Faces & places in the country

Tell us about your farm. We have 28 threshing machines in total now. Grandpa (Leslie Ellingson) started the collection just by chance; one of his friends had left a threshing machine here that he couldn’t quite get home and never came to get it. Grandpa decided to put it on top of the hill, and that started the collection.

He started collecting in about 1988. He bought them for a little bit from auctions, or a neighbor would call him up and say, “Why don’t you come and get my threshing machine?” So, he’d go up there with the grease gun, get a brand new pole for the threshing machine and pull it home. On every single threshing machine, he painted the name of the person he got it from. Over the years, my dad and I helped him pull them up with a bigger tractor so it wasn’t so dangerous. Grandpa also built Boot Hill — a cowboy monument. Anytime a cowboy passed away, they’d put another boot on the hill. My favorite little addition is a little sign that says 434 miles to Wall Drug (South Dakota). My grandpa had it up there a long time ago, so I remade it because it was another tribute during wartime overseas.

What are moments during the year that you really cherish being on the farm? Grandpa’s stories about (the threshing machines). Every time he’d look up on that hill and see that threshing machine, he would tell me a story about side cutting with a tractor and two horses. Watching him remember everything was the coolest part, because he would look out there, and you could see him. He would be looking out into the field, and he could see what was going on in his head and tell a story from memory like it happened yesterday.

What are some accomplishments you are proud of? They aren’t my accomplishments; they were my grandpa’s. He started the collection, and we keep it up because it was one of his favorite things to look out and see. They’ll never move, and it’s our little tribute to my grandpa, Leslie.

Tell us about your daily routine on the farm. I help my parents out here on our family farm. We farm about 800 acres — corn, alfalfa, barley, soybeans — and milk 117 cows. The cows do most of the trimming around (the machines), but I have tipped quite a few of them back up. There was one that had rolled a quarter of the way down the hill, and I tied some log chains and pulled it back up with the skid loader. No maintenance is required. We put Christmas lights on (the machines); my wife and I decorate them.

What is the hardest and best part of your day? The hardest and best part of my day would be checking cows out in the pasture; there’s something else out there I have to drive around. I also have to drive around every single corner of the pasture to make sure I find every single calf. It’s not really challenging — it’s the enjoyment of getting to drive around a bit — and I can go see the machines in general.

What motivates you on the farm? Farming in the outdoors and taking care of cattle.

What do you hope the next five to 10 years look like on your farm? High cattle and crop prices. If I ever find (threshing machines) for under a ridiculous price, because they sell for quite a bit, I’ll definitely add more to the collection.

What words of wisdom do you have for future generations of farmers? Listen to the stories your grandparents have and cherish the wisdom they can give you.