In fall 1978 I bought this house. It was on 20 acres and I bought it for $30,000.00.
A week later I had my first date with a lady I met at a wedding.
I called my cousin June and told her I had a date and my house with a TV on a milk crate, mattress on the floor was not cool.
This Wednesday I had these guys show up at our fish harvest. Henry to my left, Boone to my right, black shirt. We worked together in Ag Retail 93-98.
These guys are my brothers and I love them like family. Henry 87, Boone 70.
Lord, thank you for putting these men in my life!
My grandfather who was born in 1903 taught me when I started farming, you can plant corn when a hickory tree has leaves on it the size of a mouse’s ear. My hickory tree scouting yesterday gave the “good to go” sign.
He was teaching me to pay attention to nature, not a calendar.
Our son in law and farm crew just finished a complete remodel of this house and we have renters moving in tomorrow. It is rented at $1000.00 per month and a new family with 4 kids is getting ready to start a country life!
Help and love your neighbor.
Time tells a great story!
Every time I am at this spot in this back 40, I remember my dad, uncle Billy and grandfather walking side by side doing a “walk the farm” before you buy it.
It was 1973 and my dad bought this 180 acres for $163.00/acre.
They told us, that farm is as poor as “Job’s turkey!”
I pulled into this field and turned vacuum off by accident. Planted 5 feet with no seed. Turned “Overlap Control” off, backed up and took off planting. Forgot to turn Overlap Control back on.
Of course it was beside the shop, easy to see from the road and on a hillside!
@marinamaral2
In 1966 my father traveling in rural RGDS, Brazil, went into a hotel and told the manager, “I am an American, I prefer a color TV in my room.” The manager put a full bottle of cachaca on counter and said “no TV but everything will be in color if you drink all this!” Picture 1966
Working from home as a sales rep for American Cyanamid, January 1995. My Toshiba laptop connected to the company inventory and sales through a phone line. The Tandy 1000 ran our MS DOS farm accounting software. Fax was actually used. Cell $500 -$700/month, with no coverage.
All you Copenhagen tobacco dippers, here is my neighbor pulling a load that came out the curing barn. In the barn hardwood slabs heat and hardwood sawdust cured it and smoked it to a finish.
Leaves will be stripped and hand baled for market.
Loading out 3300 lbs of 3-4 pound catfish. Going to Pay to Fish Lakes in central Kentucky. Nice to have $4K - $6K cash flow every week from March to October. Feed a 28% protein- soy based floating pellets.
I am up on this platform, old farmer, age 66 doing my thing.
But… there has been an excessive amount of old farmer bashing today. “They take cell calls in meetings and do not knowing what “silent” means. Blah, blah blah…
You young guys can’t pack my water. I know.
@Andy35o
My youngest daughter would not go sleep. My wife said you try.
On the front porch I would tell her to close her eyes so we could listen for the Whippoorwills. Once they sang she would go to sleep.
“Let’s go listen to the Whippoorwills,” every night, is a favorite memory.
Since the debt was never discussed in 15 years we assumed it was forgotten.
But when people have runway to learn, grow and succeed they do not forget.
We really appreciate that the Lord blessed us and we were able to help, but the blessing was she used the time runway to grow.
@JemarTisby
In 1971, I bought a confederate flag at the Calloway Co KY fair. I was 15, thought it was cool.
Hung it in my bedroom. My mother walked in, made a face and said words I never heard her say: “the only thing I would use that flag for, is to wipe my ass.”
It was removed.
@DanAllred1
My grandad and uncle had the conversation with my great granddad that he could no longer drive.
My grandad talked to him while my uncle took the battery off his car, to not have drama of taking his keys.
Next morning he took a battery off a tractor and went to town.
We went to Paris TN and for $1000.00, we bought a couch, love seat, end tables, coffee table, kitchen table and 4 chairs.
House furnished, I was now a respectable gentleman.
Both the lady and I were 22. If I ever landed a big deal it was that October 23, 1978 Sunday night.
After 2 payments he left his wife and baby daughter.
My wife and I decided we were going to forget the loan and let the single mom live payment free. She had started in a nursing college program and we felt she needed runway.
In 2015 she inherited a house from her grandmother.
Had a Thursday fish order. Probably 30K pounds of market size fish in the seine and live car.
The live car behind the seine is sized to let small fish out and keeps harvest size fish in the live car. Sorta like a corral.
Invited to landlord’s 92nd birthday party. Gave him framed pictures of him running the combine this year on one of his fields. Farming and loving your neighbor can be the same.
We had never billed her for the house or discussed it.
She was now a successful nurse at a local hospital, remarried and a second child, the love of their life!
She took appraised value deducted the original $12,000.00 and asked us for the balance. We wrote the check.
This was probably the last catfish feeding day on November 9th 2022. Once water goes below 60 degrees the fish go dormant for the winter.
Nice that they hibernate all winter, you do not have to feed them all winter and they do not get out in the road.
She called us and since we owned the land around her house wanted to know if we were interested in buying it.
We told her we would pay the appraised value of the house and lot.
It was appraised at $63,000.00. We told her we would pay that for the property.
In 1997 we built a new house on the same farm, 1000 ft SW of the original house.
In 2000 I sold the original house to a neighbor for $12,000.00 and financed it. He spent $6000.00 to have a house moving company move it 2 miles across our fields to a house lot that he owned.
Mr West, my landlord, mentor, 91 years old. Ran the combine today cutting wheat. Told me he was going to auger some wheat out in the road so he could get the grain spill behind him. Our farming stories are hilarious! I am blessed that we are neighbors.
Every time we pull up a big seine full of fish, I think of the miracle Jesus did of busting the nets and loading the boats after Peter, James and John had fished all night and caught nothing!
Cleaning a catfish pond out after 20 years of production. Soil sold to a landscaping company that picks up as they need it and pay for loads picked up every month.
If you would have told me at 23, when I started farming full time, that at 63, I would get on a SeaDoo once a week and herd catfish, I would have replied: I am good with that!
My dad, born in 1927 and passed away in 2014.
A man who understood and lived, “the peace of God that transcends all understanding”
This picture: October 2013.
We rent ground to a neighbor to grow dark fired tobacco.
Twenty H2A workers.
I just walked over and talked to them in Portuguese. They can understand me and I can understand them. They are from Nayarit state, Mexico.
I welcomed them to KY.
Loving your neighbor is a thing!
Neighbor sells me finished beef steers every year.
Picked up Friday, filet and eggs for breakfast today.
Nice to have a freezer full of beef. Talk to a your beef growing neighbors and get local with your $.
Corn after wheat: 14 days after planting. Spindly in the tall wheat stubble but it is reaching for the sun. Carryover N from wheat, soil moisture and residue in continuous no till making it grow.
Another batch of 20K 4-6 inch catfish fingerlings going into our 2nd renovated 5 acre pond. Have 3 more 5 acre ponds scheduled for renovation this year.
Decided the best way to deal with $4.00 corn was to look at the 59 year corn chart.
My brand new 1981 JD 6620 cost $63,000 with a 15 ft bean /wheat header.
So …. Looking back actually did not help. 🤣
Indoor pool at my daughters house that was never used after owning house for 3 years. Fert belt, sand, dense grade, wind damaged pivot truss rods and concrete solved the problem. Grandsons have a nice rec room to run and play ball.
@narj_15
A neighbor who was one of my farming / livestock mentors would have said when the trailer gate shut: “Rick that was too easy, let’s unload and do it again.”
@marioncofarmer
My neighbor passed away in March and he had been our combine operator for 15 years. Gave him this framed picture at his 92nd birthday party of him cutting wheat summer of 2019. His wife said that picture was his favorite. We had so much fun farming together!
Mr West, will be 91 the end of October. He shelled 10 semi loads today and 10 yesterday. His favorite part of the day is at the coffee shop every morning bragging on the red machine to the Deere salesman!
Feeding this morning.
This is 300 lbs of 28% protein floating feed. 30,000 6 inch fingerlings eating it up.
Eagles would not approach years ago, when the feed truck was running. Now they snatch breakfast while I am feeding.
Amazing to get to watch them every day.
Went to look at a farm for rent 8 miles from home. Saw the road to graveyard that I had not been to in 42 years. Stopped in to see graves of great-great grandfather and g-g-grandmother. First generation of Murdock’s from North Carolina that came to KY. 1817-1889.
8022 finally looking like it should. This variety is short. All the better to plant double crop soybeans in.
Miravis Ace on early last week with 4 day delay because of wind.
1.3 inch rain last 24 hours.
@gwiesefarms
Buy a 10 acre tract on a main road away from houses that had 3 phase electricity to build grain storage facility.
This property could then be operational, sold or leased and be of value to multiple growers.
@AmberBenson
I have seen this. When a young mom at our church went through a divorce, I went to her and asked how can I help. She said her house needs work to put on the market. Told her we would fix her place up at no charge using my farm crew. We lightened her load and her smile was payment
@HistoryInPics
@bachmann_farm
My Grandfather born in 1903 told many stories, about the time period between boy and man. He married and family started, then droughts, the Great Depression and the struggle. They were tough and forged in a different fire.
Those stories shaped me!
Fish harvest Wednesday. 2000 lbs sold, 1000 lbs moved to our Ponderosa Pay Ponds. 2000 lbs released to catch again in a couple weeks. The live car (corral) lets the small fish out and leaves the harvest size.
@yogi_labrador
@marinamaral2
The color TV had just launched in the US. This is remote western Rio Grande do Sul. The manager knew my dad was trying to be funny. The hotel manager was the one with the quick humor. Heard my dad tell that story a million times. Always ends with laughter! I love Brasil!
Can we grow 200 bu corn after 80 bu wheat?
Planted June 14, 2021. Gramoxone and Acuron after planting
followed by Roundup, 21 days after planting.
40 gallons of 32-0-0 side dress, 28 days after planting.
Pictures: July 14: 30 days after planting.
NK E116K4-3000GT-EVTL
1996-97 AMCY rep for Western KY.
Home office: Toshiba laptop hooked to a landline, gave me product sales reports by Ag dealer for my territory.
Cell phone was in vehicle and worked only in town. Bill was $500.00 / month.
My top product was Pursuit, a soybean post product.
Only people that have too much time with their livestock, crops, land and equipment talk to them in a seminar format! Now that these seminars can be captured with a phone and distributed globally, expect to see more of this kind of wisdom! Well done Derrick!
The American eagle was almost extinct. Our farm now has nesting pairs and a daily reminder to me of the power of restoration and habitat transformation. If humanity can restore and transform, consider the power of the Holy Spirit to restore and transform our lives and minds.
Our grain bins are 48 miles from this CGB location at Hickman KY.
This is where our soybeans go to the Mississippi River to get loaded on a barge.
Love their app that lets me see loads as they come off the scales.
Moving a pivot this morning so the drones spraying Trivapro today do not have to jump over it ever pass.
Corn after wheat: soils saturated and sunshine and 80’s temp in the forecast.
The seine pulled across the 5 acre pond catches all the +1 lbs fish. The seine has a corral door that the fish swim into the “live car” floating in the back, where it sizes to fish +2 lbs size that are loaded to live fish delivery trucks. Looking at over 10K lbs of fish.
My feet in front of the electric heater.
My mind goes to my grandfather doing the same. Then he would say, “have I ever told you about how I started farming?”
Born in 1903 he started custom drilling wheat in 1918 with mules and paid for his first farm.
Great farming memories!
Christmas day: our family is scattered. My wife and I are at our KY Lake house.
Stacy is on the beach hunting crinoid fossils. (creation)
I am on the boat dock contemplating creation and praying about what today really tells us about Jesus.
I hope you found peace today!
This telephone pole today brought back a 1991 memory of my dad riding in the combine:
Me: dad why did people let the REA put electric poles in the field instead of beside the road?
Dad: it is obvious you have never lived without electricity. We said yes to anywhere!
@RadioFreeTom
Tom. I live in Western KY and had 3 uncles and a fathern in-law that fought in WWII. Their yes was yes and no was no. They would help anyone in need, were selfless and generous. They were humble and had no use for bragging. Those 4, my father and grandfather were real men.
Draining a 5 acre fish pond to renovate. 25 acre feet of water. Topping off the pond beside it and next week running that pond water through pivots to water corn planted after wheat.
Drought has 3 neighbors getting water from us to irrigate their tobacco.
Love your neighbor!
1986 winter horse ride, with my oldest daughter.
Once on the horse she would talk until we got back home. Question after question!
Something about those rides opened her mind to nature.
One of my favorite memories!