The Elkton Bar

Wes, Elkton Feedlot

Talking with Stormy

This is a video of my daughter Stormy talking about Elkton, South Dakota.

Fishing in South Dakota

     Growing up on the farm, one of the things I most looked forward to was my uncle Ted taking us fishing.  I still hold those memories fondly in my heart.  We did not have much for fishing equipment, just a throw-line with a few of Dad's nuts for weights, and we caught mostly bullheads, but just going to the lake was a treat in itself.

     Now, I'm enjoying fishing again.  Recently my grandson and I went ice fishing.

Fishing at Waubay, South Dakota

    
    My grandson had a great time ice-fish fishing at at Waubay.  He not only caught the first fish, but he out fished his grandpa.  In fact, he caught twice as many fish as his granddad did.

We can't forget the past

No matter how modern our new farm machinery is, it's hard for many farmers to forget the past.  Today many farmers have auto-steer, auto-turn tractors, but yet we still like to remember how grandpa used to farm with horses. We enjoy reliving how he farmed.

Lunch Time

Sherry is out checking with the boys about lunch ___ what time and where they'd like to eat.

Growing up on the farm, spending the day farming, I always found eating lunch one of the best moments of the day.

On a day like the one in this photo, one not only enjoys a great meal, but gets to share it with friends and neighbors, talking about how the farming is going. And eating outdoors was a little like having a picnic.

Waiting Their Turn

The manure spreaders are lining up to get loaded. They seem to be able to haul manure faster then Chris can load it, but then again he is just using a skid loader.

Hauling Manure the Old Way

These young people are enjoying a warm sunny day hauling manure.  It's not everyday that one gets a chance to spread manure like grandpa used to do.  People in the coffee shop will be talking about this all year long.

The Way Lester Sees it

Lester just stopped over to watch the horses work. (haul manure) Lester just lives a little north-west of the farm.  He told one of the horses and wagon drivers the manure spreader should not have rubber wheels on it.  They used to be built with steel, and farmers loaded the manure with pitch forks, not with a skid-loader.  But the driver said they were doing this just for fun and not trying to make work out of it. Lester still felt they should do it right.

A New Job for the Quarter Horses

Laurin lives south west of Elkton and before he retired he ran a cow-calf operation along with a feedlot.  He used his quarter horses to check the cattle.  After he retired he started to break the quarter horses to pull machinery.  He said when he's working 3 horses, he puts the green horses in the middle and it works out pretty well.

A Farmer Turned Electrician

Justin farms north of town, but after high school he went off to school to study to be an electrician. He worked for a number of years in the field, but his heart was still in farming. So now he is doing both. He has his own shop on Elk Street and he and his family farm north of town.

Electrician at Work

Justin is replacing the electrical outlets in a home here in Elkton.  Justin believes they were installed in the 60's and felt it was a good idea to replace them.

Baling the ditch hay

I stopped to talk with Bill and Nella when they were out baling the ditch hay. Bill says he always likes to have some small square bales in the yard. He tells me, you never know when you'll need a few bales. There are always days in the winter when you have to get a cow and calf into the barn, and you have to feed and water them for a few days.

Farming is a way of life for Bill and Nella

For Bill and Nella, farming is a way of life. It is just part of their daily living. When a neighbor has to take a few days off to take in a wedding or visit family out of state, Bill and Nella step in and take care of his farm for him. Whether it's feeding and watering cattle or just looking after the farm, Bill and Nella just find it the neighborly thing to do.