More tractors than I'd ever seen

[marlingardener]

We went to a local Farm and Ranch show today, and I saw more tractors than I'd ever seen in my life! Huge machines, with tires taller than i am, and with air-conditioned cabs with cup holders and radio/CD players. I wanted to bring one home, but my ever practical husband pointed out that just turning around one of these behemoths on our little pasture wasn't possible.
I learned a lot about farming, a lot about proper care of the land (we are doing well in that area), and how to keep livestock happy, healthy, and productive. We're doing well with our hens in that area, also.
The most valuable lesson we learned was how dedicated farmers/ranchers are; how difficult the life can be; and how few young people are willing to take on the responsibility and lifestyle required. Of course, an air-conditioned tractor with a CD player makes the lifestyle a bit easier . . . .

 

[alp]

@marlingardener To make it a success with your teenagers, they must have wifi ..

 

[Silentrunning]

This is my my tractor. It has air conditioning, stereo, power steering and brakes, and GPS. Actually it has none of these options and some times I have to start it with the crank. It is a 1951 Farmall Cub and during the summer it gets run almost every day.

 

[MaryMary]

with tires taller than i am,

One of the farms along my drive to work re-purposed their old tractor tires. They painted them "Christmas tree green," and every year, they prop them at the corners of the split rail fence at the end of the drive and put red Christmas lights and garland on them. Those huge "wreaths" make me smile every time I see them!!

how few young people are willing to take on the responsibility and lifestyle required.

Do they make an effort to make it fun for them? Every year here, they have a summer festival, and tractors are one of the highlights. They block off the main drag and tractors line the street, but most fun is the parade. Any kid deemed old enough (and has access to a tractor) is allowed to be in the parade, they line them all up and off they go...preceded by the police cars with their lights flashing, then the cheerleaders/ drill team/ flag corp, and they are usually followed by the fire trucks and the marching band!!

Also, the local high school and a few others in my county have a "Drive Your Tractor to School Day" which was quite a shock to me when I first moved here, let me tell you!! They did not block off the streets for that!!

Spoiler: Spoilered because it's a slight hijack, and I don't want to derail the thread.

I moved here about 10 years ago. Previously, I lived in Columbus, Oh, which has a population in excess of 783,000 people. The village I live in now has a population of less than 4700.

I had culture shock the first year or two I lived here. My friends back "home" thought I was joking when I told them that it was hard to sleep for all the quiet!!

The things that pass for "vehicles" on public streets are amazing! Wheelchairs and Hoveround scooters. Golf carts. Riding lawn mowers... there are at least two people that attach the dump cart to the mower, and take their wife to the grocery!!

"Go to the store? No... how about if I just send you with a list...?"



I never imagined that I would want a golf cart.

 

[marlingardener]

Most of the youngsters around here have grown up on a farm, and are very well acquainted with what is needed to be successful. Some just want to farm, others want to do something else. Our neighbor's boy has wanted to farm all his life, and at the age of 22 is very competent and extremely hard-working.
I do think a tractor parade and "drive your tractor to school day" would be fun, but some smart-aleck would show up with a combine!

 

[alp]

One of our cricketers actually got married using a tractor instead of a posh car! Very nice idea!

@Silentrunning Keep onto it as if it were your 2nd wife. 1951 and still going. Nowadays, everything is built with built-in obsolescence in mind!

 

[Daren]

The Problem With Tractors Is they are So Big And noisy and The Price of Diesel these days............This one Costs nothing to run

 

[johnny canoe]

When I see an big old John Deere I remember the constant battle between my older brother and myself. He always managed to get to the air conditions Ford tractor before I did. I was left with the big old no cab John Deere. It didn't help to complain to dad. He would remind me that during the 1930s to save fuel, grandpa parked the tractors and went back to using his Percheron teams. " your grandpa had me riding behind the horses spreading grasshopper bait. Then he would plow the field under except for one long strip. At 2 in the morning he would get me up and I would harness a team and plow under that strip of grass in the dark killing all the hoppers."

 

[harrylee]

Tractors are my other hobby, although they are just small ones. They help me a lot in the garden.