Equipment problems slow work on the farm

Things on our farm have been going in fits and starts these past two weeks.

We did some silage chopping for a customer and some baling for a few more. We've been trying to get some hay baled for ourselves between rainstorms. The hay just doesn't want to dry when it's so muggy.

To top that off, our baler, which my husband, Robb, so carefully maintained and worked on before baling season began, has been giving us fits. The knotters are not working properly, and if the knotters don't tie the twine properly, you don't get bales. You get a mess! Robb finally gave up and ordered all new parts to rebuild the knotters in hopes that will solve the problem. Now if only the parts would arrive soon.

Our old tractor has returned from the shop where it was getting fixed. This tractor is used only for raking hay, but when it was out of commission, we had to make other tractors multitask. It's a little harder to plan the day when you have to include switching equipment from one tractor to another rather than just running one tractor and then going to the next one. It will be nice to have the old one back again.

Robb and I spent a little time at the Mississippi Valley Fair this past week. I hope you did, too. Although fairs in general have moved away from what they originally were designed to be, they are still interesting and fun for many. County fairs were created to be shows where area farmers could compete against each other to see who had the best livestock. Farm wives would compete to see who could bake the best pie or sew the straightest stitches in a quilt. It was a family affair and good, wholesome fun.

The same spirit still exists, although you have to look past the amusement rides, the vendors hawking their wares and the grandstand acts to find it. Many area farmers still bring livestock to show and compete, and the quality of these animals is excellent. Many 4-H kids participate in the same kind of competitions, showing off the animals they have been caring for all year, as well as the projects they have completed in the past year.

If you didn't see the Keppy Building's 4-H displays, you missed a great exhibition by quality young people from our county. The most important thing about the fair in my mind is the opportunity for the public to see livestock up close and have a chance to talk to farmers about their livestock.

Did you walk through the livestock barns or just pass them by? Did you stop and ask questions about the livestock or just look and walk on? Did you listen to the show judges explaining why the winning animals were ribbon recipients? If you know nothing about farming, you should ask lots of questions. Farmers in general are well-known for their love of agriculture in addition to their ability to talk and tell stories. I would bet that every single farmer or farm kid on the fairgrounds would be more than willing to talk to you and help you understand more about what they do for a living.

They also can explain why they are passionate about what they do, and you can see how well they care for their animals. I actually wished to be a cow this past week, living under a fan at the fair with a clean straw bed and a daily bath. The humans at the fair were not treated as well.