150926 Harris drainage ditch project
How we spent our weekend of fun at the farm.
Karen admiring the backhoe. The farmhouse is on top of the 80' hill behind the trees.
I was always dreading the possibility of a cost of $60,000 to $80,000 for my share of reconditioning a 2 mile drainage ditch, more than a mile of which was on my land.
.. BUT an adjacent neighbor decided it was worth it to him to clean the entire ditch himself. $2,000 per week to rent machinery and only wanted permission from me, no money, ... but I am giving him some anyway ... I got off easy ... and he's doing all the work.
. . The ditch keeps many acres of good cropland from flooding (17 of my acres). The ditch was heavily wooded, trees now gone, next the ditch will be deepened.
The ditch couldn't handle a 7" rain, 17 acres of my corn land flooded.
View from my old farmhouse picture window. The woods in back is where I got all my firewood.
The ditch is along the leading edge of the corn. There's a lake behind the trees, so all the deer had to travel on my back 40.. could see them from the house.
From partway back, you can see my old barn (center) on the ridge. The ditch WAS heavily wooded, trees now gone. The ditch goes to the base of the ridge, and still goes 1/4 mile behind me to the back of the wooded 40 acres. My neighbor plans to finish the ditching project in less than 3 weeks ??
Amazing power (SE end of ditch)
This WAS lined with trees...
W end of E 40 looking toward woods where I used to cut all my firewood
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PIC of backhoe =150926bf Harris ditch SE-NW Standing by Backhoe Karen.JPG
Pic of Katie in flooded field = 75 7in rain Katie in corn.jpg
Pic view from farmhouse back 40= 150926r Harris Farmhouse view corn west.JPG
Pic view from deer stand = 150926ax Harris ditch NW-E.JPG
Pic comment 1, backhoe lifting load = 150926bd Harris ditch backhoe SE-N.JPG
Pic comment from beaver looking west =150926at Harris ditch NE-W.JPG
