Old Pond publishing days

Agriculture in North America vol 2 DVD now in stock

Agriculture in North America, vol 2 by Tammo Gläser, DVD previewed in the blog of 20 January is now available at £19.95 from Old Pond.

David Kindred's website

Old Pond author David Kindred is known in Ipswich and East Anglia to have one of the finest archives of local photographs. David's passion for photographs showed during his long stint as photographer, picture editor and manager of photographic operations in the East Anglian Times group.

When David retired he began to publish weekly newspaper features, 'Kindred Spirits', based on local historical photographs, many of which were sent in by readers. This week reader Jenny Laughlin has responded to a feature on Bramford Road, Ipswich with a photograph of the Salvation Army guides and sunbeams on parade there in the 1950s (left) and memories of her own. She recalls her childhood when the area was full of shops, pubs and a community spirit: 'Those of us who grew up in that area have fond memories of living around there. All those homes and shops went when they built flats, so people moved all over Ipswich.'

The sad thing for those of us who have enjoyed David's features is that this week's was the last.

However, this has given David and his son James the opportunity to set up a new website www.kindred-spirit.co.uk on which they download articles which draw on David's ten years' writing and invite readers' responses. We can expect completely new features too. Besides his detailed knowledge of the town of Ipswich, David's specialist subjects are pirate radio, 1960s bands and Ipswich Town football teams in their glory days.

David is currently preparing an autumn 2011 book for Old Pond on the changing face of Ipswich. Yes, the town really has been transformed in the past hundred years - but has it kept its community spirit?

Long Haul Pioneers book back in stock

The Long Haul Pioneers, Ashley Coghill's popular account of Astran's Middle East trucking is now reprinted for the second time and back in stock at Old Pond.

Agriculture in North America vol 2 DVD advance information

Agriculture in North America vol 2, Tammo Gläser. DVD approx 90 minutes plus extras. £19.95 inc. VAT. Now in stock at Old Pond.

With a clear English-language voice-over, German film-maker Tammo Gläser shows aspects of very large-scale farming in Canada at harvest time. In particular he shows the operation of fourteen Case-IH combines (with pick-up headers) on one of the country’s biggest farms, near Lethbridge, Alberta.

The programme starts with five minutes’ summary of the contents of Volume 1. Then Tammo takes us to see a 475hp JD 9530 tractor on dual tyres pulling a disc-ripper combination to work manure into a stubble field. Throughout this part of the programme we are seeing minimum cultivations – assisted by satellite navigation – to reduce moisture loss.

The next stop is for a 250hp Steiger Cougar, again cultivating stubble immediately after harvest. There is a 12-metre ripper combination at the back of the tractor and a blade at the front for snow clearing and silage work.

Nearby, a Case IH Quadtrac 500 is using a 26-metre harrow. The cultivation machine on the neighbour’s 450hp Cat Challenger MT855 is 21 metres.

Made in the same factory as the Quadtrac, Tammo’s next find is an articulated New Holland NH TJ425 on dual wheels. This was operating with Easy-Steer sat nav assistance by means of which steering deviations are corrected by a small motor attached to the steering wheel. This system is movable and can be used on other tractors and combines to prevent overlaps.

In the last item before the combines we see a Miller self-propelled sprayer making full use of field mapping for optimum herbicide application.

The combines are two teams, each of seven Case IH 8120s axial-flow machines, working in a 250 hectare area of two fields. Each team has an experienced leading driver who sets the course for the other six machines in his group – with student operators – to follow. This is a superb sight, especially when seen in Tammo's aerial footage. Because harvest was delayed two weeks by bad weather the crop has already been cut and windrowed. The combines are picking up and threshing.

They are partnered by Case IH Steiger 485 tractors with Brent grain carts holding 40 cubic metres of grain. Transport from the field to the farm is by 600hp Peterbilts with loads up to 80 tonnes.

The crop is cut by Case IH WD ‘3’ series 126hp self-propelled windrowers with 11-metre attachments. Altogether they have 40,000 hectares to deal with – wheat, barley, rape and mustard. Yields are half European levels. Immediately after the crop is lifted the sprayers and air-seeders get stuck in.

This concludes the main part of the DVD. For his principal Extra, Tammo returns to Germany to show work with silage maize for biomass digesters in lower Saxony. Here two PistenBullys, better known as snow-grooming machines, are working on the clamp. With their low centre of gravity and hydrostatic drive, these agricultural adaptations are claimed to be ideal for this work.

We are also shown brief footage of the maize harvest where Claas Jaguar forage harvesters with maize harvest attachments are joined by Fendt tractors.

Appleby Fair book planned

Old Pond has added Heidi M Sands' forthcoming paperback The Horses of Appleby Fair to its current publishing schedule. Publication is planned for early June at the start of this year's fair.

Ice Road Truckers 4 and Ax Men 3 DVD news

Release months for the DVDs of Ice Road Truckers Season 4 and Ax Men Season 3 are May and July respectively. Old Pond expects to have stock available at the release dates.

Lincoln's Excavators Part 3 new book in stock

Old Pond now has stock of Peter Robinson's third book: Lincoln's Excavators, the Ruston-Bucyrus Years 1945-1970, published by Roundoak at £34.95. Old Pond also has an offer on the three Lincoln's books as a set.

The best tractor DVDs two years running?

The December/January edition of Ford and Fordson Tractors magazine contains two fine commendations for our Old Pond programmes.

The review of Ford Tractors 1965-95 concludes: 'Kim Parks feels this is the DVD of the year, just for the implements in action, and I have to agree with him.'

On the following page the magazine says of Tractor Restoration: paintwork: 'this was unanimously voted the DVD of the year (2009) and at a price of £19.95 plus p&p is nothing but jolly good value and thoroughly recommended.'

Ford and Fordson Tractors, the official magazine of the Ford & Fordson Association, is a bi-monthly that has reached issue 40 and is now edited by tractor guru Peter Love. A year's subscription for six issues currently costs £19.44 from Kelsey Publishing on 01959 541444 or online at www.subsdeals.co.uk.

 

Seventy Years of Farm Machinery Part 2 book in stock

The second half of Brian Bell's encyclopaedic work on the 20th century's farm machinery is now in stock at Old Pond. Seventy Years of Farm Machinery Part 2: Harvest retails at £24.95.

The offer price for Parts 1 and 2 together is £39.95.

Books out of stock at Old Pond

Unfortunately, several of the books included in Old Pond Publishing's 2010 catalogue are currently out of stock. Here are some details:

Ransomes and their Tractor Share Ploughs. A reprint with slight amendments is expected autumn 2011.