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Monday, August 14, 2017
Crops Update #4 - Wheat Harvest
One of the big season-marking events I notice in our rural community is the winter wheat harvest, usually in early August. Winter wheat, planted last fall, has matured and turned golden brown. Among our big grain crops, it's the first to be harvested. Others will follow right through to late fall.
This year it's been a real challenge to get that dry sunny window of weather for the harvest. I've kept an eye on several winter wheat fields nearby waiting for this to start.
I spotted the start of the harvest on the way into town nearly two weeks ago. This is a spot I've stopped to get several pictures over the season so far.
When I went by, there was a big combine sitting waiting for people to arrive to continue the work.
As well as a tractor pulling a grain wagon for transferring the grain to the big trucks that haul it away.
A week or two later I spotted this very similar combine hard at work, taking down a long wide band of wheat.
The combine takes heads of grain, and leaves the straw stems lying in swaths for baling.
At the end of the field was a tractor and baler, waiting to start baling, while a grain truck is parked in the background.
And the next day when I went by, the entire field of straw had been baled. A lot of hours put in, and a lot of both grain and straw ready for market. One of the big turning points of our entire summer season.
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That's LARGE equipment, much larger than we normally see down here. Several years ago I saw a combine burning in a field -- the straw and other debris must have been allowed to build up around the exhaust system resulting in a total loss.
ReplyDeleteYour posts are very informative. I'm enjoying them!!
ReplyDeleteI love scenes such as these...and love the skies.
ReplyDeleteI've seen bales of hay like those in New Zealand and Sweden, i've been seeing them in pictures for a long time. Time has come that i've seen them in person, but am so disappointed that i wasn't able to take any photos. We were on a fast going bus when i saw them. Oh how sad!
ReplyDeleteHello, pretty captures of the fields and bales of hay. The sky looks lovely too. Enjoy your day and the week ahead.
ReplyDeleteChickory, Queen Anne's lace, goldenrod - we have them all here, too, edging fields of cut hay. It hadn't occurred to me that some of the giant rolled bales here must be straw, too, as it's sold locally for animal and garden bedding. Lovely photos!
ReplyDeleteThis is a sure sign that fall will very shortly be upon us.
ReplyDeletethank you FG for keeping us informed. Great pictures!
ReplyDeletefarming - such hard work. your images are beautiful - the last one stunning!!!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting to see those hay bales all finished and ready to be transported to wherever they go. Thanks for the great pictures! :-)
ReplyDeleteIt is rare to ever see a wheat field in our state. Those are some serous fields of wheat and serious machines. John Deere makes the machines like that just north of me four miles. I know there are other factories so maybe not those were made here. We have cotton pickers that are sold in the south and in China.
ReplyDeleteSame as over here at Harvest time
ReplyDeleteGreat to see the harvesting process, FG.
ReplyDeleteThe golden fields are so pretty!
ReplyDeleteI especially love the last photo. It's beautiful. I would put it in next year's calendar if I happened to make my own...
ReplyDeleteTerrific shots! They are exceedingly busy this time of year.
ReplyDeleteIt is truly a colorful treat to drive through our scenic countryside this time of year.
ReplyDeleteI love all the bales in the last image, they are so pleasing to the eye
ReplyDeleteMollyx