.

Stihl 131 waiting for me to pick it up and finish off this swath of cat tails. I hate cutting them down. They are so cool. This is one of the last places that hasn’t been over run with fragmites. Cat Tails still rule the wet lands here.

Good thing there wasn’t 12” of cold water to stand in while cutting these

And 3 hours later-done!

Right side of driveway, you can see the pond, dam and waterfall.

Below are the fences out by the road. At the very end of the picture, you can see where the tracks crossed the road. This is where the famous artist N.C. Wyeth was killed, along with his grandson by the train while crossing in his old 1940’s sedan. The railroad went on until 1972.

View from the road of the other side of the driveway from the pond, which is to the right.
Look how long the railroad berm is To the left. Must have been a beautiful sight to see a train come around the bend, then see it perched on the berm….

I may have told you this already, but 120+ years ago, a steam engine shot off sparks, landed on the barn roof and it burned to the ground. The railroad built them a new barn, which is the red one in the Picture. Story has it, the railroad brought the materials on flat cars, then dumped them down the hillside, where men carried them to the foundation.

Must have been a sight, huh?