07 Dec Christy: More calls for combines, and a great close to the year

After our crew in Roscoe, South Dakota, made their way home Wednesday, I felt sure we were done. That wasn’t the case. We got another call for more acres around home where a farmer was looking for help to finish up. We just can’t turn it down, and decided to bring another machine over to help. We finished his field today, and I’m pretty sure I can say, we are finally done combining for the year. Not finished hauling corn, but finished enough that we can blow the combines off and ready them to be turned in.

Our big camper that was out in Roscoe, the last camper to make it home, is now parked in its place by Gary and Rhonada’s house. As soon as all our crew have made their way home to their friends and family, we’ll be able to clean her out for next year.

I’ve been busy the last couple of days cleaning out one of our crew campers, and will hopefully have that completed soon. It’s amazing what people leave behind. I have made several trips to the dumpster, and there’s definitely enough beer left in the fridge for the crew here to enjoy for a while.

We covered many acres this season. I’m not sure exactly how many, but I can say that this has been our largest year to date. It wouldn’t be possible without the amazing farmers we work for, and the crew that kept us going all season. Through Case IH and Mac Don, they kept us up and running smoothly all year. It takes a lot of people to make everything that we do possible.

As the year comes to a close, right here before Thanksgiving, there’s so much to be thankful for. The farmers we cut for have seen conditions that weren’t ideal, and they still held with us through this harvest. We appreciate each one, and wish for those that had rough weather, better conditions next year.

I’m also really grateful to my in-laws. I’ve never seen the work ethic that both Gary and Rhonada share. They hold a high standard that I hope someday I can meet.

We’re grateful to all of the All Aboard Fall Harvest sponsors who allowed us the opportunity to share our fall experiences with you. I hope you enjoyed reading about us. And we’re grateful for you, too.

Now what’s left is not a whole lot. We’ll get all the equipment home, clean it up, and store it away. We’ll still be busy hauling corn and will still host a few of our guys over the Thanksgiving holiday. So last, but not least, I want to thank my husband. If not for him, I wouldn’t be here telling you about our journey. He encouraged me to share about our lives, and it’s been the best part of the year for me.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season, God Bless, and I look forward to hopefully sharing our adventures next year.

Christy Paplow can be reached at christy@allaboardharvest.com.

All Aboard Fall Harvest is brought to you by Pivot Bio, Western Equipment, John Deere, Unverferth Manufacturing and US Custom Harvesters.