It’s barley harvest time! During grain harvest, we have a lot of engines running. The combine does the harvesting job, the grain cart does the transporting job, and the trucks do the hauling job.
In the past I’ve helped by running grain cart. If anyone had told me ten years ago that I’d learn how to run large farm equipment with confidence and success, I’d have laughed. But, that was a lesson in never saying never.
The past couple years, motherhood has taken top priority so I haven’t been in the field other than to run out lunch and be a passenger in the combine. As my mentor, Melinda, says, I also help by keeping things running at home. My farmer needs and appreciates those clean clothes, a peaceful home, and good meals.
We have good help during barley harvest. Our fantastic, hard-working employees Chris and Ken keep the trucks headed to the bin and the grain cart running. Tyler’s brother Cooper also works for us on the weekends when he’s not mechanicing for a local John Deere dealership.
In the past, Tyler’s long-time friend, Scott, also kept the grain cart going. I get questions from some of my friends about what the purpose of the grain cart is, so here Scott demonstrates.
After the combine fills the grain cart with, well, grain; the operator heads to the end of the field where the truck is waiting.
This is one of the only times when 10 mph feels fast.
As the cart operator approaches the truck, he raises his auger.
Wait for it.
There it is.
He pulls back his RPMs and turns on the auger.
Then he opens up the auger’s gate, revs up the RPMs, and starts to fill.
The spout is adjustable so the cart driver can better position the grain as he fills.
He starts at the front of the truck (closer to the cab) and moves toward the back as the box gets full.
Once the truck is full, he closes his gate, shuts the auger off, and pulls away. He makes certain to be clear of the truck and then puts his auger back down.
Then the truck driver takes the load to our bins.
At the bins, the driver dumps the grain from the truck into the auger, which fills the grain bins.
And the cart heads back to the combine…
…where he waits to get filled up and do it all over again.
God Bless You & American Agriculture,
Liz
I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. – Philippians 1:9
The Farm Paparazzi 