Harvey Linnen is taking a trip back in time to seed 10 acres of his land this summer. He’s hooked up a team of horses to take care of the area.
“I’ve been a horse lover all my life, and I’ve always wanted to do some horse farming,” Linnen said.
Linnen found an antique seeding drill in Barrie, Ont. over the winter and brought it back home to Saskatchewan to take it for a spin.
“Everybody told me ‘Don’t paint it, leave it the way it is,’” he said. “It was built in 1905 and it was stored for 55 years in a barn. So, I guess I won’t paint it, I’ll keep it the way it is.”
With his two-horse team of Ike and Tom, he’s seeding the last part of his land the old fashioned way.
“This is fairly comical, because Tom has to be the GPS,” Linnen said. “You see, there’s no GPS on this rig. So, it’s hard to go straight.”
It’s a bit of bumpy ride on the back of the drill, and it’s a bit slower without the help of modern technology.
“With the big equipment, you’re doing 25 to 30 acres an hour,” he said. “I’m doing two acres an hour. So, it’s quite a difference.”
Everyone working with the antique drill says they’re enjoying working with the original kind of horsepower.
“They’re getting very, very smart,” Linnen said. “They’re learning a lot and so am I.”
Bradley Bentz grew up around horses, and decided to come help Linnen with the seeding process.
“I still have (horses). But, I don’t have the time or ingenuity myself to look after them or to harness them like Harvey does,” Bentz said. “I thought it was just more fun to come out and let him do the work, and I can just follow along.”
Working with Tom and Ike is also bringing out some nostalgia for the old days.
“The stress, or lack thereof, to just be able to ride and let the horses do the work, it’s awesome,” Bentz said.
Tom, Ike and a third horse will be out again in September. The team of three horses will be hooked to a binder for harvest season.
