Hurry up and wait

Guest correspondent Scott Clark checks in from South Dakota.  Recent wet weather in the area has allowed the crew a little down time. This week Scott talks about the move north, waiting on the rain and what the crew has lined up in the coming weeks.

The crew hurried to load the equipment in Goodland, Kan., when harvest finished and now find themselves with time on their hands. Two inches of rain fell around the Pierre, S.D., area in the last six days. The Philip, S.D., area reported as much as five inches.

The crew departed Goodland to make the 400-mile trip to South Dakota. The Nebraska Department of Transportation cooperated and passed the convoy through a couple of inspection areas across the state. (I guess having taken the time to organize all the paperwork and clean up the trucks and equipment paid off.) After arriving in Pierre, the rain resumed. The crew unloaded equipment and performed maintenance on the trucks while a few guys headed back to Kansas to get the last loads.

The combines moved to the field to begin harvesting. The crew has been catching up on sleep, doing laundry, running errands in town, and polishing up the trucks. Kevin has been taking advantage of the rain by catching up on paperwork, trying to find more acres to harvest in South Dakota, and talking with our customers in North Dakota.

The average so far is 45 to 76 bushels per acre, testing at 11- to 14-percent moisture with protein running around 12 percent. Test weights ran 60 to 63 pounds. The recent rains are expected to pull the green out of the spring wheat when it dries up, allowing harvesters a quick transition from winter to spring wheat.

Hopefully the rains will stay away through the weekend and into next week so the crew can complete their job at Pierre. If not, the combines may have to split up again, as we have another job on the eastern side of South Dakota, near Huron.

 

Auto guidance at work.

Combine on camera.

Dan and the crew prepare the trucks for the trip ahead.

Finishing up the last field at 3 a.m. as storms roll in.

Loaded up to head north.

Percy ensures Louis is loading the truck properly.

Our shop on wheels.

The combines wait for the truck to return.

For more infomation contact crew@allaboardharvest.com. All Aboard 2010 Wheat Harvest is sponsored by High Plains Journal and DuPont Crop Protection.

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