Lindsey: On the homestretch - All Aboard Harvest

04 Aug Lindsey: On the homestretch

Posted at 07:24h in 2017, aawh, All Aboard, harvest, High Plains Journal, John Deere, Lindsey, wheat by lindseyo 4 Comments

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Hardin, Montana – We’ve made our way up the harvest trail to our final stop in Hardin. Since we left home, we’ve made stops in McDonald, Kansas, Sidney, Nebraska and Chadron, Nebraska.

We made it to McDonald on June 26th. The combine didn’t see much action, but we were blessed to be able to help out another harvest crew with our support equipment. The rain seemed to move in almost every evening while we were there. When the combine was in the field, we saw 60 bushels per acre yields.

Wheat harvest near McDonald, KS.

We moved up the road to Sidney, Nebraska on July 8. We had acres to cut in the Gurley and Dalton area. Yields were in the 35-40 bushels per acre range with a 62 pound test weight. We were blessed to have some acres passed on to us on the Nebraska-Colorado state line near Lorenzo. It’s always neat to get to work in new areas. We really get to see some beautiful places in this line of work.

Dumping grain at the Lorenzo elevator.

No trip to Sidney, NE is complete without a trip (or 3) to Cabela’s.

On July 15, we made our way on to Chadron. The wheat there yielded in the 60s, and the protein levels were pretty impressive. We were able to take some time to do a little sight seeing before we moved on up the road. If you ever have the opportunity to visit Mount Rushmore, do it. The landscape is beyond beautiful, and the story behind Mount Rushmore is truly fascinating.

Tommy and Jon working in the field near Whitney, NE.

Our motley crew at Mt. Rushmore

We arrived in Hardin on July 20. The temperatures have been pretty brutal, and the area is super dry, which is the perfect formula for wildfires. About 100 miles up the road, crews have been battling a 250,000 acre fire. We were fortunate to be able to help cart and haul barley for a local farmer until our own work was ready. Over the weekend, we were able to get started cutting on some spring wheat – the crop has been below average due to lack of moisture.

Putting barley in the bins at Hardin, MT. Coors allows you to fill half of your contract at harvest, so the farmer bins the rest for later.

Wheat harvest in motion.

This summer has been an interesting one for sure. We, like other crews, have definitely seen less acres than in years past, and that looks to be the trend for the foreseeable future. It’s a situation that makes you even more grateful for every acre you’re able to cut and every bushel you’re able to haul. We are so thankful for our farmers and pray that we’ll all see better days in this industry – it certainly isn’t for the faint of heart.