AAFH Ask the Harvester: Mike and Brittany Van Driesten
Mike Van Driesten and his wife Brittany operate Van Driesten Harvesting. “Our journey began with just one combine and one truck,” according to their website. What started as a small operation has grown into a full-fledged, multi-machine harvesting team.
Both Mike and Brittany grew up on farms in Canada, with Mike hailing from a Southern Alberta mixed grain and livestock farm, and Brittany from a Central Saskatchewan mixed cattle and grain farm.
“From the dusty red roads of Oklahoma to the Missouri River breaks in Montana, our crew travels across many states and into Canada —working hard and building lasting relationships along the way. As our business expanded, so did our team, which now includes six machines, several trucks, grain carts, and even a semi-bunkhouse converted to provide our crew with a comfortable place to rest.”
Mike and Brittany’s boys, are growing up on the harvest trail and are already showing an interest in the equipment
Q: How much longer do you have to go this season? (Asked Oct. 27)
A. Oh, I would guess about three weeks.
Q. How long have you been doing this?
A. I started doing this in 2010, when I was 24. I grew up on a farm and still do a little farming, but we mostly do custom harvesting.
Q. Is anyone else from the family involved?
A. My oldest son Wyatt is just about to turn 10, so he’s a little young! He does ride with me sometimes. My father-in-law also works for us.
Q. What are you harvesting and how does it look this year?
A. We’re operating in southern North Dakota, south of Jamestown and here it’s mostly corn and beans. The corn looks great—we’re seeing 25% better yields than average, around 230 to 240 bushel-per-acre corn. Some of the beans were drowned out. Sometimes the logistics back up and we have to wait for trucks and/or dryers to become available.
Q. Do you work for the same customers year after year?
Pretty much, yes. Over the years, Van Driesten Harvesting has built long-term relationships with many dedicated farmers, providing dependable and efficient custom harvesting services across multiple states. We take pride in not only supporting the farming community but also contributing to the local economy by boosting small towns along our harvest route.
Q. Is custom harvesting somewhat insulated from commodity market forces? After all, producers need you to harvest no matter what the markets are doing.
A. Well, we are somewhat insulated, but not completely. Market forces do affect us. When producers are struggling, it can make it hard to maintain our prices.
