The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor

[Runner]

Next time Hay Dude breaks down you get to go help him fix it.

I'm a pretty good operator, not so much on the mechanic side...

 

[scootr]

Operators forced to make their own repairs are usually easier on the equipment.

 

[deserteagle71]

Sad but that is progress... My brother told me not to go back, all the farms around where we lived were cut up and built out. I remember it as it was a half a century ago

Same with the area where I grew up in northeastern Pennsylvania. Used to be a small town every few miles but everything else was farms. Now all the farms are subdivided into parcels with homes built on them...but I don't know if I would call that "progress". Almost no farms left in the area. Small farm I grew up on now has 6 homes on it.

 

[scootr]

Same with the area where I grew up in northeastern Pennsylvania. Used to be a small town every few miles but everything else was farms. Now all the farms are subdivided into parcels with homes built on them...but I don't know if I would call that "progress". Almost no farms left in the area. Small farm I grew up on now has 6 homes on it.

It's happening all across America. The small farm is disappearing from the American landscape.
Has been for 50 yrs. Very sad. Those of us that grew up on those farms were privileged. Today's kids can only play farm life games on their cell phone - poor little f***ers.
I was lucky enough to hang onto a plow behind a horse when I was I was boy. I barely weighed enough to keep it in the ground

 

[Molalla1]

It's happening all across America. The small farm is disappearing from the American landscape.
Has been for 50 yrs. Very sad. Those of us that grew up on those farms were privileged. Today's kids can only play farm life games on their cell phone - poor little f***ers.
I was lucky enough to hang onto a plow behind a horse when I was I was boy. I barely weighed enough to keep it in the ground

We still have an "old time farm/cattle" place, but you are right they are going away fast . . .

 

[LouNY]

Still a few small dairy's around, with small being under a hundred head of milkers. A few Thirty to Forty cow dairy's try and get started every year and a couple make it. Usually in niche market.
And there are several small beef operations trying to make a go of it, many of those having off farm income to support it at times. A few of those will produce quality beef but many of them selling six to a dozen beef a year are not producing high quality beef. It is likely better for people then the super market beef but it's not real high quality tender well marbled meat.

And Scootr I'm not sure I say anything lucky about plowing behind a horse, I was fortunate enough that the horses were gone when I started doing chores and field work.

 

[deserteagle71]

I was lucky enough to hang onto a plow behind a horse when I was I was boy. I barely weighed enough to keep it in the ground

I was lucky...my Dad had a "modern" plow in 1950. It was on wheels so no need to hang onto plow handles....although it looks like my Dad had to hold hard onto that team of eager horses.

 

[Molalla1]

I was lucky...my Dad had a "modern" plow in 1950. It was on wheels so no need to hang onto plow handles....although it looks like my Dad had to hold hard onto that team of eager horses.
View attachment 879238

Which one of the kids are you working the field?

 

[Hay Dude]

I was lucky...my Dad had a "modern" plow in 1950. It was on wheels so no need to hang onto plow handles....although it looks like my Dad had to hold hard onto that team of eager horses.
View attachment 879238

Great picture. I really like your family’s story.
It’s an American Story.

 

[BackRoad]

I was lucky...my Dad had a "modern" plow in 1950. It was on wheels so no need to hang onto plow handles....although it looks like my Dad had to hold hard onto that team of eager horses.
View attachment 879238

Mr. DesertEagle, were you from Halstead as mentioned with the photo?

My wife was from there...New Milford, Halstead - Blue Ridge High School...