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Same day - different worlds

Grassfarmer

Well-known member
Started off the day moving fence for my grass-fed steer/young bull group.
Steers with 2 months to go before processing, need to hustle this year after our spring was so cold and late.
steers.jpg

My kind of agriculture - primitive, pastoral, pastural
pasture.jpg

A young bull I like - not everyone's type but he has eaten nothing in his life but mothers milk, grass, mediocre hay/silage and trace mineral salt blocks.
ulster.jpg

Got a call to go help out my Hutterite neighbors as they recover from their devastating hail storm.
A different world - inhabited by vehicles that look like they come from outer space!
sprayer.jpg

Hailed out wheat.
hailed.jpg

As far as the eye can see. Probably had 15-20 quarters totaled with the same again badly damaged. Lots of silage and hailed greenfeed to be made in the coming days.
far.jpg

My job for the day - discing hay land that was hailed out but was due for reseeding anyway.
disc.jpg

I'm glad to help out when folks have a bad experience like this but I can't wait to get back out on my feet, in the pasture, with my cattle - I know which world I prefer!!
 

Grassfarmer

Well-known member
No I have helped a few times over the years to run swathers, balers pack silage etc - they just get overstretched sometimes. This colony has a big land base and they started a new one in 2000 so are still short on labor. Works good for me - get a call very occasionally to help out but know they will always help me if I get a tractor stuck or was ill for a few days and needed someone to feed cows. Very different cultures but good neighbors.
 

burnt

Well-known member
Nice pictures of your grass and cattle. It looks like they have some pretty good munching in all that clover!

So that "4 x Hutterite truck" will stop to pull you out if necessary? :wink: :lol2: :lol2: (I'm assuming you've heard the song about getting stuck with your 4 x 4)
 

RSL

Well-known member
good photo essay. I sure feel for the people in the hailed out area. My brother in the peace region said most of the crops are permanently frostbitten up there, and they are droughted out in the east and SK. Sometimes it makes a guy realize how lucky they have it.
Hutterites are a different culture but make good neighbours. I think those who have bad neighbours could usually move 100 times and say the same thing... :shock:
 

Grassfarmer

Well-known member
burnt said:
So that "4 x Hutterite truck" will stop to pull you out if necessary? :wink: :lol2: :lol2: (I'm assuming you've heard the song about getting stuck with your 4 x 4)

Yeah, Corb took a lot of flack for that song. He grew up in an area with a lot of colonies and agreed that it was highly unusual that the Hutterites didn't help out but the song was based on an actual incident and on that day they didn't stop to pull them out.

We find there are 3 attitudes towards the hutterites.
1. foreigners like me and a few Canadian operators who use them to do our custom work and get on fine.
2. Locals who were here before the colony was established - still treat them like people with two heads and can be quite ignorant and abusive.
3. The occasional drunk bachelor who has the odd colony drunk come by his cabin on a regular basis to share his company and alcohol.
 

per

Well-known member
Grassfarmer said:
burnt said:
So that "4 x Hutterite truck" will stop to pull you out if necessary? :wink: :lol2: :lol2: (I'm assuming you've heard the song about getting stuck with your 4 x 4)

Yeah, Corb took a lot of flack for that song. He grew up in an area with a lot of colonies and agreed that it was highly unusual that the Hutterites didn't help out but the song was based on an actual incident and on that day they didn't stop to pull them out.

We find there are 3 attitudes towards the hutterites.
1. foreigners like me and a few Canadian operators who use them to do our custom work and get on fine.
2. Locals who were here before the colony was established - still treat them like people with two heads and can be quite ignorant and abusive.
3. The occasional drunk bachelor who has the odd colony drunk come by his cabin on a regular basis to share his company and alcohol.

The song took place on a friends ranch. Pretty much an accurate story except left out was the part where the Hutterites took six bags of seed out of one of the trucks that got stuck on the way to deliver it to them. No one took great offence to it though as has been pointed out, they have a bit different culture and it made for a great song and video.
 

burnt

Well-known member
per said:
Grassfarmer said:
burnt said:
So that "4 x Hutterite truck" will stop to pull you out if necessary? :wink: :lol2: :lol2: (I'm assuming you've heard the song about getting stuck with your 4 x 4)

Yeah, Corb took a lot of flack for that song. He grew up in an area with a lot of colonies and agreed that it was highly unusual that the Hutterites didn't help out but the song was based on an actual incident and on that day they didn't stop to pull them out.

We find there are 3 attitudes towards the hutterites.
1. foreigners like me and a few Canadian operators who use them to do our custom work and get on fine.
2. Locals who were here before the colony was established - still treat them like people with two heads and can be quite ignorant and abusive.
3. The occasional drunk bachelor who has the odd colony drunk come by his cabin on a regular basis to share his company and alcohol.

The song took place on a friends ranch. Pretty much an accurate story except left out was the part where the Hutterites took six bags of seed out of one of the trucks that got stuck on the way to deliver it to them. No one took great offence to it though as has been pointed out, they have a bit different culture and it made for a great song and video.

Speaking of which . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDY6bWT5oTM
 

leanin' H

Well-known member
Good job helping out the neighbors! :D Some city folks just don't get how rural people can drop things to help out a neighbor. But like ya said, someday it might be you! :wink: Your cattle look like they are doing well. Hope they finish nicely. When ya get finished discing wander down here and pound posts! :wink: :D
 

George

Well-known member
I know I'm a little crazy but I feel I get the most benifit from helping others - - - -I don't expect anything in return, but I get such a good feeling from helping that I feel I'm the one being helped.

I have had my share of people helping me in the past and I'm very gratefull for each and every one.

Then I always thank the good lord for giving me the needed talent, knowledge, ability or equipment to allow me to help out.
 

Grassfarmer

Well-known member
I agree George, and I know these guys don't take advantage of free labor - they only call me when they really need the help.
BMR was surprised the colony was short on labor - today they were running 4 swathers, a silage cutter, 4 silage trucks, packing tractor, two round balers, a rake, the sprayer, the discs and a cultivator :shock: By the time these have drivers plus a couple working in the shop and on mobile repairs it doesn't leave many to look after the beef cows, dairy cows, the hogs, the chickens, the geese. It's what I would call a capital intensive agribusiness and I don't envy them the input costs and risks they take. Like I said it's a different world to mine but each to their own.
 
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