View from the Cab: Counting chickens
I’m not one to count my chickens before they hatch which is why I am patiently waiting for harvest to end as of this writing.
We only have about a day of soybeans left to get out of the field then another fall season is in the books for our family. I don’t want to look too far to the future or assume we will get done in time because I may jinx it. The moment I say, “I can’t wait until we are done with everything on Wednesday” I am sure a breakdown or something will occur. It only seems appropriate.
Actually, aside from a few minor issues, this harvest season has gone exceptionally well. There were some weather frustrations along the way but we all know those are out of our control. There must have been a higher power involved last Saturday night when everything was full and I barely had room in the bin for that last pass of soybeans in a field. As I was finishing up, the bin full warning came on in the combine cab. Talk about good timing!
Harvesting in 40 mile per hour winds can be a bit frustrating as I found out the other day. At a time when lawn furniture was spread across the county and leaves blew into the next state, we were out stirring up soybean dust. Every time the combine would travel south across the field, I thought something was wrong with the machine but that strange noise was just the strong wind whipping through. It almost created a tornado-like roar.
Those lovely winds left some sticks in my yard. I did see one spot in Livingston County where a tree was toppled. I’m just glad my truck wasn’t parked there at the time. It could always be worse as there were snow showers reported in the Joliet area that day. It makes you wonder what type of winter we will see here in Central Illinois.
I have noticed some growers burning the midnight oil lately as there have been lights on in the field long after sunset as far as the eye can see. Current work includes fall tillage and fertilizer applications. Last week featured almost ideal autumn weather with sunshine most days and highs reaching the upper 50s. More rain is in the forecast so we will have to see how that impacts further fieldwork.
(The View from the Cab blog is powered by Petersen Motors in Fairbury)
