Today was the big day……the field was dry enough……time to seed oats! Once the word got out, everyone was right there to lend a hand…..or paw. Dinky and Tigger chose the task of inspecting the seed sacks.
The green bags hold alfalfa seed, which is planted simultaneously with the oats. The oats are harvested in July, after which the field is taken over by the alfalfa hay……we will call it “the new seeding”. It will be a hay field next year, too. The next photo shows the sacks of seed oats. 
Chisel-plowing is my job for the day. Next you see the steps leading up into the tractor cab……watch out……bumping your knee on these sharp steps is no fun:
Behold the seat of honor!! The tractor is an AGCO-Allis 8785, with front-wheel assist. Its a nice tractor, and is our best and biggest one…….a privilege for me to drive today! At the end of this post is a video taken from inside the tractor cab. Be sure to watch it! 
Husband made the first round with the chisel plow to make sure everything was set correctly. The cab has a passenger seat, so I loafed there, relaxing while he drove and gave last-minute instructions, such as, “Be sure not to hit the fence when you turn around at the end of the field.” Whew……thank goodness he reminded me of that, otherwise I’d have run the fence over for sure!!! NOT! It just seemed funny that he even mentioned it……like I don’t know enough not to hit the fence! Sheesh. 
After that first round, I was on my own. Away we go at a breathtaking 6 miles-per-hour across the field! Woo-eee!! Hey, what’s this? I have company in the field! Looks like one of those gulls from last week missed his flight with the flock when they departed. Poor thing. He hung around the tractor for probably an hour. Maybe he’s attracted to big, noisy, orange creatures. I’ll post more photos of him next week.
Pretty soon, Husband and the grain drill joined Gull and me in the field. 
If you open the top lid of the grain drill, you will see the compartments holding the seed oats. Last year Husband planted a mixture of oats and peas to chop for silage, but this year is going with oats only, because he plans to combine the oats for grain.
The alfalfa and a bit of clover seed are placed in a smaller hopper to the rear of where the oats are:
The seeds are directed downward through tubes which are attached to round blades which drill into the ground a few inches, making an opening for the seeds to fall into. Hence, the name of this piece of equipment……the grain drill.
This next scene includes the rear-view mirror on my tractor; Husband in the other tractor, pulling the grain drill; and Buster, trying to figure out which one of us to run with! He enjoys running alongside tractors, but has the bad habit of darting in front of them, too, which makes me nervous. I had to brake for him one time yesterday when he stopped all of a sudden to take a leak on a pile of cornstalks right in front of my tractor! 
Next is the video. Please join me and the band Night Ranger on our bouncy-wouncy journey across the field! 
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16 comments:
I'm glad Dinky and Tigger helped... seed sacks MUST be inspected you know. Loved the video!
Di
The Blue Ridge Gal
Great post, Jeannelle! I think it's great when you explain all the farming techniques. What you're doing feeds our country and I think it's great. The video in the cab of the tractor reminds me of my husband when he used to mow the fields on the horse farm. He had an air conditioned cab, with music, and sometimes he would call me from his cell phone and tell me he was happy.
Have a beautiful Saturday, girl. Thanks for the video and the memory.
Thanks for all the interesting things you talk about. Its good for the non farmers to know what goes into growing our livestock, wheat, etc.
But I think I would get sick bouncing up and down all day long.
I was following most of that pretty well, but got stuck at "he plans to combine the oats for grain." Combine them with what? Wheat? So I got out my copy of "How to Talk Iowan" and was reminded that com-BINE and COM-bine are not the same thing. Ahh! (I know what you're thinking: "This guy would hit the fence.")
It looks like it was a beautiful day to be out riding around. We notice you had your Diet Squirt with you. (Won't mention the Nestle's Crunch.) Thanks for taking us along. It was fun.
do the cats think it's lunch or are they just curious about the newness of the feed?
I really enjoy reading about the life you lead on a farm. Without people like you, dumbies like me just think it all appears at the grocery store!
Dang! that makes me homesick. As a kid I drove the Ford Jubilee doing the no-brainer jobs(don't run into the fence). There was no cab and no radio. But, wow! could I sing loud. I wore a swim suit to do the hay raking so I could get a tan. The neighbor in his pickup almost drove into the the barrow pit taking a gawk at me. Heehee!
Hi, Blue Ridge Gal,
Thanks! I like that video, too!Yeah, cats follow us everywhere, so when I went into the shed to get a photo of the sacks, they jumped right up to see what the big deal was. Curious cats!
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Hi, Country Girl,
Thanks for stopping in! And, that's a nice memory you have of your hubby calling you from the tractor. Sadly, my husband has never done that! Nor, have I called him to say that....I should try it, I wonder what he would say?
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Hi, troutay,
Thank you for the good words. The seat in that tractor is fairly comfortable, absorbing much of the bouncing, but still it does get old after awhile. Its nice to step out onto solid ground again.
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Hi, Sempringham,
Sorry about that confusion. I never even gave it a thought. I should have usde the word "harvest", but my mind was too focused on trying to contrast the combining and chopping, two different ways to harvest oats. And, c'mon, I know you wouldn't hit the fence....not intentionally, anyway!
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Hi, Deb,
Goodness....you are not a dummy! We all are unaware of plenty of things.
The cats were suddenly curious about the sacks because I was in there taking pictures. Silly kitties!
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Hi, Leenie,
Oh, what a hilarious memory!! And, what a daring farm girl you were....(and, maybe ARE!).
I recall the days of driving tractors with no cabs. Very cold in the late autumns when we were still harvesting corn or doing fieldwork in the early spring....BRR!!
Hey, it's spring time. It's time to sew the wheat. That's always my favorite time of the year.
Spent a few weeks in the southern Phoenix checking out the agriculture.
Wow, it looks like your pictures. So flat, everythings in square miles.
I'll be posting about farming next week.
Farmwife,
I guess it is spring.
Thanks for all the interesting stuff about tractors and seeding...it about things I never learned and enjoyed it!
Looks like fun and you're doing a good job following a straight line. I can only remember about one time working in the field discing, but then I guess that's what my three brothers were for. I'm sure I had a similar caution about the fence, but I was very inexperienced compared to you. When my dad would seed the oats, he used a small wagon with a broadcast spreader on the back, very low tech. Maybe you'll be buying some Diet Squirt one of these days, now that you've tried it. Hope your son has fun at prom tonight, I don't suppose he'd let you post a picture?
Jeannelle,
It's always a trip coming here - where else could I experience a ride from inside a tractor?
Glad to see those cats are earning their keep. Mine are just bugging me for food and stepping all over my brand new Laptop! That's right! 16" widescreen, HP and maybe, just maybe I'll have less connectivity problems.
(I keep forgetting to mail your little gift. Don't despair - I'm on it!)
Kat
Funny, the verification is "loder". ha ha
Well Jeannelle that was a hoot! I enjoyed my ride with you in the tractor and the music was alright, being it was new to me. I am so glad we are no longer farmers, but, I'm old and farming is for you young ones. ;)
You can film backwards and still drive straight! Good job. Flatlands are so wet as we came through I do not believe the farmers have been able to plant yet. I believe their main crops are milo, soybeans, and rice.
Hi, Marg,
Thanks for visiting! I watched the video again...actually, the land appears flatter than it really in. Our farm is fairly rolling for this area.
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Hi, Reamus,
If only it felt warm like spring!! Its been blustery and cold all day and snow is forecast for tonight.
Thanks for stopping by!
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Hi, Nancy,
It was a bit difficult to continue driving straight while videotaping....don't tell anyone.
Funny you should mention the endgate seeder....that's what my dad used, too. I would ride in the wagon and keep the hoppers filled with seed.
Nah...I don't care enough for the taste of Diet Squirt to actually buy any!
The prom grand march was great fun to watch! Very colorful dresses....I hope to post some photos.
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Hi, Poetikat,
"Loder"! Cool.....the tractor I was driving had a loader on the front!
Congrats on getting a new laptop! Sounds like a nice big screen, too. Enjoy! I enjoy mine very much.
(Watch your mail.)
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Hi, Gramma Ann,
Oh, you are a hoot, too....calling me young!! Haha! Actually, I thought of you when I picked the video with a rock-n-roll song on it.....I figured you might say something about it!!
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Hi, Gail,
Shh....I didn't stay driving straight there for a few seconds when I was filming the plow behind the tractor! Had to quickly set things right....I turned the steering wheel very quickly near the end of the video.
I'm not even sure what "milo" is....I heard of it, but will have to look it up. That's amazing they have crops planted already.
Interesting post as usual. Thanks for adding the music video.
Hi, Maybelline,
Thanks for visiting! I made several videos and had to pick the one that turned out the best and it happened to be when that song was playing on the radio.
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