Delft Furrowmakers continue Labor Day plowing tradition
In less than two hours (which included a time of threatening thunder and lightning), the Delft Furrowmakers’ 2014 Plowing Day turned over 40 acres of wheat ground.
The Delft Furrowmakers was founded in 1998 and, in 16-year tradition, gather each Labor Day – this year on Monday afternoon September 1 – to turn the soil with antique tractors and plows.
The mission of the Delft Furrowmakers is to preserve the history of plowing – as well as the machines that do the work.
Besides that – no matter how old you get, it’s always fun to play in the dirt.
At right is the design on this year’s Plowing Day T-shirts.
Following are some photographs of the afternoon’s plowing:
TRACTOR AND PLOW line-up doin’ “the furrow.”
ARNIE QUIRING ON his 1954 Ford Jubilee tractor is hitched to a two-blade disc plow.
ARNIE QUIRING WAITING in traffic to get plowin’.
AND HE’S OFF – leading a line-up of the Long Green Line.
M & M TOGETHER – Micky Masters (MM) and his Minneapolis Moline (MM).
THE MM WAS pulling this very old steel-wheeled two-bottom plow.
PHIL DUERKSEN TOOK this Johnny Tractor – a John Deere B – out for a Labor Day “drive-n-plow.”
SITTING IN THE driver’s seat of this Oliver 880 is Jerry Haberman. His co-pilot for this round is Geoff Johnson.
THIS BLACK HAWK 40 was sold in Minnesota as part of the Cockshutt Tractor line.
NOTHING RUNS LIKE a Deere – John Deere that is – including Jesse Fast’s 1959 730 Diesel.
TURNING OVER FARM ground; done with plenty of “character.”
THREE GENERATIONS ARE sharing in the history of furrowmaking – together on a Farmall MD Diesel, driven by Bob Turner. At left is grandson Brian Tuner and at right, Kjell Turner.
WITH A PUFF of smoke, Travis Winters and his Fordson Super Major breaks ground with a John Deere three-bottom plow.
GARETH HOLMEN IS happy to be out playing in the dirt with his John Deere G.
INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER’S 560 Farmall and Adam Fast team up to cut a clean furrow.
EAR PROTECTION IS very important, especially for youngsters, and Dustin Hunter made sure the two young guys he had riding with him on his 1931 John Deere Model D were wearing noise-cancelling headphones.
LANCE LUDVIGSON HAS a mirror-like shine on his John Deere 730 Diesel.
TIM PENNER TOOK this Ford 971 Select-O-Speed into the field to use as his tractor of choice for plowing.
A GUY – MYRON Fast – and his tractor – a John Deere 3020 Diesel – make a round together plowing the wheat field with the rest of the Delft Furrowmakers.
PLOWING DAY HOST Arlyn Baerg takes his John Deere 80 Diesel for a casual plowing on his wheat ground.
THE ALLIS LINE of tractor was represented in the plowing by Shannon Haberman’s D-19 Allis Chalmers.
VINTAGE TRACTORS AND equally classic plows work together to slice the farm field with a precision line-up.
MATT GOHR CONTROLS Jesse Fast’s drone in order to get an aerial video view of the tractors and plows. Check out the Cross-Counties Connect Facebook page for the video.
In less than two hours (which included a time of threatening thunder and lightning), the Delft Furrowmakers’ 2014 Plowing Day turned over 40 acres of wheat ground.
