[jac]

I recon the stays on the front of the 2nd wagon have that slide arangement so that the turntable can turn …mabey ?..
John

[jac]

Hi Ixy.. Im not so sure I would do it that way.. If Angus needs pressure to stand and you try and tuck the lines under to create that pressure and they slip… he goes.. A better idea is Rods and back him a bit then tie them off. My team will stand all day on a slack line. When im ready to move I niggle the lines to establish contact and wake them up:D.. when they hear me click them and the lines go slack they move..
John

[jac]

Ther is a tv program over here called “mud ,sweat and tractors” anyway it traces farming in the UK from early days to present and it got me wondering about the Canadian Holstien… the Ayrshire has got bigger over the years and I just wondered if the Holstien has got bigger over the years also ?? we only ever knew them as big.. Were the early Holstiens like the Swiss Brown in size and stature…
John

[jac]

Over here in the UK circle irons or 5th wheel is the way wagons are built.. except some of the old 3/4 lock English farm wagons which had a king pin thru the turntable and this rubbed on irons.. most of the wagons of this style were used on steeper land.. the full lock turntable can be unstable if the load is more to one side and the wagon is at full lock.. it effectivly becomes a 3 wheeler…Auto steer never made it over here in the horse era..
John

[jac]

The worst one is the bay gelding. he is 15 now. his hind legs have the swellings around the pastern and weep. Sometimes I think it is receeding but then it comes back. the rest have what might be known as mild scratches on your side of the pond. Work seems to make them stamp their feet more but I take your point Geoff on the treadmill idea.. its funny you noticed the foundering because I feel the gelding is starting to flatten out on the front feet in spite of me trying to keep the toe back and the heels down. It really is beginning to be a problem and I am seriously considering gradually changing to black Percheron.. It seems the european Belgians have it bad as well as Clydes and Shires .. thanks for all the imput guys..
John

[jac]

Thanks Charly.. I hadnt thot of the elastic bandages..
John

[jac]

While I commend this technology as human endevour, I have a real problem with growing crops for fuel. I fail to see how “growing” fuel for a tractor can be more efficient than using draft animals… plus its the fact that this crop only grows on good arable land whereas a horse can graze marginal/steep land for fuel..
John

[jac]

Hi Ixy, how you doin ?.. any time i have to come off a hitch cart or machine I have the lines with me. Opening a gate and I tuck the lines under the nearside horses spider on to of his rump. Always push them in from the rear because if they do make a move you can grab the lines and they wont be tangled as they gallop past you:D . I think we all can get a bit complacant with a steady team but as the season wears on and they are in work mode they are glad to “park” as it were and it isnt so much of a problem…
John

[jac]

I dont know if anyone read the “Farmers of 40 centuries” in SFJ but that system they had in Japan and China was awsome and the people were fed. Also in SFJ was the village project in the Congo.. both fed people and neither use Monsanto.. I think the agreements that farmers sign now will be obsolete in a few years anyway because they will simply start with the terminator gene program and then we are all screwed.

Andy I can understand why they want to protect the patent on their seed , however by my understanding the agreement goes a lot further than just saying “you will not save seed from resulting crop”.. which BTW is the only wording that they need, but to go on and hold the farmer responsible for any cock ups arising from the use of the seed !!! but I suppose these companies have lawyers in every department.. mabey someone on DAP has had to sign one of these and could shed some light on the exact wording.. could be Im judging Monsanto too harshly..
John

[jac]

Can someone PLEEEEEEEZE tell me how non GM crops dont have the vitamins any more and why farmers have to sign an agreement to plant seed in land they own and with seed they own.. BTW Geoff you got my vote but im afraid there is a red dot on your suit as we speak :D…
John

[jac]

I still dont know why they need to blame the farmer for everything that goes wrong though :confused:.. If indeed they can save these people with their crops then fine and well.. but why are the non gm crops deficient in vitamins nowadays… is this the result of mono culturing these countries for years with tobbaco or tea or some other luxury crop,instead of letting them have a proper agriculture system and feeding themselves ??..
John

[jac]

Over on Face Book there was a piece on you tube about an agreement that monsanto is making farmers sign, a disclaimer when they buy their seed !!! apparantly ANY screw ups with the seed and it is the farmers fault ??? why would they do that if they have a safe product ?? thats a bit like Ford selling a truck and making the owner take the blame if the steering rack falls off and it wipes out a school.. all farmers need to draw up an ageement that monsanto needs to sign before there seed goes into the ground that none of the crap that happens with this stuff happens and then you would see their tune change…
John

[jac]

Think you hit the nail on the head there Geoff.. infrastructure.. The editorial in SFJ fall 2010 said exactly that.. Over here we had an example of modern infrastructure failing a traditional system that had worked for years. Youngs brewery in London has/had been brewing beer at the Ram brewery since around 1640 I think. They delivered beer to the pubs within a 5 mile radius of the brewery with Shire horses untill 2 years ago. They used the back streets and caused very little disruption and they delivered the beer very cost effectively… then the men in suits decided to cash in on the brewerys prime site in the centre of London and built a shiny new brewery/factory in an industrial estate out of town and of course the horses couldnt work any more , what with the motorways and traffic plus it was a lot more than 5 miles from the base… so the horses went.. another example of get big or get out. how to get the infrastructure back to suit smaller enterprise is going to be tough …
John

[jac]

Hi Brad.. thanks for the offer.. would I be able to put a 3 abrest with one horse in belly backer harness tho ??
Thanks Carl I will pm simon and ask.. best regards
John

[jac]

Its annoying that any small group who stands up for something good gets branded with some kind of title.. “eco warrior” or “tree hugger” and “eco terrorist” is the worst ever.. the word terrorist is a negative no matter how its used. Nobody calls someone who believes a pipeline is a good thing “pipeline lover” ? Over here we had a spell when some folks went around calling the bomber crews of WW2 terrorists {both Lancaster and B17}. well the British people… I mean the people that has their heart in the country… showed them what they thought of that crap… they built a statue to Bomber Harris.. the leader of bomber command in WW2.:D..
John

[Author]

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