14 Jun Janel: Fighting the overcast

Southwest Oklahoma – I had thoughts of going on harvest and cutting wheat right away when we arrived May 25. We waited around for several days before we got to start cutting. We definitely didn’t come here to sit, we came to work but there’s nothing I can do about the weather. I’ve been through it before. I know I just have to wait it out because that’s the way harvest is sometimes. So far the yields have been decent. I’ve cut 45- to 65-bushel wheat. The test weights have been 58 to 63 pounds per bushel and the protein around 11%.

We’ve been fighting the overcast and cooler temperatures, as well as heavy dews and 90% humidity most mornings. I thought we’d get down here and it’d be 100 degrees every day and dry but, surprisingly, it’s been only in the seventies and eighties so far and the locals say the month of May was one of the coolest ever. The wheat still has green berries in it and some harvesters have not started yet because the wheat moisture is still over 14%. The humidity is high. On Saturday, the humidity never got below 55%. We still cut all day but it just makes the cutting conditions slower and tougher. We have seen some mud in places but so far it’s been dry enough to at least park the trucks in the fields to load. Harvest should be well into full swing by now but it’s delayed by the weather.

Our ten-day forecast is finally warming up with highs in the 90s and 100s. I can’t wait to get the wheat cut here and get moved up the road. We need heat, sunshine and wind to get the wheat harvested quicker. Our farmers up north are calling and wanting to know when we’ll be there. We need to keep working so we can keep up with the wheat harvest ripening northward.

Janel Schemper can be reached at janel@allaboardharvest.com.

All Aboard Wheat Harvest is sponsored by Case IH, Unverferth Manufacturing Co., Inc., BASF, Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children, Gleaner, ITC, Westbred, Huskie, Western Equipment, US Custom Harvesters, and High Plains Journal.   

We played cards while waiting for the wheat to ripen.

Sterling won every game of Go Fish.

Sage rode with his dad in the truck and experienced being pulled over so he drew an exact picture of the situation.

These two beat me at cards every time.

Waiting on wheat to ripen.

Sunder and Sage in the wheat field.

I’m going to the field. Driving my tractor and grain cart to the field and passing by two of JC’s combines on the left. John Deere tractors are so awesome to operate.

I can’t wait to be in the field.

Fighting the overcast again.

Wheat ready to be cut but we need the weather to cooperate with harvest.

Going to the field in my combine. I love it when I don’t meet any traffic the whole way.

Going to the field to sample on June 3 and we ended up cutting. It’s been so humid. We need heat, wind and sunshine to cut wheat but aren’t getting enough of it lately.

My wheels in the field.

My office on wheels. I have the best views of the country life.

I let my dad run my combine a few hours while I got to run his new combine.

He looks good with a pink flag on the combine. I let him run my s780 for a few hours.

I loved every minute of playing cards with these kiddos–Sage and Sterling.

Sage is ready to cut wheat too.

I love this picture of Sunder in the wheat field.

Sunder wearing his new AAWH t-shirt.

These two love combines.

This half section of wheat yielded 65 bushels per acre.

A hopper full.

Cutting late at night on June 6.

Cutting wheat.

Harvesting wheat in southwest Oklahoma.

Another humid and cloudy morning.

Going to another field. Clouds, please go away.

My combine shadow. I love this time of day.

A herd of donkeys and another cloudy day.

I took a load of wheat to the elevator on Saturday morning. It was dry. However, there was a heavy dew and the humidity was high again.

A beautiful evening of cutting wheat.

Cutting wheat in southwest Oklahoma.

Cutting wheat and wanting the clouds and humidity to go away.

We stopped to unload on the grain cart because the field was a little muddy.

Another humid day.

I just want to keep on cutting wheat.