Harvest progress

[Mobuck]

After what seems to be a continual fight with weather and equipment woes, we are actually making progress. Just a combination of crop conditions and fairly normal expectations of parts failures with a 20 year old combine. Fix one thing and another shows up--just the way it goes sometimes. Not helped by Son's pushing too hard to finish. Recovery from the quite serious weekend breakage followed by a hard to diagnose belt alignment problem seems to have finally been fixed. That encouraged him to push even harder resulting in another drive belt failure. Fortunately, we had a replacement. By the time it arrived at the field, we had the damaged belt off and the constipated innards flushed out. Five sets of hands (me, Son, Grandson, landowner, and his professional mechanic Son) got it back together and running fairly quickly.
Not sure how far he got last night as I was worn out and left about 6PM. Hoping today goes well and we get most/all of what's left finished. Little patches take longer especially if a move is involved. The combine header is 28' wide and we've been lucky with moving between two fields a mile apart by just blocking the highway on both ends. Not sure we can move between the next two fields that way due to road signs and mailboxes. The combine itself fills the paved roadway and the header hangs over the shoulders by 3-4' on both sides.

 

[kentucky yeti]

Good deal! We should finish drilling the last of the winter wheat today. Forecast for the weekend is 80% chance of rain (1-2”). Then comes all the maintenance and cleaning of equipment like stalk choppers, planters, combines and headers, and tractors. No way can we move between our backroads from one field to another. I wish we could. There are trees right on the edges of the small roads here where we live.

 

[Mobuck]

Believe this or not, some of the spilled soybeans from our first days of harvest have sprouted and have second set of leaves. First spreading of rye cover crop is 4" tall. Having April weather in October.
We're 2-3 days past the typical/average frost date and mid-80's yesterday.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

The combine itself fills the paved roadway and the header hangs over the shoulders by 3-4' on both sides.

Would a header transport trailer be overkill in your operation?

 

[Mobuck]

Oh sure, we use the header transports to move longer distances and spots where we have to cross bridges. Just a waste of time if the move can be made with header on the combine.
Even w/o the header, just moving the combine requires stopping all traffic both directions. Just block the road at a crossroad or wide driveway so the other vehicles have someplace to get out of the way.
If the trucks are empty, just park a semi in the middle of the road works pretty well.
Most folks are pretty understanding, the others really don't have a choice anyway. These aren't heavily travelled roads and majority of whatever traffic there is will be farmers, too.

 

[Mobuck]

HARVEST IS DONE, FINISHED, COMPLETE
and just in time. We rolled the tarp over the last load in full dark and just before a rain shower began. Due to darkness and the rain, we left the equipment in the field but maybe can get moved home and parked today if not too muddy.
Still have 50 acres of wheat to drill and about 100 acres of cover crop to seed. Two days will finish that. We usually have fertilizer fall applied but not sure when/how that gets done. Haven't discussed it yet.
I'd like to see the bottom line from this year before committing funds to next year. Money doesn't sit around in the bank very long.

 

[contender]

Congrats on getting the harvest in!

Your work is appreciated by many.

 

[Mobuck]

I'm pleased to see that so many appreciate what American farmers do for this great country. The satisfaction that comes from making the decisions and doing the work required to be a farmer is often seriously downplayed or totally overlooked but the American farmer is the single most important asset this country has. The politicians think their influence and control is what makes the USA a world leader but in the long run, it's American agricultural production that can't be denied as a worldwide influence. Every continent within the temperate zones in which crops can be produced has it's own agriculture but NONE have the capability to produce for themselves and so many others.
The latest information indicates that the average American farmer feeds 169 people. ONE HUNDRED SIXTY NINE.
I'm proud to be an American farmer. Through good years and bad, many of us stick with it to the very end. I'm seeing the end of the tracks and running out of steam but still hoping for some level ground and straight rows a few more times.

 

[nekvermont]

Great accomplishment Mobuck.

 

[reuben_j_cogburn]

now c'mon.... I have it by good authority on cnn that all you gotta do is throw the seeds on the ground and it's done! how hard is that ..... geez!!
seems to me yer doin it wrong.....

 

[protoolman]

My family was all farmers and ranchers 2 generations ago. Wish they had stayed with it. Its a hard life but rewarding I know. Lots of friends have sold out because the kids moved on. Don't know what the next generation will bring.

 

[txramfan]

I have a lot of respect for farmers and reading the other threads and posts here makes me really appreciate the sacrifices made by the few for us city folks who never had to really work.

 

[Mobuck]

Oh, lots of folks work hard for what they have. Many just as hard as farmers. Plus many folks are just as dedicated to what they do as I am.
Over the years, I've put my life, my health, my future, and all I have on the line. Often, it seems like betting at the roulette table with Mother Nature spinning the wheel. Other times it's the markets and politics that run the show. There have been times when I questioned my choices but I've never veered from the course.
As I've mentioned before, the farm on which I live has been in my family for three generations-- almost a century and our 'north farm' has been in Grouch Attack's family five generations-150 years. It seems unthinkable to end such legacy.

 

[akbluz]

Mobuck,
You truly are my hero. I can't think of anyone who works harder than you. You deserve all the success you achieve.

 

[Highstandardguy]

Glad you beat the rain! My Grandpa always said it will cost you more in broken equipment than you'll make trying to work in the mud, especially Missouri mud. I added the last part.