Ocheyedan, Iowa: We have finally hit the finish line. Harvest this year wrapped for us November 15th. We were thinking it would be much sooner, but the weather didn’t cooperate, elevators were full, and we had a few breakdowns. Now all that’s left is cleaning up equipment, and sending our crew on their way home.
Corn did very well this fall. We had one field average over 300 bushels per acre. With the over abundance of corn, elevators and the ethanol plant were full and closed early. Lines were long and it really slowed the process down. We did take some corn to bins, but they filled up quickly and some had to go elsewhere.
The weather held out until a little over a week ago. We saw about 3 to 4 inches of snow, and it hung out for a few days before melting away. We have another chance for snow/rain tomorrow, so I’m glad we finished up before having another delay. Predictions look like we could be in for a serious winter. I’ve heard a lot of people saying we could be in for lots of snow, and very cold temperatures.
We unfortunately had a couple run ins with deer this fall. One caught truck 22 behind the sleeper, and I hit two with my pickup. One walked away, but the second wasn’t so lucky. I also had tires shear off a header trailer while I was hauling a corn head back home. I saw the first tire go, and as I was slowing down, the second tire went. I think because the corn head is so heavy, the second tire just couldn’t handle the load alone. Paul came and tried to jack the trailer up to fix it, but it wasn’t the safest option with the corn head still being loaded. The farmer whose field approach I parked in must have seen us and came over to check out what was going on. He was very nice and told us it was okay for it stay there until we could bring the combine over to lift the head off in order to fix it. That’s what Paul did, and we finally got the header home.
Things around the home yard are starting to look a lot different. Paul is converting the cold storage shed into a heated shop this winter. We are in the process of pouring cement right now, and will soon be insulating and tinning the inside. It will be different for us to be able to just walk out back to our own shop, than driving 5 miles to Paul’s Dad’s shop.
We’re down to a skeleton crew at the moment as we’ve already said our goodbyes to some. It’ll probably take a couple weeks to get everything washed up, but I’m thinking by the first of December we should be able to send the last of our crew home for the season. As soon as the new shop is up and running, we will have some truck repairs, header repairs, etc. that we’ll work on this winter.
Things are going to look a lot different for Paul, Zoey, and I next season. After a lot of careful consideration, we’ve decided to split off on our own, under our company, Paplow Customs LLC. We will run probably four combines next year. It will be a big change for us, and one that will take some time to adjust. I’m sure we’ll have a learning curve of our own, but I’m excited for this next chapter in lives.
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I’m so very grateful for a safe and successful harvest season this year. It certainly hasn’t been without its struggles this year, but we’ve made it through, and we’ll be ready come spring for the next season. We wish you all a happy and safe Thanksgiving, and a wonderful winter.
Christy Paplow can be reached at [email protected]. All Aboard Fall Harvest is sponsored by High Plains Journal.
