Starting Harvest

It is *officially* harvest!

We started cutting winter wheat on Monday afternoon. That morning, I helped Jeff quite a bit with all the very-last-minute preparations. We cleaned out a grain bin and swept out a truck. I washed all the windows on the combine, even the ones inside the hopper. 

This is what the inside of a grain truck looks like. 

 The sky was a bit broody on Monday, but no storms that night. This year, we grew winter wheat, yellow peas, spring wheat, and barley. After we finish cutting the winter wheat, we'll probably move on to barley, and then finish on spring wheat. We're actually not cutting our peas at all this year, but that's a topic for a separate post.

Each morning, to start the day, the combine is serviced and gassed-up, and the windows are washed. This is just to hopefully maintain smooth operating with this beast of a machine. Daily greasing and cleaning keeps it running as efficiently as possible.

Jeff gets into one of the hard-to-reach places on the combine with a grease gun, while Harvey looks on.

 Also, just because it's harvest doesn't mean that other farm work can be completely neglected. Jeff has been getting up very early every morning to spray while the wind is down. Then, he'll spend a full day on the combine or driving truck. He had been spraying our peas (again, it's a long story for another post, perhaps), and then this morning began spraying the fallow fields. I could probably do an entire post just about spraying-- why we do it, pros and cons, etc. So, that's another one that could be coming down the pike sometime, folks! But this post is about harvest kicking off, so let's continue with that!

I took a break from cleaning the windows and mirrors for a photo op. 

 Harvest is easily the busiest time of year for us. Remember that we spend an entire year planning and working just for this season, to harvest our grain. A significant portion of our income is based solely on how the crop does. I always like to make the analogy that harvest for us is like tax season for an accountant, or like Black Friday in retail. This is when you hope to make it into the black, so to speak.

I'll be doing several more posts as harvest continues on about how it's going, so stay tuned for that. I also want to give a big shout out to my friend Christy. She lives and works on a big beef ranch and dryland farm, similar to our operation only they're bigger on cows and less on crops while we're heavier on crops and less on cows. Christy is a very active member of Team Beef Montana and has a great running blog with many, many followers. We met in person at the Montana Farmer's Union Women's Conference last spring and she stood up during a goal-making session and said she'd like to spend more time on her running blog educating her readers about her farming and ranching lifestyle. She is definitely making her goal a reality! She has a really fantastic post today about her family's wheat harvest, which is also underway, and I highly recommend you check it out: You Like to Eat, Right? Learn A Bit About Your Food!

Golden winter wheat under that big Montana sky!

Happy harvesting, everyone!
If you are a farmer, how does harvest typically go for you?
If you're not a farmer, what would you say is your busiest, most important time of the year?

"Heading" Towards Harvest

Summer is happening and harvest is just around the corner!  Right now, the finishing touches of harvest prep are happening. Machinery tune-ups, grain bin clean-outs, and some cow chores all have to be done before the combine can roll down some acres.

Large implements are not like your standard car: they are much bigger and they have WAAAAAAY more moving parts. Each and every part on a machine can break or cause problems. It seems like there's always something that needs to be tweaked or tightened. But, when you think about it in the context of just how many pieces there are that could break, well, I'm surprised there aren't MORE breakdowns!

The guys have been busy tuning up the combine. Today, they're making finishing touches on the header. I find the mechanical workings of these large, beastly machines to be fascinating. It's like a strange magic that I only vaguely comprehend.


Here's another view of the combine header, showing the problem area...

 They had to take that large belt apart so they could get to the part that needed replacing. They're finishing up on the header right now, then they'll tow it down the road to where they've been working on the combine at Tom and Carol's house. Attach the header to the combine and we should be about set. We'll be "heading" toward harvest! (ha!)

To me, mechanical work on farm implements is a very precise skill. It's something I don't quite understand. I mean, I could follow directions if someone guided me through a simple mechanical fix, but no way could I do this all on my own. These guys have a lifetime of "coursework" on the job, learning how to speak the language of machines. I am pretty good at standing around and watching, though. And offering useful tips, such as, "Don't get impaled by those sharp pointy things!"

And speaking of safety, I find the warning stickers on farm machines to be morbidly comical:

So... if you wind your body around this rod, you could die. Do they think I'm Stretch Armstrong?! What they really need is stickers that simply say, "Don't Touch Anything While Machine is Running!"  I think that would cover it. But wildly entangled stick figures are pretty entertaining, in my opinion.

Anyway. After an early thaw this spring, the winter wheat came up early. Then, it grew some before it used up the ground moisture and it stopped raining. Then it got zapped by some really hot, dry, windy weather. Then it got hailed on. All this is to say that harvest is here sooner than normal, the growing season was early and shorter, and the yields are not looking stupendous. Nevertheless, it's still bound to be an exciting time of year. Harvest always is. Plus, sometimes you can be surprised by crops you had written off. Maybe our expectations will be exceeded! Never underestimate the ability of a plant to grow.

Let's get the show on the road! Or, in the field, rather! Happy harvest, everyone!

Plows, Cows, and Snake #2

Lately, Jeff and I have been feeling a little bit like we've been running in every direction. It seems like everything has been happening, or needs to be happening at the same time. I decided the best way to organize things into a blog post would be to just put up a bunch of photos and then try to narrate in between.

OK.

Go.

Photo #1: Fix the Plow

 We have a piece of ground that came out of CRP last year, so we seeded it to winter wheat last fall. And... it didn't come up. We got it 100% adjusted out, which meant that we have had to control weeds in it all summer and get it ready to try and plant again. We have used a combination of methods to do this. First, we sprayed it out. Then, Jeff has been going over the land again and again with the plow to try to level it out a bit more. We have come to the conclusion that plows were built for the purpose of breaking down as it seems like nearly every evening we are out there fixing the dang thing.

Beyond that, I actually really like this photo for the repetition of line and form, and contrast of metal on rough earth. Also for the implied vanishing point.

Moving on.

With the heat, Harvey spends most of the day indoors or lounging in the shade. We go for walks, runs, or bike rides early in the morning or late in the evening when it's cool. The neighboring crop fields have reached their fullest height, which is just high enough to really obscure view of the dog. See Photo #2. If you read my previous post (and keep reading to the bottom of this one!) you know that rattlesnakes are in season around her, so the limited visibility of my dog makes me walking him feel a little more stressful, but as long as he doesn't get to far away and I can keep my eye on him relatively well, I feel better.

Photo #2: Who's Tail is That?

The next set of photos references our cow herd. We are nearing the end of the breeding season for the cows. The bull is still with them, but will be extricated later this week. On Monday, Jeff moved the group we have at our place from the farther-away pasture up to the one close to the house. I like seeing them every day as they explore this pasture. They look pretty good-- the summer has been good to them!

Photo #3: Hello, Cow!

Photo #4: Preparing to Bolt

They saw me walking toward them, so they all stood up and got ready to run... 

Photo #5: On the Run

The image looks blurry because they were moving and kicking up dust.
And because I took the photo on my phone. 

Last night was another exciting night around here that ties in a couple of the aforementioned subjects. Once again the blow was broke down. Jeff had called and informed me that he'd be coming back to the yard to get me and some supplies so we could go back up to the field and work on it. 

I started getting ready to go when I caught glimpse of Harvey out the window of our house-- looking like he was dodging away from something. I looked out the window and saw that he was about 6-8 feet away from a LARGE coiled rattlesnake, just behind one of our parked cars. I yelled to Harvey, "Harvey, NO! LEAVE IT!" And he cautiously trotted to the front door of the house, taking a very wide berth around the snake, and I let him in, making sure he hadn't been bit. Then, I called Jeff back and reported that we had another snake, this time very close to the house, then I went out and watched him until Jeff arrived and dispatched him. 

Not the world's greatest photo, but I wasn't interested in getting too much closer. 

This time, we kept the rattle, shown here with a fencing staple and a small rock. The rattle is about two inches long and includes eight rings, or whatever you want to call them. Needless to say, this was a big one. 

 So that's what's been happening around here. Second snake in less than a week right in the yard. I'm reasonably convinced that Harvey has learned to be very, very cautions around snakes and I feel fairly confident that he won't get bit again unless he is caught by surprise.

We continue to make progress in farming and ranching operations and are looking ahead to the start of Harvest, which will likely begin in a few weeks. :)

Harvest Notes and Highlights

Harvest can be a frenzied, busy time.  Imagine if all your income for the year came in in about the span of one month.  You'd be pretty frazzled, yourself, I imagine.  It's like working December in a retail store, or tax time leading up to April 15 for an accountant.  There's a lot of hard work riding on a successful harvest, and we spend the whole year leading up to it.  The last "Official" day of harvest for us was yesterday.  It was a long one, this year. Or at least, that's what it felt like!  The first day Jeff and I started cutting peas was July 28.  On August 28, we finished cutting all of Tom and Carol's spring wheat.  We left about 80 acres of our own spring wheat to finish ripening, and just cut the last of it yesterday afternoon. 

It may have seemed a lot longer than previous years, but when I went back through my old calendars and blog posts from my first two harvests, the length of time was really about the same.  Last year we cut from July 25 - August 25, with no breaks.  Check out this synopsis of last year's harvest: Fall Roundup 2012.  The year before was about the same.  This year, if you count that last 80 acres cut after everything else by only a few days, it was just a bit longer.  Otherwise, it was exactly the same number of days as the previous year. 

I would argue that this year we were more efficient with our harvest operations.  We actually had more rained-out, non-cutting days this year.  From July 28- August 28, there were six days where we did no cutting whatsoever, either due to weather or machinery issues.  In 2012, there was only one day where we did no cutting in the same overall length of time. Additionally, last year and in 2011 we had multiple combines running and multiple truck drivers for parts of harvest. This year, it was just one combine and one truck driver throughout the entirety of harvest.  So, not only was there less time spent harvesting the same amount of crop this year, it was done with fewer people/machines.  I am not sure what to attribute this to other than efficient cutting and a new-to-us combine that could go faster than the old one.

Farmers all throughout are area are very happy with this year's crop.  We had a lot of late-season rain that really boosted the bushels for all different types of crops.  We are no exception.  We also, once again, avoided the worst of the hail that hit some of our friends and neighbors, and scraped away with only minimal damage.  I am sure that future harvests will not always be this way, but for this year, it's nice to relish the success and be around happy farmers, friends, and neighbors, many of whom say they have never had a harvest this good.

Another big highlight for me was learning how to run the combine, which you can read about here: Just Like Riding a Bike.  Hopefully, the next time I drive combine will be just like riding a bike in terms of my memory of doing it, but somehow I doubt that.  On the planning call for the Women's Conference last week, there was lots of talk about how we as women feel restricted sometimes by our inability to operate farm machinery.  Many of us either did not grow up in agriculture or grew up in traditional-gender-roll households where women/girls did not learn to operate machinery.  I, for one, need more practice and repetition at using implements, but it is nevertheless somewhat empowering to be able to say, "I can do that, too."

A great crop and new experiences made this year's harvest unforgettable.  Now, our wheat, peas, and barley are ready to feed people all over the world.  And we are ready for a break!  :)  Happy Labor Day and Happy Fall, to all! 

The sun setting over the last day of harvest in a hazy red sky. Until next year!

 

Just Like Riding A Bike, or, How I Learned To Drive a Combine

If there's just one personality trait that comes in handy during harvest on the farm, it's an ability to go with the flow. Plans change very quickly. 

Sunday morning I woke up thinking I would help Jeff sweep out a grain bin, maybe accompany him on a trip to the elevator, then come home and do laundry and cleaning around the house, and some canning.  I would make dinner at home and bring it out to the field that evening.

What actually happened on Sunday was quite different.

The day started out as expected. We rose early and swept out a big bin and installed the aeration tubing. Now it was ready to go for wheat storage.  We hopped in the semi and started taking off down the road when suddenly the truck stalled out, fully loaded with wheat, and we were broke down. These things happen, and always during the busiest time of the year!

Jeff, Tom, and I spent the rest of the morning getting the truck unloaded and back to the yard so it could be worked on.  Luckily, we had only gone about a mile from our house. If we had to be broke-down, better to be on our lonely, seldom-travelled dirt road where we were in nobody's way than in the middle of Highway 2 where we would have most certainly been a hazard.

At lunch time, the three of us were sitting around the table, Jeff and Tom discussing how the afternoon might go, me quietly eating my lunch.  With Tom now slated to go on a parts run to Havre, that left Jeff and I here with a very nice winter wheat crop up in the field just asking to be cut.  As I sat there, Jeff said, "Katie could run the combine and I could drive truck..." Tom said, "Yes, she could. That could work." Then they both turned and looked at me, expectantly awaiting my response.  I said, "I could learn if it would help us stay productive today." As if I would say no.  What I was thinking was,"You really think I could operate that thing on my own!? You both must be crazy!"

A short while later, I found myself face to face with the beast. 

I have been in combines many times, riding along. In fact, I'm quite comfortable in the buddy seat. I have actually driven one or two rounds at various times over the past two harvests I have been here, Jeff by my side dictating my every motion, but I confess I didn't take learning seriously any of those times because there was never an impending need for me to drive solo.  I was more or less about to be starting from scratch. Learning on the fly in our new machine that had been having some header-issues, cutting what looked to be a very nice crop of winter wheat felt more than a little over my head. There just seemed like so many ways I could do something horribly wrong.

As I walked up the ladder into the cab with Jeff, I told myself that if Jeff and Tom trust me and think I can do it, I'll be fine.  Just focus and listen to Jeff while he explains everything. It's really no big deal.  I am capable.

The first round, Jeff drove and I sat in the buddy seat and he explained everything he could think of, very patiently.  The second round, I drove and Jeff helped me through flipping the different switches and buttons at the right times. I felt a little overwhelmed, but I was taking it all in nevertheless. The passes I cut were very wobbly and uneven compared to Jeff's perfectly straight lines of cut wheat.  This, of course, made me feel very self-conscious.  Jeff said, "Don't feel bad. I have been doing this since I was ten." The only thing I could think of I had done since I was ten was using a sewing machine. Jeff read my mind and followed up with, "You couldn't sit me down in front of a sewing machine and expect me to sew in a straight line, either."  Once I got past the entertaining notion of Jeff sewing, I admitted he had a point.  "Besides," Jeff said, "Leaving a few patches of wheat here and there give the wildlife something to munch on. Antelope gotta eat, too." Fair enough, I suppose. But later when I asked him again about my wobbly lines and the small patches of wheat still standing he said, "Oh don't worry about those-- those are just your wages," with a smirky half-smile.  Ha ha.

When Jeff verbally ran through all the different sequences of button-pushing and lever-shifting with me again, one last time, and turned me loose on my own, I had a momentary panic attack.  That whooshed-out feeling in your stomach when you ride a roller-coaster or cruise just a little too fast on a hilly road.  I watched him jaunt down the ladder and skip over to the now-full truck and head back to the yard. But then, there was no time left to feel nervous. I just had to do it. I had to run the combine and cut wheat and there was no stopping now. 

I turned the machine toward the field and started the next pass, remembering everything Jeff had said.  Through my mind I instantly recalled that feeling of learning how to ride a bike- the first time Dad let go of the handlebars.  Fear, trepidation, apprehension, sense of impending danger gave way to feelings of confidence, freedom, accomplishment and smiles.  I can do this.  Funny what the mind recalls sometimes, but the sensations were definitely the same.

Jeff made it back with the truck in time to climb back in the combine with me and talk me through unloading, which was definitely the most challenging aspect of the job for me.  I don't know whether he was timing it out on purpose or not, but each time he got back just a little later so I would have to do just a little more on my own in the process of unloading.  My very last unload I did completely by myself. 

To many of my seasoned farming readers, it may seem not like a big deal to learn how to drive a combine.  Just like riding a bike, right? But to me, growing up in town a thousand miles away, thinking in college I was destined for a fashion career in New York City, this was a big task.  It feels great to have helped out when needed and to learn something that had been so intimidating to me.

Five or six hours after climbing up the ladder to the cab of the combine, wide-eyed and nervous, Tom had made it out to the field. He had come back from Havre and, with Stan's help, fixed the semi, and was here to relieve me and Jeff.  We all joked that there were going to be quite a few fat antelope in this north field of Horr Hill, north of Goldstone, but we were all smiles.  Driving back to the house with Jeff, I felt pretty content. 

To read about some previous years harvest experiences, check out these older posts:
Harvest 2012 -- A good overview of last year's harvest.
Memories Past and Present -- One of my earliest blog posts, and one of the most popular posts I've written.

Weekend Update

It has been a while since my last post, so I'll try to just give an update on what has been going on in our lives.

Friday--  I had my first day as a substitute teacher at the high school in Rudyard.  Unlike in larger school districts, you don't need any sort of certification to be a substitute up here.  I was in the Resource Room, mostly monitoring Study Hall periods.  I read my book and shushed students when necessary.  I realized I hadn't even been IN a high school anywhere since I had graduated in 2002... lots of memories came to mind, to say the least!

After my time at the school was done, Jeff and I got in the car and drove to Bozeman for the weekend.

Saturday-- Bobcat Football.  The Bobcats are having a great season and are ranked third in the nation for their level of play.  The games are exciting and fun, and it's always awesome to see friends and family!!!

That night we sort of crashed a wedding.  To be fair, we were invited, and we did bring a gift... but we definitely got there AFTER the ceremony and the meal were already over.  Nevertheless, it was fun to dance the night away for a little while anyway!

Sunday-- Watched a lot of football and spent time with friends.  Not much to say other than it was excellent!

Monday-- Jeff and I drove home from Bozeman by way of Billings to look at an air drill, which is a large farm implement used for seeding wheat and other crops.  We *may* be considering purchasing an air drill in the near future, but who knows, really.  It was interesting to be on the buying end of a sales pitch.  Jeff asked a lot of great questions and is now deliberating with his dad whether or not this particular air drill should be ours.

Tuesday (Today)-- work work work!  After my busy weekend, I feel like I need a day off already.  Crazy how being gone can be both restful and tiring at the same time... Oh well.  Who am I to complain? My 'work week' is only three days long...

Will try to post something more interesting soon! Also, if anyone ever has any requests for topics or questions about farming/Hi-Line, etc. just ask!