17 Jun Sage: Technical difficulties

Floydada, Texas-Every now and then, there are days that really prove how much technology influences our daily lives.  As a harvester, you are reminded of this every time you sit in the cab of one of the new combines.  Everything runs from a computer screen that would make the people who started this industry scratch their heads.  Everything from a calculated moisture percentage to approximate yield of the wheat to engine load is all shown on the screen, plus much more.  The strides that the combines, themselves, have taken in the last 20 years are just unbelievable.  But when something breaks down or fails, life can become a little clustered.

I am happy to say that our monitors and combines are running fine, but another piece of technology that makes life easier failed on me while we were rained out.  I’m talking about my cell phone.

We have been rained out the last few days so we all ran into Lubbock for the evening last night.  Everyone had a lot of fun, but I realized that my phone was missing.  I looked high and low, tearing apart the pick-up and camper looking for it, but to no avail.  I then called the restaurant in a last-ditch attempt, and came out with no good news.  But everything is replaceable, and phone numbers are easy to get.  I just had to remind myself that I am in good health and happy.  I had to keep a positive attitude.  Who knows maybe it will turn up.  In the meantime I had to run to Lubbock again today to replace my phone, and technology is pretty pricy. Kind of makes me miss the “soup cans tied together with a string” days.

As for the cutting, we were able to get back into field late this afternoon.  They are predicting warm weather with no rain to be seen in the forecast, which is good because we need five or six good days of cutting and we will be moving on to our next stop.  I was able to run to Lubbock because our haul is short enough that three of our trucks can keep up with the combines.

Tomorrow I have to run to Amarillo to pick up dad off the airplane.  My dad, sister and I all went home to surprise my mom for her 50th birthday last weekend.  Dad decided to stay a couple extra days because of the inclement weather and is coming back tomorrow.  From Amarillo we are going to run up to our other job in Dumas to see how far along it is.

It will be good to get back in a groove.  Sometimes the rain takes you out of the regular schedules and it can be difficult getting back into it.  We will all adjust fine and are ready for another good stretch of harvesting.

Sage Sammons can be reached at sage@allaboardharvest.com. All Aboard 2010 Wheat Harvest is sponsored by High Plains Journal and DuPont Crop Protection.