History of Our Farm

I never realized til I read about some other farm wives blogs that I need to tell you about our farms in Southwest Oklahoma. Our history of Oklahoma changes the way this area farms. When the government decided this "useless land" they gave to the Native Americans could be settled by white people they had a land run or raffle. Out here it was a raffle.

This is all of Oklahoma except no man's land, as we call it, the panhandle.

The government cut up the land into square miles or 640 acre sections. Then drew names to who would get a quarter section or 140 acres free. Each side of my family came to own land this way. My husband's mother's side (follow that crooked path) bought the land from the people that sold out or could not farm the land they won. From what I understand that was 5 years after it was raffled. I have not researched it to be accurate. Over time the land has been bought, handed down and sold mainly in quarter sections. Sometimes split into 80 acre tracks but not much smaller.

My grandfather's mother house of the land they homesteaded.

When I grew up, not that long ago, there were few houses that did not belong to the farms around us. Either they were kids of the farmers, or someone that bought those houses after death or divorces. With in the last ten years developers have come in and would buy quarter sections for $3000 an acre and cut it up into small lots, 5 acres or less. Then these big houses would rise from the wheat fields giving us new neighbors that do not understand why we drive slow on country roads (cattle out) or how to be neighborly. Many houses are sold within a few years because these city people do not realize that a gallon of milk can take an hour to get.

The house behind the cattle is in a row of about 20 houses on less than an acre each.

The scariest part of this is that for a young farmer and his wife the idea of buying more than 80 to 160 acres is almost out of our reach. We farm the land that is in our family but when the grandparents die who will inherit. It will be split among the children. Not all the children are farming.

Trying to Spray the Yard

On a calm weekend my hubby, Tractorman, was spraying pastures at the farm. Since I was not needed out there I stayed home and decided I would spray the yard. We spray for weeds that take the water from the grass. I pulled the sprayer in the lawn wagon that hooks to the back of the riding lawnmower out of the barn by hand. After rinsing it out, I wondered the yard picking up toys, water hoses and trash. I remembered that I did not tie the gas can to the truck well during the winter and had to go buy a gas can and put gas in for the lawn mower. So my daughter and I ran into the local hardware store bought the gas can and went by the gas station and filled it up. Getting home it is lunch time, so we eat lunch.             Cool I think, She will go down for a nap and I can spray. Well when she was asleep I went outside to start the lawn mower. It would not start. I put the battery charger on it; still no luck. What does a farmer's wife do when it doesn't work? Call a farmer. I called my dad realizing he was done spraying. So he came over, about the time my girl woke up and helped me look at the lawn mower. We could not get it started; he jumped it to diagnose the problem. Well a mouse must have been in it because we guess my dog was after something and pulled the wires of the clutch.  Okay now we know the problem lets kill it and Monday we will get the parts. Dad turned the key off... it kept running. He pulled the wire connector apart....it kept running. He finally pulled the spark plug  (that is not fun). It died.        After Dad left I called Tractorman and told him of my discovery. "Did you try the other lawnmower that my Dad put in the barn?" I had forgot about it. So I tried to jump it and had no luck. I had came to the conclusion this was not the week to spray.       Tractorman gets home an hour later. Starts his dad's lawnmower, helps me get set up and sends me to spray the yard. He even helps me keep our girl in the house. It felt good to get the weeds wilting over the week. Sure was glad to have his help after the rough day.  Ever had a day like this?

Finishing the Fence

My husband complained that I was not lining the post up well but I feel I did an okay job. We are following the terrece just like his grandpa use to do. During the fall Tractorman's grandpa would roll out hot wire on each terrece of wheat. Then he would Let the cattle into different terreces to graze letting the other wheat grow during that time. Each summer he would roll it up with his own invention so he could harvest. The invention we still use today. Click here to see the painting I did of it on the Model A. My little girl is learning the ropes. She has on her new fence fixing gloves. With a little help from me, she can put the wire in. This is a temporary fence that has a electrical current going through. Once it is all put it all together we add the charger last. Right now it is just a wire fence. It gives the cattle a slight shock if they touch it. The cattle can smell the electrical current and do not even touch it most of the time. If they do they realize it is unpleasant. Every farmer has touched a hot fence and though it is no fun it will not hurt you.  I have been asking for pictures of tractors you can send them to me at nicholelorenzen@gmail.com or on my facebook page.  Here is one I did of Vincent Franzen of his tractor. He liked it and bought it. You do not have to buy the picture I paint but I am always looking for more tractors. Tell me what tractors would you like to see painted. Or any farm equipment for that matter.

FIXING FENCE

Before we could work on fence Tractor man had to modify our old tool. We will set a roll of wire on the pole  that is leaning on the ground. The part that he is welding on will sit in the hay spears holder on the back of the truck. After the post are put in we just tie the wire to the end post and drive down.  Thanks to the front end loader loading and putting T post in has gotten much easier and quicker. With the T post on a pallet we just pick them up and put the pallet on the truck. In the field I load a few bundles of 5 onto the forks. Tractorman drives to where we start putting them in and I take one off the stack. Stand it up and he uses the front end loader to push it into the ground. I let him get the loader resting on the post and I step back a few feet so it will not spring out from under the tractor and hit me. Sure beats using a t post driver on each post.  Our daughter went out to help build fence. She got new gloves and was excited.  She decided she would go exploring instead. You can see where she decided to sit in the wheat and pick it. Thank goodness for lots of land to explore.  Stop By my Ebay to see what you can win.  Also Sign up for my mailing list. I would hate for you to miss a give away I am doing soon.