Laura: Great yields, questionable weather!
Oklahoma and Kansas: We’ve never felt so fortunate to finish in Oklahoma. No, this is not about to be a bad KSU vs OSU joke, nor do we wish to take anything away from the good people of the Sooner State. However, the rainy weather was a huge source of angst for harvesters as wheat rapidly ripened, and nearly all at once, to the north. Some harvesters are still stuck in Texas and across Oklahoma and we know first hand the stress this can cause.
Our crew had a staggered entry into western Kansas, with our south central crew arriving first. They had previously been running down in south central Oklahoma. Even with all the rain, they said the ground conditions weren’t as bad as some years. Some of this farm sits down in the creek bottoms and we’ve had some epic mud battles in the past. Yields were pretty strong for this area here and were in the mid 40s to 50s.
We are always thankful for the hospitality from our farmers and the locals who work with us during our stays. The crew was off by themselves and had some extra TLC. Judy, who retired from cafe ownership that we used to frequent, made sure they crew had fresh cinnamon rolls and even brought them pizza one night. They were offered 100 year anniversary shirts from the local NAPA when they went for parts, hats from the John Deere dealership, and even a tour of the local fire station. It may not seem like much but small gestures like this mean a lot to our crew so far from home.
Meanwhile, the crew along the Kansas/Oklahoma line continued to fight showers but were fortunate that some of the largest rainfall amounts went around our fields. With late starts due to moisture, but with 90 degree weather, we were able to make slow, steady progress. One of the farm averaged over 60 bushels an acre, which was a huge turn around from what conditions were predicting earlier in the season.
This stop was also the location of what’s become our annual cousin harvest trip. Many hands make light work, and they thought it was great fun to make a meal for the 20 team members at this spot. In addition to that, the cousins got to try out Alva’s brand new pool (which they had been without one for years), go crystal digging, and pick sandhill plums that I later made into jelly.
From here, the crew moved on to extreme western Kansas were dodging weather continued to be the norm. I’ll have more on that saga in a later article, but first meet Ms. Jean. I got stuck behind another harvest crew, which I think may have been a God thing, otherwise I would have been flying down the road, too busy to stop, on my way to my next field. However, at a more leisurely pace, I noticed her leaning up against the fuel trailer, with her cooler of food waiting to serve the meal when her crew was ready. Something about the way she stood there, with the confidence of a lifetime of experience captured my attention. I had to stop and learn her story.
Now, its not polite to tell a woman’s age, but I can say that after some calculations with her daughter, it was determined she had been serving field meals for seventy-two years! That’s some serious dedication. She said a favorite for her family was chicken fried steaks, potatoes and veggies, cookies, and homemade bread. I told her not to tell my crew that because there’s no way I could pull that off in a tiny camper kitchen for so many people. She made me feel better when assured me that she also did a lot of hand held meals for the cab! Either way, I can admire a woman who’s spent a lifetime dedicated to her family and agriculture!
