A day in Farmer City

The boys and I wanted to join Brad in Farmer City on Monday morning.  In order to all be able to drive down together we had to be in the truck at 6am.  Not a huge deal for Brad and I, but add the kids into the picture and there was a potential for some melt downs.  I was hoping the kids would sleep most of the way down, but the second they got in the car they were wide awake and actually pretty happy.  It was a pleasant surprise.

Vince before he realized we had reached our destination.

Vince when he saw the combine

Joel just really happy and saying "Cheese"

Heading out to the combine after putting on his sunglasses and telling me he was sexy.

Playing in the field

Vince was very excited when we got to Farmer City and he looked out the window and saw the combine and got a huge smile on his face.  He couldn't get out of his pjs and into his clothes fast enough.  He was worried that the combine was going to leave him behind or something.  Currently the combine is his favorite piece of equipment and for a kid that is constantly on the go it just amazes me that he can sit in that combine (with no other form of entertainment) for hour long stretches before he wants out.  Luckily Uncle Bob doesn't mind the company.  I didn't ride in the combine at the same time as Vince, but riding in the grain cart next to the combine it looked like Vince was talking quite a bit.  I asked him what he was talking to Uncle Bob about, but all Vince would tell me was "Its a long story, I will tell you later."  That is his new way of not answering a question.

Combine and grain cart...catching a load of corn on the go

View of combine from the grain cart

Vince walking back to the truck after a ride in the combine

Joel liked our field trip to Farmer City too.  He likes driving in the tractor and combine but his attention span is about 15 minutes without other forms of entertainment (my phone, food, drink, getting out and talking to the truckers).  Vince was the same way at that age, so I knew what to expect.  Joel's favorite spot to ride in the tractor was on the floor by the pedals.  Not the best place but he enjoyed it.  He kept pressing the decelerator and slowing the tractor down and thought he was hilarious.  Joel also liked to sit on my lap and press a button on Brad's seat to let the air out and therefore make the seat lower down to the ground.  Again Joel and I thought it was funny, Brad didn't think it was as funny especially when he was going down the field catching a load of corn from the combine.

Joel in his favorite spot

Joel driving the grain cart

Loading a semi truck

When Brad is gone farming I will call Brad or he will call me a few times a day.  The call is usually cut short by Brad getting another call and him saying he will call me back.  Usually I don't get a call back for several hours.  I know he is busy but being with him all day I realized how busy he truly is.  Brad's phone was ringing nonstop with calls from truckers, elevators, grain buyers, employees, etc.  Brad has a hands free headset so he can talk and drive at the same time.  At one point he was driving alongside the combine getting a load of corn and talking on the phone negotiating a potential contract all while Joel was making his seat go up and down.  If that isn't multitasking I don't know what is! For the record I couldn't stop Joel because he would scream and then Brad wouldn't be able to have his phone conversation.

Brad multitasking

Brad and Bob planning the move to the next field

The snout on the corn head was bent and Bob was fixing it

Originally I had wanted to head home around 2 pm so the boys could take a nap in the car.  Since we were all having fun we ended up not leaving until 6pm.  It was a wonderful day!  It made we wish we could spend more days hanging out in the field during harvest.

Opening up a field

Vince round 2 on the combine

"Helping" Daddy drive

For those of you wondering about the corn yields we are having it has been really variable.  While we were there they were in a field that was around 240 bushels/acre it was a field that had beans on it last year.  Then they switched fields to one with a different seed variety and it was a field that had corn on it last year and the yield was closer to 140 bushels/acre.  A good yield is close to 200, 240 is excellent and 140 stinks.  It is what it is, there are only so many things you can control when it comes to farming and all the good decisions in the world don't matter if the weather isn't perfect.  We weren't expecting outstanding yields in Farmer City, but 140 is a lot lower than we expected.  Today Brad told me they are in another field and another variety of seed and it is closer to 160-170.  Based on the crop scouting Brad did earlier this fall he was expecting most of it to be around 140.