This Ain't Grampa's Farm
no pigs, no chickens, no cows
COURTESY MICHELS FARMS, PLENTYWOOD
click on photos for larger view
   
Back during the days of the family farms, town kids considered it a real treat to go out to a friends farm
and play with the animals, maybe drive an old tractor or even pick rock. I relived those days, at least for
a couple hours last week, when I took a joy ride with Lonnie Michels in his state of the art seeding
fortress.

For this "townie," who's last experience being around farm equipment up close was nearly 50 years
ago, I was totally blown away.  Ironically it was with Lonnie's dad Woody, and grandfather, Roy Michels
during the late 50's (yikes). The farm has changed just a bit since the days of seeing dinner running
around lose in the yard and chickens that laid real eggs.

The sheer size and technology of everything puts farming into a whole new category. Computerized
global positioning systems (GPS), total automation and creature comforts that rival home
entertainment systems. Once everything is set you don't even have to steer the monster. If something
goes wrong, warning lights and buzzers go off indicating the location of the problem. It used to be you
could fix most problems with a pair of pliers and some baling wire. Not so today. Now you call your
computer technician -- on your cell phone.
As I was backing up to take the above picture, trying get everything in frame, I stumbled onto an
abandoned swather (probably 1940's vintage). It provided a farming nostalgia moment and gave new
meaning to the phrase, "you've come along way baby."
   
Unlike the "good ol' days of farming," fields are sometimes located miles away from the "farm base"
and transporting rigs down highways and county roads and maneuvering through gates gets a little
tricky and planning ahead is required. But the new equipment is designed to fold up, get small and
trailer without much of a problem.
Once onsite, everything unfurls with the touch of a button. In full bloom, the air-seeder is 70 feet long
and ready to plant food. On todays menu, it was lentils.
   
The power comes from a 500 HP Case crawler tractor (I think they're still called tractors?) which easily
pulls a fully loaded air seeder. Once the first lap is set GPS takes over and the operator can kick back
and monitor the computer. No steering required.
 
(L) The seed and fertilizer storage tank has a capacity of 430 bushels of grain or lentils sometimes
good for the entire day without stopping to reload.  (R) Before seeding, fields need to be sprayed for
weeds. This rig can spray 150 acres an hour traveling between 9-11 MPH.
   
Can't Wait for Harvest!