[Plowboy]

If the bales aren’t frozen down a stone boat works well. It doesn’t take much to tip a 500#bale onto a boat drag to destination and then tip off. My 84 yr old buddy brings them home from haying 3 at a time with a team of Haflingers this way. In the winter he used to skid them in the barn with his Haflinger stallion and a chain with a ring on one end. If you want low tech, low expense, a boat should work with oxen and in a pinch the chain method will work as long as you don’t have to drag them through mud.

[Plowboy]

Mounted plows don’t work as well as the ones that are allowed to float with the ground. I’ve seen cart mounted plows in action and if you know anything about plowing they are awfull. They may work on a table top level field but if it varies any the ridgid tongue on the forecart doesn’t allow the plow to follow the contour of the land. The best plows going are the new tongueless plows from Pioneer and white horse. They both have an add on tongue option but ithas a joint in it so the plow floats independently.

[Plowboy]

It seems according to the sale reports that the PA Amish are paying more for good blacks and greys than for sorrel mules. I feel with my experiences that Percheron horses are quicker on their feet, have better feet, and are more responsive than their Belgian counterparts. When putting together a big field hitch if we put Percherons in front things stay tight. There are many good Belgians around so don’t think I’m down grading them. I thought this would make good conversation seeing the Mule sector was lacking posts and maybe some of us could learn something.

[Plowboy]

Kristin we are in Central New York about half way between Binghamton and Albany. I’m not sure where you are located but their is an Amish repair shop in Palatine Bridge that may be able to get you parts or repair your reaper binders. His labor is very reasonable so we take major jobs to him and when it comes back it’s all fixed. I’m not sure how far that would be for you.
I won’t be in the market for an English Shepherd for a year or two. I got my wife a Golden Retriever and she is only 5 months. One puppy at a time is enough. I would like to know where the breeders are though. I tried to locate them on the Internet but there aren’t too many around. I haven’t asked the Amish some of them keep grade dogs but I haven’t seen any English just Austrailian Shepherds and Heelers and alot of Border Collies. Border Collies are good dogs but are very nervous. I like the laid back nature of the English Shepherd.

[Plowboy]

While the use of lever bits may help, knowing your animals or learning their language is the most important skill. Not everyone will be able to do it unless they aspire to. We have 8 head of horses and have owned a few others and trained a bunch also. Each horse has a unique personality and after using them all for countless hours we know just about what to expect with each one of them in any given situation. We have a black gelding that when he has moods will run in place. He’s nervous but well broke while doing his dance will never get out of line or pinch your fingers when getting hooked or unhooked. We’ve had him 17 years and he hasn’t changed or slowed down he’s a good lead furrow horse in our tandem hitches. I drive him mostly by voice when turning and he’s a good one. Dad says he wouldn’t take a million bucks for him and wouldn’t give 50 cents for one like him. Maggie is 12 and alert. An experienced teamster said last year when we were hitching our 6 to plow, “watch that gray mare , she’s gonna fly”. Not a chance she’s just about bomb proof and has made countless public appearances with her mother Maude. Belle was nearly uncontrollable when we started her but came from a few bad experiences in her life before she came to us including having her foal killed by a car at several weeks old. We stuck with her and now she’s hard to beat on the farm. Responsive, powerfull but still gets rattled at times although nothing serious so she only leaves the farm for work events so far. Anyone else would’ve sent her to the cannery but she’s a picture of a farm Percheron and has nice foals. The rest are all really good but have their days or moods and everyone is sharper the more they get used. If one of them is getting ready to get out of line we usually notice it and correct it before it gets serious.
My 84 year old mentor always watches for body language. He never taught me I learned by watching him. His eyes are constantly focused on his team and a good thing because even at his age he still retrains alot of renegades.
We have had a couple runaways usually because something causes them to spook not because they are runaways. I even owned an explosive runaway horse that I bought in. We worked him hard and he was ok until a bearing broke on the hay rake and when Dad got him stopped his rake was missing 44 teeth.
We haven’t had any trouble in years and I won’t say it couldn’t happen tommorrow but being aware of their signals and body language will help prevent good horses from running. Runaway horses that are known for running are usually a product of poor training or poor handling.
The more time you spend with your animals the better you get to know them and thus you learn what to expect from them.

[Plowboy]

Whatis the difference between the Brabant and the Ardennes? We have some folks around here with Brabants but no one with Ardennes so I have never seen them only in pictures but they seem similar. Can you clear this up Simon?

[Plowboy]

As you work around your place take note of the chores you do and maybe you will figure out what chores your steers can help with. I think it would be more of a challenge using steers because of the walking factor and the fact that most oxen are slow but powerfull. Horses fit in on our farm easily mowing, raking, moving round bales, skidding logs, plowing, discing,dragging, binding and hauling corn, working in the market garden cultivating,hilling, and harvesting. In order to do a vast amount of these jobs you too will be walking in the soft dirt with oxen. It may be a healthy choice for you if you figure in all the extra excercise you’ll be getting. Good luck and I hope you are able to incorporate your animals into your program. The more you use them the sharper they get.

[Plowboy]

I would also like to find some English Shepherd breeders. I am thinking of getting one in the future. My Great Grandfather had one at all times but their popularity has declined. From what I have read and what my Dad says about them I am very interested.

[Plowboy]

We’re still working it out but here is a link to an album
http://deckerdalefarm.spaces.live.com/photos/
We have Vista and it doesn’t have all the easy features of XP yet.

[Plowboy]

Hey Donn did you send pictures in to Small Farmers Journal a while back? We go to the Cortland sale each fall. We are in Central New York between Binghamton and Albany near Oneonta.

[Plowboy]

We are trying to shrink some of our photo’s so we can post them. Have a great shot of my wife on the corn binder but couldn’t post it because the file is too big. We have a lot of great working horse photos in all situations. I promise to post some as soon as we figure out our little snag.

[Plowboy]

James I think that you took my post the wrong way. The proverb I referred to I meant positively because you are in fact trying to find your path to a better future. With an injury like you had most people would sit back and collect disability but you want better than that. If you can make it with an old truck then more power to you. Remember though what looks good on paper doesn’t always work in the real world. Most guys either make repairs or payments and some both.
As far as the beekeeping in my area it is pretty popular and the local markets are flooded with honey much the same as with garlic a couple years ago. Once you find your niche , if you are successful others will follow and suddenly you don’t have a niche anymore.
I don’t think anyone here meant negative critizism. Everyone answered with what their experiences and situations have been. You can’t hate people for being honest. This board needs active users so post as much as you want but if the answers aren’t what you want to hear you can’t be sore at anyone for telling the truth. Good luck in whatever you choose and let us know how you make out.

[Plowboy]

Sounds like you’ve already made up your mind. Why do you ask for input if you’ve already decided? That leads me to believe although you seem confident you have your doubts. Best of luck to you and a favorite proverb I like to use. “The best way to get on your feet is to get off your a##”.

[Plowboy]

We feed corn silage to the cattle in the winter. It is getting to be an expensive crop and Dad always says if it wasn’t for having the big silo fill he wouldn’t bother to grow it. Everyone looks forward to it and it is an event the whole family can enjoy. We use corn binders to cut and bundle the corn and then wagon teams pick it up and haul it in. We then use a finely tuned ensilage cutter to cut and blow the corn silage into the silo ran by a belt pulley on a tractor. My Dad and I work the horses mostly but my wife and mother can both handle them pretty good in public and on the farm. Eventually we want to add some beef cattle at our farm and summer pasture the horses that aren’t working. We also have a large market garden and my parents have a farm stand at their place down on the main road. It would be nice to be able to farm more myself as it is in my blood but with a mortgage the money is made easier somewhere else. It will come in time little by little I hope.

[Plowboy]

I drove truck for the local highway department for 3 years before getting a better job. At one time I thought about buying a dump truck to do work on the side until I looked into it. Tires for a 10 wheeler are between 4 +5,000. Insurance and road tax are real expensive and then the fuel and repairs on top of it. A local guy just spent $25,000 on a new Cummins for his road tractor. You end up working 80 or 90 hrs a week and wearing out your truck faster so there is some left to pay the bills at home. Then you compromise time with family and animals and upkeep of your home place. If you want to drive a truck, drive someone else’s,take your pay and go home. You’ll be glad you did and still have time to keep one foot in farming if you have the ambition. Good luck with whatever you choose but there is a big difference between what you take in and what you end up with.

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