Jenna: Visiting the K Crew

I thought today was Thursday all day. Turns out it’s Friday. I guess it’s easy to lose track of days when you haven’t been doing too much!

Just to get the important information taken care of…yesterday after lunch I went with Dad out to the farm to chat with our farmer. They agreed that the wheat wasn’t going to be ready, so we had yet another “day off.” Today, Mom and Dad went back out after lunch and cut a sample. They tested the moisture at 13.7. So we’re getting close! But it’s still too wet for the grain bins. Hopefully we’ll be able to get going tomorrow afternoon.

So what have we been up to the past couple of days? The main event was our trip to Sentinel, Okla., yesterday to see our fellow custom harvesting friends, the Krumbachs, who I have mentioned before. (And you’ll hear a lot more about in the future because we’re helping them in Manter, Kan.)

I’ll go more in-depth about the Krumbach crew on another day but their operation is also family-run and they have been in the business for generations. Bruce (spelled B-r-u-c-e…haha) and Leigh have four children — Blake, 25; Laura, 21; Anna, 18; and Katie, 16. Bruce, Blake, Anna and Katie all work in the field, and Leigh delivers two meals a day to the field in addition to taking care of all of the other duties that keep the operation running smoothly. Laura, the oldest daughter, doesn’t make the harvest run anymore but takes care of the house during the summer and works; much like my older sister, Jamie.

The Krumbach family and my family met during the summer of 1990 when we parked next to each other in Lodgepole, Neb. Leigh knocked on the door of our trailer house one day to ask Dad to move his pick-up, which was in the way of the clothesline, and
that was that — the beginning of a life-long friendship.

I don’t mean to be all mushy but I’m actually finding it hard to describe how much the K family means to me and my family. They are the type of friends who you might go several months or even a whole year without seeing, but when you’re together, it’s like you saw them the day before.

Besides being awesome/hilarious/good people, the Krumbachs are even more special to our family because they do what we do…we don’t have to explain the custom harvesting part of our life to them because they live it, too. They know the stresses and frustrations of the business, along with the joys. Custom harvesting isn’t exactly a common occupation/lifestyle, and it’s good to have friends who understand.

The Krumbachs are friends who don’t really seem like friends, but more like family — that’s the best way to say it. So, in conclusion (ha!), our visit to Sentinel was a great time and I can’t wait to work with them in Manter!

Krumbachs
(Clockwise) Leigh, Bruce, Dad, Mom and Blake at supper last night in Sentinel.

Krumbachs girls
The harvest girls: Taylor, Katie, Anna, me and Callie. Excited to see each other…and have orange pop. :]

Graduation
Anna, Laura, Blake, Katie and me at Anna’s high school graduation party this spring.

Jenna Zeorian can be reached at jenna@allaboardharvest.com. All Aboard 2009 Wheat Harvest is sponsored by High Plains Journal and DuPont Crop Protection.

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