View from the Cab: Plenty to do
By Kent Casson
Do you ever have a checklist of things to do that never seems to end? Welcome to farming.
I could name hundreds of things we need to be doing but I guess the most important for the moment is harvesting our crops. While taking out corn and soybean fields takes precedence this time of year, many other chores are waiting.
These beautiful late September days of late would be nice for mowing, although we haven’t had much rain to make the grass grow. I mowed several farms a couple of weeks ago and you can barely tell it has been that long.
I spent some hot afternoons preparing equipment for harvest last week and trust me, I would have much rather been on a lawn mower enjoying the breeze because there wasn’t much of one where I was at. I had to double check the calendar to make sure it wasn’t still July because by the looks of my sweaty shirt, it was.
Shouldn’t we be washing the truck off or taking a dip in a pool when unusually warm days occur in early fall? Perhaps we will have to set a small kiddie pool filled with water on the platform at the top of the steps just outside of the combine cab. Actually, better not. This goes completely against last week’s article on farm safety.
Those bills sure pile up on the desk rather quickly these days. They won’t pay themselves so I guess I’ll have to write some checks here soon. This is one chore that can’t stop for farming season as it is crucial to keep things going.
As we harvest, I’ll be thumbing through my various grain tickets from the elevator to see what the average yields were for certain fields along with moisture levels. These days, the grain tickets are all available on one PDF document attached to an e-mail once a field is completed. We have modern technology to thank for that.
Our house is bustling this time of year as we get ready for all of the kid birthday parties and our own birthdays in the coming weeks. We are even building a house in the midst of all this craziness! All I can say is decisions, decisions, decisions. I never knew so many details were involved when it comes to picking out items like shingles and door styles.
I’ll have plenty to think about as I drive that combine up and down the rows this fall and the work will be waiting for me when I get home.
Hopefully everyone has a safe and bountiful harvest season in 2024.
