Life on the Farm

[GlisGlis]

great works as always BJ
should I live close to a lake I'd be tempted to build a fishing weir

[bjrogg]

I'm ready for SPRING  ! Wow - that Lake is way down. Thanks for sharing Your chores. People don't realize all the work that Farming takes!  Bob.

Yes Bob me too. I don’t mind winter. But I don’t like the cold damp weather we get this time of year. It just makes me hurt.

Bjrogg

[bjrogg]

great works as always BJ
should I live close to a lake I'd be tempted to build a fishing weir

The conditions would be perfect for that with the current water level. Might have to give it a try. Maybe I can get my grandkids interested. Water’s pretty cold right now. Thinking the Eagles might like it.

Bjrogg

[Pappy]

 Now that is cool, bet it works great also.
 Pappy

[bjrogg]

That does look like it would work well

We haven’t started planting yet. A few have started to the west of us. A little further away from the big lake. Our ground isn’t quite dry enough yet. It’s been cold here this spring but the past couple days were a little warmer.

I tested out a couple more systems on my planter that I didn’t want to earlier. Didn’t want them to freeze hard.

Still haven’t put fertilizer in but I think I have everything else working now.

Did look at beets I planted in driveway end of March. They have a quarter inch tail.

Bjrogg

[bjrogg]

We made some progress on our 6 axle trailer frame. Have most of the poor metal cut out. We will replace with new.

Bjrogg

[Pappy]

Looking good, love your shop, wished mine was that big. 
 Pappy

[bjrogg]

Looking good, love your shop, wished mine was that big. 
 Pappy

Thanks Pappy. We had my grandpa’s shop when I was growing up. It served him good, but it was way to small for any equipment and not insulated so it was half wood stove.

We literally worked on stuff in snowbanks. Used the shop to come in and warm up. And keep our tools in.

When I was in electronics school we built a 50’x50’ shop insulated. We got a lot done in that shop but it too was really too small for our equipment. About 15 or twenty years ago we put a 72’x70’ addition on the 50’x50’. Now we can work on most things inside. Still a few pieces we can’t fold out to field mode inside.

Working on my sprayer today. Outside. Was mid to high 60’s and sunny yesterday today just barely above freezing. Rain snow mix and really windy.

That’s spring right next to Lake Huron.

Bjrogg

[bjrogg]

Today is sunny and hoping to plant some beets. The field is dry enough now.

My problem now is that I’m waiting for a couple starting capacitors for my electric motor on fertilizer pump. Ordered a few days ago. Really hoping it shows up any minute. Won’t be able to plant if I don’t get them soon.

Bjrogg

[Pappy]

Hope the parts come in BJ, always hated waiting on parts when I had my shop. Weather has been nice here the last few days but looks like we might be in for a change for the next few, never know, it was supposed to rain yesterday and didn't, the weather folks now days don't seem to have a clue what is going to happen, they are pretty good at telling you what happened but not what is going to happen.  I tell people that only 1 knows for sure and he ant telling.
 Pappy

[bjrogg]

Thanks Pappy. Yes waiting for parts is one reason the shop was never really big enough. Always ended up with projects torn apart and waiting for parts.

We did get the starting capacitors for the motor. They actually came minutes after I posted I was waiting for them.

We got the motor fixed and mixed up our fertilizer.

I filled planter with seed and everything I needed to plant.

Went to field and everything worked the first time across the field. I was feeling pretty good as usually the first pass is the one that makes me the most trouble. I checked the depth of my seeds and placement. Everything looked good. I made another pass across the field and everything was perfect. Ready to make some progress now.

I started the third pass across the field and trouble. The planter was still planting( I think perfectly) but the monitor wasn’t seeing the seed. It wasn’t showing me population and I didn’t want to keep planting without it.

I looked a bunch of stuff over but didn’t have a tester. I called my nephew and also the technician from Deere.

By the time my nephew got there I was pretty sure I found the problem. A plug in the row sensor wire harness had a two green corroded pins. I cleaned them up best I could. I was pretty sure it would work but it didn’t.

The Deere technician arrived and he started looking in different areas. We spent about three hours and took all kinds of stuff apart on both the tractor and the planter. Just before dark we gave up and I took the planter back to our shop.

The next morning my nephew and I both agreed that the problem had to be in the plug that we cleaned up. We concentrated on the plug and took it completely apart, both ends. We replaced the corroded pins and found a broken wire on the backside of plug. That was the problem. Glad it’s fixed. Did replace every slightly questionable part in both ends of plug. I’m pretty confident it is fixed now. Not putting down the technician, he’s a good guy and tried hard, but honestly it’s one of those times where I think if my nephew and I had just kept at it we probably would have gotten it fixed and been planting that night yet.

Glad its fixed though and hopefully when it does get dry enough to plant again it won’t make trouble.

I was hoping to get about 80 acres planted. I got 3.8 acres planted. Slightly over 1% done. 353.2 to go. At this rate it’ll take almost 100 days. I’m sure there’s better days ahead. At least I hope so.

Bjrogg

[chamookman]

Glad You found the problem Bud - Happy Easter to You and Yours. Bob

[bjrogg]

Thanks Bob. Had a really nice Easter (actually two of them). Hope you had a nice Easter too

Not sure when we will get back to planting. Rain predicted about every three days. That’s a pretty normal weather forecast for beet planting season. Kinda wish they were all planted already. Good germination conditions.

Hopefully things go better next chance we get

Bjrogg

[Pappy]

Yep looks like rain here for the next few days also, don't really need it right now but will probably be wishing for it in June/July so not going to complain.  Usually get way to much in the early spring and not enough in the summer, be great if it was spread out but can't control that so just have to deal with it. 
 Pappy