Megan: Plainville, Kansas

The last couple days have been typical harvest for the Roland crew. We’ve been able to cut and haul a lot of wheat but in the process of doing so we have also had many random breakdowns. From sickles breaking on the headers (due to harvesting short crops this season) to a brake canister needing to be replaced on one of the semis to a chain breaking on the grain cart we sure have been keeping our mechanic, Jason, busy! Most of the breakdowns have been fairly minor, but having to stop and fix something is always time consuming, especially when multiple things break throughout the day.

Most of the fields we have been harvesting around the area have been yielding around 30 to 50 bushels per acre. The moisture had been staying low until yesterday afternoon when we ran into a field that had some green patches down in the terraces. The moisture spiked up to about 15 percent on the last load of that field. The next field we moved to also had the same issue so we’ve been trying to mix in the dry wheat with some of the more wet wheat. We’ve also been unloading on the go with the grain cart so the extra movement and mixture of the wheat helps to lower the moisture.

Fixing graincart
Jason, Dad, and James work on putting the grain cart back together after we had to replace a chain on it.

Graincart unloading
The grain cart up and running again as it unloads on one of the semis.

James unloading
A view from the grain cart: James watches as I unload the grain cart.

Plainville sunset
The combines sit in front of a gorgeous sunset that radiated over the wheat fields in the area last night.  We finished cutting this field at dusk and just in time to enjoy the sunset!

Blast to the Past – Today’s Flashback:

Dad & kids in '94
I know I’m about a week late but I wanted to post these pictures in honor of a belated Father’s Day. This is a picture of Dad, Brandon, Ashley and me before he left for Texas in May 1994.

Dad & kids on combine '94
Later in the summer of 1994 we made a road trip with Mom to go visit Dad in Kansas. In this picture Dad holds Brandon as Ashley and I get ready to climb down the latter. Back then as kids we were just riders in the combine and now we make up half the crew!

Megan Roland is the newest member of All Aboard. She can be reached at megan@allaboardharvest.com. All Aboard 2011 is sponsored by High Plains Journal and DuPont Crop Protection.

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