07 Nov Christy: Happy Hallow-Harvest

Worthington, Minnesota—This week on harvest has been yet another busy week of completing jobs and moving equipment around. Paul finished all jobs around home, and moved his combine over to Lakefield, Minnesota, for corn there and will hopefully get up by Ivanhoe, Minnesota, to complete our corn towards the end of the week. His last field by home was one of his own corn fields that produced 220-bushel corn. That was great to see as our agronomist predicted 185 bushel per acre corn this fall on that farm.

Uncle Rich is still helping out, and I think he enjoys it more than he’ll admit.

Moving by Lakefield, Paul needed to switch from a Case IH corn head to a John Deere. He brought his combine back to the shop to change face plates on the feeder house in order to do so. He had a little extra time in the shop this weekend because the trucks needed to help haul in Lakefield wouldn’t be available until Monday. He was able to get a little bit done there and was home this weekend for supper, the first time in a really long time this season.

Paul and Jason changing over the combine to accommodate a Case IH corn head.

Gary finished most of our work in the Elkton, South Dakota, area leaving one combine behind as he moved his machine up to Roscoe, South Dakota, to help finish up corn. As soon as they are done, he can work on his own corn in Roscoe and will probably haul some back to his bin at the home farm.

The machine left by Elkton, Minnesota, will have about two days work of combining to get done, and he will more than likely move that combine back home and help Paul by jumping in a truck. It’s a lot of switching around, but it’s good that our crew is versatile enough to change up positions and help out where they can.

Even with the combine parked this weekend, we were still very busy. It’s Halloween this coming Monday, but we celebrated this weekend because Zoey had some very important costuming and trick or treating to accomplish. Paul’s sister, Bobbi Jo Kleve, also joined in by having a Paplow Harvesting & Trucking sponsored vehicle at Arnold Park’s Truck or Treat. It’s a great opportunity to make sure community kids have a safe environment to enjoy this holiday.

Bobbi’s vehicle at Arnold’s Park Trunk or Treat. It was a great day for it as the weather cooperated well.

I’m not sure when Zoey decided she was ready to be creepy instead of the princess she usually is, but she definitely scared me!

As the combining is slowing down and nearing an end, it definitely doesn’t mean that work is complete. There will still be much to do to get everything ready to be stored for the winter, plus all those tasks to ready equipment for the next season. As we start to wind down, I feel that everyone is more than ready. This fall has been straight long days without much for breaks. I keep telling Paul when everything is done, I think I’ll hold the couch down for at least a week.

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