In the late 1960's my Dad, Barney D. Graham, purchased a 160 acre farm 7 miles west of Paola, Kansas at the northwest corner of Lookout Road and Old 68 Highway (287th Street). As you can imagine city folk operating a farm resulted in some wild stories of how not to run a farm. Besides having a herd of about 40 head of registered Quarter Horses (plus several Appaloosa's) we had about 60 beef cows; a herd of about 30 Santa Gertrudis cattle; 200 sows and about 2,000 head of hogs. It was much more than a "gentleman's farm" operation on weekends.
Dad herding the bull with his 914 Porsche - What do you remember about this incident?
Chris Graham
more than a month ago
What do you remember about the three cattle hit by lightning?
Chris Graham
more than a month ago
What do you remember about the hog barn feeding floor collapsing?
Chris Graham
more than a month ago
What do you remember about the sow that fell into the manure pit?
Chris Graham
more than a month ago
What do you remember about the pack of dogs that attacked our hogs?
Chris Graham
more than a month ago
What do you remember about the cow that would not stay fenced in?
Chris Graham
more than a month ago
What do you remember about selling the prized bull?
Chris Graham
more than a month ago
What do you remember about trading Quarter Horses for a feed grinder?
Chris Graham
more than a month ago
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Construction blunders and mechanical failures
We were always thinking of better and cheaper ways of constructing things. Some worked out and some didn't.
What do you remember about using native oak lumber to construct a hog feeding floor?
Chris Graham
more than a month ago
What do you remember about the circulating pump watering system?
Chris Graham
more than a month ago
What do you remember about removing the paint from the barn?
Chris Graham
more than a month ago
What do you remember about the problem with the foundation footing of the new farrowing house?
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What do you remember about the collapse of the concrete floor slats?
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What do you remember about the water leak in the new farrowing house?
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What do you remember about the leaking ceiling insulation in the new farrowing house?
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What do you remember about the buckets in the grain leg getting stuck?
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What do you remember about the grain wagon losing the wheel snap rings?
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What do you remember about the disc getting stuck in the mud?
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Wrong timing, wrong direction
Sometimes things go wrong because of timing or because it was the wrong thing to do in the first place.
What do you remember about trying to sell horses in Detroit, Michigan?
Chris Graham
more than a month ago
What do you remember about the day the bull was in the garage?
Chris Graham
more than a month ago
Carol Graham
more than a month ago
What do you remember about the hog Janice picked for the Miami County Fair?
Chris Graham
more than a month ago
What do you remember about the John Deere tractor sinking into the pond bed?
Chris Graham
more than a month ago
What do you remember about the chemical sprayer that Dad purchased in Marysville, Kansas and was pulling it behind his 1971 Dodge Challenger and the sprayer detached from the trailer hitch and crossed 24 Highway just West of Topeka, Kansas?
Chris Graham
more than a month ago
What do you remember about the Holstein milk cow?
Chris Graham
more than a month ago
What do you remember about starting a fire to dry out the wet field?
Chris Graham
more than a month ago
What do you remember about the pickup truck pulled in half?
Chris Graham
more than a month ago
What do you remember about spreading liquid hog manure using the honey wagon?
Chris Graham
more than a month ago
What do you remember about the little red Jeep?
Chris Graham
more than a month ago
What do you remember about the yellow 1966 Volkswagen Bug?
Chris Graham
more than a month ago
What do you remember about the 1946 yellow Chevy pickup truck?
Chris Graham
more than a month ago
What do you remember about Martha (really a George) the cat stuck in the horse trailer for a couple of weeks?
Chris Graham
more than a month ago
Carol Graham
more than a month ago
What do you remember about Dad bringing home 15 dairy calves on Mother's Day? The calves had to be bottle fed at least twice a day.
Chris Graham
more than a month ago
Carol Graham
more than a month ago
What do you remember about the propane gas leak at Mom and Dad's house?
Chris Graham
more than a month ago
Mom and Dad's driveway was gravel and nearly a quarter mile long. What do you remember about getting stuck in the driveway?
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The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
What do you remember about the tornado that stuck the farm in 1978?
Carol Graham
more than a month ago
What do you remember about Chris slicing open his thumb with a scalpel?
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What do you remember about the roof rafter coming loose during the construction of the hog barn and striking Barney (Scott) on the top of the head?
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What do you remember about the John Deere model 45 combine catching fire while Dad was operating it?
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What do you remember about the canoe trip Dad and Chris took on Bull Creek?
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What do you remember about Barney (Scott) riding a bronco bareback in the Miami County Rodeo?
Carol Graham
more than a month ago
Mom and Dad's T.V. antenna was having a problem so one of the farm workers started climbing it to fix the problem and suffered from mild electrocution. What do you remember about this incident?
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Workers fixing the T.V. antenna were in the attic and fell through the ceiling not once but twice. What do you remember about this incident?
