[AT] Horrible harvesting conditions.

charlie hill charliehill at embarqmail.com
Tue Nov 25 19:06:22 PST 2008


I think about the only thing about farming that I ever hated and still hate 
the thought of was eating breakfast at 5:30 AM with sand in my eyes, ears 
and hair from taking out a barn of sand lugs at 4 AM.  Oh I forgot, filling 
out the last room of a barn of green tobacco on a rainy day.

For those that don't know what I'm talking about I can't explain it.  It's 
something you have to experience.

Charlie


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Al Jones" <farmallsupera at earthlink.net>
To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 9:44 PM
Subject: Re: [AT] Horrible harvesting conditions.


> Conditions have to be just right with down corn.  We had some in '99 that
> was picked on New Year's Eve.  I forget what storm that blew it 
> down--maybe
> floyd?  Anyway the guy that was picking developed serious health problems
> had to quit so he could go in the hospital for bypass surgery.  We got a
> man from Richlands to come finish, he actually got the beans first and 
> then
> went back for the corn.  It looked like a solid thatch feeding into the
> combine--and he got near about all of it.
>
> In 2005 it seemed nothing worked.  First the fellow tried a Kelderman Corn
> Reel.  It did very little good. Then he borrowed a head with a Corn
> Saver--the one that has a gathering chain over and perpendicular to each
> snout to feed the crop in.  That was better.  He made some  modifications
> to it and finally managed to get done.  What a mess.
>
> On the sand lugs, you are exactly right.  What I meant was, back then you
> had to stoop over to get them, now no one bothers because the best is on 
> up
> the stalk and farmers "know better."  But what would the old folks say if
> they could see it!!!
>
> Al
>
>
>> [Original Message]
>> From: charlie hill <charliehill at embarqmail.com>
>> To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>> Date: 11/25/2008 9:23:00 PM
>> Subject: Re: [AT] Horrible harvesting conditions.
>>
>> Al, back about hmmmm maybe 8 years or so ago I worked for a while as a
>> Federal Crop Insurance adjuster.
>> A big farmer not to far from here had one entire field of corn blown down
>> flat.   To make it worse the corn was flat planted (no hills on the
> rows).
>> I guess there was at least 100 acres like that.  The rest of his corn was
> a
>> different variety and didn't blow down as bad.  Anyway, the corn that was
>> down was so flat on the ground that some of the kernels on the some ears
>> were sprouting where they were laying against  the ground.  I looked at
> it
>> and had no idea he could pick it and he didn't either but he decided to
> try
>> it.  Now this guys fields are graded with a land plane and his combines
> are
>> first class new stuff but still the corn was flat on the ground.  I want
> you
>> to know he got almost all of that corn up and came out well enough that
> he
>> didn't even file the Federal Crop claim.   He just put the header right
> down
>> against the ground and picked it all right up.
>>
>> You are exactly right about what the old timers would say about modern
>> tobacco harvest but I have to say I don't agree with you about the sand
>> lugs.   Back in the days of acreage and poundage controls almost every
>> farmer had top quality upper stalk tobacco left over at the end of the
> year.
>> Yet he spent time and money getting those trashy, sandy lugs pulled and
>> cured just so he could sell them early in the season for about 60% of
> what
>> the upper stalk tobacoo would bring.  I wondered for years why we fooled
>> with them.
>>
>> Charlie
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Al Jones" <farmallsupera at earthlink.net>
>> To: "Antique tractor email discussion group"
> <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>> Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 6:16 PM
>> Subject: Re: [AT] Horrible harvesting conditions.
>>
>>
>> > And now, they just go through and knock the lugs on the ground!
>> >
>> > Charlie you and I both have ancestors buried all over eastern NC that
> roll
>> > over in their graves every tobacco harvesting season, given the way it
> is
>> > handled now!
>> >
>> > Many-a-kid has gotten their butt tore up over dropping a hand of leaves
> on
>> > the ground, accidentally chopping a hill of tobacco down with the hoe,
>> > etc.....
>> >
>> >
>> > AS to worst harvest conditions that I remember, it would be corn, 2005
>> > after hurricane ophelia.  Blew it flat and seemed nothing would get it
> up.
>> > Finally finished on March 2, 2006.  I remember a similar situation in
>> > around 1982 or 83 when I was a kid---it blew down and we were still
> trying
>> > to pick it the next spring. That was the first migrant workers--from
>> > Mexico--I ever saw. A crew came through looking for work and my dad
> hired
>> > them to pick up the corn by the 5 gal. bucket full, throw it in big
> piles,
>> > and then he would come around from pile to pile with the combine and
> they
>> > would throw it in by the bucketful into the machine.
>> >
>> > Al
>> >
>> >> [Original Message]
>> >> From: charlie hill <charliehill at embarqmail.com>
>> >> To: Antique tractor email discussion group
> <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>> >> Date: 11/25/2008 11:07:40 AM
>> >> Subject: Re: [AT] Horrible harvesting conditions.
>> >> That first week you spend
>> >> the entire day bent over double pulling the "sand lugs".  Each week it
>> > gets
>> >> a bit easier.  It's about a 6 week process.
>> >>> Charlie
>> >> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> >> From: "Ralph Goff" <alfg at sasktel.net>
>> >> To: "Antique tractor email discussion group"
>> > <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>> >> Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 10:24 AM
>> >> Subject: Re: [AT] Horrible harvesting conditions.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> >
>> >> > ----- Original Message ----- 
>> >> > From: "charlie hill" <charliehill at embarqmail.com>
>> >> > To: "Antique tractor email discussion group"
>> >> > <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>> >> > Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 2008 7:25 AM
>> >> > Subject: Re: [AT] Horrible harvesting conditions.
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> >> My worst experiences weren't from cold but rain.
>> >> >
>> >> > Charlie, thats one big difference between your area and mine. When
> the
>> >> > first
>> >> > rain drops fall thats when the combines head for home. Sometimes a
>> > little
>> >> > rain shower gives us a much needed break after a few weeks of long
> days
>> > on
>> >> > the combine. After a good rain it takes up to 3 days for cereals to
> dry
>> >> > out,
>> >> > less for oilseeds like canola.
>> >> >
>> >> > Ralph in Sask.
>> >> >
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