It hit Dad pretty hard when he had to send all the cows down the road- he started a dairy from nothin' on some poor ground in 1951, but kept at it until '61. Trouble was, we could never make much money at it. Made a decent living until milk prices crashed in '58, so in '59 we put up grass hay instead of buying alfalfa. Big mistake- production went to nothing, and it didn't come back until the next lactation- got him so far behind that Mom had to go to work in '59, and by '61 we were done.
I was 13 that summer, and did the milking while dad worked as a carpenter. Our cattle hauler could haul 5 cows comfortably, so every Friday after morning milking, he would show up and we'd load out 5 more to go to the auction. I got to pick, and of course, I kept the ones I liked best 'til last, which was probably a mistake. When the last 5 went down the road, I just stood by the milkhouse and bawled as I watched the truck disappear.
Dad was real depressed for a year or so- I remember on weekends, he'd just sit in his chair and read- had no interest in doing any farm stuff. But I got into FFA, got a summer job with the angus breeder across the back fence, and started getting some cattle. That kind of perked him up again, and he was his old self again.
Happy ending- he didn't lose the farm, and that same sandy ground that was so poor to farm, really worked well for building houses. He split the place into about 6 parcels, built some houses and sold them, and ended up retiring at age 53, with enough contract income to keep them going.
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - Old Time Threshing - by Anthony West. A lovely harvest evening late September 1947, I was a school boy, like all school boys I loved harvest time. The golden corn ripens well and early, the stoking, stacking,.... the drawing in with the tractors and trailers and a few buck rakes thrown in, and possibly a heavy horse. It would be a great day for the collies and the terrier dogs, rats and mice would be at the bottom of the stacks so the dogs, would have a busy time hunting and killing, all the corn was gathered and ricked in what we c
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
1964 I-H 140 tractor with cultivators and sidedresser. Starts and runs good. Asking 2650. CALL RON AT 502-319-1952
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
