05 Jul Janel: Early mornings and late nights
Goodland, Kansas – It’s been early mornings and late nights (also known as 24/7 eat, sleep, truck and combine) for many consecutive days now. You won’t hear me complain though. I hope it continues. Working makes me happy and is when I feel my very best! I feel blessed to have the ability to work and make an honest living in this great country. Having the opportunity to get to work all day every day is amazing.
I’m happy to share what I’ve been seeing out in the Kansas wheat fields. We were in the Dodge City area and had wheat cutting weather for the most part, including heat and humidity under 50 percent during the day. We did get sprinkled out with just a few rain drops three evenings in a row. However, an early evening in from the field is always an excellent opportunity to catch up on rest, even if it is already 8 or 9 p.m. The wheat was pretty good again this year and yielded in the 50 to 70 bushels per acre range, and almost all of the test weights were 61 to 63 pounds. I did harvest a field that didn’t yield so well due to mosaic disease. It is a major problem and causes significant yield loss. I would say the wheat could have made 50 to 60 bushels per acre but only yielded 35 due to mosaic. It also ruined about 20 acres of the field that we left uncut due to it showing zero for a yield. On a high note, the wheat was still standing, which is always something to be very thankful for as a combine operator. Last year I had to suffer through having to harvest a few pivots of wheat that were laying flat on the ground (which is a headache and miserable and terrible), so this standing wheat crop was a dream to harvest.
We moved over to the Kansas/Colorado state line near Goodland, Kansas late last week, and we are now on Mountain Time. The day we moved here the travel weather was excellent. It was a cool 70 degrees. However, when we arrived here, we went straight to the field. We’ve been busy harvesting high-yielding wheat (80-plus bushels per acre), and our forecast looks hot, windy, sunny and dry for 10 days. We are keeping the truck drivers busy, and they’ve been reporting long lines at the elevators. The elevator opened early Sunday morning, and I hauled a load to town and witnessed the long lines. Harvest is in full swing here in Western Kansas!
A combine selfie. I had a full hopper and was waiting on a tractor grain cart. Photo taken in Colorado near the Kansas/Colorado state line. (Photo by Janel Schemper)
Beautiful scenery in western Kansas. We received some rain and hail out of that cloud. Bummer. (Photo by Janel Schemper)
Harvesting wheat in Colorado. (Photo by Janel Schemper)
Getting a few too many rain drops again near Dodge City, Kansas. (Photo by Janel Schemper)
Moo is a sweetie! (Photo by Janel Schemper)
Seriously, this was the prettiest sunset. (Photo by Janel Schemper)
Sage and I harvesting wheat. He rode with me most of the day. At one point, he was fake crying, and he said he was so bored and wanted pizza! LOL! (Photo by Janel Schemper)
Harvesting a pivot of wheat near Dodge City, Kansas. (Photo by Janel Schemper)
Nothing runs like a deer! Photo taken near Dodge City, Kansas. (Photo by Janel Schemper)
Nighttime harvesting near Dodge City, Kansas. (Photo by Janel Schemper)
My wheels. My hopper was full, and I was waiting on the tractor grain cart. Photo taken near Dodge City, Kansas. (Photo by Janel Schemper)
My blue header. (Photo by Janel Schemper)
Miss Moo thought this was so great! We had to swerve a little to miss the cow. She wouldn’t move. (Photo by Janel Schemper)
These are the best days! Cheeseburger and tator tots for supper in the field! Yea! Miss Moo is hungry too! (Photo by Janel Schemper)
She is pure sunshine. That’s my Maggie Moo. Pretty girl! (Photo by Janel Schemper)
A combine selfie taken near Dodge City, Kansas while I wait on a tractor grain cart. (Photo by Janel Schemper)
This beautiful flower photo was taken early one morning on the way to breakfast. (Photo by Janel Schemper)
This is my favorite wheat harvesting photo ever taken in western Kansas. (Photo by Janel Schemper)
Harvesting wheat in Colorado near the Kansas/Colorado state line. (Photo by Janel Schemper)
Harvesting wheat on the Kansas/Colorado state line. It’s an amazing wheat crop again this year! (Photo by Janel Schemper)
This is my favorite wheat harvesting photo. (Photo by Janel Schemper)
Harvesting a pivot of wheat near Dodge City, Kansas. (Photo by Janel Schemper)
Harvesting after midnight underneath the moon light near Dodge City, Kansas. (Photo by Janel Schemper)
Four deer running across the wheat field near Dodge City, Kansas. (Photo by Janel Schemper)
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