The beginning of the end?

I've been telling ya'll this day was coming... I'm practically Paul Revere. "Farming days are coming! Farming days are coming!"

I can tell you no one has spring fever quite like a farmer. I mean, you'd think they'd enjoy the cold, dark days when the ground is frozen & they can sit at home & relax just a little. Nope, nu uh, not my farmers. They are itching to get out & get going. Weirdo's...

Sunday afternoon I heard the familiar hum of a tractor coming up the hill. It's not everyday you see this sort of contraption backing down your driveway. Only in the country, people...only in the country... So I ran outside to take pics & see what the heck B-rad was up to.And I was like, "What in the heck does it DO?!" Farming lesson #342 - This is called a rotary harrow. You drive it across the field over the corn stalks still left standing from last years harvest. It knocks the stalks down with those big metal teeth thingies (you can see stalks wrapped up in it in the pic...) This serves at least 2 purposes (that I know of...) #1-The stalks have nutrients in them & when they stay standing in the field - those nutrients don't get into the soil. #2-Stalks are also hard on tractor tires. - and tractor tires are mucho expensivo... And I think the faithful & loyal steeds have a little bit of 'bloggin' blood in them too. Because they immediately started climbing all over the thing. (I think they just wanted to be in the shot...) And I'm starting to question Sonny's sanity because he climbed up to the tippy top!All the supporting structures looked good... They gave it their seal of approval.
We bought this thing used back in December. Now - you might be asking, "how much does one of them there rotary harrows cost?" Maybe you're interested in having one laying around in case you need it? Ok, brace yourselves... We paid $12,000 for it. Gulp...After he got done eating a late lunch, he headed down the road to our neighbors field that we rent to devour some stalks. And when he got home last night he was excited because he was able to get the neighbors & Brian & Lora's fields done. You can pull that 43' hunk of metal at 9 miles per hour across the field.. which is fast... Normally you only go maybe 2-3mph in a tractor across the fields...

And here's something else to think about. Can you imagine how much fuel we use/pay for every year?! Going over the field once for this harrow thinge. Then you go over it with the sprayer. Then it gets planted. THEN the fields with corn get nitrogen put down. Next the sprayer again to 'spot spray' bad weed areas. Then the combine. And that's just the normal stuff I can think of off the top of my head. It's mind boggling... I would lose.my.freakin.mind if I had to go over the same fields 5-6 times every year. Good thing I don't have to do it. That's why God gave B-rad patience...