Horse-and-Plow Farming Making a Comeback

[Antiochus Epiphanes]

Great story. I hope Kievsky and Jenab and Rounder and Sean will weigh in on this.

Horse-and-Plow Farming Making a Comeback By JOSEPH B. FRAZIER, Associated Press Writer
Fri Jul 22, 3:23 AM ET

To some, the thought of a farmer patiently working the field behind a horse and plow might evoke pangs of nostalgia for the early days of agriculture. But in fact, the practice is making a comeback.

Ol' Dobbin hasn't run the tractors out of the fields yet. But increasingly, small farmers are finding horse-powered agriculture a workable alternative to mechanization.

Lynn Miller, whose quarterly "Small Farmer's Journal" tracks horse-farming, estimates about 400,000 people depend in some measure on animal power for farming, logging and other livelihoods. He says the number is on the rise.

Many are Amish farmers in Iowa and Pennsylvania who shun mechanization, but some are farmers who have turned to horses because of the bottom line, citing soaring fuel prices and the ability of the animals to produce their own replacements.

They also say the animals are better for the soil and can be used in wet weather when a tractor often cannot.

Miller, who farms with horses on his own ranch, said the practice began spreading beyond Amish communities about 20 years ago.

"When I started 31 years ago there were no companies making equipment for animal-powered agriculture," he said in his office in this central Oregon town. "Fifteen years ago I could count them. Today I have no idea how many there are."

Miller estimated that 60 percent to 70 percent of those who try horse-and-plow farming stay with it. "It takes a certain personality," he said. "It's a craft, not a science."

Miller said a farmer with horses can earn triple or more the earnings per acre than one farmed by agribusiness.

Ron VanGrunsven farms about 50 acres with horses near Council, Idaho, and has used horses for years there and in Oregon's Willamette Valley.

"They're more economical," he said. "They raise their own replacements, you can train them yourself and raise their feed."

A mare can produce a foal every year or so, and Miller says that, if properly trained, one can bring about $2,000 after two years.

A plow horse usually lasts 16 or 18 years, Miller said. He said he looks after his stable of nine carefully and veterinarian bills rarely total $200 a year.

VanGrunsven said a two-horse team and a farmer can plow about an acre and a half a day if the ground is right and that an acre usually produces more than enough hay to feed a horse for a year.

"Most of my equipment is not new," said VanGrunsven. "It is from the 1930s or earlier. It has been repaired and cleaned up. ... The older things were designed so they could be fixed if they broke. When newer things break, they have to be replaced."

Horse farming was common until the end of World War II, when the government and manufacturers started promoting mechanization to soak up the surplus industrial capacity, Miller said.

Horses could often be used as down payments for tractors, he said, "and they went to the glue factories by the hundreds of thousands."
___

On the Net:

http://www.smallfarmersjournal.com/

[Sean Martin]

I have been behind a plow and yes for the flamers I have actually pulled a plow. It is not as difficult as one may imagine. If you have a smaller farm less than 10 acres it is better to have a horse. Tractors cost a lot of money to keep up and the newer the tractor the more expensive they are to operate. Personally I wouldn’t buy anything newer than a 1985 model. My tractor is almost 60 years old and it functions properly. It is made heaver and sturdier than newer tractors. Also it will last longer. Another perk to owning a very old tractor is they are simple to repair. My tractor uses mostly chevy parts. The actual tractor parts can be modified to use chevy parts. So in the event of a crash it could be converted easily to operate on alcohol and repairs can be made with a junk chevy automobile.

A mule is more efficient and stronger than a horse. If treated properly they can offer up to 40 years of service. My grandfather had his mules for 36 years and when he sold them they still looked like young mules. A mule is about 3 times stronger than a horse and doesn’t eat much more if they do even eat more food. If you treat them right and take good care of them you will never have to replace a team of mules. If I got a team (2) of mules right now I would be 68 by the time they outlived their usefulness. Actually they could still be very useful just not for the extreme work.

In muddy or swampy ground you can’t use a tractor as they are to heavy. Also if you don’t know how to properly operate a tractor you could pat the ground down to the point you can’t use it. Also if you plow to deep (as many do) you will destroy the ground for a period of about 5 years. We got someone to plow an acre for us once about 20 years ago. He plowed it over 2 feet deep and to this day we have never raised anything on that ground.

Also with a mule they can be trained in not only plowing but also logging, pulling buggies and pulling rocks ect. They can also be trained to respond without calls. A good mule will stop and turn when they get to the end of a row and a really good mule will walk the proper distance between rows so you don’t have to measure them.

When plowing you must also know the difference between plows and their functions. A turn plow turns the ground before you disk and drag the ground. A shovel plow plows the rows. There are about 6 other ones but those are the two basic ones. Also if you have a riding lawnmower you can use those types of plows with it. A sturdy riding mower will pull a plow just like a horse or mule.

A final note, about 3 years ago dad and I were watching national geographic. White people in an effort to help the poor African natives domesticated Oxen and taught they to use them. The scrawny black actually plowed in circles and couldn’t not operate a simple tool such as a plow. With a domesticated animal all one has to do is make sure the plow doesn’t jump out of the ground. This groid couldn’t even do that. After watching it he (they didn’t say this on the show but we could see it) ruined the oxen as his backwards plowing taught them unbreakable bad habits. Dad was in torment as he is a stickler for straight rows. He said “see darkies can’t even plow” something I have done since I was 6 years old.

If you do desire to go back to the animal days, the way to go is a mule. Horses are good if you breed them and sell the stock but for work a mule will offer you less hassle, last longer, work harder, and for about the same amount of cost to operate. And regardless of the stereotypes a mule is much more intelligent than a horse.

[Rob Roy MacGregor]

http://www.freehorseads.com/class/mule.html

http://www.themulestore.com/classifieds-mule-0.htm

[Antiochus Epiphanes]

Another thought: there are thousands of Amish farms in the USA where they use horse-power only, including these generator devices to charge batteries. Yes, many Amish use batteries.

Amish communities will become extremely well off-even more so than now-- should the "collapse" ever really occur. People would flock to them in droves.

What many folks dont realize is that the pacifist Amish and Mennonite communities are often ringed with large numbers of "assimilated" German-Americans who are not so "pacifist" as they and would happily liquidate oncoming hordes of black refugees in such an event, out of mutual self interest, regardless of what the whiny preachers might say, and believe me the preachers would shut the fuck up if they saw a big black mass bearing down on them. Boy, whenever an Amish gets fucked with, they're on the horn to the state complaining, believe me. It would be "Amish in the rear with the gear" on "the Day After" but hey, at least we'd have supplies whiles the others starved!

[YANKEE_JIM]

Amish and Mennonite communities are often ringed with large numbers of "assimilated" German-Americans who are not so "pacifist" as they and would happily liquidate oncoming hordes of black refugees in such an event, out of mutual self interest, regardless of what the whiny preachers might say

:)


-Yankee Jim

[Sean Martin]

Amish communities will become extremely well off-even more so than now-- should the "collapse" ever really occur. People would flock to them in droves.
I live close to two Mennonite communities. However given that I have a good deal of land we farm and there is a lot of game such as deer in this area I don’t think it will matter.

regardless of what the whiny preachers might say, and believe me the preachers would shut up if they saw a big black mass bearing down on them. Boy,
Both the Elders at my congregation praise gun ownership and one of them is a member of the NRA. One of the Elders brought one of his rifles to service (not in the building though it was in his truck) to show me. All the males and many of the females at my congregation own guns and hunt. Same at my last congregation.

Redneck Christians are completely different from urban Christians.

My Homiletics teacher brought his pistol to service once to show while he was preaching, he used it as a prop. It wasn’t loaded though.

One of the Elders “accidentally” shot him in a hunting trip and he brought his pistol and said, “if they try it again I will be ready this time”. Of course he was the best teacher I ever had. Debated college professors who were atheists a lot and won many of them to Christianity.

[Antiochus Epiphanes]

Sean,

Mennonites are very "rural" but they are also pacifists. Literally. Look up theologian named "Walzer" for an example. So in your particular sect they may like guns, but not all of them are that way. The Amish who are also anabaptists, were kicked out of the German Reich long ago for refusing military service. The Mennonites are also known for starting "missions" to benefit third-world savages and so I dont find them that much different from the typical worthless "urban" judeo-Christians except where their approach to technology comes in. Which is the topic of this thread: horse and plow farming.

Your comment about the horse and plow farming I found interesting.

[_DC_]

I read an article on horse-plowing that said it took longer than using a tractor, but not too much longer. Seems like this article above says about the same thing.


The Amish -- curious, isn't it, that they are always presented favorably by Hollywood? Never backward, stupid hicks. They are shown as being worthy, honorable, and their family values are shown as superior to city habits in every movie where they appear. Why is that? Could it simply be that they cuddle up to muds like Antiochus says? Or does Hollywood actually have a soft spot for these folks, as they don't present a threat with their rural ways?

[Antiochus Epiphanes]

I read an article on horse-plowing that said it took longer than using a tractor, but not too much longer. Seems like this article above says about the same thing.


The Amish -- curious, isn't it, that they are always presented favorably by Hollywood? Never backward, stupid hicks. They are shown as being worthy, honorable, and their family values are shown as superior to city habits in every movie where they appear. Why is that? Could it simply be that they cuddle up to muds like Antiochus says? Or does Hollywood actually have a soft spot for these folks, as they don't present a threat with their rural ways?

I always thought they were portrayed badly on TV and movies. What Hollywitzim product were you thinking of exactly?

Mennonites are different from Amish in several ways-- 1- they are usually descendants of Dutch folk as opposed to German, 2-- they're more integrated into "English" world aka society than the Amish, esp where technology is concerned, and 3-- where the Amish steer clear of niggers, Mennonites are out there "helping" them.

[Sean Martin]

I may have been unclear. The Mennonites in my area are pacifists, however it is the Elders at MY congregation that are very pro gun. I am unaware as to the world Mennonite ideology. As for myself my family can easily raise enough meat and vegetables to feed three families.

So for us it is not important to be near a food source. Right now our greatest worry would be the need for medical facilities. I am studying everything I can get my hands on concerning natural remedies. When dad was young his family used Indian remedies, as they didn’t have doctors or dentists. He is a literal dictionary of turn of the century medicine and remedies.


Sean,
Mennonites are very "rural" but they are also pacifists. Literally. Look up theologian named "Walzer" for an example.

[_DC_]

I always thought they were portrayed badly on TV and movies. What Hollywitzim product were you thinking of exactly?


There's For Richer or Poorer, where Kirstie Alley and Tim Allen have to hide from the IRS in an Amish village. They learn to appreciate the simple, rough life in the country and are better people for it.

There's another movie where a guy, Sean-Claude van Damme I think it is, hides out among the Amish, and they are noble countryfolk that he protects when they won't defend themselves.

There's another movie, an unusual one where a criminal girl goes with her boyfriend to hide out in an Amish village; he used to live there as a kid. He dies before they get there I think, and she must marry a ten-year-old boy in the village. The boy hates it but must go with her as she goes to Las Vegas to find a hidden treasure or something. On their way he impresses her with his devotion to a marriage he never asked for, and she turns her back on her wicked ways.

[Sean Martin]

Then there is that Harrison Ford movie where he hides out with the Amish. I don’t remember anything about the movie, but I think they were portrayed in a positive light.

There's For Richer or Poorer, where Kirstie Alley and Tim Allen have to hide from the IRS in an Amish village. They learn to appreciate the simple, rough life in the country and are better people for it.

There's another movie where a guy, Sean-Claude van Damme I think it is, hides out among the Amish, and they are noble countryfolk that he protects when they won't defend themselves.

There's another movie, an unusual one where a criminal girl goes with her boyfriend to hide out in an Amish village; he used to live there as a kid. He dies before they get there I think, and she must marry a ten-year-old boy in the village. The boy hates it but must go with her as she goes to Las Vegas to find a hidden treasure or something. On their way he impresses her with his devotion to a marriage he never asked for, and she turns her back on her wicked ways.

[Kievsky]

Call the people at www.lehmans.com and they'll give you contact info for the Amish manufacturers of draft horse equipment.

There's a real nice Amish wagon. I told my boss at the horse farm he ought to get one -- he'd have a hay powered truck, basically, but he didn't take the advice. Oh well.

If I had the 5,000 dollars to get an Amish farm wagon I certainly would do so, and then buy a Percheron and keep it at a local horse farm. Getting the Percheron horse woiuld actually be cheaper than the wagon. I know people who breed Percherons for the placenta -- something to do with medical science, then they are stuck with these massive draft horses that they have to feed and have nothing for them to do.

Think about it -- an Amish farm wagon and a Percheron -- you got yourself the equivalent of a Ford Ranger that runs on hay and almost never breaks down.

Rob

[Whirlwind]

hollyweird likes the amish because they are old testament folks like themselves.
amish use mules for plowing, horses to pull their carriages. They don't call them "buggies".
Edit: Left out draft horses. There are several anabaptist groups in my area. It seems different groups prefer different animals.

[Alex Linder]

We have a lot of Mennonites out here. They tend to have lank yellow hair and intense blue eyes. But their build is unimpressive, taking one with another. There's a peculiar sort of scrawniness I associate with them. Last summer in SLC, I went on the Temple Square tours, and one of the guides had just such a build. Sure enough, conversation elicited her family were Canadian Mennonite converts to LDS. Odd to think about Mennonites converting to something else.

In the last couple years, even some real Amish have showed up. There's a horse carriage that regularly clops through town.

[Sean Martin]

Here they call that a “farmboy build”. Usually in that case the looks are very deceiving. One of the elders at my congregation is built like that, he also builds houses. He has a grip like a bear, When he shakes hands it feels like your hand is going to break.

These guys do a lot of hard work and have a high metabolism so they don’t gain weight. My dad is like that. He is 70 and slim but he can still haul 400 pounds in a wheelbarrow over rough terrain. He still does roofing, moves big rocks and carries 80-pound block like a man 50 years younger.

If you ever saw Danny Hodge the wrestler he is in his 70’s and skinny (about 160 pounds) and he has a grip that has put body builders to their knees. That is one of the tricks he uses on the young wrestlers when he shakes their hands. He squeezes them until they ask him to stop.

Hard labor doesn’t build muscles but it does build strength.

But their build is unimpressive, taking one with another. There's a peculiar sort of scrawniness I associate with them.

[Whirlwind]

mennonites are just scrawny. Some with year-round tan (result of missionary marriages), and some outright black. A take all losers religion if there ever was one. But shrewd with money. Sometimes referred to as the mennonite mafia because of less than elegant business dealings. More old testament folks.

[Subrosa]

This is exactly what I plan to be doing in about 5 more years. I've been studying this for over a number of years and I really want to farm in this manner. Not only that, but I want to be OFF THE GRID! There is nothing that pisses me off more than having to pay an electric bill. I want to drill my own wells and raise my own meat and vegetables.

From what I am hearing though, to make farming with horses feasible you should keep your cultivated acreage at 60 or less. Anyone know different?

This site is also good if you are interesting in the subject, they have a great magazine and show on RFD-TV.

http://www.ruralheritage.com

Soon I'll be getting OJT as I take time off during the fall to work FOR FREE for a farmer to get my hands around the book and video learning. I plan on doing this every year until I buy my farm, and have all the women I need to help with chores ;)

[Antiochus Epiphanes]

Thanks Subrosa for that great link!

[McKinley]

A white nationalist friend of mine just sent me this link that might intrest some of you. http://www.themeatrix.com/