The Fall Rush

Sorry I haven't posted for a while. Fall is a busy time on the farm. On top of that I have been waiting to get a picture to post and I haven't seen anything that really captures my attention as a photograph. A friend took this picture of Indy.

My buddy.

     In the cotton we have cut off irrigation water. Now we are waiting for the bolls to open. This warm weather has been great. We have had some bug problems. But, I am riding that out. I am hoping the good bugs are eating the bad bugs. The plants are lush and green so they can take a little damage from mites and worms. But, if we get any significant white fly or aphids we will have to spray again. Quality is everything in a global market and the honey dew secreted by white fly and aphids makes the cotton sticky and hard to spin. That is a serious problem.

    The last of the almonds have been harvested and the trees have gotten another drink of water. They will also get some fertilizer. The trees are forming next years fruit wood and we want them to be as strong and healthy as they can be. A little food now and when they wake up from dormancy in the Spring they are ready to go.

     We are working in the shop to prepare our equipment for harvest. I'll attach two recent radio pieces I have done on maintenance below.

     My radio work has been absorbing some time also. Thanks to everyone who has heard me and sent words of encouragement. I appreciate hearing from you. Occasionally I will post the text from my radio bits as appropriate. Remember, if you miss me on the air you can always find us at-

http://www.940kyno.com/index.php?c=68

A Lesson Learned: The Importance of Maintenance

By Paul H. Betancourt
Copyright August, 2011
     My uncle was a New York City Transit cop. My uncle was also an avid hunter and a crackerjack mechanic. When I got my first car, Dad and I too it over to Uncle Charlie to get it serviced. While we were talking about parts and tune-ups, Uncle Charlie laughed and said, “You don’t have to be a good mechanic, you just have to learn how to change the oil and do the maintenance. Oil is cheaper than parts.”
     You can bet this is a lesson I use on the farm. When I first started farming I kept buying bigger and bigger toolboxes. Then I realized I’m not that good of a mechanic and I don’t have to be. I got a smaller toolbox and a cell phone. We service all our own equipment and do the minor repairs. When we get stuck we call for help.

     You’d be surprised how many people, including farmers, don’t check and change their oil. A little tender loving care in the way of oil and grease goes a long way to keep things running smoothly.

Maintenance II- Annual Inspections

By Paul H. Betancourt
August 2011

     A pilot friend told me his plane was in the shop for its annual inspection. When I asked what mechanics check in an ‘annual’, he said, “Everything.” Mechanics go over the whole plane inside out, from tip to tail. Any equipment that is even close to the edge gets changed out.

     That makes sense. Sooner or later, every piece of equipment I have owned or driven needs to be pulled over to the side of the road to have something checked. Up in the sky there is nowhere to pull over and park.

     That gave me an idea. Why not do an “Annual” on the tractors? We are not flying, but down time during harvest can be costly and may drive you nuts. So we have changed what we do on the farm. Every fall, in between the summer irrigation and cotton harvest, we perform an Annual inspection on each piece of equipment we have.
     It may seem a long way from an airplane hangar to a farm shop. But, you can learn a lot of interesting things when you ask questions. I learned how to take better care of our equipment just by asking my pilot friend one question.

I hope y'all have a great week.
 
P