31 Jul New adventures

Fifty years from now, when I am describing to my grandchildren the fascinating life of the “good ol days” on the harvest run, I’ll have to begin by saying, “It all started back in 1988.” Honestly, they’re going to think, “Jeesh, she is SO OLD! 1988?!”
I have been on the harvest run all of my life. It really did start back in 1988 when I was born. Harvest has been instilled in me from the very moment I was conceived and my little life was created. Every harvest consisted of me packing up my crayons, coloring book, and pillow and off to the field we went. It then turned into helping move from field to field driving the pickup at 10 miles per hour, and finally my dream was reality at 10 years old: to drive the big, green machines, all by myself! At age 15, I became instructor/teacher/motivator of the new generation of combine drivers.

If you would have asked my 17-year-old self where I would be today, I probably would not have told you that I was still going to be on the harvest run. Today, I really wouldn’t have it any other way! I love my job. I love this way of life! Just goes to show that God really is in charge and all we can do is hang on for the ride! He knows best.

I love how harvest is never the same. Conversely, I hate how harvest is never the same. It is hard and sometimes very challenging not knowing where you are going next or what you are going to be doing. Again, I love not knowing where I’m going next or what I’ll be doing tomorrow, next month, or six months from now! I promise, I do have a point to this rambling!

The other day, I experienced something new! I got to cut a new crop called triticale. Apparently this crop has been around since the 1800s, originally created in Scotland and Sweden by crossing wheat and rye together. But it was new to me! I was very excited to be cutting something new and it was very fun comparing this crop to others I have harvested. To me, it felt like I was cutting barley: long, golden stalks that shimmered, and flax, which felt like I was cutting wire a lot of the time. It looks like rye from the road, being very tall (about 4 to 4 1/2 feet), and about a 6- to 8-inch head. It has the fat and full head of wheat with beards that are as long as could be. The seeds are the length of rye with the fat and fullness of wheat. The taste is not like either of its parents. It definitely lacks the nuttiness of wheat and the tartness of rye. It has its own unique taste. Farmers mostly use it for cattle feed because it has protein qualities very similar to corn, but it is also grown for human consumption. It is a drought resistant crop, and it can be found all over the country.

I really enjoyed cutting this crop!
This is where I found out some information on triticale.
Here is what the triticale we cut looks like.

I guess the whole point of this particular post is that life is always full of little surprises. You have to look around and enjoy the whole earthly experience. We only get one life here on earth. Let’s make the best of it and step out of our daily hum-drum routine, and stop and smell the beautiful roses of life!

Be safe and God bless!

All Aboard Wheat Harvest™ is sponsored by High Plains Journal and New Holland Agriculture. Emma can be reached at emma@allaboardharvest.com.