"I haven't even got an edge on the market yet," he said.
His collection got its start with gas engines. But it didn't take long for dairy items to tip the balance.
"First it was the engines," Joe said. "Then it was milk bottles, then a few cream separators, and bottle fillers, then cheese cutters, milk scales, milk stools, dairy signs -I must have 140 dairy signs ... And I have an Empire thermometer, and a Babcock tester - I'll go for anything Babcock."
"Prices are still going up," he said. "Milking machines used to be in the $35 range. But lately they've been around $150 to $200."
The investment, though, is secondary to Joe.
"I'm not into it for the money," he said with a smile. "This is my therapy."
For more information: Joe Pedro, 26496 Rd. 108, Visalia, Calif., 93277; phone (559) 686-0337. FC
A Page From the Past:
Milk herds once a part of every farm
Paul F. Long
Some will recall those bucolic days when there were dusty country lanes and rolling meadows, meadows which sustained the farm milch cows. Morning and night, especially during the summer, it was the chore of the farm boy to herd the milking cattle into the barnyard. In winter, the chore of bringing in the cattle from pasture was not necessary, as the livestock were fed and came up to the barnyard for their food.