Zach, I've not seen you so "down in the dumps" over last night's frustrations !! I think you might have made a few statements that you didn't mean !! At least you didn't revert to cussing !! There were no bad words uttered and I commend you for that !! Yes, "it" happens and I would have thought you would be somewhat used to that, especially considering that this sort of challenge is not new to you !!
This season of Millennial Farmer has been great. The writing is on point and I can really feel his anguish with that machine. I really like the Dad and Jim characters, I hope they are signed up for next season also. Thanks for your content
Zach, we started doing what your doing in wheat 40 years ago and quit banding 39 years ago, we banded on our potatoes planters for 10 years then quit because of the same frustration you just went thru, we will probably start putting done some fungicide with 2of the five potato planters we run but it will be a extremely simple set up and only one product, all the technology in the world is worthless if itlikits your ability to get it done, we can put a man on the moon, but have trouble building electronics that will function consistently in Earth's environment, good luck and nice job, I felt every pain in the ... You were going thru, but we are a blessed bunch👍😀
Zach, first off every farmer that watched that felt your frustration right along with you. We have all been through those days and hardships Second, this is probably one of your most important video series. So many people want to tell farmers what to do because it works for someone else or would “be a better way to farm”. This video series demonstrated that not every piece of dirt is identical, not everyone’s climate is identical, and one farming practice that works great in one area of the country does not work everywhere else. And sometimes we spend hundreds of thousand of dollars trying to make something work that just won’t. Thank you for not only sharing your highs and successes but also your lows and trials (I didn’t say failure because as long as your learning your not failing). Thank you for keeping it real.
^^^ This, absolutely THIS^^^ There are extremely few things in life that are 100% of "something". Off/on, yes/no, good/bad, black/white, stop/go, short-term/long-term, and so forth; I don't know how/why/when/where that started, and I won't get into societal engineering or whatever the right term for that is but, that thinking is actually non-thinking, non-reasoning, non problem-solving, non-accepting, and flat-out laziness. I am not slamming or blaming anyone in particular here, and definitely not Zach. I guess I just needed to vent. If I can see this happening then "smart people" should see it too, right? Ha, I just asked a yes/no question while railing against such a thing. Ugh, frustrating. UGGHHH!!!! FWIW: being at the forefront, on the leading edge of anything, is expensive.
Zach, thanks for showing us just how "easy" farming is and reminding us that the farmers never win. I really hope that you find a way to do your all in one tillage and fertilization for the best yields, minimal compaction, and less fuel costs.
All I got to say is WOW! Your portrayal as the millennial farmer was fantastic this video! Truly I was convinced that you are a farmer frustrated with the equipment. Well done sir. Excellent acting
Zach… as a fellow strip tiller I totally feel your pain. I have spent many many hour’s in frustration and discouragement. Not so much from the technology communication issues, but from the games Mother Nature plays on us as strip tillers. The late October and November rains that don’t dry up, the frosty high humidity mornings and evenings that make fertilizer sticky, and the sticky dirt that just doesn’t want to flow. I have thrown my hand up and walked away more times than I can count. I have since switched gears to a colter machine, and let me tell you the taste of victory is so so sweet. Residents south central MN.
And now the MN Millenial farmer understands the frustrations of an air drill pilot. We go through this every year at the start of the seeding season. I had to re-seed a hundred acres this year because of a blockage.
Dry fertilizer can be a pain in the ass especially with an air drill . We switched to liquid and apply seed, all P and K with a small amount of N and ammonia at seeding all in one pass. Costs more but to me its worth it. The major benefit is the P and K are immediately available to the plant.
My respect for farmers has increased 10 fold since finding this channel. Keep up the good fight Zach and family! Best channel on TH-cam without a doubt.
"That little puff there?" "I wouldn't worry about that little puff." Awesome Super Troopers reference and bravo Zach for pushing through the challenges and sharing your joy with us all.
I'd be more like his brother-inlaw emptying the waste from his motorhome Into the Storm sewer. I would just stand on top of the machine and hose it all down and laugh and go home. I actually used three other words rather than laugh but TH-cam doesn't like to post my comments then. Sad part is the Corps are trying to thin out the Millennial population now with stressed out heart attacks. They designed a virus that was supposed to do us bummers in "their major liabilities", but it didn't work. We're some tough old shifts!
That winch in the hitch was a thing of absolute beauty. Makes those times working solo so much easier! Love getting to see all these cool toys you get to play with.
They make wagons that have adjustable tire widths we even have the big double wagons that are setup to stay off 30” rows because we strip till with our toolbars that said tho it’s just another thing that has to be adjusted and time spent setting things up
We had extandable tongues on all our silage wagons and gravity boxes. But now they make them so the things pull apart if they're not latched. Took away half the convenience.
Great video. What surprised me the most, was not the equipment malfunctions as much as the failure of the monitoring systems to notice them. There were times I thought ‘jeepers technology has come so far’ and then ‘we’ve been missing putting down product for I don’t know how long’ comes along and I conclude maybe we haven’t. Frustrations in farming is real. Thanks for the reminder.
@@TeezleySPT Well they do. Imagine if someone at the grocery store was mad about food prices and said "I heard a farmer say they have to get their cut too". I mean yeah no shit.
@@korywieber8397 Google is your friend, man. Fertilizer shortages are GLOBAL including in places that don't even know who tf sleepy joe is much less under his control. i assume you're not a farmer and are just spouting off but either way the trade journals are free to read on the internet. im not talking about entertainment news like nbc or cnn or fox. trade journals have the real story about why prices are where they are.
Louis Rossmann has a nice saying to that... "Don't get caught up in the sunken cost fallacy" Even if you have sunk a lot of money into it and it still isn't working, you have to slam on the brakes and ignore what you have lost, he had to do it with a contractor that scammed him, and Zach and you know it with farm equipment.
Have watched the farmers here all to often experience break downs and stoppage one after another with wonder how they still smile. Then i saw the 10 year old work his first field alone in an 8 wheel Deere and mom and dad drive off with big smiles.Its things like that i feel keeps farmers sane.Grateful for all you do to feed us quality food.
Zach, I noticed the larger size of the mesh on the screens in the top of the dry fertilizer tanks. Many years back, when we injected dry fertilizer, the rig we had used a much finer screen. A person would have thought that it would really slow down the loading, but it wasn't too bad. On the flip side, if the screen allows anything larger through than the narrow width of the tubes on the back of the knives, the tubes are going to plug and waste more time. With wetter conditions the tubes on the knives would plug for various other reasons too, but eliminating the small marble sized chunks helped a lot. Fixing plugs were always a hassle, but we were saving about 50% on fertilizer which helped to offset the frustration. Keep up the great work. I enjoy your videos.
Zach, I was only trying to help as I have thoroughly enjoyed your video clips this past year + !! While understanding your frustrations, I just didn't want to see you lower your standards and reputation !! I admire you and if you look back at a lot of my comments you can see that !! All I can say right now is " Onwards and Upwards" !!
Zach I can feel your pain! The money you have into the machinery and technology is high! The only bonus I can find is your Dad who comes out and backs you up and tries to find an answer to the problem. Thank the Lord for him!
I was doing dishes and about fell over with laughter at the "Shut Up" @ 31:50. The sheer frustration that came through the video at that moment. Priceless. Can't wait for a future update to find out if you got the full machine working. I love it, keep up the great work!
man you really could feel the tension in this one. i busted up laughing when the alarm started blaring at 31:50 during his rant omg the timing. i know thats frustrating as all get out- but the level of comedy input for us viewers- that was gold. hope you get your fields done quickly and with less frustration lol.
I love the way you highlight all the problems and then thinking through the solutions . Real life stuff - no fluff. I don’t know a damn thing about farming so this channel helps me relax and takes my mind off my long days in the operating room . Keep the videos coming they make a difference ✌🏼
The comment about the quad Onyx left in the field made me laugh, such a Dad moment. Right in the middle of a "Murrika" moment, "That kid still hasn't gotten that quad ouf the field!" Too funny!
Probably your best video yet. Thank you for sharing an incredibly frustrating day with all of us. Wow. What a heroic effort. Hat's off to farmers everywhere. Incredible
This is the best episode of Millennial Farmer ever. Here's why. No one except a farmer will ever really be able to understand the pain in the frustration when you need things to go right and they just don't. When you need rain and it doesn't. When you need something to hold together for a few more acres and it doesn't. When you need something to go fast and it will only go slow or not go at all. But this episode will bring a lot of non-farmers a little closer to understanding as if we'd actually been there ourselves. Best episode ever.
Super video Zach, Becky put together one hell of a show. I feel for you man. I laughed a lot. If money wasn’t involved in the unit I would just dig a hole, reverse it in, unhook the tractor and bury it. You work way to hard to need that hardship. Keep up the great work guys.
I would like to see a "behind the scenes," because there is no way there isn't another 35 minutes of footage of Zach just ripping that rig a new one lol. I feel ya tho
@@maxy.1739 Oh yeh, gotta get the uncensored version. Oh boy, I feel the pain but I would be lying if I didn't admit to laughing out loud at several of the quips. GREAT stuff as always Zach and I really owe you in advance as this video kept me from buying one!! Carry on!!
@@MillennialFarmer totally understand. Gives you time to vent frustrations. And come back level headed with an update whether it's good news or bad. It's given in an informative way.
When you spend more time working on a piece of equipment, than the amount of time it actually works, it is time to go to plan B, and plan B does not include said equipment.
Thank you for doing TH-cam Zach you and Becky are great at it I am sorry this part of fall has been a problem for you the past 2 years I love the channel and have been watching since like under 10k I really appreciate farmers like you and my uncle who farms thank you again.
Little tip to make bleeding the system down. take the magnets out of the strainer and put them on the outside of the strainer (yes it will still do the same thing as being on the inside) then put a 1/4 turn valve in the cap with a hose attached and run to the outside of the bar makes it much easier and also makes me feel a lot safer when bleeding toolbars down
Man, I've had one or two of those days. I feel for anyone that is going through those times. However, they do pass. Thank you for sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly moments of farming with us.
Zach, if it was easy, anybody can do it. As I am sitting on my ass and watching this video, I am reminded how good I have it in my climate controlled office. Thank you for providing for us. This is a perfect example of how F-cking tough farming is and how it isn’t as easy people make it seem. I will be thinking of you when I buy by GMO free bread at Trader Joe’s in SoCal tonight. You are awesome 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I so much admire your patience and ability to keep positive. I 100% know the frustration with my farm machines, when I can´t get them to work, and I´m to stubborn to give up.
Even when things go the opposite way of what you want, Zach, you kept at it. This is the work ethic that makes things go. Say "yep, that's a crappy thing" and go right back at it. Thanks for being that guy who shows us not just the good and great but the challenging as well.
Really sorry this has been so frustrating for you Zach, however, it is really interesting to watch! Keep up the great work. From all your views and fans in Scotland
This whole video shows the frustrations we deal with on equipment and field conditions year to year as farmers. This year for me in NW Ohio it just hasn’t stopped raining. Average rainfall for me in October is around 3.4 inches. I had over 16 inches of rain in October. We still have 90% of our corn and soybeans to cut yet.
The sacrifice a farmer makes daily to put food on our tables. I appreciate it all!! You can lease to own a soil warrior that's made in your home state in Faribault MN. Definitely will handle moisture better than shanks. Good luck brother!!
I mean he's more putting booze in our bottles and gas in our tanks compared to food. I don't think he grows any food crops other than some soybeans that'll end up as a cheap bulker for shitty processed meats. I don't even think the corn goes as animal feed it's all for the ethanol plant judging by the videos.
I commented on here last year when that thing showed up that if anything had a chance of working well for him in those soils it would be a Soil Warrior. You have to have a machine that works in less than ideal conditions.I could see right off the bat that there would be issues and I bet Nate did too (40 years experience farming) but he stood by and let Zach give it every chance to work for them.
Zach! Hey buddy ~ we were with you emotionally ~ on this video and the soil condition challenges that made this method near impossible! Heads-up on this effort! You performed a great service to your fellow farmers ~ and the manufacturer ~ by trying to adapt and work through all the impedances that the soil condition threw at you! The manufacturer should have had more R&D options available for that soil. And that nitrogen "tube" should have always been a 'plug and play' part for maintenance!! Best to you, Zach!! Digger D PS ~ Dad Johnson, Next time use a BIGGER Hammer on him! lol But the 'Son' has got to try...... !
NH3 dealers here in Indiana have tanks on narrow running gears for side dressing. Those are what is needed, maybe they don't side dress that far north? We hired strip tilling done so we would not need that big of a tractor, only did a little P and all required K. N and the rest of the P went on with the planter and the rest of the N was side dressed. Worked pretty well.
I've now watched two seasons of you fighting with that machine. I feel for you, I hope you can find a better way to apply all the product without issue in the future. Good Luck Zach!
This video is exactly what I needed today. So glad the whole system is working! Got Zach smilin’ like a kid at Christmas. Great video. Edit: Spoke too soon. I’m on the roller coaster with you Zach!
Zach, even I was getting frustrated and I was just watching your video. Thank you for your dedication to farming and my hope that you get that infernal piece of equipment sold.
Much respect for thinking it through and trying to optimize your operation, even though it didn't work out in your environment. If nothing is ventured, nothing gained, but this is how we learn and other times find breakthroughs.
We tried a red setup for 4 years very similar to yours and it’s also for sale. Know your frustration. Keep your head up as Farmers we know that not everything we try will work. It’s just really frustrating when we can’t get it to work the way we want it to.
Zack, wanted you to know how much you have touched the Green Machine world. We have a 1989 JD 430 lawn tractor that has been very good to us. It is set up in the summer with a 60" mower deck and a 48" snow plow blade I push snow. I'm 73 and I still try to get it done. I also take care of my neighbors driveway. Anyway the injector pump needs some loven. I live in Pa. right where Pa. , De., and Md. corner up. Atlantic Tractor is our local dealer. They sent a roll off to pick up our unit. With in minutes the driver and I started talking about your site. Onyx's deer and how your family makes things much better knowing people like you and your family are out there. Stay well and good luck. Oh, I use to drive a winged sprinter when I was your age.
Yep here are the real farming videos. Not just the happy everything goes perfect Oh boy the real Zach is coming out This is by far the best video you have made yet Keep up the real life videos
One thing I've learned from watching you and Cole is that farming is a lot like corporate America. When the process works like it should, it's great and work is rewarding. But it seems like 75% + of the work is getting the process to work.
Wow! Not the best day. Please know all the work you put into growing our food is appreciated. I really enjoy your videos. Greetings from a city slicker in Davenport, Iowa.
I realize it is the most cost effective form of N but between that stuff is too dangerous for me! Also was told years ago that Anhydrous will destroy a significant amount of soil microbes and earthworm populations
While that's true, a lot of issues other areas have with NH3 are different here because we can wait until our soil is cold (below 50 degrees) and then it freezes solid within a couple weeks for the entire winter.
Anhydrous ammonia is not harmful to the soil when used responsibly. It is safe to use but you have to be respectful of it and careful. I have applied it and worked as an operator in a plant that makes it.
It does seem to acidify soil more quickly than using other forms of N does. And it is hard on soil life, but we don't know if there is quick recovery from the application. Much less lime has been required since NH3 use was ended.
Gotta say it sounds soo appealing to me, challenges and all! Love that kinda work myself! Used to love the new tech too, to a point. My roadgrader has 22 processors that don't always cooperate. Sometimes not so much fun! I get it! Oh well back to my dirt roads..
Hey Zach, congrats on getting your strip till bar up and running! Cool safety and convenience tip; our fertilizer company installed a ball valve in between the anhydrous hose hookup to act as a bleeder, then connected it to a plastic hose that runs back down the running gear a ways so that the bleeder isn’t dumping gas right beside where you’re unhooking and opening the bleeder. I thought it was a brilliant idea and very cheap to make life better while unhooking and hooking anhydrous tanks
I’ve got a whole fence row of machines that I finally go to that point with. Not as expensive as that setup but I didn’t have the money to loose either. Some just wore out but I kept trying to keep them going till they were well beyond fixable. Funny thing is that when I go by them I still remember how exited I was when I got each one of them to the farm! Each one was gonna be a great solution to make something easier/faster/better. I feel bad for you!
Zach, you have to add Talc Powder to both dry P and K to absorb moisture from the air system. The feed lines from the air cart will have clumps that give a false reading to feed blockage sensors. Talcum powder acts as desiccant in the air system without the use of an Air Dryer.
Zac - Another really good video, you captured a real 'slice of life' of a farmer without any 'candy-coating', thanks for showing us what 'real' farming is all about. Sometimes it's funny to hear the dogs 'talking' but sometimes the real story is not all that pretty or funny. I feel bad for your problems with the fertilizer-rig and can only imagine how frustrated you must be given the time and money you have invested in the rig. Hopefully your frustrations result in folks improving the design of this equipment. Keep-up the good work, I have been following you for 4 years, I immediately always play a Millennial Farmer video. btw, I am a engineer from Silicon Valley and have never even been on a farm -- you are educating America and the world on the bitter realities of farming. Thanks for you work on these VLOGS -- they are appreciated by close to a million subs. Bob
I would recommend trying a Kuhn-Krause Gladiator strip till bar. It can have dual bins so you can variable rate P and K and NH3 coolers so you can apply NH3. You don't need any tools to make adjustments on the strip till row unit. It does a great job.
As the Larsons say, "Climb on the struggle bus!" I'm wondering if you couldn't fabricate some kind of rig to carry along for clearing the blockages. With the mud in the anhydrous tubes you'd think a shot of pressurized water would clear that out. With the dry fertilizer, my recollection is that stuff loves to take on water so it's not surprising that it clumps and bridges. It would be nice to have some kind of agitator in the tank to break up clumps. All that said, you need to get that stuff on NOW so this is all work for the winter...if you change your mind and decide to keep the albatross.
This guy is a superb stunt double for Zack. He works all night while Mr Millenial gets his beauty sleep, my hero. Seriously though, I feel your frustration. As long as you keep waking up on the top side of the dirt, you are winning. x From Pete ,UK.
"I pulled the whole meter roll out" is now my new proverb for *what the hell am I actually doing right now* kudos zach for the efforts you put into your work
I feel for you. In the tech field we run into this often(though it’s always DNS..geeks will get that). I thought after last year you were going to toss that off in a ravine. Your pain translated in the video for sure!
I don't comment very often, but a feller had to pause and bleep bloop something down right quick. I have a massive amount of respect for farmers, and I have to say, Zach, you have much more patience than I do. There are so many systems on that rig that all have to talk to each other, and between that and the conditions that you're forced to work in, I think you managed to accomplish more than you gave yourself credit for. It was definitely a roller coaster ride of emotion, and I could tell you were genuinely frustrated. I just want to say thanks for showcasing as much as you did, and sharing your experiences, and bringing to light what farmers have to go through to bring crops in. As a proof of concept, the idea for what you're making that rig do is great, but it seems like John Deere has a few engineering issues that made product delivery less efficient. The academic side of me would have noted all of those issues and spent the off season trying to un-engineer JD's engineering to make something that would work (referring to the tubes welded into those shanks), but the realistic side of me realizes that a feat like that probably isn't something a guy wants to do after spending as much time and money on the headache already. I guess what I'm trying to say is, thanks for being you, thanks for the amazing content, and thanks for doing what you do. That goes to Zach, Becky, and all of the members of the Millennial Farmer team. Thank you all so much. I'm sorry for rambling, it's far too late in the evening and I should probably be asleep. Much love! Stay strong!
Your dad is just awesome. Zach, all snarky - "You didn't bring the ratcheting wrench." Your dad, "Want me to go get it?" What a great guy.
Yes his dad is cool person ❤️
If you listen to him speak for just a bit you can tell what a nice man he is!
That made me smile too the way you two snark at each other and have such a laugh doing it!
Wow, this guy is an amazing actor. The way he makes you feel he's actually frustrated is just amazing.
😂😂 such talent
@@MillennialFarmer i'm sure there is something like an agricultural academy award?
Zach, I've not seen you so "down in the dumps" over last night's frustrations !! I think you might have made a few statements that you didn't mean !! At least you didn't revert to cussing !! There were no bad words uttered and I commend you for that !! Yes, "it" happens and I would have thought you would be somewhat used to that, especially considering that this sort of challenge is not new to you !!
Cheer up Zach and trust in the Lord, for He will comfort you in times of frustration !! Promise !!
@@johnking8679 How's the bloody "Lord" going to help?.
This season of Millennial Farmer has been great. The writing is on point and I can really feel his anguish with that machine. I really like the Dad and Jim characters, I hope they are signed up for next season also.
Thanks for your content
🙄
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Zach, we started doing what your doing in wheat 40 years ago and quit banding 39 years ago, we banded on our potatoes planters for 10 years then quit because of the same frustration you just went thru, we will probably start putting done some fungicide with 2of the five potato planters we run but it will be a extremely simple set up and only one product, all the technology in the world is worthless if itlikits your ability to get it done, we can put a man on the moon, but have trouble building electronics that will function consistently in Earth's environment, good luck and nice job, I felt every pain in the ... You were going thru, but we are a blessed bunch👍😀
wait, it's scripted?
@@fruit5488, totally scripted. That's a midwestener playing a midwestener farmer. You could almost say they typecast the roll.
Zach, first off every farmer that watched that felt your frustration right along with you. We have all been through those days and hardships
Second, this is probably one of your most important video series. So many people want to tell farmers what to do because it works for someone else or would “be a better way to farm”. This video series demonstrated that not every piece of dirt is identical, not everyone’s climate is identical, and one farming practice that works great in one area of the country does not work everywhere else. And sometimes we spend hundreds of thousand of dollars trying to make something work that just won’t.
Thank you for not only sharing your highs and successes but also your lows and trials (I didn’t say failure because as long as your learning your not failing). Thank you for keeping it real.
^^^ This, absolutely THIS^^^
There are extremely few things in life that are 100% of "something". Off/on, yes/no, good/bad, black/white, stop/go, short-term/long-term, and so forth; I don't know how/why/when/where that started, and I won't get into societal engineering or whatever the right term for that is but, that thinking is actually non-thinking, non-reasoning, non problem-solving, non-accepting, and flat-out laziness.
I am not slamming or blaming anyone in particular here, and definitely not Zach. I guess I just needed to vent. If I can see this happening then "smart people" should see it too, right? Ha, I just asked a yes/no question while railing against such a thing. Ugh, frustrating. UGGHHH!!!!
FWIW: being at the forefront, on the leading edge of anything, is expensive.
Zach, thanks for showing us just how "easy" farming is and reminding us that the farmers never win. I really hope that you find a way to do your all in one tillage and fertilization for the best yields, minimal compaction, and less fuel costs.
All I got to say is WOW! Your portrayal as the millennial farmer was fantastic this video! Truly I was convinced that you are a farmer frustrated with the equipment. Well done sir. Excellent acting
Hollywood should be calling any minute now....
This just might be the best display of an emotional roller coaster from Zach we’ve ever seen.
Your patience is amazing. Knowing what’s coming has to frustrating.
@MINA SCRAM, MINA!! We ALL ignoring you!
@@deadghost1964 bots don't care lol
Been where you are without all the zeros feel for you . And those who say your your a great actor tell them to go back to video games.
@MINA__♋️ You're in the wrong area !! Now, go away, please !!
@@b2617 I know, I just picking on the Bot as they are picking on us! Pay back feels good!
Zack your Dad is priceless you are so lucky to have a Father like that. What a Guy and Handsome also. God Bless all.
Zach… as a fellow strip tiller I totally feel your pain. I have spent many many hour’s in frustration and discouragement. Not so much from the technology communication issues, but from the games Mother Nature plays on us as strip tillers. The late October and November rains that don’t dry up, the frosty high humidity mornings and evenings that make fertilizer sticky, and the sticky dirt that just doesn’t want to flow. I have thrown my hand up and walked away more times than I can count. I have since switched gears to a colter machine, and let me tell you the taste of victory is so so sweet. Residents south central MN.
And now the MN Millenial farmer understands the frustrations of an air drill pilot. We go through this every year at the start of the seeding season. I had to re-seed a hundred acres this year because of a blockage.
Sounds like you should invest into a blockage monitor
I'm glad that we only have a 4m wide drill. :'D
Dry fertilizer can be a pain in the ass especially with an air drill . We switched to liquid and apply seed, all P and K with a small amount of N and ammonia at seeding all in one pass. Costs more but to me its worth it. The major benefit is the P and K are immediately available to the plant.
you need some blockage monitors
@@bzs187 that is exactly what we have
The frustration has to suck but the multiple end scenes had me dying of laughter 😂😂
me too!
My respect for farmers has increased 10 fold since finding this channel. Keep up the good fight Zach and family! Best channel on TH-cam without a doubt.
Yes indeed l enjoy your videos 🤠
I third that.
Farming is difficult enough without faulty machinery. Sorry for your pain.
This actor deserves an Emmy award for that performance. The acting was so well that frustration seemed so real. Excellent work.
This guy is not an actor he is an actual farmer I’ve been following the guy for a long time
@@jethrob258 He claims himself he’s “the actor who plays the Millennial Farmer”
Clearly that joke went over your head🤦♂️
@@jethrob258 it was a joke bro....
"That little puff there?" "I wouldn't worry about that little puff." Awesome Super Troopers reference and bravo Zach for pushing through the challenges and sharing your joy with us all.
Anyone else watching Zach do all this and being reminded of Clark Griswald hooking up the Christmas lights. 😂😂😂😂
I'd be more like his brother-inlaw emptying the waste from his motorhome Into the Storm sewer. I would just stand on top of the machine and hose it all down and laugh and go home. I actually used three other words rather than laugh but TH-cam doesn't like to post my comments then. Sad part is the Corps are trying to thin out the Millennial population now with stressed out heart attacks. They designed a virus that was supposed to do us bummers in "their major liabilities", but it didn't work. We're some tough old shifts!
😂🤣🤣 that's a solid analogy
That is spot on!
@@MillennialFarmer could the mud have been freezing in the tubes?
Zach: "IT'S ONLY GOT WORSE!!...AND I HAVEN'T FINISHED MY SUPPER!!..." "SHUT UP!!!" 🤣🤣 I spit up my drink when you did that!!!
That moment made me laugh. Great moment. 😂
Definitely laughed out loud, and scared the dog at that! 😂
The pain of having all the bells and whistles! For them to continuously all at once go off
I’m sorry Zach but that part was hilarious 🤣
That was all from the heart lol. No acting classes needed
That winch in the hitch was a thing of absolute beauty. Makes those times working solo so much easier! Love getting to see all these cool toys you get to play with.
Could you put an offset hitch or hydraulic adjustable hitch to help align the wagon tires with the row?
They make wagons that have adjustable tire widths we even have the big double wagons that are setup to stay off 30” rows because we strip till with our toolbars that said tho it’s just another thing that has to be adjusted and time spent setting things up
It's such a sweet idea. And a hydraulic winch on a tractor should almost come standard now that I think about it.
We had extandable tongues on all our silage wagons and gravity boxes.
But now they make them so the things pull apart if they're not latched. Took away half the convenience.
Thanks for keeping at the camera even when you are frustrated with what's going on. Makes everyone see farming isn't always easy.
When is it EVER easy? LOL
Great video. What surprised me the most, was not the equipment malfunctions as much as the failure of the monitoring systems to notice them. There were times I thought ‘jeepers technology has come so far’ and then ‘we’ve been missing putting down product for I don’t know how long’ comes along and I conclude maybe we haven’t. Frustrations in farming is real. Thanks for the reminder.
As a fellow farmer thank you Zach for talking about rising fertilizer prices, and input costs.... it's getting very discouraging
You can thank our "wonderful" Uncle Joe and his friends for that!!
At the farm show a few years ago I had an Ag tire dealer tell me they “had to get their cut too”.
@@TeezleySPT Well they do. Imagine if someone at the grocery store was mad about food prices and said "I heard a farmer say they have to get their cut too". I mean yeah no shit.
@@korywieber8397 Google is your friend, man. Fertilizer shortages are GLOBAL including in places that don't even know who tf sleepy joe is much less under his control. i assume you're not a farmer and are just spouting off but either way the trade journals are free to read on the internet. im not talking about entertainment news like nbc or cnn or fox. trade journals have the real story about why prices are where they are.
Yes I am a dairy farmer
One thing I’ve learned in 47 years of farming not to mention other life events is that sometimes you just need to know when to cut your losses.
Louis Rossmann has a nice saying to that... "Don't get caught up in the sunken cost fallacy"
Even if you have sunk a lot of money into it and it still isn't working, you have to slam on the brakes and ignore what you have lost, he had to do it with a contractor that scammed him, and Zach and you know it with farm equipment.
Like these flippin ISX engines....
Have watched the farmers here all to often experience break downs and stoppage one after another with wonder how they still smile. Then i saw the 10 year old work his first field alone in an 8 wheel Deere and mom and dad drive off with big smiles.Its things like that i feel keeps farmers sane.Grateful for all you do to feed us quality food.
Zach, I noticed the larger size of the mesh on the screens in the top of the dry fertilizer tanks. Many years back, when we injected dry fertilizer, the rig we had used a much finer screen. A person would have thought that it would really slow down the loading, but it wasn't too bad. On the flip side, if the screen allows anything larger through than the narrow width of the tubes on the back of the knives, the tubes are going to plug and waste more time. With wetter conditions the tubes on the knives would plug for various other reasons too, but eliminating the small marble sized chunks helped a lot. Fixing plugs were always a hassle, but we were saving about 50% on fertilizer which helped to offset the frustration. Keep up the great work. I enjoy your videos.
Zach, I was only trying to help as I have thoroughly enjoyed your video clips this past year + !! While understanding your frustrations, I just didn't want to see you lower your standards and reputation !! I admire you and if you look back at a lot of my comments you can see that !! All I can say right now is
" Onwards and Upwards" !!
Probably my favorite video yet. Kudos to you for not giving up and for taking a moment to appreciate that sunrise. God bless you and your family!
The joy in your voice when it started working. Fair play for sorting it no better feeling top job Zac.
Zach I can feel your pain! The money you have into the machinery and technology is high! The only bonus I can find is your Dad who comes out and backs you up and tries to find an answer to the problem. Thank the Lord for him!
Thank the Lord for every Dad that cares and stays the course in good times and bad!
I was doing dishes and about fell over with laughter at the "Shut Up" @ 31:50. The sheer frustration that came through the video at that moment. Priceless. Can't wait for a future update to find out if you got the full machine working. I love it, keep up the great work!
man you really could feel the tension in this one. i busted up laughing when the alarm started blaring at 31:50 during his rant omg the timing. i know thats frustrating as all get out- but the level of comedy input for us viewers- that was gold. hope you get your fields done quickly and with less frustration lol.
I love the way you highlight all the problems and then thinking through the solutions . Real life stuff - no fluff. I don’t know a damn thing about farming so this channel helps me relax and takes my mind off my long days in the operating room . Keep the videos coming they make a difference ✌🏼
Great father being so supportive of your testing and attempts.
Not going to say a lot. Just thank you and to your dad for all that you do. God Bless
Yes yes yes!! You nailed fert price “issue” glad we’re not the only ones
then raise the American flag and then play Rage Agains the Machine. A massive contradiction in terms.
I thought FBN was the solution to input costs ???
@@davidhayes2567 my thoughts also when he said that
Probably one of my favourite videos so far on the channel. Your determination and patience with that unit is amazing 👏
Thank you and all of our great farmers.
The comment about the quad Onyx left in the field made me laugh, such a Dad moment. Right in the middle of a "Murrika" moment, "That kid still hasn't gotten that quad ouf the field!" Too funny!
Onyx, ...
Man I totally forgot about that quad.
It's the Lowry Legend, actor and racecar driver extraordinaire, Zach Johnson
I can't be the only one that was waiting for the, "Were really doing it Harry" excited quote when he actually got it all working together.
Yes!!! I was waiting for it too!!
I was too, come on Zach lol
Probably your best video yet. Thank you for sharing an incredibly frustrating day with all of us. Wow. What a heroic effort. Hat's off to farmers everywhere. Incredible
God bless you, as a farmer in England I know your pain and it’s infuriating, well done for sticking to it. Best of luck to you.
And God bless you as well! You feed the world. Thank you.
Defiantly your best video in a long time. I love the persistence and the don’t give up attitude. Real life problems.
Kudos to you Zach for trying to innovate and do practices that might make a difference. I know you’re defeated now but keep pushing man!
This is the best episode of Millennial Farmer ever. Here's why.
No one except a farmer will ever really be able to understand the pain in the frustration when you need things to go right and they just don't. When you need rain and it doesn't. When you need something to hold together for a few more acres and it doesn't. When you need something to go fast and it will only go slow or not go at all.
But this episode will bring a lot of non-farmers a little closer to understanding as if we'd actually been there ourselves.
Best episode ever.
Super video Zach, Becky put together one hell of a show. I feel for you man. I laughed a lot. If money wasn’t involved in the unit I would just dig a hole, reverse it in, unhook the tractor and bury it. You work way to hard to need that hardship. Keep up the great work guys.
I would like to see a "behind the scenes," because there is no way there isn't another 35 minutes of footage of Zach just ripping that rig a new one lol. I feel ya tho
I'm certain in would be a 5 hour marathon on frustrations verbalized.
Behind the scenes AND uncensored
@@maxy.1739 Oh yeh, gotta get the uncensored version. Oh boy, I feel the pain but I would be lying if I didn't admit to laughing out loud at several of the quips. GREAT stuff as always Zach and I really owe you in advance as this video kept me from buying one!! Carry on!!
Most of those moments I just don't bother with the camera!
@@MillennialFarmer totally understand. Gives you time to vent frustrations. And come back level headed with an update whether it's good news or bad. It's given in an informative way.
When you spend more time working on a piece of equipment, than the amount of time it actually works, it is time to go to plan B, and plan B does not include said equipment.
I truly feel sorry for your troubles. But you sir, are an extremely entertaining person!
Very FLUSTERED .. With very Technical Things.. Awesome seeing u Zakk and ur Dad😊
I love to watch you and your father you are a man of many jobs you make me tired trying to keep up thank you for all you FIM tack care GODBLESS ALL
And that, folks, is farming. I've had many, many days like that. So frustrating. But one of your best videos, Zach. Thank you.
Thank you for doing TH-cam Zach you and Becky are great at it I am sorry this part of fall has been a problem for you the past 2 years I love the channel and have been watching since like under 10k I really appreciate farmers like you and my uncle who farms thank you again.
Zach: I'm going to play some "Rage against the Machine"...how appropriate. 😂
Thank you for flying our flag, it makes me feel good to have served and the freedom we share.
Gotta love "Dad". He just seems so wholesome......
Little tip to make bleeding the system down. take the magnets out of the strainer and put them on the outside of the strainer (yes it will still do the same thing as being on the inside) then put a 1/4 turn valve in the cap with a hose attached and run to the outside of the bar makes it much easier and also makes me feel a lot safer when bleeding toolbars down
Man, I've had one or two of those days. I feel for anyone that is going through those times. However, they do pass. Thank you for sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly moments of farming with us.
Zach, if it was easy, anybody can do it. As I am sitting on my ass and watching this video, I am reminded how good I have it in my climate controlled office. Thank you for providing for us. This is a perfect example of how F-cking tough farming is and how it isn’t as easy people make it seem. I will be thinking of you when I buy by GMO free bread at Trader Joe’s in SoCal tonight. You are awesome 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
You have good sentiment, but MMF seems to earn his bread and butter on GMO products. His non-GMO is just test plots. Correct me if I'm wrong.
I so much admire your patience and ability to keep positive. I 100% know the frustration with my farm machines, when I can´t get them to work, and I´m to stubborn to give up.
Even when things go the opposite way of what you want, Zach, you kept at it. This is the work ethic that makes things go. Say "yep, that's a crappy thing" and go right back at it. Thanks for being that guy who shows us not just the good and great but the challenging as well.
Really sorry this has been so frustrating for you Zach, however, it is really interesting to watch! Keep up the great work. From all your views and fans in Scotland
This whole video shows the frustrations we deal with on equipment and field conditions year to year as farmers. This year for me in NW Ohio it just hasn’t stopped raining. Average rainfall for me in October is around 3.4 inches. I had over 16 inches of rain in October. We still have 90% of our corn and soybeans to cut yet.
You can always send the rain to us here in nor cal. Had a total crop lost to drought..
@@Theghostofpeter if I had a way to do that definitely would. Our July was wet up here as well and stunned the soybean crop.
@@putnamredneck, I know you would. We got more rain in October than all of last year.
The sacrifice a farmer makes daily to put food on our tables. I appreciate it all!! You can lease to own a soil warrior that's made in your home state in Faribault MN. Definitely will handle moisture better than shanks. Good luck brother!!
I mean he's more putting booze in our bottles and gas in our tanks compared to food. I don't think he grows any food crops other than some soybeans that'll end up as a cheap bulker for shitty processed meats. I don't even think the corn goes as animal feed it's all for the ethanol plant judging by the videos.
I'll agree that he works hard,but he does'nt exatly do it for free,they make big money at it.
@@michelchartrand7257 yeah real big money. Lmao clueless to how much stuff costs
I commented on here last year when that thing showed up that if anything had a chance of working well for him in those soils it would be a Soil Warrior. You have to have a machine that works in less than ideal conditions.I could see right off the bat that there would be issues and I bet Nate did too (40 years experience farming) but he stood by and let Zach give it every chance to work for them.
@@ericrudgers6816 Have you seen his house? Hes not poor.
The only farmer who tells it how it is. It's why he's the best on utube.
Zach! Hey buddy ~ we were with you emotionally ~ on this video and the soil condition challenges that made this method near impossible! Heads-up on this effort! You performed a great service to your fellow farmers ~ and the manufacturer ~ by trying to adapt and work through all the impedances that the soil condition threw at you! The manufacturer should have had more R&D options available for that soil. And that nitrogen "tube" should have always been a 'plug and play' part for maintenance!! Best to you, Zach!! Digger D
PS ~ Dad Johnson, Next time use a BIGGER Hammer on him! lol But the 'Son' has got to try...... !
Just make a hitch to offset the anhydrous tank to the left or to the right
Good idea
Probably be cheaper solution unless the coop has different tanks already
NH3 dealers here in Indiana have tanks on narrow running gears for side dressing. Those are what is needed, maybe they don't side dress that far north? We hired strip tilling done so we would not need that big of a tractor, only did a little P and all required K. N and the rest of the P went on with the planter and the rest of the N was side dressed. Worked pretty well.
I'd park cross wind so if an electronic valve gets stuck open you can still reach the tank if the cultivator is venting.
I've now watched two seasons of you fighting with that machine. I feel for you, I hope you can find a better way to apply all the product without issue in the future. Good Luck Zach!
Once you get the bugs worked out they run flawlessly. Sometimes it’s a struggle to get them all figured out
This video is exactly what I needed today. So glad the whole system is working! Got Zach smilin’ like a kid at Christmas. Great video.
Edit: Spoke too soon. I’m on the roller coaster with you Zach!
Zach, even I was getting frustrated and I was just watching your video. Thank you for your dedication to farming and my hope that you get that infernal piece of equipment sold.
Much respect for thinking it through and trying to optimize your operation, even though it didn't work out in your environment. If nothing is ventured, nothing gained, but this is how we learn and other times find breakthroughs.
glad to see you wearing glasses when you are working with that stuff Zak!
We tried a red setup for 4 years very similar to yours and it’s also for sale. Know your frustration. Keep your head up as Farmers we know that not everything we try will work. It’s just really frustrating when we can’t get it to work the way we want it to.
Zack, wanted you to know how much you have touched the Green Machine world. We have a 1989 JD 430 lawn tractor that has been very good to us. It is set up in the summer with a 60" mower deck and a 48" snow plow blade I push snow. I'm 73 and I still try to get it done. I also take care of my neighbors driveway. Anyway the injector pump needs some loven. I live in Pa. right where Pa. , De., and Md. corner up. Atlantic Tractor is our local dealer. They sent a roll off to pick up our unit. With in minutes the driver and I started talking about your site. Onyx's deer and how your family makes things much better knowing people like you and your family are out there. Stay well and good luck. Oh, I use to drive a winged sprinter when I was your age.
You are the best, because you were your heart on your sleeve. Top video Zach. 👍👍👏
Yep here are the real farming videos. Not just the happy everything goes perfect
Oh boy the real Zach is coming out
This is by far the best video you have made yet
Keep up the real life videos
One thing I've learned from watching you and Cole is that farming is a lot like corporate America. When the process works like it should, it's great and work is rewarding. But it seems like 75% + of the work is getting the process to work.
Always with the best farm videos.
Wow! Not the best day. Please know all the work you put into growing our food is appreciated. I really enjoy your videos. Greetings from a city slicker in Davenport, Iowa.
I loved this episode - so real. Ups and downs, then downs, downs, downs, then rage against the machine. Quality viewing.
I remember filling anhydrous tanks back in the day, we would use the hose to cool down our pop.
"I love it when a plan comes together" - Hannibal Smith
I ain't gettin on NO plane Hannibal!
Bahahaha
I realize it is the most cost effective form of N but between that stuff is too dangerous for me! Also was told years ago that Anhydrous will destroy a significant amount of soil microbes and earthworm populations
While that's true, a lot of issues other areas have with NH3 are different here because we can wait until our soil is cold (below 50 degrees) and then it freezes solid within a couple weeks for the entire winter.
Anhydrous ammonia is not harmful to the soil when used responsibly. It is safe to use but you have to be respectful of it and careful. I have applied it and worked as an operator in a plant that makes it.
It does seem to acidify soil more quickly than using other forms of N does. And it is hard on soil life, but we don't know if there is quick recovery from the application. Much less lime has been required since NH3 use was ended.
Gotta say it sounds soo appealing to me, challenges and all! Love that kinda work myself! Used to love the new tech too, to a point. My roadgrader has 22 processors that don't always cooperate. Sometimes not so much fun! I get it! Oh well back to my dirt roads..
Hey Zach, congrats on getting your strip till bar up and running! Cool safety and convenience tip; our fertilizer company installed a ball valve in between the anhydrous hose hookup to act as a bleeder, then connected it to a plastic hose that runs back down the running gear a ways so that the bleeder isn’t dumping gas right beside where you’re unhooking and opening the bleeder. I thought it was a brilliant idea and very cheap to make life better while unhooking and hooking anhydrous tanks
As someone who puts all their seed down with a 1910 air cart, this video was very real for me.
yep, very frustrating until you get them figured out.
I’ve got a whole fence row of machines that I finally go to that point with. Not as expensive as that setup but I didn’t have the money to loose either. Some just wore out but I kept trying to keep them going till they were well beyond fixable. Funny thing is that when I go by them I still remember how exited I was when I got each one of them to the farm! Each one was gonna be a great solution to make something easier/faster/better. I feel bad for you!
Zach, you have to add Talc Powder to both dry P and K to absorb moisture from the air system. The feed lines from the air cart will have clumps that give a false reading to feed blockage sensors. Talcum powder acts as desiccant in the air system without the use of an Air Dryer.
They did that on previous seasons but didn't show it this year.
Love seeing you flying the flag. Fly Army. Enjoying the channel. Tks for sharing.
Zac - Another really good video, you captured a real 'slice of life' of a farmer without any 'candy-coating', thanks for showing us what 'real' farming is all about. Sometimes it's funny to hear the dogs 'talking' but sometimes the real story is not all that pretty or funny. I feel bad for your problems with the fertilizer-rig and can only imagine how frustrated you must be given the time and money you have invested in the rig. Hopefully your frustrations result in folks improving the design of this equipment. Keep-up the good work, I have been following you for 4 years, I immediately always play a Millennial Farmer video. btw, I am a engineer from Silicon Valley and have never even been on a farm -- you are educating America and the world on the bitter realities of farming. Thanks for you work on these VLOGS -- they are appreciated by close to a million subs. Bob
I would recommend trying a Kuhn-Krause Gladiator strip till bar. It can have dual bins so you can variable rate P and K and NH3 coolers so you can apply NH3. You don't need any tools to make adjustments on the strip till row unit. It does a great job.
Jk bj ik I ij I i*iij jik I j iij I iij iki(kkki no
I agree. Best strip till hands down
Your dad is an awesome teacher. Still letting you screw up on your own. Patience young grasshopper you will one day be as wise as he.
As the Larsons say, "Climb on the struggle bus!"
I'm wondering if you couldn't fabricate some kind of rig to carry along for clearing the blockages. With the mud in the anhydrous tubes you'd think a shot of pressurized water would clear that out.
With the dry fertilizer, my recollection is that stuff loves to take on water so it's not surprising that it clumps and bridges. It would be nice to have some kind of agitator in the tank to break up clumps.
All that said, you need to get that stuff on NOW so this is all work for the winter...if you change your mind and decide to keep the albatross.
Re the pressurized water - Water would flow both ways ; is the anhydrous cold enough in the tubes that any water might freeze?
You have the patience of a saint!! I don’t think I would have stuck it out that long. Rob from the 🇬🇧
This guy is a superb stunt double for Zack. He works all night while Mr Millenial gets his beauty sleep, my hero. Seriously though, I feel your frustration. As long as you keep waking up on the top side of the dirt, you are winning. x From Pete ,UK.
"I pulled the whole meter roll out" is now my new proverb for *what the hell am I actually doing right now*
kudos zach for the efforts you put into your work
I feel for you. In the tech field we run into this often(though it’s always DNS..geeks will get that). I thought after last year you were going to toss that off in a ravine. Your pain translated in the video for sure!
Zach, I am always blown away by the amount of general knowledge you need to keep things running on your farm. Jack of all trades indeed!
-John
I don't comment very often, but a feller had to pause and bleep bloop something down right quick. I have a massive amount of respect for farmers, and I have to say, Zach, you have much more patience than I do. There are so many systems on that rig that all have to talk to each other, and between that and the conditions that you're forced to work in, I think you managed to accomplish more than you gave yourself credit for. It was definitely a roller coaster ride of emotion, and I could tell you were genuinely frustrated. I just want to say thanks for showcasing as much as you did, and sharing your experiences, and bringing to light what farmers have to go through to bring crops in. As a proof of concept, the idea for what you're making that rig do is great, but it seems like John Deere has a few engineering issues that made product delivery less efficient. The academic side of me would have noted all of those issues and spent the off season trying to un-engineer JD's engineering to make something that would work (referring to the tubes welded into those shanks), but the realistic side of me realizes that a feat like that probably isn't something a guy wants to do after spending as much time and money on the headache already. I guess what I'm trying to say is, thanks for being you, thanks for the amazing content, and thanks for doing what you do. That goes to Zach, Becky, and all of the members of the Millennial Farmer team. Thank you all so much. I'm sorry for rambling, it's far too late in the evening and I should probably be asleep. Much love! Stay strong!
Your patience is amazing and having all of the frustrations that you have had God bless
So complicated....NASA is now requiring 5 years of farming experience to enter astronaut training school.
Absolutely! I was thinking the same thing. Got to be smart to be a farmer.