This pasture represents the extreme drought of Eastern Colorado.

We picked up a few more acres yesterday. By the time we made the 15 mile move further west of Steve and Larry’s home place in the morning, the day was shot when we finished the 120 acre field.  This wheat only averaged 18 bushels per acre – not sure of the test weight or protein. The sun was going down pretty fast by the time we got the final vehicle back to the home place. It was completely dark by the time Jim and the yellow beast made it back.

The entire day, I fought a headache and was extremely tired. I could hardly function. It literally took everything to keep going. Callie said she felt the same way but wasn’t suffering from a headache. When we finished the field, we stopped at the farmer’s house and visited for a little while. In conversation, the farmer’s wife said our fatigue could be caused from the higher elevation – 6,000 ft.

I googled health effects of higher altitude and found out that probably WAS causing the fatigue and headache. The information I found also said it takes 8 days to get used to being in the higher altitude. The farm we cut our last acres is very near that 6,000 ft elevation. As a matter of fact, that higher elevation is right on the line of growing wheat. I tried to find information on google about why wheat can’t grow above that elevation mark and didn’t find much. Maybe someone who reads this blog can fill me in. I’m assuming it has something to do with a shorter growing season.  Limon has an elevation of 5,300 ft. Garden City has an elevation of 2,800 ft. That’s quite a change!

Callie decided she’d come out to the field with us yesterday and hang out with her “rents”. It was good to have her along – mostly for the conversation! On our way back to the cottage, we stopped at Arby’s for supper – it was 9:30 p.m.