Golden Age Farming

[PoohBang]

Any here practicing Golden Age Farming?

Or living on Golden Age Farms?

 

[PoohBang]

maybe something along these lines?

Is it just city slickers on this forum?

 

[1961MJS]

Howdy, I"m now a city slicker (I guess). My Granddaddy Harv DID sell the mules when he retired from Farming in 1963 or 4. I remember seeing them in the pasture for a year or so after his stroke. The only true golden era farmers around now are Amish, and most of them aren't much on the internet. ( I know, Thank you Captain Obvious).

I did have a second thought. How old would the tractor be to qualify as Golden Era farming? My Cousin DID farm with a 1940's at the earliest, John Deere. There a lot of old, old tractors running around, enough that there is a yearly contest on rebuilding them at the Kansas State Fair using before and after pictures.

Later

 

[PoohBang]

I'd say pre-war tractors would work, although most farms didn't have them and still used horse teams before the war.

Oddly it wasn't till I was 18 when we got our first working tractor.

 

[Haversack]

My grandfather used tractors on his Salinas Valley ranch as early as 1922 and also continued using a pair of Clydesdales until the late 1940s. It depended on the job. Mechanization came early to California agriculture. First steam tractors in the 1870s, and after 1900, gasoline. And a lot of tractor-powered machinery was invented and used locally. I remember when very young in the 1960s being fascinated by the two huge harvesters kept in the barn. One for beans, (King City Pinks - Read East of Eden), and one for sugar beets. (The town of Spreckels is just south of Salinas).

Haversack.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I live in a good-sized Amish community (so I look modern lol) It's really neat to watch them do all their farm work via horse and vintage-style implements.

 

[PoohBang]

That's a great story Haversack. I would imagine that big farms in California would have to embrace the tractor early. Smaller farms though probably couldn't justify the cost. Although, they, like the Amish today would have use of one to run machinery that's belt driven.

I'm surprised your granddad used Clydesdales. I guess again it's the CA weather would allow that, as muddy conditions wouldn't make them a good team to use, but drier climates would.

 

[AmateisGal]

I have a lot of pictures of my grandfather farming during the 1940s. His father, my great-grandfather, homesteaded it and my brother is the fourth generation to farm the same land and live in the same house (where I also grew up).

I can try and post some pics if anyone is interested...

 

[AmateisGal]

I believe my brother still uses the same tractor that my grandfather did. My cousins are also heavily involved in antique tractor pulling, which is a FAR cry from your average, really noisy tractor pulls. lol

 

[PoohBang]

I'd love to see them.

Most of the Amish equipment is actually antique by the way...

 

[fortworthgal]

I live in the suburbs, so definitely not on a farm. I grew up in the country and we had horses, a huge garden, a clothesline, and we canned/preserved tons of stuff, but not an actual farm in the true sense. I do have a small herb & vegetable garden, I can/preserve, I use a clothesline and I make my own candles... but sadly I can't say I'm living the golden era farm lifestyle. I admire it, though, and I read quite a few Amish-living type blogs. I often find myself with a strong yearning for country life because of the way I grew up. I think I'd be completely happy on an old-style farm! My husband agrees that it seems like a simpler way of life, although not necessarily any easier (particularly physically!)

My grandparents had a large farm in Worcester, Massachusetts. I love hearing my mom's stories about growing up there.

My grandparents and great-grandparents ran a dairy up until the 1940s. I have a few of the old milk bottles with their logo. I see them pop up on ebay pretty often. I usually try to message the seller and give them a little history about the dairy.

 

[sheeplady]

I grew up on a farm. My parents are semi-retired (in their mid-60s so they have cut down) but still run it.

I would love to get an early Farmall A and participate in the Tractor parades and such.

I'd also like to get out of the city where I live right now (just a few more years) but I will never do a real farm. Just a hobby farm- some sheep, milking goats, chickens, ducks, fruit trees, and gardening. My childhood convinced me as much as I absolutely love some aspects of the lifestyle, the work is too hard and it's next to impossible to make a living at it. I'll make my living elsewhere and be able to escape to my hobby farm.

I don't know how golden era my hobbie farm will be- it will probably be quite "modern." I'm not planning to have workhorses or anything like that. They are lovely (a farmer when I was growing up had them) but I don't particularly care for the idea of having horses.

 

[PoohBang]

I actually grew up on a working farm that used draft horses and the like. It's a very tough, very busy life and if you raise animals you'll never have a day off, always have something that needs fixed or cared for, but there is something about it, I have to admit. I'd never go back to it, but do have fond memories.

 

[sheeplady]

I actually grew up on a working farm that used draft horses and the like. It's a very tough, very busy life and if you raise animals you'll never have a day off, always have something that needs fixed or cared for, but there is something about it, I have to admit. I'd never go back to it, but do have fond memories.

Yeah, I feel much the same way. I often get asked why I don't want that "simple life" and I just have to stare at them while I formulate how to describe something I can't.

What sorts of draft horses did your family have and what sorts of farming did your family do?

 

[AtomicEraTom]

All these stories are making me nostalgic for my days on the farm. All the surrounding farms were generations old and the folks were all near 100 years old, as were their farm equipment. I actually believe that my interest in vintage comes a lot from them.

 

[Renault]

I actually grew up on a working farm that used draft horses and the like. It's a very tough, very busy life and if you raise animals you'll never have a day off, always have something that needs fixed or cared for, but there is something about it, I have to admit. I'd never go back to it, but do have fond memories.

My back can't handle a "golden age" farm We had a big garden here on the place while the kids were home. Canned bunches of stuff. Oldest son and I worked for an old west Texas rancher and worked his livestock. Hence much of my back problems now.

Happiest day of my life was when the wife got rid of all her cows!!!!!!! Oldest boy still runs a few cows on his wifes place.

Ever pick cotton?

R

 

[PoohBang]

Yeah, I feel much the same way. I often get asked why I don't want that "simple life" and I just have to stare at them while I formulate how to describe something I can't.

What sorts of draft horses did your family have and what sorts of farming did your family do?

We were mostly livestock. Sheep, dairy cows, riding horses, pigs, chickens, turkeys, and Belgium and Percheron Draft horses, plus a huge garden and fruit trees.

typical family farm from the 1920's only set in the 1970's.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

[video=youtube;xKg4wF_KbVA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKg4wF_KbVA[/video]

Ever pick cotton?

R

 

[Renault]

Tom, you don't wanna do it!!!!!!! I wondered if someone was gonna bring up that song!

One thing. I still think all them calves got even with me later for "branding time".

R

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I work with a guy who picked beans and such up here and says it's a terrible, strenuous job, and to stay the heck away from it if I can avoid it. I would imagine it's not to different from picking cotton.

Tom, you don't wanna do it!!!!!!! I wondered if someone was gonna bring up that song!

One thing. I still think all them calves got even with me later for "branding time".

R