Three days of throwing around fifty-five pound bags of corn seed would have been a great opportunity to take off a few pounds. However, long days of work are ended with large meals and laughter. No rice cakes here, just good old fashioned American fare, and lots of it.
Technology has always been of great interest to me, and an ongoing project has been to install a GPS steering system in the large four-wheel-drive tractor. GPS is not new to farmers, they’ve been using it for over a decade as a guide to plant in long, straight rows. The gizmo pictured above uses GPS to indicate field position, and provides the option to press a button and let it steer. This week Gordie and I finished up the wiring and headed into the field to see if everything worked. We hit the button, and watched with big grins as the electronics took over and steered the tractor.
It’s like a video game powered by diesel fuel, and the prize is corn. It costs more than a quarter though…
Friday we had eight inches of snow on the ground. We’ve enjoyed warm, spring days, and the radical change in the weather was a surprise.
Looking across the street
Temperatures should be back to normal by Monday. Warmer weather the next couple of days should melt the snow and provide us with a muddy, sticky mess in the fields. Until things dry out, we will continue to laugh, eat just a little too much, and enjoy driving large John Deere tractors.
Next week I’ll take a few photos of the calf who has adopted me. It’s somewhat unusual for a calf to adopt a human, but this young friend seems to enjoy my company. From time to time I’ll climb over the fence just to visit with him. He likes to bounce around and play, but he’s not catching on to the game of fetch. Other calves shy away from human contact, but this guy strains against the fence for a little bit of lovin’.
Moogie
