From late November my brothers start harvesting the crops. This season their progress was delayed by rain and cool weather.
My brother Greg drives the semi, here he is filling the truck with wheat in the paddock behind his house.
My youngest son was keen to join me for a ride in the header. My brother Mike drives the header.
This is a better shot - you can see the true colour of the grain. An average harvest this year, as lack of winter rain was followed by a dry spring and frost - but grateful as it was much worse for some. Many farmers north of our town cut their crops for hay...if they bothered at all. And then there were districts where it was a bumper year - an hour or two from our place. It all comes down to when and how much it rains folks! So getting serious rain during harvest was frustrating.....as it was sorely needed two months ago - but now is just a nuisance.
This is my sister in law Kylie driving the tractor, pulling the chaser bin. Its a skill driving at the right speed alongside the header - but enabling the header to empty its load while harvesting at the same time, saves precious time. Kylie takes the grain back to the field bin at paddock gate. Means Greg can fill the truck from the field bin and get another load delivered to the silo. This little merry go around continues while the weather is good - too cold or too much dew means they cannot harvest. Too hot and windy (eg total fire ban weather) they cannot harvest because they might start a fire. 
Kylie cooked a beautiful Christmas lunch (compulsory day off as the silos are closed) and my contribution was roasted veggies and lemon meringue cupcakes - both normal and gluten free. Two wheat farmers in our family are now unable to eat wheat/gluten...ironic isn't it!
Happy Quilting Sue.
Very interesting Sue, thanks for the photos. Happy New Year to you and your family.
ReplyDeleteHope the harvest continues smoothly. I'll happy water my garden by hand until you finish the harvest! (And then I will be hoping for rain).
ReplyDeleteHappy new year to you and your family.
I enjoyed your post about harvest in the southern hemisphere. Living on the prairies here in Canada, and growing up on a farm, I found your post very interesting. We call the header a combine and the silo a grain elevator. Our grain harvest usually happens the end of August through early October but this year, because cold and snow until mid-October, most farmers were not able to harvest until after the middle of October when the weather finally turned fall-like instead of winterish! We had a very dry summer so crops did not do well but at least there was a harvest. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
ReplyDeleteInteresting to see your operation--it is on a much larger scale than our little farm.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't working with the wheat bother the farmers that can't eat it? I would think all the dust you would inhale while working with the wheat could be a problem.
Love the snapshot of life outside of the city.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful 2019.