IT'S HOT!

July 22nd
It has been a while since I was last here and I apologize. I think the summer has run away with my sense of time. Either that or things are keeping me too busy to keep you all up to date. So since I am inside on this very hot Kansas day I better do what I need to, and write!
Over the past two weeks it has been a whirl wind of activities. We all have been busy at it; working in the fields, spraying fields, checking pastures, checking water in pastures, and haying.  Since the temperature has gotten to be a constant 100+ for the last week, this is what we call prairie hay weather. When doing our prairie hay, which is the native grass in Kansas, we can swath, rake, and bale all in the same day if we don't have any other fields to catch up from the day before.  If this hay is put up right  the cows love it during the winter months, but if it is a rougher and more coarse type of hay they tend to pick at it only eating what they want out of the round bale feeders.  Usually my Uncle Warren is in the swather, my father Mark in the baler, and cousin Nathan takes the raking along with sharing it with Grandpa at times, and me, well I get the privilege of moving the bales. Don't get me wrong I do enjoy it, but would you want to be outside in 100+ degree weather with no umbrella or cab on the tractor? Me neither, so most of the moving of the bales is stuck in the morning or the evening when it is a little cooler....a little. Prairie hay is one hay that we use to grind up for feed when the winter months come, we are hoping that this year we get just as much as last year but it isn't looking that way. With the summer rains not coming we are in a drought. This drought has also allowed those who have CRP, conservation reserve program, to cut some of that grass for feed since we are short on everything else.Side note for those who don't know what CRP is it is --The Conservation Reserve Program which reduces soil erosion, protects the Nation's ability to produce food and fiber, reduces sedimentation in streams and lakes, improves water quality, establishes wildlife habitat, and enhances forest and wetland resources. It encourages farmers to convert highly erodible cropland or other environmentally sensitive acreage to vegetative cover, such as tame or native grasses, wildlife plantings, trees, filterstrips, or riparian buffers. Farmers receive an annual rental payment for the term of the multi-year contract. Cost sharing is provided to establish the vegetative cover practices. IF you want to learn more see this website http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/crp/ . After we are through with the prairie hay we look to move onto cutting some CRP ground although it is a much different ground and hay than what we are use to.
July 30,
Things are progressing with the hay and it was now time to take a little vacation. We are proud to have a wedding pass this weekend, our cousin Darren Enns  married Corina Neufeld in Colorado. So all of the family is all off to a little time of vacation. I myself am currently in Croghan, New York for a wedding as well. On my trip I have been privileged enough to go to the big city, New York, New York. It is a whole different world in the city. I do have to say that this country girl will stick to it. I do like the country A LOT better!! The city is a very fast pace place. I was able to see the sights of empire state building, time square, central park, and from a distance the statue of liberty thanks to some great friends who make great tour guides.  All of these were great sights and the girls who were on the trip of a two days had a great time of refreshment.  I was so happy to be at one of my good friend's wedding but sad to miss my cousin's as well.  All of the time and new experiences were well worth the trip.

The Busy Season...Harvest

Summer always seems to need to slow down, especially when we get to harvest time.  Harvesting on our farms is a family affair. We work as a large team to get the harvest finished safely and efficiently as possible.  During this past week we have been working from sun up to sun down, if not more at times.  I will describe a usual day: Wake up around 6:30am, fill jugs of water, get grease guns, fuel, and gloves. Mark might spray some beans or milo as well as Warren could be raking hay together or baling.  The list of jobs go on and on.  Around 10 o'clock we have the combines greased, fueled, and ready to go.  It is around this time that we women get in our grain trucks so that we can haul the grain to the elevator. The guys, Nathan, Warren, Ron, and Mark are the ones that are usually running the combines and grain cart.  Barb, Dora, Sarah, and I all drive the trucks, three in total.

Unloading on the go, saves time and makes us more efficient.

Mark unloading onto Grandpa Ron's grain cart.

When the combines are full the grain cart goes and drives along side the combine. This allows for the combine to unload on the go, saving us time and making us more efficient. When the grain cart is filled to a capacity of around 500 bushels, one wheat bushel is approximately 60 pounds, it is brought to the trucks which are usually parked along the drive of the field. Unloading the wheat is the next job to be done. Once the trucks are fully loaded they are off to the town's elevator.  Here the trucks may have to wait in line, since our town's elevator is  a small one. Then they are weighed with the grain on and the elevator takes a sample to test the grain.  The test of the grain is to see how much moisture is in the wheat along with the test weight.  Then once the truck has been weighed you drive into the elevator where the workers stop you over the correct pit. The pit is where the grain is dumped into a hole where there are little scoops that pick it up  and take it to the correct storage bins in the elevator. After we have raised the truck bed to get all of the grain out we lower it again and go back to the weigh scale.  Here they  calculate the difference in weight to figure out the amount of the grain. And then comes the ticket, stating how many bushels, the moisture, and the test weight.  If there were to be any docking, because of foreign material or high moisture, it would also be stated on the ticket. And then it is back to the field for another load.  When the trucks are one the road the time flies, since most of our fields are over 5 miles away from the elevator it takes a long time to get back to the field.

A harvest sunset.

 Once the trucks are back to the field it repeats itself all over again.  Sometime we get a break for lunch unless we eat before we head to the fields.  And usually the women in the field bring along coolers with afternoon snacks for the harvest crew.  After about 5 o'clock supper will be brought to the field.  Harvest meals are said to be some of the best meals in the field. Usually Anita or Sarah are the meal makers since everyone else is already busy in the field. Once everyone has been fed we resume the day's work.  Usually we end up harvesting until the elevator closes which can be anywhere from 8:30p.m. to 10 o'clock at night. This all depends upon how the dew comes down once the sun sets. When the dew sets down upon the ground it makes the straw of the wheat harder to cut with the combine, not letting us harvest the wheat as long during the evening hours.  We usually cut as long as possible once the sun is set, which is normally til about 11p.m. Though the elevator may be closed, we continue to cut until all trucks, grain cart, and combines are full.
 Our days were filled with lots of driving and long hours in the hot temperatures, but thankfully our harvest ended without any major break downs or injury. And we seem to try and keep some fun in the harvest as well...take a look...

Sarah supervising but also having a bit of fun.

Kyle, Jenna, and Sarah passing the time by having a photo shoot.

We are always ready to have harvest arrive but happy to see it leave once it has begun. And we say thank you to all of the Kansas wheat farmers who make this state the bread basket and help feed the world.

The hands that planted, sprayed, and harvested the wheat.