Harvest is well underway.
Over the years, I have not had to be a major part of the harvest operations around our farm. There was always more than enough help. When I reference the word ‘help’, I mean there was always enough people available to drive a sprayer, grain truck, swather and of course, a combine.
I typically felt very out of the loop when it came to harvest, with seemingly not a lot to do except to raise the young children, keep the house in order, work my off-the-farm job and make meals for the workers in the field. (As if that wasn't a job in itself.)
This year, things changed. I got to see the flip side of the coin. (So did the rest of our team). After one of our workers fell ill, it was now apparent that I would be required to run machinery in order to get the crop off in a timely manner. I now found myself in the drivers’ seat of a combine, spending countless hours taking the crop off.
That's when I had an “ah-ha” moment, or actually several. I learned more in one harvest than I have in 15 years. I have now experienced all aspects of harvest.
Here's a list of some of my “ah-ha” moments from this harvest season.
• Husbands should not teach their wives to operate equipment. Never, ever, EVER. In fact, they should probably have a program in place similar to the television show “Wife Swap” where farmers can teach other wives how to operate machinery. I use to think the show was rather silly, until I starting combining.
• Lunch may not seem important until you are sitting in a combine for hours and hours and hours on end looking at the same crop feed through the header. Then lunch does become the highlight of your day and thank you for drawing smiley faces on the brown paper bag.
• With that said, lunch is not always the five course meal (let alone three) that so many have come to expect (or your mother made you). Times have changed and I barely got the kids fed, watered and driven to their next activity in time before I got meals out to the field. Keep in mind, I haven't eaten since this morning. You should probably buy your Mom an extra special Mother’s Day gift now that you appreciate the great food she did make you for all those years.
• Breakdowns happen and no sooner do you warn someone about being careful not to get stuck or plugged, you find yourself on the CB radio asking for help yourself. It's called KARMA, but in our case it may be referred to as FARMA. Let's face it, everyone is doing their best and well, stuff happens, so be careful what you say.
• The weather is out of our hands but your attitude about it is not. The rain comes when it is not wanted and sometimes the frost appears too early. Being a farmer is one of the toughest jobs on planet earth, as so many of Mother Nature’s elements are out of our control. I get it. Yet, handling it all in stride is a great lesson and example for your children, family and friends around you. Double checking the rain gauge or switching weather stations on the tv will not change this.
• Thank the person, whoever it may be (your wife, your grandma - you get the idea) for taking care of the house and the children while you spend seemingly endless days in the field. We all know what a toddler can do in 15 minutes, let alone 12 hours at home by themselves. Everyone is needed at harvest to keep life running smoothly, whether it be someone to operate the machinery, the gopher, the cook or the caretaker. Everyone plays a part in the big picture. Life doesn't stop for the rest of the world at harvest. While you are on the combine, someone needs to sign your child’s agenda, brush a little one’s teeth or keep your teenager from living on their cell phone 24/7.
My biggest lesson seems to be that it always gets done. No matter what, after years and years of farming, with each year looking different than the last, it always turns out. Life is funny that way. It may not go according to plan but harvest after harvest, year after year, it gets done. So enjoy the ride, in this case, the combine ride.
