Fort Benton, Montana: We made it to Big Sky country just a handful of days ago, and the wheat is ready for us. After two weeks off, we are beyond ready to work, and so grateful for a safe trip north.
After finally finishing up in Kansas, we loaded up equipment and said our goodbyes to our southern run. On the bright side, it was nice to be able to move slowly out to Montana. We took our time, with no rush, and did a little sightseeing on the way. I took Zoey to Mt. Rushmore, we went swimming quite a bit, and lots of walking around Rapid City, Hot Springs, and Keystone. It was a great time, but we’re a lot happier seeing the wheels turn in a wheat field.
While on break too I decided it was a good time to give all the bedding in all the campers a clean. With a clothesline handy in the campground and a couple 100-degree days, I was able to line dry all the bedding. Everything smelled so fresh. It was good to get all that caught up before getting busy again.
Wheat right off the bat looks to be averaging anywhere from 30 to 60 bushels per acre. I think we’ll see that average increase as we move over fields, but it’s a great start. Montana had a dry winter, and unfortunately the crops did see some frost damage. But it’s still a far cry better than what our southern run looked like.
It’s dry here in Montana, and the temperatures are running hot. There’s still a lot of green in the fields, but I think that will change quickly with the heat. On our first day cutting, we witnessed a dust storm of sorts. I hadn’t seen one before, to the degree this one came on. Standing in the field talking to the farmer at supper, it first appeared that there was a rainstorm headed our way. The farmer said it could be rain, but also said it could be dust. I thought for sure it was rain. But when it finally came up, the wind about knocked us over, and the dust sandblasted us. It lasted for what seemed like a really long time, then was gone like it had never happened.
We’ve also been told that there seems to be an overabundance of rattlesnakes out, and an uptick in grizzly bear sightings. I haven’t seen either yet, and really hope I don’t get blessed with their presence. A neighboring crew had to shoot a rattler yesterday, so we’ll definitely need to keep our eyes open.
Outside of nope ropes and grizzlies, we are excited to be combining. The forecast looks great over the next ten or so days, so we should see fields ripening and ready to cut.
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