A Day in the Life of a Farmer During Harvest

08.24.2010 This blog has been updated with 2 short video clips

I tagged along with Joe to show you what a day during harvest looks like.  Ours started out with a few sprinkles of rain, so we didn't get into the field until 1:00pm.  The day is usually started around 6:30am-7:00am, so we enjoyed the morning by reading the paper, having coffee and then getting a call from our 4 yoa grand-angel inviting us into breakfast at their house. =) Yummm.

As you can see the clouds were still hanging around and it is cool and windy, about 63 degrees.  Joe is on top of his combine blowing off the wheat chaff and dust.  This practice helps eliminate a possible fire, which the danger of that is always present as their is plenty of dust and wheat chaff that forms on the combine.

Joe on top of his combine blowing off wheat chaff

More wheat chaff and dust being blown off ( you always
want to be upwind when this is occurring)

Cutting wheat with a 40' header

Climbing up into the combine I take my seat next to Joe and watch as the wheat goes through the header which then goes into the bulk tank.  For the passenger, watching the wheat get thrashed in the header is very mesmerizing, sort of like watching a fire in the fireplace. 

The monitor in the cab

 This combine has a monitor that provides all sorts of info, like the one above that gives a picture of the field where Joe's combine had harvested the day before.

A view of what is seen while cutting from the cab

A view from the cab, the wheat chaff makes it dusty

Cutting wheat is dusty and there is chaff flying all over, so above is what it looks like as the header is cutting the wheat. 

Looking into the bulk tank from the cab back window

Loading on the go from the combine into
the bank-out wagon

Above is a picture I snapped as the bank-out wagon pulls up along side the combine and we are dumping the grain into the cart. 

Short video clip of unloading the grain from the combine into the bank-out wagon.  The combine usually needs to unload the bulk tank about every 12 minutes, so  by " unloading on the go" it saves approximately 2 minutes harvest time every 12-15 minutes.

Loading the grain from the bank-out wagon cart
into the semi

The bank-out driver, Erin, then unloads the cart into one of the semi-trucks.

The truck arrives on the scale fully loaded with wheat

 Next I hop into the semi that Cody, our hired man, is driving and go into town with him to dump the grain at the co-op. Above is Cody pulling onto the scales to get weighed fully loaded.

Cody opening the valves so the grain can go into
the pit at Pacific Northwest Co-op

Once the truck is in the correct spot at the warehouse pit, Cody opens the bottom of the grain trailer where the grain drains into the pit. 

The warehouse man collecting a grain sample

Here is a short video clip of unloading at the warehouse.

 

 

The warehouse man takes a sample of the grain for testing. The wheat gets tested for moisture, test weight and grade, checking for sprouted wheat heads, dockage and  a falling numbers test.    

Waiting line to dump the grain at the PNW Farm co-op

The empty semi getting re-weighed

 The empty truck then goes back to the scale to get re-weighed and at that time is when Cody gives the wheat sample to the  person inside the scale house.  Then it's back out to the field again where another semi is loaded and ready to go!  This is what we do to feed America.  As I've said before, farmers are ordinary people who have an extraordinary job to do.

Harvest Dinner in the Field

Whew! We finished our wheat harvest on Wednesday, August 18th down at the Tammany farm and that is always a good feeling.  After  having  moved all of the equipment up to the Genesee farm we have started harvesting the winter wheat.   From the looks of things harvest is now  in full swing on the Palouse as I see other combines, tractors and support vehicles on the roads as they move from one field  location to another once all the crops have been cut.

Around 2:00pm today while I was still at work,  I got  a call from my hubby asking if it would be possible to bring a dinner out to the field for the crew.  Of course he was hoping the answer was yes, and knowing that I do like to cook and usually don't mind last minute requests, I was happy to oblige.  I used to take dinners out to the field, but it became too hard to do when we had 2 different crews in different locations so we discontinued them.  So by 6:30pm I was out in the field with my trusty Subaru bringing everyone a hearty dinner that consisted of  lasagna, garlic bread, green salad and a berry tart and chocolate zucchini bread that I happened to have on hand.  So this is what a true harvest in the field dinner looks like.

Dinner served from the back of my trusty Subaru

A clean milk jug with soapy water allows the crew
to wash up before dinner is served.

One thing with men, they  pretty much eat anything and are really appreciative for the food. =)
This is my husband, Joe dishing up his plate.

Left to right is our hired man, Cody, brother in law, Jay and friend,Hale who

dropped by for a ride in the combine

 (A little history on Cody- he started hanging out on the farm when he was about 11 yoa riding in our trucks and tractors when our girls were helping on the farm. He'd also ride for hours in the combines and would ask a million questions - he  was one of those kids who is extremely mechanically inclined and wanted to know exactly how everything worked!  So once he was old enough to work on the farm he has been our dependable and loyal hired seasonal help during the summers, until June when he graduated from high school and we hired him full time)   =)  I also want to note our other wonderful seasonal help was Erin, who had the day off today.  She is off to college in the fall, so we have found another young lad (Ryan) and Erin is training him to replace her spot in the tractor/bank-out wagon.

In the red shirt is Cody's dad, Roger and  Ty, Roger's other
son (by the car)

Roger and Ty both had the day off, so we were happy to have them drive our trucks.  One thing about Roger, Cody and Ty, they are hard working and can seem to do anything you ask.   It is definitely good to be us  to be able to have friends like these when you need extra help and at a moment's notice.

Ty received lots of kidding from the guys as he just announced he had
asked his girlfriend to marry him last night.  He looks
like a pretty happy young man to me! =)

All the semi's lined up waiting to go to town to get unloaded.

I love this picture, it's like the combine is patiently waiting to get into the field and it reminds me of watching a Friday night football game wherein some young lad is patiently waiting his turn to get into the game. =)

Last night we finished the winter wheat down at the Tammany farm, with the exception of the 10 acres hit by hail and are waiting for the hail insurance adjuster to assess it.  So today the crew is looking for ripe spring wheat to harvest.  The winter wheat which is seeded  (in this area) usually in late September or early October has a longer growing season, so it is harvested first.  Winter wheat is genetically designed to need the cold weather in order to produce a wheat head the following summer.  Spring wheat on the Palouse is typically planted late March or in April and as it has a lessor growing season and does not usually produce as many bushels of wheat per acre as winter wheat does.  On our farm, we use spring wheat in the rotation of our crop cycle to help with the disease cycles and weeds.  Our typical crop rotation on a field is winter wheat, then the next season spring wheat, then the following year it will be planted with some type of legume and it is usually garbanzo beans, but we have planted lentils as well.  The rotation of crops help the farmer to control weeds as different treatments affect different weeds and herabicide products can help control a broad leaf weed but won't hurt the wheat plant, and then we can control other weeds with products that will kill a grass like weed when we have a legume planted.  Plus rotation of crops are needed to help destroy soil diseases, all  this is done to keep the health of  the soil in optimum condition.  

Hail during Harvest

The ever present threat of rain storms coupled with hail during harvest is one of our biggest fears (especially during a good wheat year).  Pictured above is some of the hail stones gathered that hit one of the fields we were harvesting this afternoon.  Joe said he had never seen such big hail before and was concerned they were going to break the windows in the combine cab.  Luckily all windows are in tact.  If we can get the video he shot of the storm uploaded, we will add that as well.   They had the field about 90% harvested so that was good.  Now we will need to await to see what the  insurance adjuster has to say about the rest of the crop damage.

A mile or so down the road the ground was dry so we moved the combines to that field and started harvesting that field.   Crazy weather!  We are hoping this is the last of the rain/hail that we will have to encounter during this harvest.

The Season of Harvest

I saw a sign at a local  implement dealer that said, "Farmers have 3 seasons, Before-Harvest, Harvest and After-Harvest."  It's true, it is what we live for.  This is our "paycheck", it's what we use to buy seed and fertilizer, pay labor, make equipment payments and live on until the next harvest.  Sometimes farmers have to use their line of credit if they have not had a good year, but this year with all the rain, I think it will be a great harvest! =)

On the Anderson Farm, we started our wheat harvest on Monday, August 2 down at the Tammany Farm.   This year's cold rainy spring has delayed the crops and we, along with everyone else, are about 10-14 days later than usual.  Once we finish the wheat at Tammany  then  we will move up to the Genesee farm which will be probably 8 or 9 days from now.

Last  Saturday I helped Joe take our 2nd  semi truck over to  the field that would be harvested first, and as I was following him into the field, I was again amazed at the amount of equipment that is needed to get the wheat harvest done at the Tammany farm.   So here is what I saw but couldn't get it all in the picture,   3 combines, 2 tractors with the bank-out wagons and 4 semi-trucks plus one tractor with a disk behind it.

All the equipment seen here is from our farm, with the exception of the  green John Deere combine and one semi truck as they are owned  by the Hermann farm whom we have hired to help us harvest the wheat.

Joe and I  bought a used (but new to us) 2009 combine and  this model is very complex as it has a TV like monitor in place of gauges.  So after getting the semi parked,  Joe wanted to practice cutting a couple of bulk tanks of wheat before Monday in order to get more familar with this new machine.   When the combine starts up, it  feels a little like an airplane reviving up, just before take off, then the motor calms down and all is quiet except for when the monitors that beep and sound like a video game.   Actually a cockpit of an airplane does remind me of the inside of a combine.

Our day started out with Joe checking out the combine to make sure all was in order.

 Once Joe  checked out the combine, he wanted to get a feel for the machine due to the fact that we bought this late last year after our harvest was over and he had never driven it.  This is the newest combine we have ever  owned and like I said,  it is very high tech.  Joe has been reading the owners manual for weeks now, but you need "seat time" to really understand all the bells and whistles.   

 Joe's combine has a flashing beacon just outside the cab and it will automatically start flashing when the combine sensors note that the bulk tank needs to be unloaded.  The bulk tank is located  on top of the combine.

This is what we call the bank-out wagon, it is a grain cart pulled by a tractor and the driver will move up to the combine and drive along side it while the combine unloads the grain into the grain cart.  Then the bank-out wagon will then go to the semi truck and unload the grain from the cart into the semi trailer.

 

To give you an idea of just how big the equipment is, this is me standing next to the tire of the bank-out wagon.  I am 5'4" and the tire is still a tad taller than I am.   In the picture below is the auger folded up at the front of the green gain cart.

This is what a full bulk tank looks like just before it gets unloaded into the bank-out wagon.

Joe checking the wheat heads.

Here is a video of the combine unloading into the bank-out wagon, as well  as a picture below unloading into the other bank-out wagon.

Here is a picture of one of our semi trucks.

The purpose of this tractor and drill (below)  is for fire prevention, so once the combine cuts the first opening round in the field, one of the crew will take the tractor with the disk and plow up the ground for a fire break.

Well that's it for today's Harvest 101 lesson. Stay tuned for more to come! 

P.S.  Joe is really having lots of fun and his first day of harvest 2010 went well. No break downs for him and we cut 300 acres of wheat.   

Hope you come back for more updates on our harvest.  =)

Our Afternoon with the Food Alliance Inspector

Last Wednesday we had our inspection of our farm by Nancy, an independent 3rd party inspector for Food Alliance http://foodalliance.org/.  Joe and brother in-law, Jay along with myself were on hand to greet and answer questions.  Nancy arrived around 1pm ish and the inspection took a little over 4 hours.  Pictured here from left to right is Joe, Jay and Nancy.

It started out with lots of paperwork and going over crop reports, field monitoring reports, furnishing our employee handbook, records of what products we used on our crops, pest management, etc.  So the first 2 hours of the inspection were spent around our dining room table providing all the documentation Nancy requested and answering her questions. 

The picture above  is where we had to demonstrate that all chemicals housed on the farms were in a secure area and properly identified as a chemical storage area.

Then we all jumped in the pick-up for tours of the farms, all the while answering more questions and visiting about our farming practices. This picture is when we stopped by the Tammany shop for inspection.

    

We explained that we used the latest technology by incorporating a global positioning systems (GPS) in our tractors thereby enabling us to utilize the concept of precision agriculture.  In a nutshell, it helps the farmer to not waste fertilizer or crop treatment by reducing any overlap of areas already sprayed.  Plus the satellite imagery transmits down to the GPS unit to adjust the rates as needed.  It is helpful to read the excellent article about Precision Agriculture/GPS as well as watch our video (just click on the screen) taken during spring work and using the GPS system.

We think the inspection went well, but will know more when Food Alliance releases it's findings and if we have anything to correct based upon Nancy's report.  So I'll keep you posted.

Farm Projects

After the crops are planted, we usually have several projects to complete before harvest.  So in between spraying for thistles, other weeds, or bugs we also do the usual maintenance/checking of the equipment in order to try to avoid breakdowns during harvest.  Above is one of the combines in the farm shop with its "header" off.  In the picture is Jay and at the very back of the photo in the white shirt is our newly hired employee, Cody Kinyon.

So before harvest gets here, we have two big projects for this year.   1) complying with the new regulatory laws  that require a containment structure for bulk fuel storage and 2) readying ourselves for an inspection of our farm to be certified by the Food Alliance organization.

For the fuel containment project, we dismantled our old grain storage bin that looks like this (note: by the time I thought about getting pictures of the grain bin being dismantled it was already gone, so these are our neighbors  bins so you understand what I am talking about).

Pictured above is what the dismantled site looks like now. As we no longer do home grain storage we thought the site of the old bins would be good for the fuel containment structure. 

In the event you were interested where the majority of farmers store their crops, this is what the commerical storage containers look like.  Pictured here are the storage containers for Pacific Northwest Farmers Co-op in Genesee.  

Anyway, the point of having a fuel containment structure is to help protect the environment in the event of a major spillage and a concrete barrier is constructed around the fuel tank.   Ultimately this is what it should look like.

We are anticipating an inspection of our farm sometime next week as part of the application process to become certified by Food Alliance.    Food Alliance is a nonprofit organization that certifies farms, ranches and food handlers for sustainable agricultural and facility management practices.  So stay tuned, hopefully I'll be able to be on site when the inspector arrives so I can take pictures to capture the event.  There are a quite a few farms on the Palouse that are already certified and we want to join their ranks. So wish us luck!  =)

Thank you letter from the Japan Trade Team

We Treat Our Crops Like Our Kids

Crops are like children, they need consent tending and nurturing to turn out right.  Diseases can affect a crop just like a child, so preventive measures help keep both crops and kids healthy.   The progressive farmers of the world look at preventive and corrective measures as a way to ensure healthy crops for optimum results.  It's simply safeguarding your resources.  For me, as a mother, it would be like not inoculating your child against rubella, polio and other diseases that can strike and cripple a human, so why would you put your children at risk? It's the same with crops, we have the resources available to help the plants, so why risk not using them? So that my friends, in a nutshell,  is why farmers use the treatments available (which are strictly regulated by the Food & Drug Administration) to keep our crops healthy.  What does this mean to you? It means quantity as well as quality on your dinner table.   

Due to the recent (and welcome) moisture that we have had over the past 2 months, the wheat around the region is showing signs of a fungi called Stem Rust.  If untreated, this fungi will rob the crop of its potential yield, so farmers will incur an extra cost to get this herbicide flown on by air to treat it.  Joe and Jay had anticipated the Rust showing up and this particular fungus is best treated if you can catch it before it shows up on the wheat blades.  We are not complaining in the least, it is sort of a welcome expense as it means the wonderful moisture should mean a better wheat yield come harvest time.  That really makes a farmer smile! =)

Shown below is brother-in-law, Jay checking one of the wheat fields on the Tammany farm.  Besides looking for rust, we also look for bugs that can also rob the crop of its yield.  So sometimes bi-weekly, but usually weekly checking of the crops is necessary for optimum crop health.

The products commonly used on the farm come in plastic jugs. Pictured above  is Ryan, a high school lad who has been hired to help on the farm this summer.   Ryan is stacking the jugs to be shredded for recycling.   

This is the owner of the shredding machine and that comes to farms all over the region.  

If you want to see more of the small town farm life, take a look at the page called At Home on the Farm.