NEW HOPE - Freshly turned rows of chocolate soil glistened in the sun as white, red and green antique tractors swayed along edges of stubble-headed fields, preparing to receive new seed.
The second annual Buckwheat Plow Day was held by the Old Time Farmers club north of New Hope Saturday morning on Mack Road.
Antique farm equipment lovers came out with five vintage tractors to plow four areas of a large field owned by Don DeWitt, readying it for planting. Two more tractors were expected, but one had a flat tire and the other's engine burned up.
Once the land is plowed, it's dragged to grind it down for a seed bed, at least that's the old way of doing it.
“Today they have no-till drills,” Axton said. “They spray and kill the vegetation and then drill to plant the seed.” The antique tractors run on about 1.5 gallons of gas per hour and usually go at a speed of about 3 mph. A big tractor today would use as much as 12 to 14 gallons per hour.
On hand to lend a hand were Ryan DeWitt of New Hope, a senior at Moravia high school, and Dennis Bell of Skaneateles with a 1949 John Deere A tractor and a 3-bottom plow. They've been coming a couple of years and say it's mainly entertainment for the day.
Spectators Dave Watkins, Larry Axton, Ed Sautter of McGraw and Randy Hanley, an eighth grader at Moravia, were also hanging out.
James Axton, of Sempronius, with a 1951McCormick Farmall Super “C”, and Bill Freeman with a 1953 green John Deere 60 were there to plow. Anna DeWitt, the owner's wife, and Mariah Hanley also drove over for a look. Lisa Hanley served the refreshments.
Keith Brown of Locke, club president, brought his white 1957 Ford tractor.
“My father bought it brand new,” he said. The club's antique equipment is mainly 1940s and 1950s vintage.
“Most of the club members use the equipment on a daily basis,” Brown said. “Everybody does his own (repair) work on the tractors, It's not hard to get parts for the popular brands, but no one is building replacement parts for the equipment.” He said antique tractor parts were easier to get in the Midwest than they are here. Members have to look in salvage places, but New York state doesn't have many tractor salvage places.
Brown said his club is an off-shoot of the Mid-Lakes Power of the Past club.
“We're not infringing on Mid-Lakes,” Brown said. “We want to preserve the antique part so that people can see how things were done. We aren't fancy and painted up. Our equipment is in work clothes.” Brown said his club emphasizes equipment as well as tractors. He said the moboard plow design of 100 years ago is still current today.
“A sickle bar mowing machine is still used,” he said, and without a sickle bar combines would be worthless.“
Quite often club members will swap each other's pieces, which Brown admits is pretty dull for spectators.
The club meets on the first Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Sempronius Diner, Route 41A in Sempronius. There are special guests, such as a New York State trooper who spoke about state requirements for driving tractors on the road. There are also lively discussions and information sharing sessions.
Brown said he hopes to increase the club's membership and would like to see them entered in the Invitational Plow Day held in Canada.
His club will also show their tractors off in various events, for example, the New Hope Mills open house in August.
“New Hope Mills was one of the top buckwheat flour mills in the area for a long time,” Brown said, “and this area was the buckwheat capitol.”
Club members discussed the severe flooding in the midwest and how it would affect grain production as well as prices in this area, how farming, especially dairy farming, has shifted from small family-owned farms to large-scale producers, and how kids were too tired to get into trouble in the “good old days” when they had to work in the fields. They even talked about “gentleman farmers” who moved into the area and tried to tell them how to farm.
“We're still here and they're gone,” they said. “They ran out of money.”
Everyone agreed that this was a great area to live in and farm.
“We're really blessed,” Anna DeWitt said.
Anyone wishing additional information about the club should call Keith Brown at 315-497-9649.
Staff writer Kathleen Barran can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or kathleen.barran@lee.net
Antique farm equipment lovers came out with five vintage tractors to plow four areas of a large field owned by Don DeWitt, readying it for planting. Two more tractors were expected, but one had a flat tire and the other's engine burned up.
Once the land is plowed, it's dragged to grind it down for a seed bed, at least that's the old way of doing it.
“Today they have no-till drills,” Axton said. “They spray and kill the vegetation and then drill to plant the seed.” The antique tractors run on about 1.5 gallons of gas per hour and usually go at a speed of about 3 mph. A big tractor today would use as much as 12 to 14 gallons per hour.
On hand to lend a hand were Ryan DeWitt of New Hope, a senior at Moravia high school, and Dennis Bell of Skaneateles with a 1949 John Deere A tractor and a 3-bottom plow. They've been coming a couple of years and say it's mainly entertainment for the day.
Spectators Dave Watkins, Larry Axton, Ed Sautter of McGraw and Randy Hanley, an eighth grader at Moravia, were also hanging out.
James Axton, of Sempronius, with a 1951McCormick Farmall Super “C”, and Bill Freeman with a 1953 green John Deere 60 were there to plow. Anna DeWitt, the owner's wife, and Mariah Hanley also drove over for a look. Lisa Hanley served the refreshments.
Keith Brown of Locke, club president, brought his white 1957 Ford tractor.
“My father bought it brand new,” he said. The club's antique equipment is mainly 1940s and 1950s vintage.
“Most of the club members use the equipment on a daily basis,” Brown said. “Everybody does his own (repair) work on the tractors, It's not hard to get parts for the popular brands, but no one is building replacement parts for the equipment.” He said antique tractor parts were easier to get in the Midwest than they are here. Members have to look in salvage places, but New York state doesn't have many tractor salvage places.
Brown said his club is an off-shoot of the Mid-Lakes Power of the Past club.
“We're not infringing on Mid-Lakes,” Brown said. “We want to preserve the antique part so that people can see how things were done. We aren't fancy and painted up. Our equipment is in work clothes.” Brown said his club emphasizes equipment as well as tractors. He said the moboard plow design of 100 years ago is still current today.
“A sickle bar mowing machine is still used,” he said, and without a sickle bar combines would be worthless.“
Quite often club members will swap each other's pieces, which Brown admits is pretty dull for spectators.
The club meets on the first Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Sempronius Diner, Route 41A in Sempronius. There are special guests, such as a New York State trooper who spoke about state requirements for driving tractors on the road. There are also lively discussions and information sharing sessions.
Brown said he hopes to increase the club's membership and would like to see them entered in the Invitational Plow Day held in Canada.
His club will also show their tractors off in various events, for example, the New Hope Mills open house in August.
“New Hope Mills was one of the top buckwheat flour mills in the area for a long time,” Brown said, “and this area was the buckwheat capitol.”
Club members discussed the severe flooding in the midwest and how it would affect grain production as well as prices in this area, how farming, especially dairy farming, has shifted from small family-owned farms to large-scale producers, and how kids were too tired to get into trouble in the “good old days” when they had to work in the fields. They even talked about “gentleman farmers” who moved into the area and tried to tell them how to farm.
“We're still here and they're gone,” they said. “They ran out of money.”
Everyone agreed that this was a great area to live in and farm.
“We're really blessed,” Anna DeWitt said.
Anyone wishing additional information about the club should call Keith Brown at 315-497-9649.
Staff writer Kathleen Barran can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 238 or kathleen.barran@lee.net
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