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View of the day-Looking up at the 75,000 bushel bin...it's a looonnng way up.
We got .20 inches of rain during the night, so we knew it wouldn't be an early start in the oats...if at all depending on how much fell at the field.
We needed to run into Whitewood to get some clear diesel for the grain truck, so we stopped for an early lunch before filling the water jugs and coming back to the camper. There had only been the same amount of rain at the field and there was sun and strong winds, so we were off to work.
The wind was blowing hard, so it was a task to keep the chaff and straw off the air intake on the combine. The alarm went off a few times when the wiper arm would stop due to the build up on the screen, but after idling down, it would start moving again and Marilyn would be on her way.
The cart driver kept the trucks rolling and there was no waiting for the combines, he was on the ready before the grain had a chance to run over the top of the hopper.
Back at the bins, there was no moving the auger because of the high yielding oats...not with 75,000 bushels of storage in the bin, we might have a couple more days to fill it.
We had to make a couple short moves to some smaller patches, then after we got them all finished, we moved back to the first oat field after dark to park the combines for the night.
Tomorrow we move closer to the yard...
View of the day-Just finished the spring wheat and the auger wouldn't swing out to dump the hopper. Al checks in with Ray at ProHarvest to see if he can help.
We were back at it before 10am this morning. We did have 13 sprinkles of rain during the night and it was extremely smokey again, but at least there was some wind...not that it did much to clear the air.
We finished the remainder of the spring wheat that we had left from last night, then moved to the piece that had been patched out for seed wheat. We nicely got that done when the big combine wouldn't give up the goods and dump the hopper.
While the guys worked on that machine, Marilyn drove the combine back to the yard to blow out the rads and filters while we waited to go to the next field. Once we got the word, Al led the way to the next field, just outside Kipling on the 605 grid. We cut a large patch to get all the trucks parked, then waited for the rest of the gang to show up.
We are now in standing oats...well, mostly standing...some of it is lying down in places, so it means paying attention to get it all. The cart driver is going to earn his beans with the yield going over 100 bushels/acre.
Good thing for him we are only working with two machines...
View of the day-Smokey again and just as busy.
Another early start, even though there was a heavy dew. We were serviced and making dust by 10am. We had the Massey with us again today, so we were able to cover a lot of acres...not having to change headers or fields helps a lot, too.
It was hot today, with not a lot of wind, which didn't make Al too happy. Fortunately, the bins were only a mile or two away, so he didn't have to sit in the stifling heat of the un-air conditioned truck.
Around 6pm, the crowds cleared out as there was a birthday party to attend. Al stayed and trucked for a while, then it was just the Massey and Marilyn with two semis and a grain cart to fill before quitting time. It was around 9pm when we finally got everything filled and tarped.
It was a good 130 acre day for Marilyn...
View of the day-What a difference a year makes...almost a year. This is the very spot where that poor combine almost sunk into oblivion...or China. Last years picture included.
We were up early and on the road to Carlyle to bring the combine back to Langbank. Fortunately, all we had last night was thunder and lightning...no rain.
Al started rolling as soon as he got dropped off at the combine, while Marilyn went into town to run some errands, then dropped some stuff off for Marg at the farm.
While Al was on the road, Marilyn went out to get the header hooked up to the Dodge, then started out after him. With the header in transport, 40kmh is the top speed, so it was another slow trip, but even with Al's head start Marilyn got to the yard right behind him.
We put the header on, then moved out to the field and started combining in the spring wheat. It is yielding over 60 bushels/acre so the truckers are really busy...not to mention the cart driver. The Massey is back in the field with us, so with three rigs running, it's no surprise he's hopping.
We shut down around 9pm after another 100+ acre day for us.
Not bad considering the move...
View of the day-Al picking up canola in the smokey haze, as the sun goes down.
We were up at the crack of dawn to make Carlyle by 8am, and we were only 10 minutes late. Marg and Marilyn were on their way to Moose Jaw to have lunch with their parents, a couple cousins and a sister-in-law, to celebrate their dad's 89th birthday.
Al swapped out headers and the guys got going in the canola just after lunch. Kim's dad came over with his John Deere combine and the three of them kept the truck driver hopping for most of the day.
Marg and Marilyn stopped in Regina to hit up Costco before driving back through the smokey haze to Carlyle. It was tough to see what the weather was supposed to be bringing since it was overcast due to the smoke coming up from the SW. There were weather watches out for the area...something that had only come up in the forecast today...but we couldn't see anything on the horizon. Or the horizon for that matter.
We got out to the field just as the guys were shutting down, then drove back to the camper. There had been a new breaker box put in and when we started up the fan, our power in the camper was gone, so we got the flashlight out to inspect. Looks like we need some more cords...that's tomorrow's job. We got enough juice running to keep the lights on for the night...unless the swather comes into the yard for fuel.
Lots of lightning in the NW...
View of the day-The first hopper full at Carlyle.
We were up early and had the straight header in transport and hooked up to the Dodge, ready for the move. We put the pickup head on the combine and headed south.
It was a two hour drive to get to the field...you get to see a lot of scenery at 18mph...and a lot of idiot drivers. We made it without incident and after leaving the pickup head in one of the canola fields, got to the wheat field and hooked up the draper head to start combining.
Al got a patch cut out for the trucks to park, just as Kim and his brother James showed up with the tandem grain truck. They went back to get the semi and Kim's combine, while Al continued cutting wheat. Marilyn went in to Subway to get lunch for everyone.
Marilyn rode around with Al in the combine for a while, then he jumped ship and left her so he could start hauling grain in Kim's tandem. James was running the other combine and had a breakdown around 6:30pm, so he took the combine back to the yard to get some welding done.
We shut down around 7:30pm...a pretty good day considering the drive...with just over 100 acres combined. We decided not to move the camper, so we had a few miles to cover to get back to Langbank.
Al gets to combine tomorrow...
View of the day-The neighbours across the road doing a bit of silage harvesting.
Orders were to be ready to start combining by 10am...and we were early by 10 minutes. We finished the last of the field we were on, then moved south a couple miles to the last field of winter wheat. It didn't take very long before that short quarter was lapped up.
Marilyn got to head back to the farm while Gideon finished off the last acre on this field and a small patch that was on the other side of the water run from this mornings field. Back at the yard, she blew the header off and dug out the mud that had collected in the front of the header.
Al was back at the camper trying to figure out what to do with the next couple of days. The spring wheat has been desicated, but needs a few more days to cure, so it looks like we might be roading the combine down to Carlyle to help Kim with some canola. The camper won't be making the move, since we will be back on the weekend, so we will just drive back and forth.
The weather looks pretty good for the next little while...
