By CELESTE BAUMGARTNER

Ohio Correspondent

HAMILTON, Ohio — It’s just farmers having fun, friends and neighbors taking a day to forget about the things out of their control as they plowed a field and shared a meal under the trees.

It was John and Joyce Brown’s third annual Plow Day. About 22 tractors and more than 90 people came to visit, eat, and plow. Each tractor takes a furrow down the field, around, and back until the field is finished … and stop for the occasional breakdown, since most are from the 1940s, ‘50s, and ‘60s, including a nearly 60-year-old IH Farmall 806 front-wheel drive.

There is no judging, and no awards for any of this, except a couple gag prizes.

“We’re having an old-fashioned plow day,” John Brown said the day of the event. “Just a bunch of neighbor farmers plowing, sharing fellowship, and food. It’s a fun time for everybody, and people love it. My family kicks in to help pull this thing off. Strangers stop in to watch the plowing.”

Many customers from Brown’s Farm Market just down the road stopped in to see what was going on.

Dave and Gail Lierer came with family, several tractors, and plows. “We come and have fun, relieve some stress, bring out the old tractors and the plows, because farmers rarely use plows anymore – everything is mostly no-till.,” Gail said. “The red tractors outnumber the green because John Brown is an IH man.”

Matt Teeters followed his furrow on a 1937 Farmall F-20, the oldest tractor plowing that day. Teeters, 20, has autism. He bought the tractor a couple months back so he could take part in the plow day, according to his mom, Angel Teeters.

“He loves it,” she explained.

“Prices, the weather – it’s all out of control,” said Mike Bushelman. “So we’re just here having fun.”

Added his wife, Linda: }We’re farmers at heart; that’s why we’re here today.”

Jessica Brown, John and Joyce’s daughter, said, “We left this field open purposely for field days. We planned the crop rotation and planting, so we had an area to be plowed. We like to get the community together for an old-fashioned day of camaraderie and plowing.”

“It’s something we have done for several years now, just to get the neighbors together, to be able to work the ground together,” said another daughter, Jody Boyd. “I think they like the teamwork, working together.

“It’s a way to honor our past, to honor America, honor traditional farming practices, and it’s a fun gathering of good friends.”

YUN00043

JOYCE AND JOHN BROWN’S Plow Day is a way to honor America and traditional farming practices with friends and old equipment.

(Courtesy of Gail Lierer)

iMG0001

THE ENTIRE BROWN CLAN pitches in to put on the plow day. Pictured are Jenna Boyd, John and Joyce Brown, Jarrett Boyd, Liam Watts, Jamie (Brown) Watts, Jessica Brown, Lyla Watts, Jonathan Boyd, Jody (Brown) Boyd, and Steve Boyd. Not pictured is son-in-law Phil Watts.

(Celeste Baumgartner photo)

IMG 0028

MATT TEETERS FOLLOWS his furrow on a 1937 Farmall F-20 – the oldest tractor plowing that day. He bought the tractor a couple months back so he could take part in the plow day.

(Celeste Baumgartner photo)

IMG 0022

ABOUT 22 TRACTORS and more than 90 people came to visit, eat, and plow. Each tractor takes a furrow down the field, around, and back until it is finished.

(Celeste Baumgartner photo)