Welcome to (new) Four Leaf Farms/Hilltop Herefords

[jwaldrip]

Four Leaf Farms
The original ground was purchased in the early 1960s. We are located around the town of Franklin, Indiana. We have 425 acres in a corn-bean-wheat rotation, 84 acres in a corn-bean-wheat-hay rotation, and 747 acres in a corn-bean rotation for a total of 1,256 acres. We currently own about 800 of that. Beans are planted no-till every other year in the field unless there are bad ruts that need to be worked. Corn is planted with conventional tillage: disk, chisel plow, field cultivate, and plant. Beans are double cropped on most of the wheat ground. This year (2010) we have 42 acres going into hay (plowed up 42 last fall), 170 acres in wheat, 510 acres in corn, and 534 acres in beans. Hay is baled and put up in the mow and another barn we rent. We bale enough straw for us and to sell some. The farm is run by my two uncles, Jeff and Kevin. Grandpa helps a lot even though he is “retired”. I am a sophomore at Purdue studying Animal Science. I plan on working in ruminant nutrition and farm part-time. They are currenty looking at another 95 acres to expand the farm next year and then another 60 acres so the farm can support me when I get home.
Hilltop Herefords LLC
Hilltop Herefords began in 1979 when my dad started high school. He bought six Hereford cows for his FFA SAE project. He raised the calves for beef or show and sold them to people who wanted freezer beef. He bought a couple more heifers through high school and college with the herd never getting larger than 10 females. He kept them at his parents. After college he married mom and kept the herd going selling the steers as freezer beef herd replacement and to a few people who wanted them. He moved the cattle to our house. When I came of age to join 4-H we decided to buy fifteen registered heifers. This is when we became a limited liability company. The herd now numbered 30 females. I own 3 of them as well as 1 Charolais cow and one Angus cow. We always use AI to breed the registered cows to get the best genetics. Registered calves were sold to people wanting show animals with us kids getting first pick. Heifers that didn’t sell were sold as replacements. Steers went out to pasture where they get supplemented with grain. These calves along with the unregistered steers are sold as freezer beef. My sister is still in 4-H for a couple years and we still show in open shows.
We also have about 2 acres of sweet corn to take care of. It is me and my sisters deal. We plant it with a 4-row planter. The 4020 is used to plant the sweet corn and me and my sister take care of picking and selling it.

Tractors/ Harvesters/ Miscellaneous:
Tractors
John Deere 7430
-planting corn, drilling beans and wheat
John Deere 8630
-field cultivating, chisel plowing, plowing
John Deere 8100
-spraying, snow removal, stalk chopper
2004 John Deere 7920
-disking, grain cart,
John Deere 4240 (replaced John Deere 4020 diesel)
-spreading fertilizer, PTO work, bush hogging
1977 John Deere 4430
-Mowing hay, baling hay
John Deere 4760
-side-dressing corn, disking in fall
John Deere 4010 (possibly trading in) owned by Hilltop Herefords
-feed grinding
Farmall MD wide-front
-mostly for show now
John Deere 4020 (owned by Hilltop Herefordsbought from Four Leaf)
-feed work, manure spreading
Harvesters
John Deere 9650
Miscellaneous
John Deere ZTR mower
Cub Cadet ZTR mower
Polaris Mule
Pro-Lift forklift

Trucks:
Kenworth W-900 daycab
Kenworth W-900 daycab
International 4400 box truck
2006 Dodge 2500 w/ Cummins
Ford F-350 with flatbed
Service truck

Implements:
Field Prep/Planting:
John Deere 235 26.5’ disk
John Deere 980 28.5’ field cultivator
John Deere 680 14’ chisel plow
2009 John Deere 1750 8r30 planter w/ liquid fertilizer
Tye 15’ no-till drill
BestWay pull-type sprayer with 1600 gal. tank and 80’ booms
3-pt. anhydrous applicator with flow meter- 7 knife
36’ Farm Hand cultipacker
3-pt. 4-row planter
Harvest:
John Deere 893C corn head
John Deere 925F flex grain head
Grain cart (unsure yet)
4 gravity wagons (Killbros, Parker)
Hay equipment:
New Holland 488MC sickle mower
New Holland BC 5060 small square baler w/chute
4 hay wagons on John Deere running gear
Cattle equipment:
New Holland L170 skidsteer
John Deere hydrapush manure spreader
Feed equipment:
Feed grinder
Grain-o-vator feed wagon
Miscellaneous:
John Deere rotary mower
Trailers:
Wilson Commander 42’
Wilson Commander 42’
16’ bumper pull trailer
25’ gooseneck trailer (show tractors)
Farm-built nurse trailer w/ 2000 gal. tank and rear deck
Farm-built fuel trailer
30’ Livestock trailer

[Pierce Johnson]

looks good justin what kinda combine ? That Deere u want me to build?

[jwaldrip]

John Deere 9650. jeff cieslack is building me one.

[anthony]

Justin,

that's a great story line and set up. You really know your stuff. It's always nice to read a story line that makes sense, and is accurate.

[jwaldrip]

Thank you Anthony. This is by far the most detailed I have gotten on a lineup and story.

ight now the farm is gearing up to get in some field work. Dad is hauling manure tomorrow if the field is dry and Jeff and Kevin are going to start on some field work. I wish I was going home but I have WAY too much homework to do. The planter and drill are both ready. It will be the first year planted with GPS and Kevin is excited to see how it works. We are going to be being some GPS units that we can swtich between the machines. The 7920 and 7430 are already setup for it, and the 4240 will be getting a lightbar. I will be going home next weekend to help with tillage.
Dad is considering trading in the 4010. it is much more efficient and would be nice to have a tractor with cab when doing feedwork in the winter. He is looking at a 7130 or the 6140D.
fieldwork will be as follows:
Jeff- chisel plowin and field cultivating
Grandpa-disking
Kevin-planting
Dad will help when necessary and possible. he can drive the box truck which we hold seed in and fill out of.
Mom will help with anything she can mostly on gopher duty.
I will be filling nurse trailer and disking.

[ih1456]

Where's the Pictures?

[jwaldrip]

i dont have any pictures as the display has not been started yet.

[jasonbengough]

Very Nice Journal!

My Display is running a 9660 Walker, They really like the 60 series Walker, I am sure the farm will like the 9650 Walker.

[jwaldrip]

Thanks Jason! yea the farm is really looking forward to getting the 9650. we are gonna run the 9600 this year and will hopefully get the 9650 this fall (waiting on it to get finished).

[jasonbengough]

Yeah, Jeff does some nice work you will be happy with the 9650 when you get her. I got Dave(CustomCanada on TTT) to build me a 9660 Walker last year. Did a very nice job on it, the only thing We ( Me & Dave overlooked) was the bin over the unloading auger on the 60 series, a minor detail. I am not overly concerned and may change that later on... Otherwise he did a GREAT job.

[nix]

do you have any pics of the 9660

[jasonbengough]

I do have some pictures of the 9660, just email me at [e-mail], I have never figured out how to post pictures on proforms.

[jwaldrip]

someone asked for a picture so i whipped this up yesterday on sketchup:

[jasonbengough]

Justin, that will be a nice layout when finished! Where abouts is the House going to be located on the farm?

[jwaldrip]

Jason,
Thank you very much! The house is the gray building located on the Hilltop Herefords side. pretty much in the center of the hilltop side.

[70ds]

Very cool. I am looking forward to seeing it.