Tough week

[jon f mn]

Had pneumonia last week which is not uncommon for me, but still hard to deal with. So that meant not much got done in the kingdom for a while. This week after I was on the mend I went out and worked up some sod where the alfalfa didn't grow to replant it. I think the reason it didn't grow was it was so wet the year it was planted and the ground hasn't been worked right for many years and the ground had just gotten too hard. So I started with a couple trips over with my heavy disc to cut the sod some. The ground was so hard that even a heavy cutting disc only got in maybe 3 inches on two passes. The. I went over with the chisel plow. Took two trips to get it to 9 inches deep then and in the ends several trips.

Hopefully that breaks things up some. I used my 400 on the 14 foot disc to work it down. I hadn't had a chance to use it on any real heavy work yet since I re-built the engine last year and wanted to see what it would do.

She did very well with it. Was able to handle it in 5th gear easy without the drag on. With the 4 section drag on it was a real heavy load but still took it in 5th. If you remember I put a 301d engine from a combine in this tractor. That should give it around 70hp or so. I believe they rate those engines at 80 or 90 hp engine hp in the combine. So I'm very pleased with how it ran.

Then I used it to pull the drill to plant the alfalfa with oats as a cover.

Finished on Thursday and got an all day light rain yesterday so it should be good to get it started.

This weekend I'm going to be getting ready to take some stuff to my local thrashing show in a week. I'm thinking about taking a couple tractors and some equipment and my combine to show. So this weekend I'll be cleaning and preparing that. This rain has been just enough to save my corn crop and it's just dented now. I may try to chop some for silage this year if I get time. I would like to use my chopper and I have enough cattle now that I could keep a stack fresh while feeding. Then of course there will be combining I a month or so. With the corn denting early and the dry conditions I'm thinking that should be early as well. That will be nice so I have time to get my tillage done this fall.

 

[RayP(MI)]

Wife and daughter went to a re-enactment. Came home and got sick with nnalert. They were pretty much over it in a week. I got it from them. Finally getting back together after 4 weeks. Basically lost 4 weeks of farming. And yes we were some of the first ones to get the shots.

 

[560Dennis]

Thats a nice chisel plow you got

 

[greenmech]

Do you go to the show by Pine River ? Rock Creek I think. Ron MN

 

[jon f mn]

Yes, Rock Creek which is south on Pine City. I live west of pine city. The show is Anderson's Relics.

 

[db4600]

Pa pulled the drill with a 40hp tractor. When did we move to high hp tractors fo planting. Just rubbing ya. Where is the local tractor show?

 

[Richard G.]

Jon, Have you ever been checked for Farmer's Lung when you have pneumonia?
It is not common, but when you get it, it often comes back for the rest of your life.
We hear of it once and a while down here.
It comes from dust from the soil and dust from crops.
Ask your Doc about checking for it.
It can become very serious.
I first heard about it as a student in microbiology class at Clemson.
We grew it in a petri dish and it smells just like new plowed ground.
Ok, I will quit preaching now.
Richard in NW SC

 

[jon f mn]

It's in Rock Creek, between Pine city and Rush city along 61.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

My son easily gets pneumonia. He says once you get it you can easily get it again.
About 10 years ago, I had a bad case of Histoplasmosis helping a neighbor covert chicken coop to a hay storage.

Histoplasmosis is an infection caused by a fungus called Histoplasma. The fungus lives in the environment, particularly in soil that contains large amounts of bird or bat droppings. In the United States, Histoplasma mainly lives in the central and eastern states, especially areas around the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys. The fungus also lives in parts of Central and South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia.

People can get histoplasmosis after breathing in the microscopic fungal spores from the air. Although most people who breathe in the spores dont get sick, those who do may have a fever, cough, and fatigue. Many people who get histoplasmosis will get better on their own without medication, but in some people, such as those who have weakened immune systems, the infection can become severe.

I had a very bad case. Took me a few months to get over it.

I never thought I had a weakened immune system, I thought I was going to die from it.

The symptoms are similar to the modern imported flu which also effects people with weakened immune systems.