From the Tractor Seat: The Magic of Harvest
As dusk settles over the fall fields, the golden glow of harvest reveals both the challenges and rewards of a year’s hard work, offering farmers delicious moments of reflection and renewal.
COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTION
It’s magical to be in the field at dusk in the fall. The sky is a wash of oranges and pinks, and along the fence lines, the leaves are a brilliant display of colour. As the sun drops in the sky, it drapes everything in its golden light.
Over the last few weeks, corn and soybean fields have turned from green to brown as they dry down, ready for harvest.
Harvest is the moment of truth. As the combine takes the crop off, dust hovers in the air and shimmers in the sun. In the cab, numbers flash on the yield monitor, telling the story of the year.
Was the crop planted in good time? Did it get enough moisture and nutrients? A year’s worth of decisions and many more factors out of anyone's control are assessed in minutes, acre by acre.
In a year like this, where the summer was warm with plenty of moisture followed by a dry and sunny September, it’s rewarding and a privilege to be in the field. The cold fall nights have helped the beans and corn dry down evenly. For many farmers, the harvest is earlier than it has ever been. And yields are good.
After the scramble of spring, it’s a great way to head into the end of the year.
Because it was earlier, I missed the soybean harvest this year. There was no work left for Thanksgiving weekend when I’m usually available to help.
I did pitch in during the wheat harvest earlier this summer though. And while sometimes I get to drive the combine, this year I was a “buggy driver”. Basically, that’s like being a shuttle driver between the combine and truck that will haul the beans to the elevator.
It’s a relatively straightforward job. You have to know how to drive the tractor, be able to follow close beside the combine and unload the cart when it's full. As long as you don’t hit anything or burn out a clutch, you’re set. I have done both. Probably my most embarrassing mishap was the time I scratched and dented our friend’s new truck with the auger. I felt horrible.
Luckily, I did not break anything this time. Even though breakdowns and farming go hand in hand, for part-time help like me, a day with no breakdowns is a good day for everyone!
I’m also now very happy with the camera on the end of the buggy auger so I can see exactly what I’m doing. In the past, my brothers could expect me to dump several bushels on the ground beside the truck instead of in it. Now that I can see exactly what I’m doing, I have no excuse!
Of course, not every fall is this warm and dry. Over the last fifteen years, I recall some very wet and very snowy years. They’re challenging and never fun. It’s years like 2024 though that restore farmers’ love and enjoyment in what they do.
And they remind us that these years, like those moments at dusk when the sky takes your breath away and the field shines gold, are fleeting. It’s these moments that linger in your memory and make it all worthwhile. And make you excited to think, “let’s do it all again next year!”
Thank you to sponsors of The Owen Sound Current Writers’ Fund, who make these community contributions possible. Contributions from the community do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of The Owen Sound Current and its editor or publisher.
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Thanks for contributing these pieces, Jen. You are a born writer - and help many of us urban and suburbanites feel the farm community that nestles around us.