Only once in its 26-year history has Plow Days had to be canceled because of rain.
Saturday morning, May 3, founders Louis Esten, his brother Chuck Esten, and Bob Newton watched and waited for the rain to stop.
Plow Days has taken place every year for the past 25 years, except for two years during Covid, on the farm of John Torrey, an avid tractor collector and farmer on Route 98, just south of Elba.
Esten said 25 years ago, he, his brother Chuck, the late Ron Komar, and Bob Newton (all of whom had an interest in antique tractors) got the idea for Plow Days and asked John Torrey if they could use his land. Louis said he and Newton had met at the Steam Show in Alexander, and during a conversation, the idea was born.
“We want people to understand what these old tractors are all about,” Louis said. “People actually used to plow with these.”
One of the antique tractor owners hoping to demonstrate plowing was Alexandria Smith of Attica. She brought her John Deere 630 with a three-bottom plow, which was built from 1958 to 1960, making it at least 65 years old.
Smith said her grandfather used to restore antique tractors, which piqued her interest, and she has been collecting them since she was 14.
She has a lot of respect for the old equipment and farming.
“Working on a farm is not like looking at a computer all day,” Smith said. “When you’re out on a farm, you put in a hard day’s work. You get tired, but it is a good tired.”
Plow Days is not just about plowing. Dozens of tractors from the 1930s to 1972 are on display. The giant barn is heated and has tables and chairs, a food counter, hot coffee, and vendors.
Photos by Virginia Kropf
