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zaphod

warbirdlover

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Jul 9, 2005
19,151
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central Wisconsin
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I think it would be real cool if you could post some pics of your potato growing operation, such as the potato pickers, the storage building etc etc. I found that tour you gave me a couple years ago as amazing. I don't think most ever think about this topic but when they see that monstrosity you pick them with they will....
 

LyleG

gear head
Aug 10, 2006
6,388
28
Country
Canada Canada
I'd love to see this. Then again I get wood when WBL starts talking metal so I may be a bit weird.
 

ejdahl21

Never Lay Up
Supporting Member
Jul 10, 2007
1,035
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I've seen Zaphod dig for taters with one of these.
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zaphod

Well-Known Member
Jan 30, 2007
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I will try to put up some pics of my farming operation soon. May not be potatoes as I have retired that crop. Too risky for my stage of life and with current grain prices the accountant is happy. I do rent out a portion of my fields to a local potato grower so I will try to include some of his pics.

Crops I am going to grow this year include--field corn(400 acres), Non Genectic Modified "GMO" soybeans(380 acres), sweet corn (1,400 acres) snap beans (140 acres), peas (72 acres), and 825 acres rented to potato grower. All center pivot irrigated in America's vegetable heartland--Central Wisconsin.

What's new this year??---Ive gone to RTK GPS guidance system with autosteer. That gives me sub inch accuracy and the tractors steer themselves. Yep, hands free.
Now I'm going to till just 12" strips of a 30" row spacing. Saves energy, protects against wind erosion, conserves water and fertilizer and still provides a fine seedbed. We are testing the first production model guidance steering unit for the planters also. Since we need to hold a line in that pre-tilled 12" strip the tractor will autosteer and the drawn planter will also have its own guidance system to prevent dog tracking (two 36" steerable disks between rows 1&2 and 11&12). Hope it works.

The whole system provides for the capacity for GPS mapping within a geo referenced relational database. My winter was spent learning the software. IT IS VERY KOOL. All my fields are geo referenced with Google Earth pics , USDA soil type maps, road and waterway maps, drainage maps, planting data, soil test data, irrigation records, all field work data, harvest GPS yield maps, and anything else mappable layered upon each other. The ability to postmortem a crop year is endless. Also can compare the same piece of land through the years.

It's been cold this spring. I look to be in the fields in a serious manner perhaps April 18th. Did some deep tillage yesterday. The strip till rig was pulling hard do to frozen subsoil near the North side of the windbreaks. A bit early to be in the fields but I felt the need.


I am always happy to act as an ambassador for the agriculture community. My farm is a 2nd generation FAMILY operation and as you probably guessed I hold it near and dear to my heart.

Yo Eric----That RL wedge is a digger worth its weight in gold. I still have stock in Conoco Oil so be careful in St. Louis!!!!!!! In Other words---DON'T PANIC my friend.
 

BigJim13

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Staff member
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Aug 13, 2006
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I guess innate been in the dark as far as technology and farming goes. I had no idea that you could do all that, or that people did all that. It makes sense, I just never realized. Sound really cool!
 
OP
warbirdlover

warbirdlover

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Jul 9, 2005
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central Wisconsin
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  • Thread Starter
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What did (are) you doing with all those huge ($$$$$$) potato diggers? And that big climate controlled storage building? Leasing to the guy leasing your land for potatoes?
 

zaphod

Well-Known Member
Jan 30, 2007
2,160
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WBL---you want to be my business manager???? You are right. Leased building to the grower renting our land. He is very happy too. He experienced a 33% yield bump on the land we rented to him vs. is own property.

I will post pics as I get time. We had a tornado go through the northern fields Sunday night. Ripped up the woods pretty bad and tipped over 2 irrigation systems. One is totaled and the other will depend on the appraisers and the irrigation companies estimates. Lucky no one was injured. Will post pics of damage too.

The irrigation equipment companies will be busy. Over 20 systems in area are damaged. They had a full plate this spring already without the extra work. We have a new system ordered and hopefully it will be put up in time. I've been busy waking the systems up after the winter hibernation. 25 of the 30 systems started up with no problems. Now I've got to get the other 5 going. Will be on my own as again the companies involved in troubleshooting the systems are the same that will be repairing tornado damaged system. ACTUALLY THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS I ENJOY FARMING. The challenges are ever changing. I've got good employees and we will step up and get things ready for planting.282.JPG

This system is toast---Upside down is NOT GOOD!!!!!! I checked with canning company and we will be planting sweet corn here May 14th so we do have some time to get things back in order.


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This is a damaged system I was able to get closer to.

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This is why I can't get close to the systems right now. A neighbor tried to drive through the field as the road was blocked by downed trees. We will get the truck out as it as the field drys out. RIGHT NOW HE IS STUCK!!!!

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This is a neighbor's house just north of the downed system. No injuries!!! The hill top looks like Little Round Top after the Battle for Gettysburg. He will have lots of firewood!!!!! Trucks belong to locals volunteering for clean up.

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Picture from my last trip to DC---I still get goose bumps every time I visit Lincoln's Memorial. VERY POWERFUL PLACE
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MIKE1218

Top Bloke
Dec 21, 2006
3,485
6
It sounds like farming involves so much more than most would imagine. I don't suppose you foresee a need for a mechanical engineer to intern do you? ;)
 

zaphod

Well-Known Member
Jan 30, 2007
2,160
0
Yo Jake---How is school college life????? I took the Geek DCT out for a spin today. Hit it great today. It has a different shaft. That Pershing you had it in was way too much lumber for me. So I put a snake eyes shaft I got from 15andlife (door prize at one of our outings). Not sure what flex it is (perhaps senior LOL).

I took some pics today. When I get enough pics for a story continuum I will start a thread.
 

LeftyHoges

I've got the pants that'll make you dance!
Supporting Member
Jun 11, 2007
2,384
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Portland, VIC, Australia
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Australia Australia
I have a mate who is a spud (potato) farmer and worked for him for about a month a couple years back, hand sorting on the harvester as the spuds came up from the ground, then extra sorting in the sheds at the end.

God damn, that job is RIDICULOUS...

My back is a mess at the best of times without being bent over a conveyor belt for 8 hours a day. There's points in time that you're actually hoping the harvester breaks down so you can have a rest and a stretch. Madness, pure madness.
 

zaphod

Well-Known Member
Jan 30, 2007
2,160
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Lefty---I feel your pain.

Yeah---We used to have harvester riders too. But when we looked at the risks and the discomfort of the job versus the payback the jobs was discontinued. The culling of the potatoes was more efficient at the grading line at the storage shed.
 

MIKE1218

Top Bloke
Dec 21, 2006
3,485
6
Yo Jake---How is school college life????? I took the Geek DCT out for a spin today. Hit it great today. It has a different shaft. That Pershing you had it in was way too much lumber for me. So I put a snake eyes shaft I got from 15andlife (door prize at one of our outings). Not sure what flex it is (perhaps senior LOL).

I took some pics today. When I get enough pics for a story continuum I will start a thread.

I'm doing really well. About to finish a co-op and go back up for summer class. My new housemate is a golf nut too so the summer should fly by. I wanted to like the dct but I just didn't like the look at address. Glad its working for you though. I have yet to play this year: it's not even 40 here today. Going to snow tomorrow too.
 

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