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Tale From the Harvest Trail

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CrestonM View Drop Down
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Joined: 08 Sep 2014
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote CrestonM Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Tale From the Harvest Trail
    Posted: 14 Aug 2020 at 9:22am
Several on here have asked about my time spent on a custom wheat harvest crew this summer. I decided to make a dedicated post, so not to take others off-track. 

Late last fall I decided I was going to go on a harvest crew with a guy named Mel Gossen from out in western Oklahoma. His family has been harvesting with Gleaners since the model Gs, and they've owned well over 100 Gleaners through the years. They used to have a large fleet of 9 combines (and apparently no grain carts) until recent years, when they downgraded to 4 combines, 2016 model S-97s. As combines got bigger, they didn't need as many, and finding good help is always a challenge. They've kept the combines so long mainly because nothing has changed on the 2020 S-97s and they don't see a reason to pay so much for a machine they already have. With running high-hour machines, though, comes maintenance, and before we started harvest we replaced the feederhouse bearings and sprockets in all 4 combines. Not a hard job, but took some time. I learned the value of a forklift this summer, and am now wondering why I don't have one. Six guys were hired this year for the crew, and interestingly enough, I was the oldest of the 6. He said this was the first year in over 20 that he's had an all-American crew come to him, that he didn't have to go search for. We had an excellent crew, all the guys were hard working and got along quite well. No smoking, drinking, or fighting by anybody. I signed on as a combine operator but was immediately relegated to truck driver once we began harvest, and why this is I'm still not sure. I was initially dismayed at this, but soon found I really enjoyed driving a truck, and that is something I am going to miss. I drove a 2005 International 9400i for those who are curious. We started harvest at Mel's farm, and also cut for other family and friends. (Aside- In May just before harvest starts, the girl I'm dating ends things with me, saying long-distance doesn't work. I told her we could definitely make it work, and something would work out where we'd still be together when I got back in the fall. But she was convinced, so I let her have it her way. If she can't stay faithful for a few months, she wouldn't be able to weather future storms.) Anyway, from Oklahoma we moved to Ingalls, KS. There I finally got to operate a combine a little, after some schooling from Mel's son and daughter. There's definitely a lot to learn on the new S-9 combines, but I took notes and had it down fairly well within a few days. I never thought I would like auto steer and auto height header control, but I learned that they were valuable to have, as there are a lot of things to keep watch over and those two things make the job much more manageable. One thing about these guys, they go and go hard. Not that it's a bad thing, but for a rookie, being expected to perform all operations at such a high rate of speed sometimes gets you yelled at for going a little slow, but it's all a learning curve. One feature I did like was on the yield mapping system, it tells you where you've cut in the field, so if it's night time, you don't have to remember where you've been as much, you just use the yield map to kinda show you where the uncut areas still are. Oddly enough the headlights on these newer combines aren't quite what I thought they'd be, but they get the job done. By the time we'd finished in Kansas, at the end of June, they said we had cut about 10,000 acres over the past month and a half. The next stop was in Wray, Colorado but I didn't make it there. Tensions between the crew and the boss man were continually on the rise while we were working, and I could elaborate on stories, but won't put it on the internet. About this time I got a job offer from the USDA Farm Service Agency, which was totally unexpected. I had spoke with them last September but they informed me they usually don't hire people fresh out of school with little experience. Due to the coronavirus they created several positions in offices across the state, and remembered me. I was very torn over the decision, and I still lose sleep over it wondering if I made the right choice because I like harvesting so much, but I left the crew because I knew harvest was only a 6-month venture, and this FSA job has the potential of being a good long term career with benefits and everything. All of the crew members agreed I needed to take this opportunity while it was present. After all, it's why I went to college. So I came home on June 30. I was originally going to start this new job July 5, but was pushed back due to the corona virus, and now it will begin August 17. Oh...remember the gal who said things wouldn't work long distance? She was concerned we wouldn't end up in close enough towns to maintain the relationship we had. Well the USDA offered me a choice of locations...one was in the town where we were both living and had gone to college. She works there full time. I decided I have no future in that place, so I chose the location closer to the farm Big smile

Edited by CrestonM - 14 Aug 2020 at 9:29am
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ac45dave View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ac45dave Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Aug 2020 at 9:51am
Creston, I think you made the wise decision on the career and the girl.It's also great to see you posting  on here again.Thumbs Up
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Greg (Hillsboro, OH) View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Greg (Hillsboro, OH) Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Aug 2020 at 10:00am
Thanks for the updates, and I agree with Dave, wise decisions on both counts.   Good luck to you.

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CrestonM View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CrestonM Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Aug 2020 at 10:11am
Thanks guys!
Is good to be back... there was no internet service on harvest so that kept me off the forum, and we were not allowed to have cellphones with us during the workday, so unfortunately I don’t have many pics to post. I took a few with a regular camera, but I will have to upload them to the computer.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tracy Martin TN Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Aug 2020 at 10:30am
You made the right call on both decisions!
No greater gift than healthy grandkids!
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Red Bank View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Red Bank Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Aug 2020 at 10:47am
You have made the right decisions. What are the duties of your new job? I know from your posts you like harvesting is it something you still could do on the side? It’s been refreshing for me to see someone as young as you have passion for farming the way you do. I really enjoy your posts and look forward to your pictures.


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tbone95 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Aug 2020 at 10:49am
Congratulations on the job. And.....you're all finished with college? Congrats on that too.
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Ed (Ont) View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ed (Ont) Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Aug 2020 at 8:08pm
Thanks Creston! Glad you shared that story with us. So nice that you got to try the harvest tour. I always thought I would like to do that but would have to turn the clock back 50 years. Lol. You did the right thing to take the job you were trained to do. I’m sure you will find time to do some harvest at home or near home on vintage or new machines! 😀😀
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Randy MN Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Aug 2020 at 9:28pm
Great story about your experience on a harvest crew! Life long memory for sure. Congratulations and good luck on your new job!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DanWi Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Aug 2020 at 9:44pm
Glad you could get your hands dirty before sitting down to a desk job, some people with jobs like that don't have a clue what goes on, not only FSA but engineers and others should go out and work with the stuff they design and build.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote victoryallis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Aug 2020 at 10:28pm
Sounds like your on a good path.
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B26240 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote B26240 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Aug 2020 at 5:59am
Great to hear from you Creston !! You have a good future ahead of you.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sugarmaker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Aug 2020 at 6:38am
Creston,
Always good to hear from you young man! Sure glad you had the opportunity to go and harvest with the crew. Just like any job there is a boss and co workers. You will find the same issues harvesting or working in a more office like job. The adventure can never be taken away from you. You may always long to be cutting that long field. Good dreams to have in life. Your girl friend may not have made a good choice but time will tell. Funny how things come back home.
I have a son going through similar things in life. Not easy! 
Make the best decision you can at the time you have to make it. Trust your gut.  Listen to your heart! Talk to your parents. Keep communicating!
Good luck with your new job!
Regards,
 Chris
D17 1958 (NFE), WD45 1954 (NFE), WD 1952 (NFE), WD 1950 (WFE), Allis F-40 forklift, Allis CA, Allis D14, Ford Jubilee, Many IH Cub Cadets, 32 Ford Dump, 65 Comet.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote DougG Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Aug 2020 at 7:24am
Sounds like that - family- were a holes at times and needed to be left high and dry by the crew at a desperate time they needed them- hope it paid good and just my opinion

Edited by DougG - 15 Aug 2020 at 8:54am
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AC7060IL View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AC7060IL Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Aug 2020 at 9:57am
Originally posted by CrestonM CrestonM wrote:

I learned the value of a forklift this summer, and am now wondering why I don't have one.

Yes. A rough terrain forklift is awesome for heavy repairs on outdoor/field equipment. They make short work of lifting off/on combine’s unloading auger, chopper, big tires, engine, transmission, final drive, rotors, feeder houses, rear axle, etc... They can also be used to stand header upright for safer, easier, & more efficient repairs that otherwise places mechanic underneath it.

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Unit3 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Unit3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Aug 2020 at 12:13pm
A GREAT READ! I think you need to put pen to paper and write a best seller. City folks spend big money for the dude ranch/cattle drive weekend experience. They would love a book about this. Just give it a happy ending. Tell us how that after a few months or years, there was a chance meeting in the hospital ER. She has a rare blood type and oddly enough, yours is the same. Or a church social, you bought a pie at a raffle and as it turns out, it was hers. 

About the lights. Compare the lights of the S series with the M's, L's, and N's. Night and day difference.


Edited by Unit3 - 15 Aug 2020 at 12:19pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ray54 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Aug 2020 at 4:24pm
Glad you got out and tried something different for a time. I have some good memories of the summers I spent out harvesting away from home. Never got more than 60 miles from home but still different ways of doing things.


A lot of good advice about life from the ones that have experienced more of it's troubles. Take your concerns to the Lord in prayer. Don't hurry at this time,just have patients. Look for one to share all of the rest of your life with.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CrestonM Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Aug 2020 at 10:19pm
Thank you to everyone who has replied! All of your kind words and encouragement are immensely appreciated! You all have put my concerns to rest in your backing of my decision to take this new job, and I can’t say thank you enough.

Unit3...a book would be great, even better if only I had finished the harvest run. Otherwise it may be rather short. It’s funny you mentioned it, my boss would sometimes smart off to me whenever I made a blunder, telling me to “put that in your book”. When asked about said book, he replied “the one you’re going to write”. So I decided I would go with it, and began keeping a journal of everything that happened on a near daily basis. Some good, some bad, but a lot of stories nonetheless. I’m sure he definitely wouldn’t want me to publish parts of it, though, as it could get him in trouble with multiple agencies. I thought I would name the book “Tales from the Harvest Trail”, so that’s where the name for this thread came from.


Also, one of the many lessons I learned from watching the boss was to ALWAYS make sure the unloading auger comes to a total stop before folding it back in. These augers freewheel longer than the ones in the L/Ms I’ve ran. He doesn’t do that and after doing it repeatedly it shears the shaft inside the swivel, and you don’t realize how out of shape you are until you have to scoop out the bin by hand, whether it has 100 bushels or 300 in it. Luckily the only time he made me do it, it wasn’t full.

Edited by CrestonM - 15 Aug 2020 at 10:28pm
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AC7060IL View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AC7060IL Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Aug 2020 at 10:55pm
LOL!! “Put that in your book!” is a quote from the supply wagons driver who bends over by the campfire to spread out his bed roll & farts. He laughs about it then tells Kevin Kosner( the soldier keeping a journal about the west) to “Put that in your book!” It’s from the moviie “Dancing with Wolves.”
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Unit3 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Unit3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Aug 2020 at 11:01pm
LOL Funny you should tell that about the unloading auger. We had a full tank and the bolts on the drive end came out or broke. Doesn't matter which. Had to vac it out.
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Unit3 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Unit3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Aug 2020 at 11:05pm
LOL Thanks AC7060IL. I knew I had heard that before, just couldn't remember where.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote shameless dude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Aug 2020 at 3:22am
Creston bubby! shucks...i sure missed you! i figgered you was out and was sniffing out some fillies ever since you gots that hug from Rachel!! i'm also glad you got to experience a harvest run...something i always wanted to do but never could for several reasons. anyways...i too think you made a good choice on job changes, as young as you are you will be able to retire earlier, and be able to do something you enjoy doing and still have the youth to do it! and with you being at the FSA, you'll get to know when farm land comes available to rent before others gobble it up...to satisfy your farming hunger! uh...i spose you didn't by chance mention to your harvest boss that you like to wear pashonate pink thongs? LMAO...
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Great post,good luck in your new job. When the time is right ,what you want will come to you in life. Sometimes you loose something so the right thing can come into your life.👍
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote wekracer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Aug 2020 at 8:55pm
That’s a really cool once in a lifetime story. However my guess is you we’re making $15 an hour or less and no benefits. That’s no way to live long term. You will be so much better off with the Fsa. I assume it’s a federal position with a pension. Even if it’s state retirement your so much better off even if your making the same money. In this day, the best case is a good paying job with benefits and retirement with a good paying side hustle. Either farming or mowing grass or whatever. Well done
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TimNearFortWorth Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Aug 2020 at 10:57pm
With age comes experience Creston, remember the old line about the old bull and young bull standing on the hill.
BTW, you will be an "old bull" in the blink of an eye so go enjoy yourself.
Trust your gut and you'll be fine.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CrestonM Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Aug 2020 at 9:08am
Thanks guys! Yeah wekracer, the pay was in the contract at $3,000/month, but the first month we got $1,200 and it never increased to the $3,000 amount. So working 15 hr days (as an average), it equals about $2.60/hr. The second month averaged about $6/hr. 
But we got fed very well, the boss's wife was great and an excellent cook. She kept our trailer stocked with breakfast food, and brought fresh, hot meals to the fields for dinner and supper and always with great desserts. We never went back to the field hungry, although sometimes a nap did sound good. 
The trailers the crew stays in are just regular semi trailers with reefer units and living quarters built inside. It kept us nice and cool, and is really pretty ingenious in my opinion. It has rows of bunk beds, sleeping 12 people, but luckily we only had 6, so it wasn't too crowded. 
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