Greenfield, IA – This summer’s harvest has been unlike any other. For many crews it will always be remembered for the challenging start in the south. We’ve all kept telling ourselves to just hang in there, the northern part of the run will be better. For many crews that has turned out to be true. Unfortunately, that’s not how it’s worked out for Jones Harvesting.
The shift in acres from wheat to row crops has been going on for quite some time, but it’s never been more dramatic than this year. The economics of raising wheat has become so poor many farmers planted a lot more corn and soybeans. It’s greatly reduced the need for combines this summer, and on many farms in the Northern Plains no wheat acres were planted at all. That’s the situation we found ourselves in. Normally we would be in central South Dakota, ready to spend a month tackling our largest job of the summer. But there weren’t enough acres to need our services this year, and our North Dakota job planted every acre to soybeans.
So after wrapping up in Kansas we made the difficult decision to head home. Moving back to Iowa felt very confusing, retracing much of the route we took to Oklahoma. We’ve traveled this route countless times in the last 40 years, just not headed in that direction. The weather was cool, we set a record for the most miles ever moved in one day, and we arrived back home on travel day two without issue. We unloaded equipment, moved all our belongings out of the house trailer, and then just stared at one another wondering what to do next.
It’s the strangest feeling to be home this time of the year. Our own corn and beans seem so small, but only because we normally see them after they’ve grown another two months. Instead of cutting wheat we’re cutting alfalfa hay, lawns and cedar trees in the pasture. Suddenly there’s time for all those odd jobs around the farm that never get done before we leave for the summer, but the oppressive Iowa heat and humidity have me longing for my air-conditioned combine cab.
In what may be the most awesome (or extreme) way to escape those excessive heat advisories, the rest of the crew flew out to North Pole, Alaska. The opportunity for a real summer vacation is usually nonexistent for a custom harvester, so the chance to spend some time visiting my sister’s family was not wasted. The Land of the Midnight Sun did not disappoint. With nearly 24 hours of constant daylight for sightseeing this time of year, the family took a train to visit Denali National Park, went whale watching on a glacier cruise and enjoyed spotting moose and black bears in the amazing mountain scenery only Alaska can provide…all while wearing coats with temps in the 40’s.
The transition from life on the road to life on the farm is always tough, but this year seems extra hard. We’re grateful for the work we had this summer, and the bonus home time in Iowa is appreciated…but it’s left us homesick for the harvest. I’ll admit it’s probably been the hardest for me. If home is where your heart is, my heart feels most at home in a wheat field this time of year. Obviously, this season has taken a toll on our business, but the emotional toll is also real. While we miss the daily harvest routine, what we miss the most is not getting to see so many of our friends and customers this year. The famous saying “There’s no place like home!” might be true, but there’s also no place quite like the harvest. I might be home, but I’m still a little homesick.
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