Take a snooze
Have you noticed that as technology advances, enabling us to harvest crops in a shorter period of time, there is still an itch to get the job done faster?
Uncertainties of weather are behind this urge to get the job done. There’s many a horror story about a lush crop deteriorated or lost because it couldn’t be harvested in time.
I heard the other day about a farmer who, given dry enough conditions, would combine all day, all night and all the next day before taking time off to sleep. Now there’s a risky schedule.
Read Also
Topsy-turvy precipitation this year challenges crop predictions
Rainfall can vary dramatically over a short distance. Precipitation maps can’t catch all the deviations, but they do provide a broad perspective.
This isn’t an urge confined to the present generation. I recall the owner of a threshing outfit in our district who threshed all day in the 1930s and then drove his truck over to our farm at midnight. We were all in bed but he came in and climbed the stairs to my parents’ bedroom.
“Steele,” he announced: “We finished up Matt’s place tonight and we can start on yours. We should be able to make it in the morning about 6.30 or 7. What field should we pull in to?”
My father, who had been snoring peacefully five minutes earlier, had to gather his wits and give him some directions. After that, the thresherman probably got about three hours of sleep before launching into the next 18-hour day.
It then took weeks rather than days to harvest (cutting, stooking and threshing).
Surprisingly enough, in most instances the job was done before the snow flew.
Some years ago Grant MacEwan, talking to Western Producer staff, said: “Don’t forget to take time out to smell the roses.”
That’s good advice, even in harvest time.
