The next few posts (if I get to it) will be about some Kansas things. First, we will cover the corn harvest. It ran from mid-September to mid-October.
From April to October, the main focus is corn with a little bit of soybeans sprinkled in and then a late winter wheat planting. Corn is thought about during spring storms, sprinkler season, heavy down pours, hail and significant winds. There is great care taken during those six months to help the corn grow and to help it reach its maximum potential.
It’s time consuming.
But, harvest comes…and it gets busier. Weather is watched even more closely and things move constantly.
First, the main goal during harvest is not letting the combine stop moving, until they are done for the night.
It moves and everything else moves from about 7 in the morning until 10 or later at night.
As it moves, the tractor and grain cart move along next to it, to get the corn. A waiting grain cart takes its position.
The tractor then moves out of the field to a waiting grain truck. It empties the corn into the truck.
The grain truck drives to a grain bin, co-op, or shop to unload.
The truck is weighed, moisture levels taken, recorded and tickets filled out, and then they dump.
(She’s throwing the corn…NOT catching it as it comes out.)
The grain travels up an auger, into a pan, then up into another auger, then into a grain bin.
If the grain is too moist, it goes through a dryer, then to the grain bin.
After the truck is empty, it is weighed again, recorded and driven back to the field to get loaded again.
The process continues again and goes into the night. The great thing about modern machinery…lights.
Of course, if you are working the grain carts or driving one of the trucks, there is some waiting.
When the waiting happens, Mama and the girls get to visit, see Papa and bring some food…or play in the corn…either one.
(a deep conversation about where and how to throw the little kernels of corn)
The combine can go through a circle and half on a good day. They combine, fill, drive and dump all day and the process starts all over the next day.
I’m very grateful for all the people that coordinate harvest, work harvest, those who bring food to the fields, and those who stay late or work an extra shift at the co-ops. They all work extremely hard and give up a good bit of time.
