I just got back from a round trip to Lloydminster, and I’m kicking myself for leaving the camera behind – the harvest moon isn’t typical for November.
Neither is the scent of grain dust in the air.
What’s that to do with “global warming”? Well, the combines aren’t out there because it’s been warm and dry.
We’ll keep our fingers crossed for you guys.
That has got to be hard on the farmer and their bank balances, but brutal on equipment too.
First combine, with everything set wide opened (no threshing) shakes off the dry snow – second machine brings the food on home !!
The snow melted/evaporated in the past couple of days and it’s actually fairly mild out there. So, no snow to shake off out there at the moment.
I hope the greenies don’t bash the farmers for having to use extra energy to dry the grain this year, but it will all be worth it because at least the farmers kids can be pulled behind the equipment on sleds.
In 1942, a lot of the crop was harvested in January in minus 10° F temps. After a certain temperature, it threshed quite well. My Dad spoke often of having to heat the engines with various contraptions, and that it would take up to 20 minutes for the seperator to reach full speed. All-Temp grease was not yet invented. Because of glycol shortages during the war, they had to drain the engine every night. They did however get the crop cleaned up.
Kate- Over here in east-central Sask, the snow isn’t all gone yet and there’s lots of crop still to be combined. Did some today, but it’s not nearly ready and conditions are brutal.
Come morning, top of my To Do list is unplugging
that &#%$ combine.
South of the Qu’Appelle valley, still trying to get the two quarters of flax. Neck is hanging out a mile this year. Oct. was the hardest month to sit back and watch snow after rain, after snow. We even packed up and spent Thanksgiving in Okanogan to try to forget about it for a while. Grain companies have told everyone “no buying of spring thrashed grain”. So its either getter now or burner later.
Glad I’m retired, but it is tough on the renter. He has about 600 acres of flax, oats, alfalfa left to harvest. Combined canola once in November a few years ago. Sure was tough on the machine.
If ever a group of people have earned the respect and gratitude of every man, woman and child, it is farmers and ranchers. They take all the risks, freeze and swelter, work from dawn till dusk…to feed us…and people complain about the price of steak and bread and think that the creepy bureaucrats in the Canadian Wheat Board have a right to their bonus’s.
I thank farmers/ranchers with the same reverence that I thank soldiers.
One of the most interesting and thoughtful things I heard a while ago – simple – and yet underappreciated by me – “If you’ve eaten today, thank a farmer”. I keep on thinking, thank heavens in the US the farmers are subsidizing bonuses on Wall Street.
Hmmmmmmm.
My cousins are all farmers – at least they can rely on the cattle for $$. Not.
You can take the girl out of the farm, but you can’t take the farm out of the girl. I’m with you guys tonight, too, and every night until you’ve got it done.
Joe Citizen, that’s an interesting story. I wonder what was causing global warming back then.
Mur, how far south are you? I grew up in that valley. Indian Head is my home town.
Goreacle Report & Kiwi Hope & “Mother Nature”: “According to New Zealand climate experts”.
“Hawke’s Bay farmers were left counting the cost of the late snowfall; days later it was the South Island’s turn.”
“Hopefully the country will be safe from snowfalls in October for another 60 or so years.”
…-
“Coldest October since 1945 in NZ
According to New Zealand climate experts, the month of October was the coldest the country has had since the end of World War II.
The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric research (NIWA) had to go back 64 years in the record books to find a chillier one.
In October, spring is meant to have well and truly sprung but Mother Nature seems to have missed the memo this year.
Instead she handed out weather more suited to the depths of winter and it didn’t go unnoticed by the population.”
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/coldest-october-since-1945-in-nz-3107957
Hi Kate. City boy here. What’s a combine?
Just kidding. You should check your @katewerk tweets more often for mentions.
Hope you are doing well. Sound as fiesty as ever.
The white shit is on the ground here in Toronto this morning. I fn hate it!
Hey Louise, practically next door. SW of the Fort! Lot of people are from the valley area it seems. Lite breeze all nite, lower humidity, am thinking today we may get going. Saw a great quote the other day, “you know its been a long harvest when you have had the second haircut and ur not done yet”. Hope everyone gets going this weekend, there is a huge pile of crop out, despite what the media keeps telling you.
After such a disappointing October, I worried that the crops out in the field would never get picked up but I saw some combines out on Wednesday when I was driving back from Saskatoon. Looks like today will be warm and sunny. I expect crops lost a lot of quality while they were battered by the elements but I hope things will still turn out okay.
Good luck, folks!
Louise is right…never can get the farm out of the girl!
The farmers in northern BC are looking out at up to a foot of snow already. They know how much of their income is lost to them underneath it. Again.
This time of AGW is also causing all manner of crop grief in Eastern Ontario. Lots of guys have just finished chopping corn silage…that is a September job…my calendar says it is now November. The grain corn is not mature…the cobs are like spongy rubber…and most likely the corn will sit out for the deep cold of January to dry it down from the 40-30% moisture it is now. A normal year would have the grain corn harvest starting to wind down around Halloween.
Snagglepuss at 11:43 Good luck un-plugging the beast!
Well, this may explain some of it:
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/11/05/octobers-significant-chill-take-your-pick-on-descriptors/#more-12506
Remember though, that according to the IPCC, these cold spells will become less and less frequent. It is right in their AR-4 Summary. So buck up!
We’ll keep our fingers crossed for you guys.
Don’t worry, Kate. There’s always a bumper crop of subsidies
for rural conservative welfare bums.
I don’t envy farmers at all. Mother nature can be a cruel boss. I’ve traveled many a mile over dark prairie roads and seen the lights out in the fields. Having a bunch of 9 to 5 Winterpig pencil pushers decide what your income and future will be, is something I could never handle. It is bad enough that they have to play with changing market prices, but to bet your future like that is incredible.
To paraphrase Ian Tyson;
Straw hat and old dirty hankie,
Moppin’ a face like a shoe.
Thanks for the meal,
Here’s gratitude that is real,
From the kid from the city to you.
Yesterday began the first stretch of dry weather here to your southeast in MN. Only Ethanol contracts are being met with corn at 40% water vs. the required 15%. Propane is used to dry the ‘biofuel’, actually just burnable extender.
Again, “manny” – you really ought to sign your real name so that your genius can be fully appreciated.
To paraphrase Ian Tyson;
Murray Mclaughlin. Ah, yes, the dusty old farmer myth, oft trotted out to justify socialism for conservatives and their friends. John Galt indeed.
But what’s in a name, Kate.
Conservatism, objectivism, it’s all hypocritical baloney no matter how you slice it.
Kate … I realize that he’s an easy target, but when he’s ignored, he usually goes away and does whatever idiots do when they’re not annoying others.
Apologies to Murray Mclaughlin. Me bad for messing up my Canadian troubadours.
Stay on topic, please.
Texas Canuck at November 6, 2009 11:08 AM:
Thanks for that! I hadn’t thought of that song for eons!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyUKyJVTgPg
Appreciate that, Glengarrian.
Yeah, what a job! About 3 hrs for 2 of us. Soggy crap packed in tighter than a hay bale. Besides that, concaves packed with mud from ingesting snow and dirt.
By afternoon, with the wind blowing and the temp. up we were rolling good on canola with 3 machines, not dry yet, but knocking off the acres (we don’t do hectares out here, tyvm Turdeau!)…..until a quick passing shower at about 8:30 shut us down for the night. What else is new??
I’ve got some wheat, swathed Sept 7&8 that is so soggy, it may never get done this fall- I’ve never, ever had that before. If we can avoid the snow for awhile, we may be able to get it off freeze-dried and deal with it later.
And philprick, if you bothered to educate yourself, you might realize that the real subsidization is being done by producers- to asshats like you. While yur at it, give some tongue to Fat Al, David and the boys….from me:-))
Finally rolling on flax tonite. Its not dry but at least its to the point where the terminals will take it and dry it down. And yes plugged the combine this afternoon. And if anyone is familiar with a Gleaner R72 cylinder…. Its pick it with needle nose pliers for a couple hours. And my wife was right there beside me picking and pulling till we got it cleaned out. Manny philprick, I bet you had an EDO today didnt ya? Maybe had a massage? Did you eat today, guess where that came from ???
mur- I need a wife like that!
I do, because I said ‘I Do’ !!