2011 Summer Tour Wrap-Up

I don't even know where to start this ending. I haven't gotten updates on here in so long and I apologize. The last couple weeks in SD the 2 younger college boys had to leave on the 13th and 17th so I had to be in the grain cart or combine everyday and didn't get any chances to get groceries much less internet update time! But then we headed home the 19th and I thought I would get pictures on the computer right away, but it has been so busy with cleaning out the camper, my parents dairy farm, then getting back in the swing of things with my side jobs, plus canning salsa and apples, a friends' wedding and here we are. I just decided to get this updated and be late to chores.....

For several weeks in S. Dakota the weather was so comfortable. But it isn't ideal for the dew to dry off quickly from the fields.

We were able to make it to church every Sunday while we were there. It was a small church but a lively congregation, we really enjoyed going there. 1 of the farmers and his family we cut for came into church 1 Sunday at the end of the 1st song and everyone was standing. After the song he said, "A standing ovation for me?" it was funny and would not fly at most churches! We really bonded with the people at that church and even helped a family pack up and get ready to move to MN! They are teachers and will be in the Brainard, MN area and asked for help after church. Of course it had just rained so there wasn't any reason we couldn't help.


The team is in a huddle.
There were several days that rained enough we couldn't combine for a day or at least until the next afternoon. So Chad's harvest crew challenged our crew to a football game.


Chad's team in a huddle.


It was good exercise for the guys and they were complaining how sore they were for days afterward. I'm sure whoever ran into the dumpster and our truck were especially sore. They had a lot of fun, it was good for all of them.




Water Break!
Due to rain we also had time to make it to 2 local rodeos in the area while Marg was out here. They were both really good, this is rodeo country out here with lots of locals that do very well. It was a fun time. We sure enjoyed Marg coming to visit and I sure enjoyed all of the help with cooking and dishes!!


2011 Melchert Harvesting Crew

When Dan, Charlie & I were cutting for a different farmer than the other guys were, I guess we were known as "Holly's Crew" to the farmer Jon was cutting for. I liked the sound of that!


Dan, Jon, Holly, Andy


waiting for the wheat to dry down....
The winter wheat was better with 30-45 bu/acre in this area. The spring wheat fields looked good, but when you got out in the fields you could see the actual heads of wheat were very small and the fields only averaged 25-35 bu/acre with lower test weights and protein levels than usual.








Gary works for the farmer and usually drives the JD combine. Well one night he combined a skunk right up, it stunk to high heaven. That combine still has a bad odor when you get near it!


We had to drive through some tribal land that was full of prairie dogs to get to 1 field.


this is what some of the roads looked like to get to the fields we were cutting. the semis had to drive down many miles of these roads! We have had 3 chips in windshields and 1 windshield really cracked up this summer, last summer we didn't have any!


When it rains you have to get off of these roads quickly or they turn to slime and you can't steer. The guys got caught in a storm and were trying to get back to the camper but the trucks were going sideways like on ice. Then there were a couple of the fire stations grass rigs heading towards them, apparantly lightning had struck and there was a fire somewhere. But they could hardly drive out to it. It was a MESS. Mud was a main issue for us in SD. It was hardly a day when someone or something wasn't stuck or almost stuck.


The clothesline! The couple that owns the lot where the RV hookups are let us use their clothesline, it was wonderful and saved us money from the laundromat dryers.






We were cutting the field right by the farmers bin site. He likes everything to go through his grain cart since it has a scale and ours doesn't.


Jon & Chris discussing plans


Dan sure looks happy! Is it being in the wheat fields or the Mello Yello? I think both.




This field is all done, where do we go next?


Back to our field offices after a pow-wow about which field to go to next.








I couldn't leave SD without snapping a picture of the sunflowers! I love seeing those fields.


On Friday, August 19th, we were up before 5am getting the camper together to leave. After checking chains, switching a radio, and some more fuel we were on the road by 7 something headed for home!! It was going well until our blue pick-up started to overheat on me, I was pulling the double header trailer. I stopped for a bit to let it cool down and then we took it a little easier until we got to Watertown and stopped in at the Titan dealer. Jon used their pressure washer to blow out all of the straw and grasshoppers that were stuck in the front of the truck, no wonder it was overheating....we then discovered that 1 of the vent covers on the camper had blown off along the way....but after that it was smooth sailing, well until the bridge in Granite Falls anyways. The combine on Andy's trailer scraped the end of the auger and broke the wire for the light going under the bridge, so the rest of us took a detour around that bridge. We made it home around 7:30 that night. Millie had come out to the farm with pizzas that she picked up for us all, it was so nice of her! It was WONDERFUL to get home!!


All clean and lined up nicely. These combines harvested a little over 11,000 acres of wheat this summer, and it was only the 3 until S. Dakota. They did very well and we are looking at selling at least 1 of them, so stop by the lot and check it out, these deals won't last long!

Jon & I want to thank everyone again for their support. We have been shocked at the interest people have in this endeavor of ours! It was a good summer, better than last year and we have a lot to be thankful for. Now that we are home and gearing up for fall harvest we look forward to seeing everyone and reconnecting with our family and friends.

Life in South Dakota

Here comes the combine that no one likes around here.....that's right, the Great White Combine. There has been destructive hail twice since we have been here, both times north of town. It took out about 700 acres that we were supposed to cut unfortunately. In the almost 2 weeks we have been here it has rained some everyday except for 3 or 4 days. If it rains just a little to make us stop for the evening we are able to combine the next day no problem. But there have been several 1/2 inch to 2 inch rains that have held us up for a day or 2.

Since it has been so long since my last update this may not "flow" very well, but I will just type what I can remember for the last couple weeks.

- Jon got a 4th 2388 combine since we have a considerable amount of work in this area. The combine was delivered here but Jon & I had to drive to Watertown to pick up the head. It makes more sense for us to buy another one(that we could always sell later if need be) rather than lease one which is very expensive and you have nothing to show for it in the end. So with the added combine I have to drive combine or cart a lot more. Anyone back home that wants to drive combine for a day or a few, you are welcome to come out we could set you up!
- Some friends of ours are staying at the same campsite as us, it has been so nice to visit with them. He didn't have much work in this area and we do, so we had him help us out here with some acres and he has a lot in North Dakota, so hopefully we will be able to help him there. They are from Northern MN and started harvesting last year like us. Only they are about 10 yrs older than us and have 4 kids. So Lisa and the kids just come visit for a couple weeks in the summer as she works part-time in MN, they aren't with the crew all summer. Luckily they were visiting while in the same town as us so I got to hang out with her some which I really enjoyed.
- Several dinosaur bones were found years ago in the next county over and even an almost whole T-Rex "Sue" there is a little museum in a nearby town that I stopped in at with Lisa, an 8 yr old boy found a T-Rex scull in rock on his parents land, and named it Bucky. It is in the museum.
- There are once again a lot of grasshoppers here again. I saw 2 white caterpillers and a scorpian of some sort while I was out running/walking this morning.
- This is the poorest county in the U.S.
- We have had 3 flat tires(the big ones too) on 2 of the combines in the last week. That was frusterating, but they are fixed and going again.



We only had all 4 of our combines together for a couple days and I didn't get any pictures of that yet. The last 4 days Dan, Charlie, and myself have been working for 1 farmer while the rest of the crew is working with another farmer in the area. We are 5-10 miles apart in the fields, by road anyways.


So all in all things are going fine, just slower than we would like from rain so often. We are thankful our machinery hasn't been damaged by the storms and not a lot of wheat was downed from hail. We are getting to a point in summer where people kind of know the routines better, but everyone has been living together for a couple months and sometimes there are tensions and frusterations. But we still have a good time together overall.


Charlie & Winston (the high school graduates) riding on the back of the truck to check a field. I keep telling them they are pretty lucky, getting paid to be on vacation all summer, food included (and believe me they can eat a LOT of food if it is available!!!) They are both very polite and always thank me for the meals. They both usually drive grain truck and semi, but fill in driving cart or combine when needed.


You can't escape the camera Chris!! Chris has been driving the farmers grain cart and has been having a rough time of it with all this mud. He has gotten stuck several times. It is a 1000 bushel grain cart with a JD 9300 tractor on it (I think) with balding tires, the tractor doesn't have enough oomph for that big of a loaded cart to begin with.


Here's our nieghbor, Jim, a reliable combine driver and card player :)


Charlie & Chris "undercover" investigating the farmer's John Deere combine! he-he

Jon's Mom, Marg got out here today (Saturday) before 1pm (2pm home time). She said the drive was great with no hold-ups. She is going to stay here(in a hotel, we wouldn't make her suffer in a camper with 8 other adults!!) for several days to visit. It is great to have her come out here, we sure enjoy new company. It is only 8 hours from home :)