As you read this month’s section on cast iron implement seats and corn planters, you may be wondering why we would devote so much of an issue to what basically amounts to a single topic, that of cast iron collectibles.
The truth is, this is something we’ve been working on since the beginning of the year here at Farm Collector, using special themes for certain months. In March, for example, it was windmills, and last month we spent some extra ink on garden tractors. Next month, we’re going to try to give you the scoop on dairy items and, after that, implements will take the fore. This slight change in the way we do business was designed to help us zoom in on some topics and try to discover certain items’ special charms.
Be assured that our themes will not keep us from bringing you stories outside that area. Tractors and engines have always been our bread and butter here, and I promise you that you’ll never open a copy of this magazine without finding a story about one or the other – and, often, both. In fact, those of you who are most interested in tractors should find that our October issue will be your favorite one this year. It’s our theme that month, and I plan on it being an all tractor issue.
The truth is, no matter what changes may be coming down the road (and, there will inevitably be, if only because I have a slightly different vision), you should know that I can see why so many of you are fond of this magazine: great stories about the equipment of our shared agricultural past. That will always be our focus.
My grandfather, who was a blacksmith and welder, rebuilt farm equipment until the day he died. My father still operates that family business in our hometown, keeping farmers in the field, day in and day out. Me, I’m dangerous with wire welder and blowtorch alike. Yet, working at Farm Collector, I feel like I get the opportunity to do in words what my family has spent more than forty years doing -working with some of the best-made equipment and the finest people to be found anywhere.
Changes will come – in publishing as in fanning. But, as our readers fully understand, those changes should not make us forget our past, the road we’ve taken to get where we are.
