24 Aug Laura: Winter wheat, barley and canola

Northern Montana — We have been back in the field this week with three crews running throughout northern Montana. Two teams are within a few miles of each other near Great Falls, and the third is up in Glacier County.

The other day I had to run up to Conrad, Montana, to the John Deere dealership for a part. While there, I popped my head in the John Deere Harvest Support trailer and had a nice conversation with Darren and the team. We are so thankful for the crews of manufacturer support that follow the harvesting crews and keep us running. A few years back, I wrote an article about them that can be found here. We couldn’t do what we do without harvest support, coops, repair shops, cafe workers and so many others.

My next stop was picking up a belt for the southern crew. I was able to take our northern crew out for lunch as they were waiting for their fields to dry. They have been harvesting winter wheat, and if it wasn’t for showers, they would be finished with the dryland crop. If all goes well, they should be finished tomorrow. Even with the showers, it has been going well.

When asked about the crop conditions, our farmer stated that the rains have come “a month too late (for the current crop) and a month too early (for seeding the 2025 crop).” The majority of the yields have been around 40 to 50 bushels per acre. I enjoyed exchanging harvest wife notes, and little harvesters had a great time playing in the yard with our farm family here. They spent their time jumping on the inflatable water slide and giving love to the sweet barn kittens. I can’t believe one of those didn’t end up in the car with us “on accident”!

The southern crew has been making efficient work of canola and barley. After a few days where we had to pull the hoodies out, it warmed back up to the 90s, which is helping dry things out. We’ve seen canola yields around 30 bushels per acre. The barley looks absolutely beautiful and has been averaging 50-70 bushels per acre.

In addition to harvest, we’ve also had a few visits with Kansans passing through. Our accountant and his wife stopped in on their way home from vacation. I think we won the prize for the farthest field visit ever! We enjoyed the opportunity to show them some local attractions, visit fields and talk shop with our farmers.

Today, I also had a quick meet-up with the Bryan family, from my hometown, on their way to see family. Even a five-minute chat in the parking lot was so good for the soul. While harvest is a grand adventure, it is tough to be away from families and friends for so long. Moments like these help bridge the gap from field to home.

I am currently unable to access my AAWH email. If you have tried to reach me, I regret I haven’t responded. Feel free to reach us on Facebook or Instagram at High Plains Harvesting or Under the Flyover Sky. Thanks for your patience! 

Thank you to our 2024 All Aboard Wheat Harvest sponsors: High Plains Journal, Lumivia by Corteva Agriscience, Unverferth Manufacturing Co., Inc., Merit Auctions, Kramer Seed Farms, Shelbourne Reynolds, and U.S. Custom Harvesters, Inc. Laura can be reached at laura@allaboardharvest.com.