Jenna: Moved to Montana

Jordan, Mont. – The Zeorian Harvesting crew is now in Big Sky country – but let me back up a bit. In my last post, we were still in Limon, Colo., battling rain, high moisture wheat and eventually weeds. I don’t think we had one full day of cutting while in Limon because of those things, but we managed to finish the job – in small increments – by July 30.

After taking a day to clean equipment, the crew hit the road on August 1 to begin the journey north to our next stop – Jordan, Mont. The trip from Limon to Jordan is the biggest of the summer, with nearly 700 miles between the two towns.

The crew made it as far as Scottsbluff, Neb., that night. It’s always nice to be back in the home state, even if only for a little while! We got back on the road the next morning and drove all day, eventually stopping for the night in Miles City, Mont., which is only about 85 miles from Jordan – but about 85 miles too many for our sleepy drivers.

So we arrived in Jordan on August 3. After setting up camp and getting things in order, our parents got in the semi and headed back south. As I’ve mentioned before, for us, each move requires two trips – so Mom and Dad trekked 700 miles back to Limon to get the rest of the equipment.

And then trekked 700 miles back to Jordan. I know that week of driving is just their favorite week of the whole year. Ha. Ha. Ha.

As of Saturday evening, the crew was once again reassembled in Jordan.  The combine was unloaded and serviced, and ready to cut wheat. So that’s what happened the next day – we cut wheat.

The fields we’re cutting are only a couple of miles out of town, which sure makes things easy. There is no grain elevator here though, so our farmer hires semis to haul the majority of the wheat to an elevator about 200 miles away.

(Have I mentioned that Jordan is basically in the middle of nowhere? Seriously, Google Map it. The next “real” town, aka one with a grocery store, is 65 miles away.)

But being back in Jordan is like being back home. It’s one of the stops that my great-grandparents made when they were custom harvesting, and one stop that we have never missed in at least my 23 years of memory.

Pretty crazy.

The Z's hit the road.
The crew on the road. Heading north from Limon, Colo., to Jordan, Mont.

Montana wheat.
Wheat field outside of Jordan.

Fueling the combine.
Dad putting fuel in the combine.

Combine near the butte.
One thing I love about Eastern Montana: the landscape. Here, the combine works near one of the buttes on the farm.

View from the butte.
View from the butte.

Jordan, Mont., wheat harvest.
Harvest outside of Jordan.

Thanks to my sis, Taylor, for providing these photos!

Jenna can be reached at Zeorian@allaboardharvest.com. All Aboard 2011 is sponsored by High Plains Journal and DuPont Crop Protection.

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