By ANN ALLEN
Indiana Correspondent

CULVER, Ind. — The weather was balmy, the fields relatively dry and, for members of the Fulton County Historical Power Assoc. (FCHPA), that meant one thing: Time to plow.

Plowing with a moldboard plow, once a rite of spring, has become a thing of the past for most farmers. According to Jim Sheetz, a sales representative for New Holland Rochester, the only way anyone can buy a new four- or five-bottom plow is to have it custom-built.
“We can get one- or two-bottom plows for garden use,” he said, “but no big plows.”

That doesn’t stop old-time plowing devotees, and the April 10 plow day at Larry Zechiel’s farm at the western edge of Fulton County proved it. Still, the dearth of plows was felt with these aficionados, as well. More than one operator was heard to lament his inability to find a suitable old plow.

While the trend to no-till has rendered full-till passé, it has by no means dampened the spirits of FCHPA members.

“This is a lot of fun,” Larry Zechiel said, while watching 37 other members make short work of turning under last year’s soybean stubble while driving vintage tractors that included John Deere, Farmall, Agri Power, Black Hawk and Minneapolis-Moline, down to newer pint-sized garden tractors.

Zechiel rents his 300-acre farm to his son, Dean, but the two agreed everything except a field of alfalfa could be plowed as preparation for this year’s corn crop.

“This worked out good,” the senior Zechiel observed. “It goes right along with his rotation.”

The 170-member FCHPA meets the second Tuesday of each month at the Fulton County Historical Society museum north of Rochester. Founded in 2003 for residents of Fulton and surrounding counties, it is currently headed by Rich Rensberger, president.

“Seems like it keeps getting bigger all the time,” Zechiel said. “It’s a fun thing. I kind of enjoy it. It’s good for people to be able to do if they want to.”