Megan: Wrapping Up Southern Oklahoma Harvest

Duke, Okla. – Last weekend our crew encountered many rain showers and were shut down for a couple days due to the high moisture of the wheat. Since that time, the weather has turned very hot, making for long work days in the field. Roland Harvesting has been able to cut for many consecutive days in a row, making this week very productive for us.  Due to the lower yielding wheat, the combines have been able to go over a large amount of acres in a fairly short time. Yields have improved a bit, with certain spots making up to 25 to 30 bushels per acre.

We have faced the challenge of working in many small towns around Altus, Okla., which means commuting several miles to and from the fields everyday. Although the wheat was gold, the crew embraced their “green” side, as this stop was quite a learning experience for many of our rookie crew members. If all continues to go well, the crew should wrap up in the next day or so and head north to our next stop near Enid, Oklahoma. Mom and Dad are tentatively planning to leave from home and meet the boys there with the grain cart, camper, and other combine. Nonetheless, we all know how well “planning” works in the harvesting world so we’ll just continue to play it by ear.

Last week, during one of our rain days, the crew had the opportunity for a unique experience. Roland Harvesting had the privilege of meeting and visiting with employees from the Case New Holland combine plant in Grand Island, Nebraska. Roland Harvesting gave this group a tour of our machines, showed them our favorite features, and discussed areas on the combine that could use improvement. Brandon and Jose even let many of the staff members “test drive” the combines and learn how all of the gears and switches work.

CNH Visit
Above: Brandon takes one of the New Holland employees out for a quick  spin in one of the combines.

Unloading onto the truck
Both combines finish unloading on the truck. Eric and Kasey have been keeping busy with the long trucking routes. (Photo by Kasey)

Aircraft
The airbase from Altus, Oklahoma practices dropping off cargo in an empty field near where the crew was cutting. This is always one of our favorite sights to see every summer! (Photo by Brandon)

All Aboard Harvest is sponsored by High Plains Journal and Syngenta. Megan can be reached at megan@allaboardharvest.com.

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