Greg Peterson 

and His Wife 

of the renown

Peterson Farm Bros.

visited

Georgia

Saturday, March 27, 2021 Greg Peterson was sponsored by the Morgan County Farm Bureau, the Young Farmers of Morgan County and the Morgan County Future Farmers of America to give a presentation entitled "Advocating Agriculture."

My Bride and I took the opportunity to attend this event which was very educational and also very entertaining.  The Peterson Farm Bros. became well known after Videos they posted on U-Tube were overnight sensations.  The first Video was performed by all Three Brothers entitled "I'm Farming and I Grow It" which was a parody of "I'm Sexy and I Know it!"  After one Television Station in Kansas picked the video up it garnered 20,000 views in one day.  Of course the other two Stations followed and soon more thousands of views followed.  It was only a matter of a few days until "Fox and Friends" heard of this and invited the Three Peterson Farm Brothers to New York City for an interview.  Within a matter of days the first video garnered five million views in seven days.

The first video was recorded by their eleven year old Sister.  She is now a student at Kansas State where her three Brothers also attended College.  The Brothers are now married and are in their twenties.  The first video was recorded about ten years ago and they now have twenty.  As the Brothers developed the videos their purpose was to educate City Kids about Farming, specifically "Farming Can Be Fun!"  

The Peterson Farm Bros. are the fifth generation of Farmers in Central Kansas and with the help of their Dad they  Farm 3000 acres.  They usually have 1000 beef cattle that they feed to market weight.  

In addition to performing several videos Greg discussed how Farming has evolved over the years and how equipment has allowed one farmer to be very productive o providing food for us all.  We all were encouraged to talk about the need for "Farmers" in our Society, be one on one conversations with our peers, discussions with Youth involved in the future of Agriculture, specifically those involved in FFA and/or 4-H.

In summary we learned that to be successful in Farming, as in many occupations, the people involved must practice Team Work.  Greg and his Brothers also consider it "Cool" to be a Farmer.  

The following five pictures were taken during our visit:

Greg with His Wife.  Greg is the oldest!

Greg and My Self, the author and

editor of this Blog!

The Autograph Session!

My Bride and I prior to the

Presentation.  We all enjoyed a 

Delicious BBQ Lunch prior

to the Presentation!

The view as we departed the event.

Should you desire to view the 20 videos check out "The Peterson Farm Bros." on Facebook or U-Tube.

Corn Harvest 2020 

These two pictures were taken by My Sister In Law as She observed her two Sons on 11 October 2020 when they were busy harvesting Corn in Northeast Iowa.  This area of Iowa was not impacted during the recent tragic wind storm that ruined over 850,000 acres of corn.  This storm called a Derecho happened on 10 August 2020 and was centered in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa!  The Iowa Department of Agriculture estimates that the corn left standing will yield about 186 bushels per acre.  Still a lot of undamaged Corn in Iowa but a real tragic situation for the Farmers who lost their Corn Crop.

Holy Land Visit October 2019

Special Event

Date: October 20

Time:  About 6:00 P.M. Central Standard Time

Sunday began as an overcast, very foggy day on Eagle Avenue, Luana, Iowa.  The corn harvest had begun for the year but this morning it was too moist, however by Noon the stalks were dry enough to commence the harvest.  This was not the corn picking that I had been involved in as a Tender Young Farm Kid in the late 1940s and early 1950s.  By the time evening arrived the harvest had reached a vigorous tempo.   “Dan” the young Farmer who rents My Sister’s 300 acres of Prime Monona Prairie Land had previously invited me to ride along in the Harvester and I was looking forward to that opportunity.  But before that is discussed I must share with you that the rich black top soil in this area is loam that is very productive and the average depth is six feet.  The pictures of the equipment that I share in this discussion were taken on 18 October in a field that had already been harvested.  The first two are of the Harvester which is fitted with an eight row header for the corn harvest.  This header can be removed to also harvest grain such as soybeans and oats which are not planted in rows.  In a more level farm situation in the Middle West it is also possible to have an eighteen row corn header to harvest corn.

As evening approached I took the opportunity to ride in the “buddy” seat in the climate and sound proof operators cab of the Harvester so I ran out to the field where the “corn picking” was being done.

I climbed up the ladder and Dan opened the cab door so that I could enter to an impressive control cab.  I sat down and Dan gave me a brief overview of the machines operation.  I was totally impressed with the quiet cab and the warm climate inside the cab.  While it was still light the 250 bushel on board grain bin quickly filled up and as it did so a warning signal was heard so Dan called the operator of the grain cart to come along side to empty the Harvester.  I turned around and observed the glass wall between me and the bin which displayed a totally filled bin.  It did not take long to empty this so we could continue with the Harvest.  The Grain Cart can hold 1300 bushels of grain and it usually comes alongside the Harvester several times before it is full and needs to also be emptied.  The grain carts have dual offset wheels to allow the cart to also operate in damp/moist fields with a minimum amount of soil compaction.  Once a passage through the field is complete it is possible to unload the Harvester Grain Bin to the Grain Cart “On The Go.”  This saves valuable time when doing the harvest to complete before any Fall Rains or even Snow which can delay or slow down the whole operation. 

I was amazed at the speed of the operation with the eight row header gathering the corn and sending it in to the Harvester where the threshing                                                     

was done.  This involved removing the kernels from the corn cobs and the discharge of the cobs and corn stalks back onto the field to assist in erosion prevention caused by the Winter Winds along with the Rains and the melting Snow of the following Spring.  While were traveling through the field I was able to see the speed of the Harvester, the corn yield in bushels per acre as well as the moisture content of the corn kernels.

Once the “Grain Cart” was full it was pulled to a nearby road or a hard surface Farm Yard to unload onto an 18 wheel semi for transfer to a drying operation.  In this case Dan owned his own drying equipment on the farm he also owns and operates.  Dan’s one Harvester kept one Grain Cart and two 18 wheelers busy when the operation was running smoothly.  Here is a picture of the Grain Cart filling an 18 wheeler.

In summary I was totally impressed with “corn picking” in the “2019” style.  I can recall opening up a field of corn with a team of horses puling a narrow farm wagon with a “bang board” on one side so that when ears of corn were thrown to the wagon that they would land in the wagon.  Then My Uncle could operate his one row John Deere Corn Picker with a wagon behind and the corn harvest was more modern.

As I complete this discussion I must provide additional information about the 2019 style of Harvesting.  One the Sun had set Dan flipped a switch and the total header looked like it operating in day light.  The LED lights on the Harvester could then operate until moisture of the night prevented proper operation.  Dan informed me that he never operates all night for safety concerns.  Many Harvesting Accidents happen when the Farmer over extends himself and his crew, which Dan is very aware of so he never challenges his ability to operate in a safe manner. 

The corn farming process has certainly changed from the days when I was a Kid in the late 1940s and early 1950s when I watched My Uncle and My Dad do the corn harvest and run the cobs of corn up an elevator into corn barn with slats which allowed the corn to dry with the fresh air that Mother Nature provided.

From a two row corn planter to a 16 row planter which Dan uses in his operation, from a one row picker to a Harvester which can do eight rows at a time the progress in improvement of farm operation/s is awesome.  I should also point out that this operation is in Northeast Iowa with gentle terraced fields and that where the fields a more level even larger tilling/planting/harvesting equipment is frequently used. 

This same Harvester with a grain header is used to harvest oats standing in the field.  When I was young we cut the oats and a machine put it into bundles with a machine we called a grain binder.  Seven bundles were then arranged into a shock so the grain could dry.  Then the oats bundles were run through a threshing machine where the kernels were separated from the stalks.  When I was young the threshing machine was powered by a steam engine.    What Memories I am able to share.  I discussed the oats harvest in an earlier Special Memories discussion.

                                                                 

  What Memories I am able to share.  I discussed the oats harvest in an earlier Special Memories discussion.

Ready for the Harvest

2018

Near Kale Avenue

Clayton County

Can any reader inform me who this Equipment belongs to?

 

 

 

Harvest 2017

Kale Avenue

Clayton County

Iowa

 

Today I post a series of pictures that I have had since Last Fall and I getting around to updating this Blog.  These pictures were taken on My Nephew's Farm on 18 October 2017.

 

 

You have most likely noted that this Farm Equipment is Green.  My Nephew works at John Deere to support his farming habit.  The Grain Carts are manufactured by Brett.



 







Timely Update 2017 Pictures and Projects

 

2017 Farm Kid Reflections

 

I often think back to my Farm Days and in 2017 I had the opportunity to find some old pictures and also obtained a few new ones to help me recall these days from my youth.

 

 

Admittedly this is a recent picture which was taken during the Summer of 2017.  I put on a straw hat and my Carhart Shirt and observed some of the beautiful Hydranges in the Garden at my Home in Georgia.
 

In May of 2017 I visited my Hometown, Guttenberg, Iowa.  While there my Nephew stopped by and I had to take this picture of his three Boys.  They proudly posed by their Dad's Ram, which seems to be the appropriate pick-up for modern Farm Boys.  Of course, even though I live in a City in Georgia I also appreciate my RAM.

This is a picture of My Dad and it is most likely from early 1940.  He is standing at the porch at the home his Parents built in the 1918/1919 time frame. 

This is the Home I was born in in 1940.  Look close and you can see my Dad sitting on the steps.

The young Sailor on the left is my brother John Paul.  The family picture next to it has all my Siblings.  The Young boy seated on the left end is John Paul.  My Dad and Mom are also seated.  I cannot recall who My Dad is holding.  This picture must have been taken in the Mid 1960s when I and My Brother David were both in the Navy.

These are the Farm Pictures from an era when Tractors were not generally used by Farmers. 

This is a picture of two of My Dad's Brother's spreading lime on the soil.

 



This picture shows running ear corn up into the corncrib.  My Uncle Ernst had the two row John Deere Mounted Corn Picker.  He and My Dad worked together to harvest the corn each Fall.  This is the scene on My Uncle's Farm on Clayton Ridge, just North of Guttenberg, Iowa.  I believe this was in the late 1940s or early 1950s. 

This post has allowed me to recall the wonderful memories of My Farm Youth in Northeast Iowa.  

2016 Visit to the Younger Iowa Tractor Boys

 

August 2016 Visit to Iowa

 

Admittedly I am not a young Iowa Tractor Boy, however I do return to Iowa each Summer to visit Siblings and renew my appreciation of all things Wonderful about Iowa.

 

Here I am modeling the corn crop at My Sister's Farm
near Monona, Iowa

One of many restored tractors that I saw at the 2016
Iowa State Fair

The Model 300 which I operated with a Model 76
Combine as a 13 or 14 year old Farm Kid on
the Farm that My Dad had rented to raise oats.

I was impressed with this massive crop sprayer which had a folding
boom which when extended covered 120 feet.

One of four track systems on the tractor that is featured next.

I viewed the price tag on this model and learned that I would
have to have well over $600,000.00 to acquire this model.