The Farm Equipment Game

If there is one downside to living in the middle of nowhere, something we absolutely treasure, it is the fact that we have a long drive no matter where we go.  After years and years of a long commute, we have gotten used to it but there have been days that it seems unbearable to take the trek back and forth, regardless of where we were going.

With a handful of littles in the truck, we had to get pretty creative to keep them happy and entertained.  Snacks, toys, books, movies- you name it, we did it to put off the whining as long as possible.  But sometimes it seemed the best entertainment came from outside the car.  While other families might like to play the License Plate game or the Road Trip ABC game, my kids would play the Name That Farm Equipment game.

Just like it sounds, my kids would see something farming in the field, coming down the road or being transported from one field to another and they would immediately start naming the tractor, the implement, guess what they were doing and then begin carefully analyzing how they thought it was all going.  At first when they started randomly playing the game, I was just grateful for any distraction.  But then as I listened to them break it all down, I realized- they were right! 

Some pieces of equipment were easy to spot and would bring an extra squeal of delightment because it was something new or seen less often.  The big spraying tractors with their tall skinny wheels and far reaching booms were always a treat to see since we didn’t have one of our own.

It was never enough to just give a basic generalized name for any sort of tractor implement.  We could never just let it be a plow.  A discussion would always follow to specify exactly what type of plow it was.  If we were lucky, dad would be in the truck to carry out this discussion to help decide if it was a chisel plow or traditional moldboard plow.  Together they would count the shanks or blades, getting far too excited for how big it was than what I thought was really necessary.

Not only were my kids good at identifying what implement was currently in the field, they could easily name what the farmer had used previously and what they would use next.  Because the ripper always came first to break up the field, followed by the disc to turn the soil over.  Then would come the harrow to smooth out the tilled ground and maybe even a level to help slope the field just right.  Of course they always knew that the drill came last to plant the field and only after they saw that drive across could they give their approval of a job well done.

As they have gotten older, rather than growing out of the game, it has only intensified.  Now the tractors are being identified to a specific model number, with the year it was first made, its horsepower and even the size of tires it has.  

Seeing a steiger tractor with its articulating chassis is especially exciting since it isn’t something that we drive ourselves or even see on a regular basis. If it has quadtracks instead of tires, it's even more thrilling to behold.  Since a steiger quadtrack is meant to pull heavy equipment, it is likely towing something even more sensational for my farm loving family.

Of course, the different seasons of the year bring about different kinds of equipment to the fields.  Planting season has a myriad of different planters from grain to potatoes to corn that just delight my crew to see.  As it's time to harvest, the various combines and diggers hit the field and as always, the bigger the better.  And if we are lucky enough, there might even be more than one working its way across the field.

Harvest season brings more than tractors with an assortment of grain carts, dump trucks, and semi trucks followed by long trains of trailers pulled behind them, and all carefully counted and analyzed by the tiny farmers buckled in the back seat.

In all honesty, I have to admit that while the Name That Farm Equipment game is a means to entertain my kids and provide some sanity, it doesn’t take much for mom and dad to get excited with it too.  That little boy excited by equipment in the field pops to the surface anytime dad sees dust in the field and I can’t help but be intrigued by the work being accomplished as the equipment works the long hours of the day.

It truly is amazing to consider the technology, time, and effort put in to turn a feral acres into a productive field.  Sugar beets, potatoes, grains, or corn, the production of all kinds of food takes a horde of specialized equipment to prepare the soil, grow, harvest, and transport to eventually bring them to our tables.  It may just look like another tractor in the field, but it is the means for our next meal.  

Getting to know and understand the equipment used for such work helps me realize just what it takes to feed the world.  The Name That Farm Equipment might have started as a silly game we unintentionally played to simply make the long drive a little more bearable, but it has turned into a moment of appreciation, gratitude, and maybe even awe for the important work happening just on the other side of the car window.