Farm Fest and Plowing Competition

Johnny and I thoroughly enjoyed the Farm Fest at the Yamhill Valley Heritage Center on Hwy 18 near McMinnville last Saturday. Of course, I enjoyed the plowing competition the most. It was fun to see people we know there. We seem to know a lot of old-time farming type people. There was Carol spinning wool in the Activities Center, and Susan cheering on all her Draft Horse Association friends. Susan farms with horses but left hers home this day. Neighbors and long-time farmers, the Werth brothers, were there admiring the steam-powered sawmill, working draft horses, and more.

Naturally, my photos are mostly of the horses...

Our horse farming friend Susan told us that this pair of horses are crosses between European and American Belgians. The European Belgians come in many colors, like these roans, and are much stockier than the all-chestnut American Belgians.

There were several teams of mules there. This teamster was good at holding the rains with one hand and the plow with the other. These mules were pretty lively!

Quite a few teamsters had someone holding the reins while they held the plow, including this young girl who plowed very straight rows with her team. It's nice to know there are young people interested in farming with horses.

In a separate field, this fellow with four mules and a four-bottom plow was in a separate division with no one else. I guess the partner walking alongside is just for insurance as he was holding the lines (all 4 of them!) and plow himself.

Check out the lines around his neck!

Inside a building were lots of lovely old horse-drawn vehicles of one sort or another.

I liked this milk wagon. Maybe I could deliver goat milk with Mr. Smith and a wagon like this.

Johnny liked the sawmill.

Unlike the horse farmers, the steam-operated sawmill demonstrators were up in years. One wonders if they will find a new generation to take over for them someday. It would be a shame, I think, to have the old time skills available only on videos.

The Heritage Center is open every Saturday from 10 to 3. The main exhibit hall has about a zillion old tractors. I don't know how much of the other displays are on exhibit every Saturday. In August, they will have a Harvest Fest with old-time threshing and more. We may go then again. It would be fun to take grandkids. It is a world I would like them to know existed... the world their great grandparents were born into.