Last time I'll try to work Sunday

[rrlund]

I feel like I've had my best year ever so far and I've only worked one Sunday. That was to finish up the last field of first cutting. They were forecasting rain for Monday,and it did. I've got all my oat straw to bale and we have the same forecast. It rained Friday afternoon and it was so humid yesterday,it didn't dry at all. So I went and raked it late morning today. I knew better,I really did. I went back up to try to bale it,felt like I was going easy,not rushing anything. Rolled two bales and broke the PTO shaft on the baler. I came home and took the one off the parts baler,so it's fixed,but I backed it in the toolshed and parked it. I'll take a chance that I can bale it tomorrow when I get back from the stockyard,if not,it'll get washed again I guess.

60 years old,I know this is how it goes every time,that's enough. Things are going to have to be pretty bad before I'll ever put a tire in the field on a Sunday again. When I baled that first cutting,I didn't break anything,but I left the flatbed dually sitting where it hadn't been sitting after I went to see if the hay was dry,and the wife backed in to it and broke a tail light in her SportTrac. It's always something,whether directly or indirectly.

 

[centash]

I know how you feel. Spent time during the winter going over the combine Gleaner M3--tried some oats yesterday (sat) abit wet at 17 percent .Waited til 3 this aft, combined 5 minutes and blew the fuse to the electic clutch. Back to the shed, troubleshooting, determined bad connection on the clutch shortrd the circuit, Repaired, new fuse, worked perfect in the yard. Back to the field, 5 minutes in, same thing. Couldn't find anything wrong, so ticked off i just drove the dang thing to my brothers repair shop and left it there. Maybe my luck will change tomorrow--but then it will likely rain. As if the oat crop hasn't been frustrating enough with downed crops, uneven ripening and tough straw. And all the 'experienced' farmers say...easy crop to grow, easyto harvest, just rolls right through the combine...yeah, right.

Ben

 

[fixerupper]

Radar shows rain coming into Northwest Iowa from South Dakota. 3:15PM Central time

 

[Frank41]

I had a good friend that was a preacher. I told him that Sunday was the hardest day he worked. I also told him that he wasn't any different that an insurance salesman. He would say if you didn't get religon that you would go to he!! and the insurance salesman would say if you didn't buy his insurance you were destine to lose everything also.

I grew up with livestock and we had chores every day. And what if you were in the hospital and needing a baby delivered or surgery. You would have to wait until monday. Same with food, etc, somebody or somebady's wife has to do it. We farm 7 days a week when we have to.

 

[rrlund]

I've had livestock all my life,milked cows until 12 years ago,beef cattle now. Those chores have to be done seven days a week,but field work? It never pays off. Like I said,unless my back is really against the wall,I'm done. I farm full time and have six other days every week. If the weather gets in the way,call it what you will,whether you want to bring religion in to it or call it fate,I'll take what comes on the other six days.

 

[rrlund]

Here's our forecast. Tuesday says 70% chance of rain. Maybe if I let it go,I can get it done tomorrow afternoon and evening before it rains. I'll risk it.

monday Mostly sunny until midday then becoming partly sunny. A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 80s. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts to around 25 mph.
monday night Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming cloudy. A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the mid 60s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph.

 

[Duner Wi]

Your ox had not fallen into the well as far as you thought. One hind foot does not count.

 

[rrlund]

What do you want to bet that fuse will never bother again? Things go wrong on Sunday that just have no explanation. Why the weld broke where the tube is welded to the U-joint of the PTO on a 1997 baler,just baling straw doesn't make a lick of sense. The shear pin should have let go if there had really been a reason for it. After it broke,I put the bar on it that you use to turn it by hand and it turned right around. All there was in it was the small core of a new bale. I opened it up and pulled that out by hand. There's nothing hanging it up. Just one of those Sunday things.

 

[Brown Swiss]

Just as well join the Mennonites! LOL Just kiddin

 

[rrlund]

I'll tell you what,I'll never forget as long as I live,the day the barn burned on Sunday July 19,1964. The only thing I remember Dad saying for sure was "I'll never work on Sunday again".

 

[rrlund]

I live on the wrong side of town,but I'm feeling more kinship to them every day. I'm sure Harvey could set me up with some steel wheels for the tractors. It's just trading my pickup for a horse and buggy that holds me back. The ones around here are great folks though. There was a party yesterday for my cousin's 80th birthday and some of them showed up there even.

 

[Animal]

I am with you 100% on this issue. I avoid working with equipment on Sunday like the plaque. If the weather forces me to do so, it seems like I pay for it the rest of the week. I would just like to take it easy and putter around on Sunday, not to mention it is a good time to rest the body and mind. I grew up in a town in the fifties that reminds me alot of Mayberry. Their were three filling stations in town and they would take turns at being open on Sunday. The only thing for sale was gas, candy and pop. We spent the Sundays making ice cream and cooking out side and generally enjoying each other. I long for those days. Now Sunday is just another day in the week, nothing special. Call me corny, but those were some of the good old days.

 

[Billy NY]

It is relatively easy crop, not cold or do you have wet fields unless there is too much rain, unlike corn harvest with a combine, that can be a really sloppy deal in cold temps. I was involved with planting and harvesting 70-150 acres of it for several years, sure there is equipment repairs but its like all the rest, when it goes well, its great, when it does not..... take Sunday off LOL

Downed crop? Have you tried guard extensions, we recovered all the areas that were down with those installed. Its funny, the field will look perfect too, until about a week or two before its ready.

Oats like nitrogen for sure, but too much and they get tall and will lean over after a good rain or storm. Then the weeds want to rise up.

I've never seen the uneven ripening before, plant in April, they will be ready uniformly in late July, though we have planted in May, and harvested in mid August.

 

[rrlund]

Yep,Sheridan was the same way. The drug store was open from 10am til noon,and that was it. God help you if you needed a loaf of bread for Sunday dinner. It meant a trip out of town. The Conoco station was usually open until 5pm or so,but I don't remember the other ones being open. The rest all did mechanic work and the Conoco only pumped gas. They had a few boxes of candy bars and a Coke machine,but gas was about the only thing they sold in general.
To this day,the grocery store and two gas stations are the only thing open. And the Dollar General I guess. The restaurant is open until 2pm. The auto parts store doesn't even have Sunday hours.

 

[K Effective]

Growing up, Grandpa would not allow farm work on Sunday, short of the minimum required for the cattle. Much later, I learned he worked seven days a week for the first 65 years of his life. My goofy schedule does not allow me that luxury, but I do not skip church for farm work, for sure.

 

[centash]

My header has a quik-kut knife so standard lifters won't fit. I have lent the set I have to two neighbours so far! If I go slow I can get pretty near all of it.The crop is bit uneven because I had to replant some areas of the field due to dry conditions in the spring. We will get it off!

Ben

 

[rrlund]

I had trouble with mine too. Some of the best oats I ever had,but between wind and wildlife in about the last two weeks,they went down pretty bad. I was sure wishing I had lifters. Coming back in to it,it went pretty good,but going the other way was slow going. Where the deer layed,it was absolutely flat. I went back in and clipped it with the disc mower/conditioner to get it cleaned off and get all the straw I could get,but in those places,the disc mower wouldn't even pick it up.

 

[gbs]

ain't no gain in working on Sunday,if you put a pencil to it over a period of time you can figure it out,worked for a dairy while in high school man that owned it made sure any feed for Sunday was loaded on Saturday evening and ready to be pulled to where the cows could get to it Sunday,cows were milked, calves feed, milking equip cleaned,the rest unless an emergency came up would wait until Monday,he fared well and lived into his 90's.