I Think His Tractor's Sexy- at least I think it's a tractor...

implement
— n
1.	a piece of equipment; tool or utensil: gardening implements
2.	something used to achieve a purpose; agent

I have never been quite so humbled as I was am when learning about farming. I say this not to make my fellow farmer feel bad, but rather because farming for me is like learning a new language. And if you have ever attempted such a feat as learning a new language, it takes time, can be awkward and is harder the older you get- much like one's dating life.

Take for instance, farming implements. To clarify, an implement can include but is not limited to the following: tractor, combine, sprayer, grain cart, disc, sweep, drill, strip till. And unless you have spent time with our around someone who farms and uses said items, you are likely unfamiliar, don't know what they look like or the purposes they serve.  In my prior life, BF (before farming), my notice of them while driving along the interstate was minimal and when I did, the conversations I had with myself were liable to go a little something like this: 

Kat- "Look at that big thing in that field of something pulling that other thing that probably uses up a lot of gas and costs lots of money. 

Needless to say, I'm making the distinction now. Below are a couple of implements crucial to our farm operation. We do use all the items I listed above (and probably some others), but to ensure you come back for more, I will only start with a couple for today's post- riveting, I know. Tim will argue, as I just learned, that tractors and combines are not really implements. He considers an implement to be any item you attach and pull from a tractor or combine. Semantics. 

Now I realize many people know what a tractor is (or at least what it looks like) but do you know the main purpose of a tractor for our farm? We produce mostly corn and wheat and this 'lil guy helps Farmer Tim to plant the seed, lay fertilizer so our seeds grow, spray chemical so weeds don't choke the seeds out and provide inspiration for a little ditty by Kenny Chesney. 

Farmer Tim's Totally Trippin' Tractor

The combine is a little more near and dear to my heart, because assuming we do everything else correctly (and the weather cooperates- ha!), the combine is how we reap our harvest every July and October. It's used to pick the crop, and without it, we'd have no money and you'd have no food (a slight exaggeration, but you get the idea). 

Combine in action during wheat harvest, Summer 2011

Stay tuned as I share more about our implement family. It's exciting. And if nothing else, you can tuck these nuggets of farm wisdom away for that company picnic this summer when you're looking for ways to impress the boss or keep the conversation going.