How I got into farming -- A playtrough -- Hollandscheveld MaizePlus

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El_Nino_NL
Posts: 113
Joined: Mon Jul 09, 2018 3:15 pm

How I got into farming -- A playtrough -- Hollandscheveld MaizePlus

Post by El_Nino_NL »

So, I have been living in Hollandscheveld, Drenthe (The Netherlands) for about a year now with my grandpa. Had a girlfriend around here, but she dumped me as I was not worth her time. Driving in an old crappy van and all.

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I managed to get by the last year, but my money is drying up now. I'm not the working kinda guy to sit in an office 8 hours a day, so I'm not going back to the city where my parents live (Amsterdam) and get an office job.

My grandpa knows loads of people in the neighborhood as he lived here almost his whole life. He told me an older farmer could always need help working his fields as he grows to old to do it.

Driving a tractor in a field sounds like it could be something I can do and sounds fun as well.
So, heading up to the local dealership as they manage the contracts around here and have machinery available.

After I have spoken with the contract manager he arranged the equipment and I can go.
The old guy had 4 contract on 4 different field. 2 of them needed to be plowed and 2 of the cultivated.

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After getting myself familiar with the equipment and a quick course from the manager I got on my way to do some cultivating first.

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Bryan83
Posts: 1488
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2020 3:10 am
Location: Western Washington, USA

Re: How I got into farming -- A playtrough -- Hollandscheveld MaizePlus

Post by Bryan83 »

Become a farmer they said. It'll be fun they said.

Looks good!
Join us on the FS Community Trader. As featured on MrSealyP's Lukahs Island let's play.

Please forgive me, I am but a lowly console player (XB1)
El_Nino_NL
Posts: 113
Joined: Mon Jul 09, 2018 3:15 pm

Re: How I got into farming -- A playtrough -- Hollandscheveld MaizePlus

Post by El_Nino_NL »

Learning how to cultivate and doing it took me almost all day and started with learning how to plow.
After I was done with the cultivating I got back to the shop and got paid for the 2 fields I did. The payment felt really nice.
Did about a third of the first field before it was diner time. Stopped around 18:00 (6pm) and went home to my grandpa to have diner and some sleep.
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In the early morning my grandpa woke me up to get ready for another day of farming. I had to finish the first field and then the second field with the plow.
Plowing went OK and took me all morning. When I got back at the shop I got paid for the 2 fields and other jobs where waiting for me. A planting job and 3 seeding jobs.
Started with the planting of sugar beets.
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The field though are really tough to work on, around all fields is water.
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El_Nino_NL
Posts: 113
Joined: Mon Jul 09, 2018 3:15 pm

Re: How I got into farming -- A playtrough -- Hollandscheveld MaizePlus

Post by El_Nino_NL »

I know how to drive a tractor and how I need to use the controls to start the equipment en using it in the field. However, driving in a straight line while seeding is something totally different.
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After planting the sugar beets I have seeded 2 fields with wheat and 1 field with Alfalfa, never heard of it, but I'm told it's some kind of grass.
After I had seeded and planted all 4 fields it was time to call it a day and rest up for tomorrow. I believe the fields have to be sprayed with fertilizer. Something new as well for me.
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They pay is pretty good. I have made around €16.000,- (!!) in 2 days with a bit of farming. Shame I had to pay almost €5.000,- for the seeds. Although I got a bit back for the sugar beets and the alfalfa, but not for the wheat.
So after 2 days of farming, well... driving a tractor up to road to a field and drive a bit in the field, I have a little over €12.000,- to spend on whatever I want to.
Let's see what tomorrow will bring as I will probably have to buy the fertilizer as well and I have no idea how expansive that will be.
El_Nino_NL
Posts: 113
Joined: Mon Jul 09, 2018 3:15 pm

Re: How I got into farming -- A playtrough -- Hollandscheveld MaizePlus

Post by El_Nino_NL »

I have had to buy a load of fertilizer indeed and was set back loads of money. That stuff is expensive. It was some kind of liquid fertilizer as I was given a sprayer with quite a large boom to it.
I fertilized all 4 field I had planted/seeded and made a boat load of money from these 4 jobs/fields. Fertilizing is the way to go around here, I guess. Luckily the spraying goes pretty fast, the boom I had was quite long.
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The week after was slow and not much to do, at least not for my grandpa's friend. So I took a couple of other jobs and was given a huge seeder to seed a couple fields. The tractor was a John Deere 6230R and was really nice to drive. Might have to look into buying one, once I have cash though. And after seeding I had to fertilize his fields as well, but with a solid fertilizer.
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After I was done, things came to a halt and not much to do. Once we came closer to summer things changed and loads of grass had to be cut so I took a couple contracts for my grandpa's friend to cut his grass fields, bale it somehow and wrap it. Not sure what for, but I'm still learning it all.
Oh and his fields needed a new layer of fertilizer again so I took dose as well as they make me a boat load of cash.
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