27 Aug Steph: There’s no place like August

It is a beautiful August morning. August will always be my favorite month. Not only is it my birthday month but there’s wheat harvest at home, the weather is just about perfect, the sunsets are more vibrant, the sunflowers are in perfect bloom, all the kids are out and about trying to soak up the last few weeks before returning to school … it’s just the best. Weather permitted combining till only 9:07 p.m. last night, the air heavier than a stack of bricks by then. Not that the mornings are any different; you can cut the atmosphere in half with how thick the air is.

Mom goes, “We haven’t had a family photo next to a 9610 since you two were babies!”

What day is it anyway? Harvest: Where the wheat waits for no one and the weekends don’t matter.

When you are on the harvest trail, it only takes about a week of solid wheat cutting for time to become irrelevant. Each day starts to blend into the next. Your days revolve around the routine of your crew. The initial 3-day trip to the first stop seems to take longer than the entire summer and then—BAM!— you’re back home again. I remember being in St. Francis, Kansas, and there was one telltale way to know if it was the weekend; the downtown streets were bustling with activity! The movie theater was open but the coffeeshop was closed, so there were pros and cons.

Brandon in his natural habitat.

Only the elite, also known as my brother, let you rest your feet on the windshield.

Following Pieter to his field.

Mama Loree’s famous cheesy enchiladas and the trusty purple tote that has carried our field utensils for years.

They never disappoint!

Riding a few rounds with hubs.

Combine buddies!

Oh, hi, Pieter!

Don’t mind my diversion down memory lane there, this line should help it all blend.

Osowski Ag Service rode again this past weekend, complete with meals on wheels. Pieter was combining for his farm, Weinlaeder’s, and Brandon and dad were getting after it over by the homestead. Guys, mom made cheesy enchiladas for everyone and they hit different in a wheat field. Harvest is like that old friend from high school that you see only once in awhile but when you do get back together, it feels like no time has elapsed.

The yields have been pretty decent, all things considered. We had quite a bit of rain so between that and then the high winds that seemed to never end, the spraying season was incredibly intermittent. Sixties to even low 100s have been the general range for yield, which is quite the range but certainly more on the higher end than anyone was expecting. Let’s all hope the markets follow suit! Brandon had a test weight of 59 when he began and then it bumped up to 62, protein is solid at 12 to 14 for content.

Dad enjoys his meals on wheels.

You can never have enough pictures of wheat at sunset.

When your truck matches the gorgeous night sky.

Throwing me a wave, what a good photographic sport.

I’ve been busy at True North Equipment with our demo combine that we’ve been running around the countryside. You won’t see me complaining one bit about it! Who better than me to be the hype girl for the new combine? Generally I’ll road it out to the field, get the settings all tuned in and then give up the captain’s chair to the farmer. I’ll then ride a few rounds to answer any questions and showcase all the coolest features. Nobody has kicked me out yet so that’s a win in my book.

There’s still plenty of wheat around considering the time of year, but it’s dwindling fast now as we’ve been blessed with favorable conditions the past few days.

Rain rain, go away, come again when there’s no wheat left to hay!

That’s an original right there. I work best off the cuff.

Stay safe, stay healthy, stay excellent. Happy harvest!

All Aboard Wheat Harvest is sponsored by Unverferth Manufacturing Co. Inc., Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children, Agri-Pro, Gleaner, BASF and High Plains Journal. Stephanie can be reached at stephanie@allaboardharvest.com.