15 Nov Christy: Making what I hope is the final rounds

Ivanhoe, Minnesota—The final rounds are being made for our corn crop in Minnesota. It’s great to see things coming to an end. Hopefully if all goes well, we’ll finish up and Gary should be pretty close to finishing up in Roscoe, South Dakota, with his corn. They have 70 acres to finish tonight after running up to Ray, North Dakota, to gather the last bit of equipment we couldn’t bring when we completed North Dakota. Gary and his crew should be able to move the equipment in South Dakota home either Tuesday or Wednesday. Knowing my husband and father-in-law as I do I’m also hoping they don’t decide to pick up anything extra.

I’m able to see on my iPad the moment Paul finished his last pass on the last field of corn by Ivanhoe, Minnesota.

The only reason I say this is because it’s been a year. Unlike last year, we didn’t get much for rain or delays in our fall harvest, which in turn, means we didn’t have any days off. It gets to be a lot when you don’t have any time for rest. As Zoey grows older too her activities have increased and it makes scheduling a nightmare to accommodate everyone’s meals and needs.
This season has been challenging in other ways, too. Drought ravaged the south and hurt crops in many areas. We were so lucky to have acres to combine, though it hurts to see our farmers struggle with crops that didn’t meet expectations. Hopefully tides will change and we can see moisture for the coming season.
This season would have been a lot more difficult if it weren’t for our Case IH dealership, Titan Machinery in Worthington, Minnesota. I have to brag on the team at Titan, they are by far the hardest working parts and service department that we deal with throughout the year. When we can’t get what we need wherever we are, they step up to the plate and deliver what we need. Can’t say enough great things about that team.

As we come to a close on combining, there’s still much to do. We have a lot of equipment to ready for storage, and truck repairs that will never end. A lot of projects are in the works for next year, and you should get to see a good glimpse before All Aboard Fall Harvest is complete.

Three of our truck drivers who stopped by for a quick supper after finishing up in Ivanhoe. We look forward to reuniting with the rest of the crew soon.

As always, I’m really grateful to all our sponsors for taking the time to help us share our journey on harvest. It’s more than crops and yields, but a passion for all things farming and the part they give in helping us reach our goals.

Even though the harvest bug is ready to leave our system, I know it won’t be long before it’s biting again. It seems as soon as the holidays are over, we’re ready to take off again. We want to wish all harvesters and farmers safe travels home when they complete their trail, too.

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

All Aboard Fall Harvest is brought to you by Unverferth Mfg. Co. Inc., ITC Great Plains, Pivot Bio, U.S. Custom Harvesters, T-L Irrigation, Titan Machinery, and High Plains Journal.