A piece of land West of us was always in Soil Bank or some government program that paid a dividend if you didn't grow crops. Part of the land was in Oak Trees...we hear the huge saw going all day long. The well for the irrigator has been dug so what ever is grown there will be irrigated. Progress...or not...
Part of this piece of property was possibly Native Prairie as nothing was grown on it as far back as I can remember.
This week two coyotes were on our road...they killed the neighbors newborn calves. (They reported it to the Department of Natural Resources who came out to investigate, they decided it was not wolves it was just coyotes so there was nothing they could/would do.)
One night when we drove by we saw two foxes...more than likely chased out of the oak forest.
This old farm implement was sitting in the middle of the field one day no doubt hidden in the oaks for many years. Now it sits at the edge of the property. Looks like some kind of seeder to me. Maybe one of my readers knows for sure.
Far Side
Mystery solved thanks to Aurora and Brad the machinery is a corn binder!
I also heard from Harvey a old North Dakota neighbor.
The photo that you posted on your blog today appears to be a corn binder. It has been a long time since I have seen one, but the twin box at the rear and the gathering chains are the best clue. Have a great day Harvey
I always feel bad for displaced animals.
ReplyDeleteI asked my farmer hubby, Brad said that piece of equipment is a horse drawn Corn Binder. Check out how they harvested corn back in the day, pretty cool:
https://youtu.be/VHFrDDzUVKA
How sad that the patch of native Prairie and the old oaks are being destroyed. Some might call it progress, but I wouldn’t.
ReplyDeleteCoyotes are a problem around here occasionally too. In the 80s when we lived on a farm/ranch with sheep and cattle, we often heard the coyotes. And some of our neighbors lost lambs and calves to them but luckily we didn't. The state of SD even had official coyote hunters that would come and try to hunt them down if they were causing livestock problems. But I have no idea if that is still an option. Knowing how our gun-toting governor loves a good hunt, it probably is an option.
ReplyDeleteMy unsolicited opinion is, not progress. Leave the prairie alone. Oh, well. The cycle of life can be tough. I have no idea what the farm implement is, it does appear ominous, perhaps an omen.
ReplyDeleteSo sad about your neighbor's calves. Am I understanding that it's okay for the coyotes to kill cattle but not wolves? Some things just don't make any sense to me. Hope you have a good weekend.
ReplyDeleteGosh, I hate to see virgin land going into commercial. Like you say...progress or NOT. We try to leave the Back Forty and the Upper End as pasture for the cows. We are even taking part in the farm fields that are hard to water and work and putting them into the pasture. Our Pastures support so much wildlife...the said wildlife is an immense joy to us.
ReplyDeleteI'm always sorry to see trees felled, and virgin anything will soon be hard to find.
ReplyDeleteIf predators can't find natural prey I guess they'll find livestock. Sad.
So sad about the calves. I worry about the pets, farm animals, and other wild critters around the area. It is always distressing to me to see native prairieland being destroyed.
ReplyDeleteThat's so sad about the calves. It doesn't seem right that it's okay for the fox to kill but not wolves? Alex has been fighting with a Mama Fox and her three kits all spring. The kits are getting big enough to do a LOT of damage to his garden.
ReplyDeleteIt's also sad about the oaks wood being cut down. Progress. Ha! All of the woodland animals are now being disturbed.
Blessings,
Betsy
Bummer. I like others hate to see 'progress' like that happening.
ReplyDeleteI've found interesting parts of old vehicles while wandering the woods.
We have plenty of coyotes and am happy to say we can see a bobcat once in a while on the trail cam.
I hope none of the prairie was destroyed. There was original prairie land discovered here on some government property. A retired biology teacher has become the conservator and I have attended several of his talks in the past. He is a very engaging speaker (despite suffering from several disabilities due to medical issues) and I often tell him that if he had been my teacher, I would be a biologist today! Prairies are just fascinating.
ReplyDeleteYep, coyotes are a part of the wildlife ecosystem. Without them things just wouldn't be "right"...and unfortunately they get hungry stomachs the same as the rest of us. The artificial setting of keeping animals in a pen kind of sets them up to be someone's dinner....if not wildlife, then humans. Hope you're enjoying the holiday weekend, Connie. ~Andrea xoxo
ReplyDeleteSad when natural areas are destroyed. They don't make any new natural areas.
ReplyDeleteWe just came upon this today while out on the 4-wheeler (we usually take the highway around to the farm). Gosh were we surprised, it sure will look different. We saw that old piece of equipment - very interesting.
ReplyDeleteIt sometimes seems that there is never any middle road when it comes to progress. It makes me sad to see wilderness areas and wildlife being displaced, especially if the cause is motivated by greed more than for the good of the local community.
ReplyDeleteI think they should go back to horses. They couldn't possible be as expensive as the equipment they have for sale now a days.
ReplyDeleteI will have to look that corn binder up on the net. Was it horse driven? We lost a lot of variety of visiting birds when the south pasture like lot was cleared for houses. People near there use to watch deer play in it.
ReplyDeleteIt’s sad animals are being displaced from the land that has been fallow for so long. I hope there is plenty of forest for them to move to. Also sad for the farmers who lost their calves. We are enjoying watching two bird nests, a cardinal pair we can see from the dining room window and a Carolina wren in a basket hanging on the handlebars of my bike INSIDE the sunroom. Hope they all make it!
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