Jenny Burgess – Burgess Hill Farms
Corn harvest is FINALLY in full swing for us on the farm. Between rains, working ground, and watching markets fall it’s been crazy.
My husband, Geoff, decided to cut a load of corn the night before last. Just to see how it would go. He had made “a few alterations” to the header on the combine. Lucky, ducky they worked just fine and allowed us to roll the corn and chew it off better. Also, he added some attachments to the header to not allow as many cobs to bounce out. This is why I married a mechanic engineer, right?
Corn harvest started with a few spits of sprinkles every now and then. Not enough to make us stop. This is our best dryland corn on our farm that we’ve ever seen. It’s actually fun to harvest corn that isn’t waist high!!
Between my husband, father and I, we cut 60 acres. We have an old 7720 that only holds 170 bushels at a time. Luckily, a neighbor let us borrow his bigger truck. We’re hauling to the Ethanol plant and sometimes the lines can be long there. So at least I have an empty truck at the field while the other is being dumped.
Hopefully, we can get more done tomorrow. More rain is in the forecast.
1. Be ready to go at the drop of a hat...sometimes without a lunchbox.
2. Has removed the word impossible from her vocabulary!
3. Can hold a baby, take care of a toddler and drive a tractor or combine all at the same time.
4. Must be able to cook for a crew - large or small.
5. Must be able to read minds.
6. Must be able to banter with a parts man until he realizes you DO know what you're talking about.
7. Must be the entertainment director for those rainy days.
8. Be a wife, mom, friend, helper, cook, problem solver, taxi driver or extra crew hand at all times.
9. Can handle the call that makes you react, "You need what? When?" Dropping everything you're doing to make it happen.
10. At the end of the day say, "I really do love this life".