PLOW DAY! (VIDEO + GALLERY)
Plow Day 2019
If you recall from the Spring Farm Report earlier this year I was able to convince my Dad to plant some small grain this year instead of the ubiquitous corn and soybeans that dominate the landscape here in Southwest Minnesota. We started small, planting only 10 acres of oats knowing one of the challenges with planting a less-popular commodity was going to be finding someone to harvest the grain and bale the resultant straw. Confident those details could be worked out, my Dad then suggested another potential use for the 10 acres: Plow Day.
What is a plow day, you ask? Well, if you’re the type of person who gets excited at the thought of slow-moving tractors methodically overturning black dirt, then you would’ve loved Plow Day. Kidding aside, in actuality it was an amazing day to witness farming from a era before GPS-guided tractors with air conditioning and Bluetooth. On August 24th over 80 people convened on the farm to take part in Plow Day. Nine farmers brought their vintage tractors and plows to take part. Several Farmalls and John Deeres, a Minneapolis Moline and a Ford tilled the oat stubble as onlookers watched from a hay rack driving parallel to the action. Visitors from near and far, young and old came out for what ended up being one of the most memorable days on the farm.
Until next year’s Plow Day, enjoy the video above and picture gallery below for some highlights from the day!
