A Family Affair
Dairy Farming in Iowa, USA
Alton, Iowa Phil Kleinhesselink, wife Jeanie, and sons Cody (12 years of age) and Logan (9) are living the kind of life that’s increasingly rare these days – running the family farm. Working a quarter section near Alton in the northwest corner of Iowa, the Kleinhesselink family operates a dairy operation with a herd of 60 Holsteins. They raise 60 acres of alfalfa and 70 acres of corn for forage.
“We’re proud to have a century farm,” says Phil. “I took over from my Dad and it means a lot to keep it in the family.” Jeanie Kleinhesselink works as a nurse-practitioner four days a week but helps out with keeping the books and many other tasks around the farm. Cody and Logan do their fair share of chores – Cody’s chief responsibility is taking care of the baby calves. “We raise all our replacement cattle,” says Phil. “Cody’s job is to feed the young heifers before he heads off to school in the morning. He’s not too talkative when he comes into the barn at 5:30 a.m. but he gets the job done!”
Phil’s day starts even earlier – “I’m out of bed at 4 a.m. and ready to start milking by 4:30 a.m.” The milking operation is fully mechanized with a double six pit. Even so, it takes Phil 2 hours and 15 minutes from start to finish, twice a day. At the present time, Phil handles all the milking, cultivating, feed-grinding chores by himself. “I am hoping to build a new barn and increase the herd size to 100, or even 120 cattle,” says Phil. “If those plans work out, I’ll hire a half-time employee.”
Despite the fact that running the family farm presents very little opportunity for leisure, the Kleinhesselinks have developed a passion for tractor pulling competition. “What we run are essentially garden tractors,” says Phil. “We have two 16 h.p. Cub Cadets which we’ve ‘refined’ and a home made Mini Rod with a V8 engine with more horse power than you know what to do with!” Phil, Jeanie, and Cody all compete and Logan is champing at the bit until he’s 10 and old enough to join them. “Unfortunately, Logan’s birthday isn’t until November so he will have to sit out this summer’s action,” says Phil.
Competition puts quite a strain on the tractors since each may pull a weight in excess of four times the weight of the tractor. According to Phil, “We consider it a success if we can drive them onto the trailer at the end of the day without too much damage having been done!”
The Kleinhesselinks belong to the Northwest Iowa Tractor Pullers’ Association and will compete in as many events as they can manage this summer. “With all the responsibilities of running the farm, it’s hard for us to ever get away for a break. We look on our one-day jaunts to compete at County Fairs and other events as mini-vacations. It’s great to get together with friends and neighbours and catch up on the news.”
The other great attraction of tractor pulling is that it’s a sport which the whole family can enjoy. “When you look around and see teenagers having fun with their parents, you know you’re onto something good,” says Phil with a laugh.
PULLING TOGETHER
What with their day-to-day farming requirements and their passion for tractor pulling fun, the Kleinhesselinks demand a lot from the equipment they operate. Fortunately, Phil worked for 12 years as a mechanic before he started farming. Some time ago, the local Power Up dealer invited Phil to attend one of his presentations and Phil was impressed with what he saw.
“I’ve gone through two winters now using Power Up products and I think they’re just great,” says Phil. “My hydraulics don’t cavitate like they used to. I’ve especially noticed a difference on my skid loader. Before I used Power Up, the hydraulic filter light used to stay on for maybe five minutes after I started it up on a cold morning. Now the light’s on for 30 seconds or less. You just know everything’s getting lubricated.”
Phil is the first to admit that despite his mechanical background he still occasionally mistreats his equipment. “Last fall we were chopping corn silage and I did something that any mechanic should know not to do, but I did it anyway. Rain was forecast and I just had to get the job done. We began to lose anti-freeze into the crankcase -we were using about a gallon and a half each day. But we ran that thing under full load for about 8 hours at a stretch for 3 and a half days straight. I pulled it apart just this winter and there’s no damage – the crankshaft’s good, the bearings are still good. A whole pail of Power Up NNL 690 would not come close to the cost of replacing the crankshaft that I should, by rights, have had to tear out. ”
Phil is also a firm believer in the benefits of Thixogrease. “I use Thixogrease on just about everything and especially on my silo motor which is probably the most abused piece of equipment on a farm. Everyone hates to drag the grease gun up there to grease it. Typically, it gets done once a year – when it’s empty! The great thing about Thixogrease is that it really seems to hold.”
Phil’s experience has really sold him on the value of Power Up products. “Power Up gives you the feeling that you’ve got this extra bit of protection if you don’t catch a problem right away.”