NAFDMA, A Texas Farmers’ Market, getting the taxes done, a tractor tire puncture

I’m back from the NAFDMA conference in Austin, Texas. I’m still working on digesting all the information and sifting through all the good ideas to choose just a few to focus on first. I did get out of the hotel for a couple of hours on Saturday to go to the Sunset Valley Farmers’ Market. This is one of two year-round farmers’ markets in Austin. Here in the Puget Sound we could provide much of the produce I saw at the market. Here the markets are just starting to test the winter market. We'll see if the market customers are willing to brave the weather. The only photos I took on the whole trip were at the market. I think I got more sun in that two hour visit than I've received here in total since November.

 The entrance to the Sunset Valley Farmers’ Market in Austin, Texas.

I got back late Saturday night (almost Sunday morning). Carol and I spent Sunday afternoon working on some of the various state tax filings – Unemployment and Labor & Industries (workman’s comp). We still have the WA State excise and Business & Occupation tax and the federal tax forms to complete.

Rob is on vacation this week and next. When I got back to the office, I found a note from him. Last week while I was gone he discovered a nail one of the John Deere tractor tires. The tire was still holding air, so he left it in the tire.  The mobile tire repair folks were busy the day he found the nail. I took a look at the tire and called them this morning. A truck was there within the hour. I drove the tractor to the front of the farm, since the service truck most likely would get stuck in the sodden mess around our equipment storage area. Because the tire has no tube, the service guy was able to pull out the nail and put in a plug. The whole repair took about a minute. The 3-½ inch nail was driven about 2 inches in. I haven’t yet figured out where on the farm the tire picked up the nail.

The nail stuck in the tractor tire.

The repair plug in the tire.

I didn’t wash the tractor tire for the repair. Driving the tractor through the water-filled potholes on the farm road did a thorough job of rinsing of the mud and debris. And yes, the fields are still awash with puddles.

What’s playing in the Jeep CD player? Los Lobos – Good Morning Aztlán