This morning as I was helping Jim service the combine (which doesn’t include much). A thought came to mind about sharing with you one of our trade secrets. Go to Walmart and spend $10 on a large California duster. This is a miracle work for windows and cleaning out the cab. The best time to clean the windows with this secret tool, though, is at night. If you wait till morning the dirt has stuck to the windows (due to the dew) and it’s harder to wipe off. It’s the best $10 you’ll ever spend…guaranteed!
Today looks like a good day with the possibility of storms this afternoon. We’re in the process of moving to another field.
I’ve heard reports that western Kansas may be cutting next week. Harvest 2012 is certainly going faster than expected!
I’ve included a picture of the elevator in Shattuck. The newer structure on the right holds sand for the oil fields. Here in the south it’s not pronounced “oyl”, it’s pronounced “ole”.
Every morning Jim has to go about 15 miles to get farm fuel for the combine.
As a harvester, we’re only allowed to haul up to 119 gallons of diesel fuel without a hazmat endorsement on the class A CDL. This is a rule that was put into place in 1991 and our national harvester’s Association, U. S. Custom Harvesters, Inc., has been fighting it ever since. The fuel tanks in our current equipment can hold up to 300 gallons. This can be a timely process every morning for all harvesters but especially those with multiple machines. There are currently two bills, one in the House and one in the Senate, that would allow us to haul up to 1000 gallons. There was language written in the current House version of the transportation bill but it was removed at the last minute. I remain hopeful that something will change to allow the harvester and other members of the Ag community to haul the necessary amount of diesel fuel they need in a more timely and efficient manner. Sometimes all we need in DC is a little common sense!
First of all, I want to tell you what a good job you are doing and how much I enjoy reading this and getting a more detailed explanation of the life of a custom harvester. I also want to thank you for taking time out of your busy day to tell the rest of the world what custom harvesting is all about. It’s because of you doing this blog and your daughters doing all aboard (and the other correspondents) that I think I want to be a custom harvester.
Now on to harvest. We are planning to start cutting tomorrow on our farm outside of Hooker. This is the earlist Dad ever rembers cutting. I wish that I could’ve met you and your family when y’all were here in 2010.
I’m going to have to try your “secret tool” haha
Ethan
Well Ethan, I had a fairly long reply to you but it appears to have not gone where it was supposed to. I’m glad you wrote the note! And I’m excited that you want to be a custom harvester! We’ll need some younger guys to do the job when us older generation have to quit. Just remember that the biggest and shiniest isn’t always the best. Save the money during the good years cuz the next may be a drought. Don’t ever be smart enough that you can’t listen to experience and always look at the other cutters as your friends not competition. It’s the friends you make that will be your biggest asset and what you’ll most enjoy about the business! GO FOR IT! I’d it’s what’s I’m your heart then you need to do it! Do you know Anthony Adams? That’s who we helped while we were in Hooker. We were supposed to go again this year but with the early harvest we won’t make it in time. Maybe next year. Talk to Anthony, I’m sure he could give you some pointers! Check I’m once in awhile and lets know how things are going and let me know what you think about the secret tool! Take care, have a great harvest, have fun and above all else…be safe!
Thanks for the tips on becoming a harvester! My hope is to work for a harvester and make sure this is what I want to do before making a big investment, and also hope to find a crew that is willng to mentor and teach me about the business more.
Yes, I do know Anythony. He’s been cutting for two days now. I’ll have to talk to him sometime. Did you meet the Dietricks? That’d be cool if y’all made Hooker a stop again.
I’ll keep ya posted. If all goes as planed (but when does that ever happen? Lol) we’ll be in the field today.
Hope you have a safe and good harvest too.
Ethan
When you get serious about wanting to go with someone let me know. I’ll get you lined up with someone who might be better about being a mentor rather than just a boss. I don’t think I met the Dietrick’s but I know Anthony talks about Nick. Same one? We’ll meet one day ;)We got rain and some hail last night. Hope we can get started again later today.
Well Tracy, I’m not seeing how to reply to your reply, so hopefully this will end up where I want it to. But anyway, I’ll keep that in mind when the time comes. Yes, Nick is a Dietrick, he and Anthony are pretty good buds. Hope the hail wasn’t bad.
Ethan
I got your reply. 🙂 The hail wasn’t bad at the field. It sounded horrible in the trailer house! Tell Anthony hi for me if you see him!! Tracy
Thanks for the tip on the miracle tool. I bet it does work great. We have 2 pickups, 99 chevy and 04 ford and big windshields. something with a long handle makes a big difference. In the winter we cover windshields with plastic tarp and makes handy when have to go in a hurry to keep them covered.People complain about sc raping ice or snow,but don’t cover anyway just like you anything to make work a little easier. Really cuttiing here. we went to Grand daughters 5th birthday party this afternoon and a lot are cutting. wheat trucks moving. She got a lot of things. We gave her a small swimming pool after her other gifts,I knew she would want to put it in use. Sure enough she ask her dad if they could,so for an hour 8 little ones played in it .Sean put the end of the slide on the swing set into the pool and those kids had the best time,Still at it when we left at 6pm. By the way you said common sense in D.C. I don’t think anyone there knows what that is.Sharon
Oh my gosh! What great memories you just gave those kids! Still sitting in the grain truck enjoying the coolness of the evening! We’ve been putting in some long days so we can get moved up to Deerfield before the harvest gets started there to much. We’ve already had to give up work at Hooker, OK. We don’t have any real grand kids yet but I expect we Wil one of these days. Our oldest daughter has babyitis pretty bad 😉
Sent from my iPhone
Another tidbit for your windows is to give them a good treatment with RainEx, then the duster works even better and you can go a couple weeks without bringing out the squeegee…unless, of course, it rains.
AWESOME!! Thanks Marilyn! Sent from my iPhone
The best thing, the absolute best thing that Washington could do for us, all of us, not just farmers or harvesters … Is just leave us alone.
DS
Most of the time what they think is helping is really hurting! The best thing our legislators could do is involve the people their rules would affect BEFORE they make rules and regs that make it impossible to abide. Thanks for your comment!
Amen to you both. sharon
I was reading your time in montana in 2011. The pictures of Judith and neat you being related. We have been in montana and Wyoming several times in the late 80’s and 90’s lov e it. We were in the martinsdale area and Lewiston. Etc. We were in Yellowstone twice. We do pre 1840 mountain man blackpowder rendezvous and have a club here. The rendezvous we went to in colorado was in jefferson. which is a gas station,but was 9600 feet. We feel the same you said in the 2011 article about hating to leave but know what is ahead when you get home. But we are always glad to get home and look forward to next time. We go to ones in Middle and eastern kansas. We came through nebrska and Edgar where my mothers Grandparents lived and had 4 chhildren then to Arapoe then later to kansas. Their name was christner. Edgar was beautiful area.sharon
Sharon, you sound like you do your fair share of travelling, too. Very interesting information about the blackpowder rendezvous. I bet Jim would enjoy watching that. He’s a gun lover. 🙂 Especially the old ones.
There are rendezvous in nebraska and all over the country. look up talking-bear.com and events. You will see events. for all year in the U.S. Our club is grouse creek.
Sure are cutting today,Thia am at 9 one was already out in field. humidity yesterday was veryyyy low. Today is 30% The guys are all out . Calling for some rain maybe the next 3 days. hope not. sharon
[…] comes to a stand still at the end of the day, I jump out of the cab and use my handy, dandy “harvester’s secret“ and clean my windows. Jim is usually finishing unloading the truck into the grain bin. Once […]
[…] comes to a standstill at the end of the day, I jump out of the cab and use my handy, dandy ”harvester’s secret“ and clean my windows. Jim is usually finishing unloading the truck into the […]