There are these auctions that happen in the farming world. They take place in a field somewhere, way off the beaten track, in early spring when all the farmers are itching to get back to working in their fields.
Usually, Greg goes to the auctions solo and gives me a recap at the end of the day. But I went to one with him to one a few years back that was run by the Amish and I’ll never forget it.
The horses and buggies, men in straw caps (with different colored sashes to differentiate their communities), the twangy sound of the auctioneer, and the women and children congregated in the kitchen dolling out donuts and pies, were fascinating to me.
Naturally, most farm auctions like this were canceled last year due to COVID. But this year, the Mennonite-run auction that takes place every spring in Waterloo was on. And they added the option of online bidding.
This meant that even though the people watching would be far less interesting, we had a prime opportunity to snag a piece of equipment that we’ve been eyeing for years, right from the comfort of our own home.
What we were looking for is called a gravity wagon, which I heard Greg describe today as a giant bird feeder on wheels. And as luck would have it, the auction this past week had several of these up for grabs.
Was it in good shape? Will it work? Will it make the drive home? We couldn’t be so sure. But the price was right. Which meant that every time we heard the auctioneer nudge us with that indescribable rhythmic cadence, we clicked the button and kept on bidding.
We ended up spending just over $1,500 for the prettiest gravity wagon I ever did see (this is my first and only) and Greg tells me that we got a good deal, considering that it’s in great shape despite a few dings. And that brand new, it could’ve cost us well over $15,000.
When we get another shipment of those gorgeous NYS organic grains later this month, we’ll be smiling ear to ear. Because this hunk of metal is going to help us store it all more safely. And that means we’ll be able to continue to raise healthy and happy animals for you and your family for years, and years, to come.
Your Farmers,
Jenney & Greg
PS – We’ve got salad greens, SPINACH, root veggies, as well as a limited supply of our pork and grass-fed beef at the Farm Store this week. If you enjoy this blog and want to know more, we encourage you to subscribe to our newsletter here where you can get weekly updates about our farm, our animals, our lives, and get access to the online store!