Winter Wheat Harvest

A good stand of winter wheat, about to be harvested. 

Winter wheat harvest is underway around here.  Jeff and Tom cut for our landlord last weekend and have been cutting their own over the past several days.  Winter wheat is a smaller percentage of our overall crop, and the spring wheat was seeded later in the spring, so once the winter wheat and barley are in the bins, we will likely be waiting a while before cutting the spring wheat. 

What is the difference between winter wheat and spring wheat? Winter wheat is actually seeded in the fall.  It sprouts, then with frost or snow the green leaves poking out die off and the plant lies dormant over the winter.  In springtime, it (hopefully) sprouts again and grows to maturity.  Spring wheat is planted in the spring and grows over the summer, to be harvested usually around the same time or shortly after the winter wheat.  Our harsh, cold, long winters usually make spring wheat a more promising crop-- even though winter wheat is supposed to lie dormant over winter, too deep or too long of a ground freeze can damage it.  

Jeff and Harvey, a little over a week ago, checking out the combine.

From the combine, the harvested grains are poured into trucks like this red one, then brought to the yard where it is poured into the augur and then into a grain bin for storage. 

The size of one wheat kernel is so small!

So far, my role in harvest has been pretty minimal.  I have done some help with cooking and that's about it.  Once we get rolling with cutting spring wheat, this may change.  Our winter wheat and barley fields are located pretty close to the house, so meals and communication are easier.  Much of the spring wheat is farther away-- Meals-in-the-field will be a more common occurrence.  More to come on harvest as it continues!