Delft Furrowmakers (tried) to continue Labor Day tradition, but the rain had other plans; 2017 cannot come too soon
Today – Labor Day, Monday, September 5 – was a sad day for all Delft Furrowmakers, their families – and their fans.
The group’s traditional Plowing Day was slated to be held Monday afternoon, but alas, 1.2″ of rain fell on the Baerg’s harvested 50-acre wheat field in the wee hours of Labor Day, making it too wet to plow. In fact, the Furrowmakers’ “Founding Father” – Arnie Quiring – declared that the precip had put the “plug” in the plowing.
Even so, it was not a total wash-out, as the faithful gathered in the Baerg shop on the farm site west of Delft along Cottonwood County Road 3 to enjoy a noon lunch grill-out, supported by dutiful donors – pick up official Plowing Day T-shirts – and share tales worthy of the Farmers’ Almanac.
No rain make-up date has been set, but, Arlyn Baerg stated that anyone was welcome to “come plow when the field dries up.”
In 2015, the Delft Furrowmakers Plowing Day participants turned over 40 acres of wheat ground in just a little over two hours.
Last year, while watching the old-time agriculture revival, Marcia Fast of Mountain Lake reminisced about the formation of Plow Day in 1998. According to Fast, her late husband, Dale Fast and Quiring, of Windom and formerly of Delft, were shooting the breeze about how much fun it would be to get their old tractors and plows out and put them to use once again. Add into the mix Allen Baerg and Arlyn Baerg, both of Delft, “and pretty soon,” shares Fast, “they’re talking about bringing out their grills and grilling up some burgers, chicken and hot dogs – and all of a sudden – it’s a big plowing party.”
The mission of the Delft Furrowmakers is to preserve the history of plowing – as well as the machines that do the work. Labor Day afternoon was decided on as the day to set aside for plowing by the Delft Furrowmakers – a time to turn the soil with antique tractors and one-, two-, three-bottom plows.
From its initial several-person start, the 2015 version featured 46 vintage tractors and plows tackling the wheat field – with 200 folks served noon lunch before the furrowmaking began.
Arlyn, with a sparkle in his eye, is already keyed up for the 2017 event. “We plan to make it larger; an 80-acre field. We will be pumped after missing out this year.”
The tradition of the Delft Furrowmakers provides for the passing down of a hands-on farming history story that reaches across both the generation – and gender – gaps.
Following are some photographs of this Labor Day afternoon’s non-plowing activities:
