Megan:Another Round of Catch Up

My previous two posts have hopefully brought everyone up to speed on Roland Harvesting, I’ll continue to keep everyone up-to-date for the next couple of posts and then we’ll all be caught up. As I’ve said before wheat harvest can be a busy time for crews, and we are no exception.

On June 2, Brandon and Jason loaded up with one CR combine and header, grain trailer and service truck. They moved up around the Enid, Okla. area and began working on a job near the towns of Carmen and Alva. Brandon also turned 19 years-old on June 2, and he was very grateful that the couple they were working for brought him out a surprise fried chicken dinner and shortcake to celebrate his birthday! I think Brandon and Jason were extremely thankful for their generosity.

The next day Brandon and Jason had an exceptionally successful day and cut almost 200 acres with just the one CR and one semi. They were up bright and early and worked extremely late into the night, unloading on the go with the semi all day and managing to avoid breakdowns as well. As many of you know, having such a successful day like that does not always happen and when it does it’s one of the best feelings anyone can have on harvest. Still being a college student, I would say that it’s easily comparable to acing a test.

Meanwhile, Dad and James continued to finish up in Texas and I came home during this time for a prior family obligation. Most of the wheat in the Fort Worth area yielded around 20 to 35 bushels per acre. On June 4, Dad and James finished and loaded up the header and combine in record time. James said it took just 19 minutes to load it all, chain it down, put up signs, and get on the road. On June 5, Dad and James made it to Oklahoma and the crew was finally reunited and cutting in the same field. We unloaded on the go with the semis, which saved a substantial amount of time. Most of these fields made around 25 to 35 bushels per acre. The farmer was quite disappointed, mentioning that these fields typically make at least 40 to 55 bushels per acre during most years. However, these yields were expected given the dry year that certainly took a toll on this area, as it did on most of the South.

Unloading in Carmen
The crew is finally reunited around Enid.

Dad cutting in Carmen
Dad harvesting around Carmen, Okla. Yields were considerably better in this area than they were in the South, although they were still lower than usual.

Sunset while unloading
A beautiful sunset over an almost finished field in Okla. If you look closely to the right you can see Brandon unloading on the go with Jason in the semi.

Megan Roland is the newest member of All Aboard. She can be reached at megan@allaboardharvest.com. All Aboard 2011 is sponsored by High Plains Journal and DuPont Crop Protection.

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