The Sun Sets on Corn Harvest

The sun has set on the County Line's 2014 corn harvest. What would harvest be without a little drama at the end?

 

As I arrived to bring supper to the field Tuesday evening, storm clouds floated on the horizon. We were on the final field, and Randy was hoping to get harvest finished before it rained.

After supper,  I climbed into the combine cab to take a final ride for the year. We got about 200 yards when there was an ominous clanking. The combine had a problem. Thankfully, I was already there in a pickup, so we drove back to the farm for tools.

As always, I offered to "hold stuff" during the repair, since that's about the extent of my mechanical ability. My offer was politely declined, so I did what I always do: I took photos. You might as well find the silver lining. In this case, the silver lining was right there in the western sky, though the peace and tranquility may have been somewhat shattered with the blast-furnace wind howling from the south and the clanging and muttering going on at the combine header.

The guys finally got the offending part removed, and Randy determined he could run without it. He filled both trucks, but, since the co-op was closed, he couldn't finish the field.

We got 0.10" of rain overnight, but Randy was able to finish Corn Harvest 2014 Wednesday afternoon. This was only our second year to raise corn on The County Line, so we are admittedly novices. Last year, during a drought, our overall average was 57 bushels per acre, with a low of 18 bushels per acre on rented ground that is primarily used for hunting.

This year, with good and timely rains, the overall average was 108 bushels per acre, all on dryland fields. We had a high of 145 bu/acre and a low of 82 bu/acre.  We know others who've had higher bushel totals for the year, but we are thankful for a good harvest.

And now here's a photographic recap of of 2014 corn crop:(Click on the blue links under each photo to read more about each stage of the corn life cycle.)

We began the journey in April with planting.

 Emergence

I used my human measuring stick throughout the five-month journey.

May

June

 

July

Another season comes to a close on The County Line. Today, it's time for a trip to the Kansas State Fair. I think I'll take a jacket - and that's a good thing!