View from the Cab: Goodbye, old friend
By: Kent Casson
Through all of life’s ups and downs we are all there for each other. And in the world of farming, our trusted tractors are there through it all too.
As the kids and I drove our soon-to-be-traded John Deere 9400 tractor to the dealership the other day, I couldn’t help but think of all the memories in the cab of that old articulated machine. Kasen had just turned a year old when we originally got the tractor in late 2011 while Kenadee and Kaislee weren’t even born yet.
The first spring we had the tractor was also my first year as a farmer. I used it to even off the ground ahead of the planter on my little field. I recall Mom taking my grandma for a ride one afternoon and they stopped along the side of the road to say hello and couldn’t get over how big of a machine this was.
Many summers were spent washing off the tractor and getting dirty as the mud flew off of those huge dual wheels. We even waxed it a time or two to preserve the look even though it was a bit faded and worn toward the end.
Kasen rode along as a toddler when we were only a family of three. Then, as a few years passed by, that tractor was with our family through heartbreak as we lost my mom and grandpa within a couple of months in 2016. My great uncle was kind enough to jump into the machine when we needed some help that spring. This was a tractor he used to operate so it was special to him. Sadly, we lost John a couple of years after that but we will never forget his help and the unique story he had with that tractor.
After our daughters were born, the spring and fall tillage experience was even more exciting as we filled that cab with plenty of love and laughter. I taught Kasen how to shift gears and spent many days in that cab doing what I enjoy while savoring every moment in the open fields of Central Illinois. When life’s challenges get to you, just ride in a tractor like that for an hour and you are guaranteed to smile.
I spent several days in the 9400 tractor working ground in the spring during the early days of the pandemic. In April 2020, no one knew whether or not it was safe to be out and about, but we knew the tractor was safe. Our Casson family of five crammed into that cab and had the best time one spring morning. It is something we will always look back on with fondness in a time of social distancing, remote learning for school and shutdowns. This reminded us that agriculture kept going even in a world where other industries were stopping.
The farewell was brief the other day when we left the used tractor lot, but the memories will always stay with me. Goodbye, old friend.
Comments