06/09/08 Horse Power

When it comes to farming and ranching we can still learn a few things from our grandparents and great grand parents . I'm Jeff Keane and after a quick commercial break I will tell you how some farmers are revisiting old farming methods to help offset high fuel prices. Whether you raise cattle, wheat or hay, high fuel prices are taking a chunk out of profits so a few farmers have come up with novel methods to save on petroleum . Isn't that right Susan? Jeff, actually we are hearing more and more reports that farmers, ranchers and loggers are turning to harvesting crops and clearing land with teams of horses and mules to save on fuel. In fact one AP reporter covering a recent story on a family in Tennessee who harvests hay with mules, wrote that "haying with mules could be the way of the future." Now I wouldn't go that far, real horsepower is too slow to raise the amount of feed and crops we need these days. But Jeff, for some small farmers, like the Raymonds in Warren County Tennessee and the boy who made the news a few weeks ago for riding his horse to school , if you are willing to sacrifice time& horsepower might make sense. That will be tough sell Susan , Americans are always in a hurry. Anyway I guess it was a bit of a learning experience for this farmer and his sons to train Dolly and Molly to pull their modified tractor rake but the boys will tell you that it kind of nice to have the mules back on the farm once again. Bet Grandpa would agree. I'm Jeff Keane.