By Stan Maddux

With snow in the forecast for southwest Michigan, farmers on antique tractors rolled in early April 27 to start plowing and finished just before the late-season flakes began falling.

Not everyone at the 23rd annual Plow Day at the school farm in Buchanan, Mich., makes their living in agriculture.

Some folks such as Jake Weinberg of Buchanan come out each year to tap into cravings for yesteryear by watching tractors more than a half-century old turn the soil and engage in activities such as woodworking. Weinberg and his 12-year-old son Coy seemed to relish in the hard work of running a plane across the beginnings of a tree stump table until the rough edges on top were smooth.

“I get to do all of these things that I just can’t go home to do,” Coy said.

Lupe Hein and her 8-year old grandson Colton helped piece together birdhouses by tapping nails into freshly measured and cut pieces of wood.

Ben Davison is there every year providing all the tools and help for people taking part in the wood crafting. He couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.

“I like every bit of it. I love it all,” he said.

One of the chairs he placed out for people to sit down on was made from one of the pine trees that was removed two years ago from outside Buchanan High School because they were either dead or dying. All the trees were planted by the BHS Class of 1922.

It took about three hours for the 21 antique tractors to finish plowing the 50 acres the school corporation leases to local farmer Shane Masten to raise corn and soybeans. Proceeds from the lease help offset the expenses of the farm where students are taken regularly during the school year to learn about agriculture. Students on their trips to the farm do things such as pick and shuck corn and watch sap boiling down into maple syrup.

Tyler Henderson, 22, helped plow in his 1970 Massey Ferguson 1150 model. He grew up on a small farm where his family raises a few animals and refurbishes antique tractors as a hobby. Henderson now works full time at a local farm.

“It’s nice. It brings back the way it used to be around here,” Henderson said.

One of the other tractors he brought out to plow was a 1968 John Deere 2510 model. Another crowd pleaser was a covered wagon on the original frame of a John Deere 802A wagon owned by Jim Dlouhy of Stevensville, Mich. Dlouhy said the wagon brings back memories of him being raised on a farm. He allows children to sit on it to have their pictures taken at all the events he travels to, such as county fairs and tractor shows.

“I just have a good time. It’s beautiful. It’s just wonderful,” Dlouhy said.

Despite the weather being more like winter, the several hundred people in attendance went through all the ice cream Scott Marsh of Niles, Mich., churned out with his 1923 Hercules hit-and-miss engine. He made two 6-quart batches from the engine turning a pulley fastened to the tub of the ice cream maker.

“I give it away to the kids,” said Marsh, who has three other hit-and-miss engines he refurbished in a hobby he started pursuing four years ago.

“I’ve always been interested in antique machines and how they worked,” said Marsh, the owner of a tree-cutting business. “I always just loved the way they sound.”

Maddux writes from New Buffalo, Mich.