Farming with Veggie Oil
The Moglo biodiesel fleet is gradually growing: We’re now using reclaimed vegetable oil to operate an irrigation pump on the flower farm. This John Deere engine joins our longtime Ford 4600 in running purely on used fryer oil… Read More
Tractor Tuesday: The Mighty Caterpillar
Our Caterpillar 930 articulated wheel loader may be the most versatile machine we drive here at the farm.
The Tractor that Arms Our Trebuchet
Every autumn, we celebrate the harvest with our Pumpkin Festival. It’s a day of fun on the farm with pumpkin games, live music, fresh food, family hayrides and, out in the fields, our famous trebuchet launching pumpkins high… Read More
The Only Brand-New Tractor We Ever Bought
If you regularly drive the Edgartown-West Tisbury Road at the twilight hours of morning or evening, you might have spotted our John Deere 5425 with Jim behind the wheel. He chose the options when we ordered it — the… Read More
Tractor Tuesday: Our Incident-Prone IH Hydro 84
Purchased from Charley at Village Power Equipment in Berlin, Mass., our International Harvester Hydro 84 has its strengths and its weaknesses.
Tractor Tuesday: Farmall 140 is Still Going Strong
View this post on Instagram Dan Athearn using our vintage International 140 offset tractor with… Read More
Tractor Tuesday: Uncle Leonard’s Farmall
Jim’s uncle Leonard Athearn (1918-2005) bought this International Harvester Farmall model A in 1946, not long after he returned to Martha’s Vineyard from serving in the Army Air Corps during World War II. Here he is harvesting hay… Read More
Tractor Tuesday: Ford 5610 Has Seen Some Changes
This is the tractor that switched wheels with the Ford 4600 in 2004. We bought it as a loader with a bucket for $10,000 from John Olsen of Huseby Mountain Farm in West Tisbury.
Tractor Tuesday: Simon’s Favorite Ford
Purchased for $12,000 in Westminster, Mass. in 2000, the Ford 5600 was big enough to pull the third bottom on our our plow and has been a fine runner for us. It has a block heater, so it becomes… Read More
Here’s Our Fastest Ford Tractor
We bought this quiet little diesel from fellow Martha’s Vineyarder Allen Norton. It’s handy for a lot of vegetable jobs like seeding and cultivation, a favored tractor for the tine weeder and it often works the bed former,… Read More