What hour do you usually hit the field?

Dick2 · Jan 24, 2014

When I ran the farm, we were usually in the field at 6:00 a.m. and out of the field at 6:30 p.m., except during seeding, haying and harvesting. Starting hours didn't change, but worked later into the night.

Had neighbors that didn't go to the field until nearly noon and worked late into the night.

rrlund · Jan 24, 2014

By the time I get chores done and get everything ready to go,it's generally 9:30 in all honesty. If things are going smooth,I quit at 5:30 for supper and don't go back unless there's a weather issue coming in or I have hay to bale. Then I'll work until I'm done. No sense pushing things. That's when stuff starts going wrong.

rick deere · Jan 24, 2014

In northeast Arkansas during cotton picking season the farmers work twenty four hours a day until finished, they have two crews 12hr each crew,with 4 to 5, 6 row cotton picker that put the round bales on the ground behind the picker.They only use the john deere pickers around here,

PJH · Jan 24, 2014

I knew an old guy who told of farming with a team in his young days. At that time he had a neighbor who was well up in years, and old Abe always beat him to the field, no matter how early he went out. One clear moonlit morning he harnessed up, hooked to the cultivator and lit out - at 3 am. When he stopped to shut the pasture gate, he could hear Abe's harness creaking and jingling in the corn across the fence. He finally just accepted that you couldn't beat Abe to the field.

rick deere · Jan 24, 2014

Buy the way Leachville ,Arkansa has the worlds largest cotton gin, it can gin about 110-115 bales and hour.

FBH44 · Jan 24, 2014

In berry-picking season, we're up at the highway opening the gate for customers at 6:30 or so, and they're lined up blocking traffic even then. We've often checked out the last customer by head-light, shining into the shed.

Pair-a-dice farm · Jan 24, 2014

My farm is a one man show with some hired help with working cattle. Starting stopping time depends on what I'm planning for the day. I usually feed the stocker calves as soon as it's daylight. During calving season I check the cattle 2x a day and 1st calvers 3x. I usually start cutting hay as soon as the dew dries. Most other jobs are planned according to how cold or hot it is.

Pair-a-dice farm · Jan 24, 2014

I've been by there a few times. It's something to see.

David G · Jan 24, 2014

We have full time jobs, so usually hit the work after 6:00 PM and work into the night.

waltdavies · Jan 24, 2014

When I was haying it was about noon by the time I went to the field, spent the morning getting equipment ready. Out here even in the summ the dew is to wet to cut or bail in the morning so you wait then work as long as you can.
Walt

Jack in Colo · Jan 24, 2014

When I"m haying I am usually in the field getting the equipment started just before daylight, take a lunch with me and eat lunch on the seat of the tractor, stop and have supper around 6pm and back to the field , depending on the weather we may cut and bale all night.

farmerwithmutt · Jan 24, 2014

depends on what im doing early spring if hauling manure start early when the grounds froze.doing plowing and disking and heavy field work i run nights (anybody remember water injection)always underpowered so gain advantage running at night. cutting hay depended on selling or feeding cut in the morning for high protien in evening for high sugar.raking hay depended on mosture if leaves fell off wait till dew came on .baleing hay same way had moisture gage if got to dry bale at night have baled at 2 am to get it right milked at 5 and 5 .sleeped whenever critters and crops allowed .never had a lot of money so always had to figure things out. even cut hay by moon signs drove neighbors nuts on wet years i get hay up dry and they couldnt. i also learned to listen to my elders all i learned was from people older then me

Zachary Hoyt · Jan 24, 2014

When I am haying I get to the field by 9 on mowing days if there was not a really heavy dew and sometimes can start right away. Sometimes I have to wait till noon if there was a heavy dew for it to burn off. Usually I can start raking by 10 even on a dewy morning and I can also bale about that time if I have hay raked from the day before. If I am working in the woods or the garden I get out around 8:30. I get up around 6:30 most days, I have some routine chores to do and eat breakfast afterward, around 7:45 or 8.
Zach

Bill(Wis) · Jan 24, 2014

If you live out west there are times when hay is too dry to bale during the day and you'll end up baling at night. In east central Wis, on a dairy farm, it went like this. Me: Up at 04:15, in the fields cultivating corn by 04:30 until around 10:30. Haying couldn't take place until dew was off. Dad and hired man would be milking cows. Park the cultivator (magnificent design by Allis Chalmers) just back out of it. Start haying. Until milking time in pm. Then, back to cultivating. Until dark. No lights on tractor, fortunately. I must add, we did have Daylight Saving Time back then, causing the haying time to run an hour later than it would have on Standard Time.

donjr · Jan 24, 2014

Being 'retired', and away from the full time job, I get into the field when I get there. If I'm really busy, it will be early. If I'm not pushed, I'll get a few things done around here, go to coffee club at 9am, and get into the field around 10. Most of the time, it's sometime before noon....

Larry NEIL · Jan 24, 2014

Zach, that is my schedule exactly!

rrlund · Jan 24, 2014

Kinda like this?

Zachary Hoyt · Jan 24, 2014

Well, it's nice to know that I am not alone. Only difference is that you may be an hour later than me, unless I have mixed up where the time zone breaks.
Zach

Anonymous-0 · Jan 24, 2014

I work full time so normally get started 4:30 pm and don't quit until after dark, 4 row narrow equipment and some cattle. Most of the big full time guys go out around 11am with their 24 row equipment no-till and make sure they are back in by 4 pm to watch Dr. Phil. I figure the big guys spend a couple hundred hours in a tractor each year at the absolute max. Local dealers fix all their brand new equipment, fertilizer dealer sprays everything. But by God they have to buy the biggest equipment or they couldn't get done, no hay, no livestock. Then you have a few traditional full-time guys farming 400 to 1000 acres 6 row equipment with livestock that work the old style hours.

the tractor vet · Jan 24, 2014

Now in the semi state or retirement it is when i get there and when i leave . I like a lot of daylight since normally before we go to the field something needs fixen . Lot easier to fix in day light then in the dark.

in-too-deep · Jan 24, 2014

Same thing in the north with sugarbeet harvest. It's a slow process and winter comes early so they run crews from 2 to 2.

MSS3020 · Jan 24, 2014

Im strickly a Hay guy.. so whenever the conditions are good for cutting, raking, baling etc. Im there. I happen to work in a full time family business and can usually take hours of vacation on a daily basis to get away to hay. This past summer I was working till about noon then take off and work till I got done what I needed to. Did that for about two weeks on this one field till noon or 10 or 2 or whatever as I said depends on the day and conditions..For me the fields away from my home place tend to take the most "time" away from job...

Anonymous-0 · Jan 24, 2014

the way the weather is this year, I may get out about the April hour!

Traditional Farmer · Jan 24, 2014

I don't know really threw my watch away when I quit at the concrete plant and went back to farming full time.I usually get out and do whats needed when it needs to be done and usually stay until I'm finished or until all my water jugs are empty or get hungry.

FC Andy · Jan 24, 2014

I work full time 2nd shift, so when it's go time, I'm at it between 8 and 9 AM, and shutting down about 1 pm. Unless it's Saturday or Sunday then 8-9 AM until dark if needed, maybe even after dark if I'm within an hour or two of finishing up a tillage job. Sunday I might not be out there until afternoon, If I go to church. -Andy

State of Jefferson · Jan 24, 2014

First cuttin here is a nearly round-the-clock deal. I'm lucky to get a couple hour nap bout 2AM then another maybe noon. Start to feel a bit like a zombie after a couple weeks of that crap...

Bill(Wis) · Jan 25, 2014

Farm hours changed after they put lights on tractors, and not for the better.

IH2444 · Jan 25, 2014

I hit the field about 4:00 PM yesterday.
Darned frozen puddle under the show.

bison · Jan 25, 2014

It took me a long long time to figure out that living just working hard from sunup to sundown was taking up all of my free time.
I'm glad i found an easier way to make a living and time to spare.
I got rid of the beef and the grain farming and invested in Bison.
These days i seldom start before noon and work when i want to, the bison require very little time so there is lots of spare time to tinker in the shop.
The point is,...one has to work smarter,..not harder :wink:

What hour do you usually hit the field?

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