23 Jul Same conversation, different highway

Hemingford, Nebraska—Where has the summer gone? Osowski Ag Service is officially at the last stop of our southern harvest trail—Hemingford, Nebraska. Next stop is home and boy, does that feel weird to say. The wheat we cut in Big Springs averaged around 30 bushels per acre with test weights around 58 pounds.

Let me tell you something about Hemingford—there are harvesters EVERYWHERE. Combines are parked in every nook and cranny in the town. We had to call everyone but the mayor to find a camping spot. Every available water spigot and power box has a trailer attached to it. I was thinking we might end up setting up camp in the country somewhere with no power or water. That’s how camping is supposed to be anyway, right? Well, we got lucky. We called another harvest friend of ours who had two spots saved for him and his crew and it turns out, he was only going to bring one camper up. We are now nestled into our new temporary home, surrounded by other harvest crews. It’s pretty perfect.

It’s a funny thing about conversations that are had over the radio as we travel—they are always the same but yet different at the same time. The questions and topics are the same but for obvious reasons while traveling, the answers never are. We always discuss how much wheat has been cut in the area, how the wheat looks, what crews we see along the way, if that restaurant was open last year or if it’s a new development, if that chunk of tire was laying there the whole time or if it’s a piece of one of ours, and so on. Just your typical harvester chitchat!

The Hemingford area has been receiving copious amounts of rain in the last week. One of our neighbors here in the campground said they have been here almost a week and have only been in the field one day. We also heard another story of a crew that got both combines, the grain cart, and the pull tractor stuck in their field. The only piece of machinery that was not stuck was the header. Surely we will be adding our own stories to these before long!

Quote of the Day—“A stubble stomping harvest queen!”
(One of our harvest friends called me this, and I can’t quit laughing about it!)

Stuff Harvesters Like—Being surrounded by your own kind in the campground. One big, happy harvest family!

Pictures are all from Big Springs/Oshkosh, Nebraska!

Dad and Farmer Clint, discussing life on the end of the field.

Purple unloading at the Oshkosh elevator.

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