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Planting season

giles

Cull buck specialist
Supporting Member
Ugh... With the rain in the forecast the farmers have been hitting the fields hard here in SW Ohio.

I just took my boots off and I know I'll have them back on in 4.5 hours. The reason I'm posting this is because I had a farmer I help tell me a story about a hunter today. This guy stopped the farmer from planting to ask for permission to hunt...this is NOT the time to ask folks. When a farmer is in the field, leave him alone. Odds are, he is short on sleep and just spent a bunch of money fixing something. He's going to be in a grumpy mood and the last thing he wants to do is give you 10 minutes of his time.

Often spring and fall is when hunters think about hunting. These are the worst times to try and get permission. (Unless the farmer has problems with wildlife...(turkeys eating the seeds as its getting planted...major crop damage from deer) odds are of the farmer is having these problems, he's already on the phone with guys.

I can go into this more when I'm not so tired...just wanted to share a little inside info.
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
Good advice! Likewise if you could ask them to be a tad more considerate when going 10mph on a 55 mph state route. . If they can see they're holding up 30+ cars it wouldn't hurt them to pull off every couple miles and let people pass. This could also apply to their guys hauling tanks of ammonia all the way from the co-op. I mean I realize they have to work hard for a couple weeks twice a year and nobody wants to hold them up, but not everyone else has time to wait on them either. Being considerate is a two way street.
 

at1010

*Supporting Member*
4,943
139
"I realize they work hard a couple weeks twice a year" hahahahaha that made me crack up!

Good tip Giles! I agree with you! I noticed farmers hammering yesterday on my drive as well.
 

rsmith

Member
1,835
52
I deff think it is a 2 way street but giles makes a good point. If you are trying to get on the good side of the farmer don't do it when you see him in the field. Also we are trying to satisfy the farmer so we have to be considerate of him and his time, but he probally doesn't care he is holding up 30+ cars on a road because all he cares about is getting his work done. Not saying that in a bad way, but he isn't trying to benefit us so why would he pull over? We are trying to receive the benefit of hunting on his property though so we should be considerate of him and his time though. I totally understand where you are coming from though because it is annoying as all heck getting held up. Just thinking out loud here really.

 

giles

Cull buck specialist
Supporting Member
"Two weeks a year" you have to deal with tractors on the road...deal with it. That's my thought on the subject, it's not like I do it every day. Spring and fall are great times to give yourself a few extra minutes to get to and from work.
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
Why should they pull over once in a while to let traffic pass? I don't know because that's the considerate non-asshole thing to do when you're putting along at 10 miles an hour in a 55 and holding up traffic. I mean I understand they're all rushed and have a lot of work to do but don't we all. Maybe they should've came back from Florida a couple weeks earlier this year to get ready.

Never understood this misconception about how hard these farmers work. I'm sure there are a lot that bust their ass but it's only 2-3 weeks then wait until they have to spray. Most of the farmers I know ride around in their GPS equipped planter or combine drinking beer, listening to the Beegees and pay people like Giles to do the heavy lifting. That's if they do it themselves at all. Most just pay a guy to drive their planter or combine for them.

However I do agree with Giles that when they're in the field it's probably the worst time to bother them. If I've been sitting on my ass since Thanksgiving I'd be pissed off that I have to work to.


 

giles

Cull buck specialist
Supporting Member
Lol[emoji106]

I'll try to remember to come back to this subject when I have more time. I understand the view you have Joe and would like to share a little more from what I see.
 

Ohiosam

*Supporting Member*
11,707
191
Mahoning Co.
I don't have to spend much time on the road with farm equipment but almost every time I do some citiot passes me with no regard to oncoming traffic, yellow lines, curves or crests of hills etc. I've seen oncoming traffic almost come to a complete stop to avoid accidents.
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
I don't have to spend much time on the road with farm equipment but almost every time I do some citiot passes me with no regard to oncoming traffic, yellow lines, curves or crests of hills etc. I've seen oncoming traffic almost come to a complete stop to avoid accidents.

That's an awesome one! Citiot.
 

giles

Cull buck specialist
Supporting Member
The general public does nothing but ask more and more out of farmers.
Can I hunt your land?
Can I fish your pond?
Can you pull over for me?
Can you leave buffer strips?
Can you leave that fence row? Why do you use those chemicals?
Why do you use shit in the fields? Why why why...me me me. Sure some things are for the benefit of wildlife and what not, but really it's about "me" and "my" wants/needs. I'm included in some of these, so don't think I'm singling anyone out, I'm not.

I also said the I "help" out a couple of farmers. I don't get paid in green backs. Sure he supplies my beer, fuel in my truck, food, and he helps me when I need help fixing my truck and what not. But that's what friends are for! To help each other! We see that all the time from this website. They all let me hunt their land also, but that was something they all offered me, I never asked.




As for those two weeks, twice a year that said farmer hits the "road". He's battling time and weather. Sure if cars are stacking up I'll pull over if I have a good spot to do so. Most of the time it ends up being more like what Sam said. So next time you are behind a farmer creeping down the road, do yourself a favor and kick your hazards on and smile. He will see your not a citiot and will most likely pull over his first chance. That few minutes you might loose isn't worth getting all pissed off because you think your in a bigger hurry than them. Trust me, that tractor is running balls out as fast as it'll go. He'd love to run the speed limit and can't.

Sit back and enjoy beautiful Ohio and calm your ass down, life's short. It won't be long and we will all being riding one last slow ride in a hurst... Salute!
 

5Cent

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
12,290
212
North Central Ohio
Why should they pull over once in a while to let traffic pass? I don't know because that's the considerate non-asshole thing to do when you're putting along at 10 miles an hour in a 55 and holding up traffic. I mean I understand they're all rushed and have a lot of work to do but don't we all. Maybe they should've came back from Florida a couple weeks earlier this year to get ready.

Never understood this misconception about how hard these farmers work. I'm sure there are a lot that bust their ass but it's only 2-3 weeks then wait until they have to spray. Most of the farmers I know ride around in their GPS equipped planter or combine drinking beer, listening to the Beegees and pay people like Giles to do the heavy lifting. That's if they do it themselves at all. Most just pay a guy to drive their planter or combine for them.

However I do agree with Giles that when they're in the field it's probably the worst time to bother them. If I've been sitting on my ass since Thanksgiving I'd be pissed off that I have to work to.

Wow, just wow.....not pissed, but wow Joe, wow.

I am married to the farmers daughter, have a lot of friends that farm for a living and I cannot relate to that statement in bold at all......wow.
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
Some of the hardest working people I know are poor farmers. Guys who work a regular 40 hour job, then put 60 hours in on the farm. Might be easy to be lazy as the head of a mega-conglomerate that hires out all the hard labor, but that's the exception, not the rule.
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
Some of the hardest working people I know are poor farmers. Guys who work a regular 40 hour job, then put 60 hours in on the farm. Might be easy to be lazy as the head of a mega-conglomerate that hires out all the hard labor, but that's the exception, not the rule.

Perhaps it's different up here in the corn belt. Most "poor farmers" got out of that game years ago. They simply cash the lease checks today. In that regard they're no longer farmers they're lessors. They still own the farmhouse, the barns are falling in, the silos are decrepit and in disrepair. From the outside they look like a "poor farmer ". The reality is they haven't farmed in years. In Clark county there's probably 10 farmers who plant 70% of the tillable land. You'd be hard pressed to find one of them steering a combine.


 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
That's not the farming I grew up around, live in or have worked around my entire 33 years. Our biggest farms still get farmed by the families. There's some Mexican help, but the old boys that own the place still work 100 hour weeks.
 

Ohiosam

*Supporting Member*
11,707
191
Mahoning Co.
Perhaps it's different up here in the corn belt. Most "poor farmers" got out of that game years ago. They simply cash the lease checks today. In that regard they're no longer farmers they're lessors. They still own the farmhouse, the barns are falling in, the silos are decrepit and in disrepair. From the outside they look like a "poor farmer ". The reality is they haven't farmed in years. In Clark county there's probably 10 farmers who plant 70% of the tillable land. You'd be hard pressed to find one of them steering a combine.

As of 2012 Clark co had almost 200 farmers with sales over $100,000. 68 with sales over $500,000.