And So it Begins…Harvest 2024

At long last, Harvest 2024 has begun on our farm. The first day was about what you’d expect for a first day – minor breakdowns, plugged headers and a generally frustrating day. I don’t know what it is about the “first day”, we’ve had more than 25 years of them and every year, that first day is the least productive. Sometimes you get a whole week’s worth of “first days” and the breakdowns are not nearly so minor and make you wonder why you chose farming at all. Seeing repair bills that will exceed that field’s profit make it pretty tough to keep a smile on your face for the rest of the season.

Yet, every morning, my farmers are out of bed, greasing and fueling equipment. They tighten belts and check bearings; plan which bin to fill next and whether an auger needs to be moved. Phone calls to return and a drive to town for parts, maybe another cup of coffee. The mornings are full while we wait for the standing crop to be dry enough to combine. A call home looking for field lunches around 11:00 a.m. on those days we can get in the field before noon.

You can smell the ripe barley these days from the yard, calling them back to the field. Watching it, golden brown and waving in the wind, I’m drawn into the season. Soon enough this field will be harvested, the grain in the bin and they’ll move on to the next quarter section.

Everyone has a job on the farm. These days, mine is the house and yard and regular meal delivery service. It’s not an Uber-Eats service, I don’t take custom orders. But, it’s generally a hot meal, snack and dessert featuring as many of their favorite dishes as I can. Not everything travels well so we save the fish and chips for after harvest, but it’s surprising how many entrees can be served in the tractor cab. Now, if I could just figure out how to get all my containers back…

Harvest is such a busy time of year, not only are we trying to bring in the commercial crops, I’m trying to harvest and preserve my garden as well. The kitchen is a busy place with the water bath canner and the pressure canner taking turns on the stove. The sink is always full of something either waiting to be canned, blanched or cut up for the next meal. I think my poor dishwasher runs twice a day in between loads of laundry. It’s times like this I don’t know how I managed it all with two toddlers. (Maybe I had more energy in my 20’s!)

May your harvest be plenty, free of breakdowns and bring your family together!