08 Jul The many faces of progress

St. Francis, Kansas—Progress is something that can be gauged in couple ways. When the yield is doing well, counting scale tickets can assess progress. When the wheat isn’t doing so well, how fast the combine is able to zip through the wheat can assess progress. Unfortunately, combine speed has been the deciding factor lately.

The dirt we are cutting on is a slate-gray color and has a way of getting into the cracks and crannies of everything, making it difficult get a good crop off of it. We started a 145-acre piece around 3 p.m. just west of St. Francis and by 6:30 p.m., Brandon announced he had half of it done. I guess that’s what happens when he was able to go 6.1 miles per hour in the combine. Sign this guy up for the Daytona 500! The wheat is doing around 20 bushels per acre and the test weights were 59 pounds. Heavy enough—we just wish there was a little more of it.

Brady, a young member of Russell Harvesting, loves coming out to the field with us. Mostly he loves to ride around with Brandon. It gives us all flashbacks of when Brandon was his age, and it’s more proof  this harvesting seed can be planted young and prosper for years, never really leaving a person. Courtesy of Brady, I’m going to leave you with a little Disney food for thought: Why can Goofy talk and Pluto can’t? They’re both dogs but seem to us like Pluto got the raw end of that deal.

Quote of the Day—“If you’ve got issues, I’ve got tissues.”

Stuff Harvesters Like—Looking across a vast, freshly cut wheat field with a sense of sheer accomplishment.

Waiting on a load.

Tailgate supper. From left to right; Mom, Dad, Brady and Bizz (two members of Russell Harvesting).

Mom made this chocolate pie in a jar dessert. It was delicious.

Brady approved of the dessert.

Mom hit a home run this evening! Both the main course and the dessert were very well received.

Brady is just like a mini-me of Brandon. This picture melts my heart.

These heads of wheat aren’t quite as full as some we have seen. Crazy how only a few miles away, wheat doesn’t prosper as well.

Throwing some fuel in.

The Dodge, better know as the food-mobile.

Sunset on the Colorado/Kansas border.

All Aboard Wheat Harvest is sponsored by High Plains Journal and New Holland Agriculture. You can contact Steph at stephanie@allaboardharvest.com.