Farm machinery discussion

[765489]

Photos of my neighbour harvesting this years crop of garlic. Very impressed by this guy, it was a big financial risk going into it in a big way but he's happy with the results. Had to import in the harvester. Mechanic took about a week to make adjustments on it so as to accommodate the ground conditions. Currently finishing off the harvest.

On a negative note one of the best brassica farmers has packed it in. Three generations, lovely people. Could not source staff.

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[765489]

Betsy is gone to a new home today. She's retiring to a quiet life in the country. No more drill ploughing for you my deere..

20210724_125439.jpg

.

[kadman]

Doesn't look like she had a hard life, she is not ready for retirement

[765489]

She'll get more use alright where she's going. Only used it once a year to do drills and beds.

[kadman]

When I was researching stuff for my own zetor 2511, I used to come across a lot of references to deere as well,

Any thing connecting them at all in parts or history?

[kadman]

What year is the Deere

[765489]

The tractor is 1985 but I've only had it for the last 5 years. Lovely tractor to drive. I like the SG2 cab. Originally a UK tractor. Never heard of a link between JD and Zetor. My father had a 4718 Zetor for the same purposes, making drills. Never gave an bother. If I need to make drills or beds in the future I'll just get a lend of my neighbours 35x.

[kadman]

Very fresh looking for a 1985, you must have spoilt it.

I was looking to replace my own zetor, which is rough as a badgers arse, but has a great engine and lift
and runs my rotovator nicely, so will do for now.

I found a half decent one on donedeal, but the seller took offense to all the questions I asked before i bought it
So had to leave it.

[765489]

I feckin hate selling anything on donedeal. I've a 3350 aswell I'm getting rid of which is also clean. Between myself and brother we've found a buyer for the 2140 and a couple of lads are are coming back to me on the 3350. Some of the prices for secondhand tractors on donedeal is dreamland territory.

I'm looking our for a cheap Deutz 470 or a 6.05. I'm keeping the rotovator and plough as I do a couple of nixers every year with them, plus I can grow a few things myself.

What type of rotovator do you have ?

[kadman]

I think its a del morini if that sounds right 5feet wide I think.
Just the size for the 2511 to handle. Does the job nicely for the bit of gardening I do.

[Memento Mori]

Betsy is gone to a new home today. She's retiring to a quiet life in the country. No more drill ploughing for you my deere..
20210724_125439.jpg.

Lovely tractor. Did the pillar in the window obstruct your view, or is it positioned where your view would be obstructed by the exhaust anyway so it makes no difference?

[765489]

For some reason I never really noticed the exhaust or pillar when I drove it ha. The SG2 cabs in my opinion were way ahead of their time. Great all round view in them. I would love to keep it but can't really justify having that or the 3350. I will sell both at a profit ( for a change ) and pay off a bank loan I have out and get a cheap tractor for the bit I'll do for myself and neighbours. The veg plans I had are out the window. Too much capital set up with no guarantee of a return or market. It was an eye opener but I had to get it out of my system. The veg lads I know who are established are under pressure, especially in hiring labour. One gave it all up this year. Another I know this time last year also gave it up. Both these would have been 2nd / 3rd generation and supplying supermarkets on a big scale.

Sorry rambling on there

[Memento Mori]

Some great stuff here: https://www.farmersjournal.ie/one-of-co ... tle-638992

[kadman]

Any vegetables I used to grow never saw any chemical at all except water.

My neighbour used to grow for large supermarkets, and his cabbages were like fields of footballs, and nothing else in the field.
He told me he had to spray them at least nine times in the field, and once before bagging them. And he had to do that as a requirement he said.

[CelticRambler]

The veg plans I had are out the window. Too much capital set up with no guarantee of a return or market. It was an eye opener but I had to get it out of my system. The veg lads I know who are established are under pressure, especially in hiring labour. One gave it all up this year. Another I know this time last year also gave it up. Both these would have been 2nd / 3rd generation and supplying supermarkets on a big scale.

Not sure what the scene is like in Ireland these days, but the real growth and money to be made here in France now is with "short circuit" farming - direct farm-to-table deals for a wide range of (mostly) seasonal veg. Somewhat paradoxically, the pandemic has bolstered this, where people who would previously have gone to a local restaurant are now buying the same veg directly from the producer. The number of "veg box" schemes has exploded this year too.

The smallholder farmers (it's all smallholders - most of them thirty-somethings, and loads of them women [which I know, because I end up dancing with them! ]) say that it's a lot easier to get help as a multi-veg smallholder compared to when they worked on bigger farms, because there's variety in the work.

[765489]

Not sure what the scene is like in Ireland these days, but the real growth and money to be made here in France now is with "short circuit" farming - direct farm-to-table deals for a wide range of (mostly) seasonal veg. Somewhat paradoxically, the pandemic has bolstered this, where people who would previously have gone to a local restaurant are now buying the same veg directly from the producer. The number of "veg box" schemes has exploded this year too.

The smallholder farmers (it's all smallholders - most of them thirty-somethings, and loads of them women [which I know, because I end up dancing with them! ]) say that it's a lot easier to get help as a multi-veg smallholder compared to when they worked on bigger farms, because there's variety in the work.

Is the veg box thing their only source of income though ? From what I can see France is way ahead of us here with regards to markets and how people value fresh produce.. I could be way off in that CR that's the impression I get from watching programs about France. The way I wanted to operate was to grow a crop, harvest it, get paid for it and prepare for the next crop. Like when my father, myself and brother used to do it when I was actively involved in farming.. but these avenues are gone now.. it's all contracts and big farm named distribution companies who are as bad as Larry when it comes to how much money is offered for the crop.

Was something a good poster in the F&F forum said to me in a PM, basically saying why would ya want to choose to start that venture the way things are and to enjoy your life. He was right in the end. I've a fairly good IT job, I do a bit of tipping about in my spare time now on my neighbour's farm which satisfies my farming addiction ha.. so I think I'm making the right decision. As I said I had to get it out of my system, it's been something in my mind since my father had no other choice but to gave it up due to a family circumstance. I think anyone running a farm now I've alot of respect for as its a hard business and the way the weather is going the last couple of years will get harder.

I'm looking forward to my orchard project. Ya never know I could be shipping over a couple of bottles of scrumpy jack in a few years to ya CR as one of my taste testers

Although having said that I will still have a tractor, maschio, and KV 3 sod reversible. I just cannot see myself ever parting with these.

[CelticRambler]

Is the veg box thing their only source of income though ? From what I can see France is way ahead of us here with regards to markets and how people value fresh produce.. I could be way off in that CR that's the impression I get from watching programs about France. The way I wanted to operate was to grow a crop, harvest it, get paid for it and prepare for the next crop.

Now that's a right can of worms I'd be happy to open! Will get back to you about it (on another thread, I think) - but not till tomorrow, coz there's a field full of women waiting to dance with me tonight and I need to get going! At least I hope there is - last night's crop wasn't too great! )

[765489]

coz there's a field full of women waiting to dance with me tonight and I need to get going! )

Never mind about the feckin food markets... I want to know more about this field full of women ! ha

[kadman]

Never mind about the feckin food markets... I want to know more about this field full of women ! ha

Sound like the vaccine side effects kicking in there

[765489]

Sound like the vaccine side effects kicking in there

I'd love to be able to go out to a field and ask a women for a dance... even thought I've got two left feet..

Might be the new normal... instead of discos get a 10 acre stubble field after the corns been cut... all that's needed is a couple of amplifiers, some music and a couple of eh slow sets

[kadman]

[CelticRambler]

instead of discos get a 10 acre stubble field after the corns been cut... all that's needed is a couple of amplifiers, some music and a couple of eh slow sets

10 acres??? shure you'd spend half the night traipsin' around a field that size tryin' to find each other!

Joking aside, though, that's pretty much exactly the "old normal" around here. Or at least "old" since its relatively recent revival. We only need the post-harvest 10-acre fields for occasional festivals, such as you'd see in my post on this topic two weeks ago, otherwise any fallow field or a vacated barn will do the job.

Anyway, yesterday's event attracted the "wrong sort" for this thread - I had to make do with a selection of barely-legal harpists-in-training (great dancers, the lot of them, for girls that had never danced the trad repertoire before ...) and one goat-farmer.

But listen: the feminists will have us all banned for lumping talk of women in with farm machinery, so let's get the thread back to tractors and ploughs and combines and balers ...

[765489]

There's plenty of fine women that like tractors, ploughs and combines and would leave men in the happenny place when it comes to operating them . Anyway sounds like you had a great time. I haven't come across anything like that here but I'm a Dub so don't know what goes on outside the pale

[CelticRambler]

I haven't come across anything like that here but I'm a Dub so don't know what goes on outside the pale

That's no excuse! https://www.facebook.com/groups/balfolkdublin/ - 'twas only just getting into its stride when the pandemic put the brakes on it. I've only been a couple of times ... and was the only Irishman there. It's a strange feeling, too, to know you're in the centre of Dublin and feel like you're in the back end of rural France (complete with people speaking French!): https://youtu.be/sWlRFs1fuE8

[765489]

That's no excuse! https://www.facebook.com/groups/balfolkdublin/ - 'twas only just getting into its stride when the pandemic put the brakes on it. I've only been a couple of times ... and was the only Irishman there. It's a strange feeling, too, to know you're in the centre of Dublin and feel like you're in the back end of rural France (complete with people speaking French!): https://youtu.be/sWlRFs1fuE8

Will check that out later. I've a lovely 2 acre paddock here in rural north county dublin they could use. Haybarn won't be up till next year though