View from the Cab: The Survival Kit
Everything is good because I have my harvest survival kit handy.
What is this kit you ask? Well, it involves some tasty treats and a little caffeine for the combine cab. When I am in the cab, you will find a candy bar, bottles of water, and an occasional can of pop nearby. I normally don’t consume so much sugar other times of the year, but harvest is different. The “pick-me-up” is just what I need by late afternoon. I must take after Grandpa who always had a thermos of coffee and cans of Pepsi within arm’s reach.
My diet is not strictly junk food during September and October, as I do munch on apples, oranges and bananas once in a while. I try to eat healthy in the morning then by afternoon, the rules go out the window. Believe it or not, the newest combines have a built-in refrigerator right in the cab! I would be tempted the stock the fridge full of too many goodies.
When sitting in the combine for so many hours a day, I kind of feel like Tom Hanks in “Cast Away” although I’m not talking to a ball – I’m communicating with the machine. I know what to listen for and I like to think the machine knows me. When something goes wrong with the combine or grain head, I don’t yell, “Wilson!” but may use a few other choice words. I do hear the phrase, “Kent!” once in a while, but that’s not coming from me or the machine.
I can see why some farmers feel lonely after sitting in a cab all day long with no one to talk to. This is why it is always nice to have the family stop by the field for a visit. Plus, the kids love riding in whatever piece of equipment they can. In fact, I think we have two future farmers in our midst.
We had a great window for cutting soybeans last week as we broke away from corn for a while. The sunshine, wind and mild temperatures allowed several area farmers to make a nice dent in harvest progress. Soybean moisture levels really dropped during the afternoon hours. There is rain back in the forecast this week, but hopefully not enough to knock us out of the field too long.
The View from the Cab blog is powered each week by the folks at Petersen Chevy-Buick in Fairbury along Route 24 where "it's all about you."
