Busy in South Dakota

Guest correspondent Scott Clark checks in from South Dakota. The crew has been battling rain showers — but staying busy nonetheless. Scott discusses the recent weather battles, the crew and what equipment will be needed on next year’s harvest run.

The crew arrived in South Dakota about a week ago but has been battling rain showers every other day. Three inches of rain fell on some of our farmers’ crops. Test weights have dropped from 61 to 63 pounds to about 58 pounds — a significant drop. Protein is also down to around 10 percent. The crews have been able to dodge some storms, including the one that produced record-sized hail in Vivian. The crew was just 15 miles from that one, a bit too close for comfort.

Having a split crew puts a strain on our manpower, but it has still been productive given the week of weather. The spring wheat we’ve harvested has been making 40 to 70 bushels per acre and the protein has run from 11 to 14 percent.

Kevin’s crew has been on the north and eastern side of Pierre and will move to Huron next. Kendall has been west, and now south, of Pierre. Kendall’s crew will be able to finish in two to three days once they are able to get back in the field. Kendall, however, will be returning to Kansas to begin football practice and prepare for his senior year of high school. We hope the rain will allow him to complete the job before he has to leave for the year.

It’s hard to believe August is here already. Fall is approaching and that means discussing options for next year. We’re already working on a combine trade, and in order to get an unbiased opinion we’ve been running a Case IH combine to compare it to our John Deere. We do this so we can make the best decision for our crew — just like test driving a car. Each machine has clear advantages, but the decision will be based on service and cost.

Harvesting and catching up on minor repairs means there doesn’t ever seem to be a boring day. That being said, the guys are anxious to get back to the field. I think I agree with them on this one.

I hope all of our followers are having a safe and enjoyable summer.

 

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Side-by-side combine comparisons will allow Kevin and me to make the best decision for our operation.

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The crew repairs the sickle on one of our auger headers after it broke one night.

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Running AMS and mapping technology on our machines allows me to provide our customers with information that will impact their management decisions and improve their farming practices.

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Kevin tops off the graincart as another field quickly comes to an end.

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Chief and Louis get the machines cleaned up in order to move to the next farmer’s crop.

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On behalf of the Clarks, thanks for following the harvest with us!  (Scott, Kim, Kassidy, Kendall, and Kevin)

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

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