Our Very Own Sink Hole

News reports around the country are showing sink holes that show up in unlikely spots and devour portions of sidewalks, roads and vehicles. Here on the farm we have our own sink hole that appeared in the current nursery field that will eventually be the hay field.

The hole was caused by an underground tile that had been put in nearly 100 years ago to drain the swampy end of the field so that it could be used as useful ground for growing grass.

A single segment of clay tile broke and caused the disintegration of the soil around the break to loosen and get sucked out of the field along with the water that the tile carried. A hole this big could spell disaster for hay equipment if it was not patched and the area filled back in.

Cleaning out the broken tile and letting the excess water clear out of the sink hole was the first step. Both Butler and Jackson were hoping that this was a gopher catching expedition and they wanted to help in any way possible.

Even with the dogs, the hole was cleaned out, a new segment of tile placed in-line, and dirt was hauled in to secure the fixed tile.

It will still take another loader full of dirt to fill the hole completely, but that task will have to wait for a drier day so we don’t muddy the field up too much with the tractor.