Veel Hoeden

I first learned about the word Veel Houden at our opening session in Pella. This expression is the Dutch phrase for "many hats". This is an excellent way to describe a typical day for a farmer. As the day progressed I became increasingly aware of how many different skills a farmer needs to stay competitive in today's farming environment. Since it was a Saturday I was not bothered by the daily grain and livestock markets and the decisions that go with them. There is enough of that during the week. However thanks to cell phones I was able to work on a pasture lease, finalize the terms on a real estate contract, and procure a group of feeder cattle. All of this was accomplished while I was feeding cows, tagging calves, and working on equipment. This kind of variety in my daily life is another of many reasons that I truly love what I do.

Equipment maintenance and repair is ongoing. The conditions we operate in are less than ideal, mud, snow, extreme cold, extreme heat, or dry and dusty. With shop rates exceeding $80 per hour it's best to learn to wear a mechanics hat and do as much as you can yourself. In this photo I've just finished diagnosing a charging system problem which turned out to be a bad cell in the battery. The repair was to replace a $150 battery. Which believe it or not was a relief. Any time you can leave the parts store for under $500 its a good day on the farm. Just for the record. I have two John Deere tractors besides the Valtra I'm working on. They break down as well.

When I sent one of my helpers to town for the battery I accidentally left my calving record book in the truck. To keep working and get the calves tagged while he was gone I had to improvise and use my "Farmers Palm Pilot".