Farmer City Harvest Visit 2012

Harvest officially started on Wednesday September 12th down south.  They started slowly to get all the bugs worked out.  Then the combine broke.  Then on Sept 17^th they started for real.  Corn yields varied a lot, 50 bushels per acre -170 bushels per acre.  Historically yields are normally around 200 bpa.  Not surprising, not terrible and the yields could have been a lot worse given the weather conditions this year.  We just never got enough rain when we needed it.  Lucky for us only a couple fields (so far) were at the lower end of the range.  At the end of that week the kids and I decided to head down Friday after I got off work and join the guys.  I was supposed to leave around 6 or 7pm but it just wasn’t in the plans.  I got off work 45 minutes late, the kids weren’t really cooperative about leaving, we couldn’t find Joel’s car (which is the thing he has to have to sleep), I had to treat Ray’s foot and by the time all that happened it was 9pm.  I was still tempted to stay home but I really wanted to see Brad (I had a really long crazy week) and we all wanted to ride in the tractors and combine.

Brad and Joel

Getting things ready for the morning.

Joel and Grandpa

Brad knows a different way to Farmer City that supposedly only takes 2 hours.  When I drive my route it ends up being close to 2.5 hours.  When I called Brad to remind me about the directions for the way he goes I was driving already and he gave me directions for a better route.  I had no paper and no one to help me remember directions.  Lucky for me my memory is decent and the directions were kind of easy to remember.  The whole way down there the turns were right, left, right, left, etc.  Then I just had to remember at what point I was supposed to turn.  I made it in 2 hours!  I was very happy when we made it to the motorhome and the boys stayed asleep during the transfer from the car to the RV.  Cecilia woke up, but she went back to bed fairly easily.

Joel helping Uncle Bob

Cecilia enjoying her ride in the combine

In the morning we headed to town to the restaurant where the guys eat a lot of meals.  While we were sitting there Vince decided to tell me, rather loudly, that when he and Daddy went to wake Grandpa up that Grandpa was in his underwear and it was plain and white!  I am pretty sure several people heard the conversation.  Vince just couldn’t believe not everyone has cartoon characters on their undies.  About 10 minutes later Grandpa joined us at the restaurant and we told him about the conversation we were having before he arrived.
 

Family Farming!  The dogs were in there too.

Brad working on the tractor

 

Brad and Vincent

We spent the day transferring between equipment.  Vince declared that he was only riding with Daddy wherever Daddy was working.  That he missed Daddy, Daddy was his buddy and he was helping Daddy all day.   So Joel, Cecilia and I rode with Grandpa in one grain cart while Brad, Vince, Bristol and Maisy were in the other grain cart.  After a while we went to ride with Uncle Bob in the combine.  Joel doesn’t sit still (neither does Cecilia, but I can still hold her still) and Grandpa and Uncle Bob where so great about letting Joel crawl around the cab and let him help press buttons.  Joel did eventually need to sit still so I forfeited my phone and SID the Science Kid entertained Joel until we could exit the equipment.

Bristol in her spot in the tractor.  She used to ride there all the time as a puppy.

Joel with the ear of corn Uncle Bob gave him

At one point I really wanted to ride with Brad, I couldn’t convince Vince to go ride with Uncle Bob so we all rode in the grain cart together.  Brad, Vince, Joel, Cecilia, Bristol, Maisy and I were all in the cab of a tractor together.  Dogs on the floor (Joel joined them after a few minutes), Vince driving on Brad’s lap (he did a really great job), and Cecilia and Joel on my lap.  

Vincent and Brad driving the grain car

Vincent and Daddy

A grain cart dumping into a semi truck

Vince sitting on Brad's lap and driving the grain cart.

Brad did let Vince drive the tractor a lot.  He was steering around corners, I believe he was steering when they were catching loads from the combine and driving the loads to the semi trucks.  Vince told me that he lets Daddy load the semi trucks.  At one point I thought it would be good for Vince to ride in the combine (because I know he likes it) and visit with Uncle Bob.  I may have promised him a cookie if he did it.  I told him not to tell Uncle Bob about the cookie because I didn’t want the fact that I was bribing my child to ride with him to hurt his feelings.  Vince was tired and bribery was the only way to get him to do anything.  Vince rode with Uncle Bob, took a nap in the combine, and told Uncle Bob all about the cookie.

Joel and Maisy on the floor of the grain cart

Cecilia helping drive the grain cart

Vincent trying to talk on the radio.

While we were down south my friend Jennifer and her two kids came out to the field to visit us.  I had a lot of fun visiting with her!   I think the only time I get to see her is when I visit our farm down south.  Maybe someday she will learn to drive north.  The day we visited ended up being a short day because everyone had obligations Saturday evening.  It was great though and we all had a lot of fun!  

Grandpa Craig

Austin, Cecilia, Joel and Delaney