There is a lot of equipment that keeps a small farm running. On our farm, one of those pieces of equipment is the lift that Randy uses to get on and off the tractor. Randy does almost all the tractor work on the farm. Now that the weather is finally drying out, we are anxious to get that tractor work done. We need to shape the beds for the next planting of tomatoes and eggplant, the butternut squash, and sweet potatoes. Yesterday, when Randy went to get off of the tractor after some evening disk harrowing, the lift would not lower. It would go up, but not down. After some brief and ineffectual troubleshooting, we called a very strong friend and neighbor to help Randy off the tractor.
This morning, Randy and Robin spent some more time working on the lift while I did the chisel plowing to continue preparing the soil for beds. At this point in the diagnostic process, we think a solenoid needs replaced. We have had this lift for 13 years and the price tag for a new one is shocking, so we are going to do whatever we can to keep it operational.
I’m intimidated by the prospect that I might have to shape and wrap beds in Randy’s place this week. I never have, and it requires some finesse. Doing the tractor work in Randy’s place also takes me out of the field and away from harvesting and leading the team in field work. It means working hours I would normally have off. But sometimes you just have to do what needs to be done! So the lift is a rather important piece of equipment on our farm. I am hoping that I’ll get to tell you in next week’s newsletter that it is all fixed and working perfectly.
Small Shares
- Chard
- Fingerling Potatoes
- Leeks
- Squash or Zucchini
- Yaya Carrots
Full Shares
- Beets
- Fingerling Potatoes
- Leeks
- Squash or Zucchini
- Yaya Carrots
- Celery
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