Melissa Kenny – Jonel Farming
Well, it’s been a rather stop-start past couple of weeks of harvest for us. We’ve had two rain events substantial enough to keep us from reaping for a few days, with many people not getting back in the field in between. We were lucky that we didn’t receive the huge rains that had initially been forecast, though. Some of our Eastern states counterparts were not so fortunate.
It has now dried out enough to reap but today is a total fire ban with a forecast temp of 98F+ and strong winds, which will push the Fire Danger Index (FDI) over 35 (the threshold at which they recommend we stop harvesting). Matt left early this morning in the hope of getting some cutting done before the temperature and wind came up but by the time he got to the field, it was too windy so he’ll get everything serviced up ready to go tonight when it cools off a bit and the wind drops out.
We have more rain forecast for tomorrow and 10-20mm (a half inch or so) predicted for Monday, so we are keen to get as much cut as we can before then.
We don’t have a lot left to go now. If we could cut for 4-5 days solid, we would be finished. Hopefully, we’ll get it done and everything packed away before Christmas!
I took our baby for her first full day of work on the chaser bin on Saturday. Matt had our 2 year old son on the combine and it sounds like I had it easy in comparison! I’ve spent 9+ hours on a tractor with him before so I can imagine what it was like – I take my hat off to the parents who have several kids in the cab for the day!
Annabelle was a great little ‘helper’ and snoozed half of the day away.
When you’re juggling a baby on the tractor, anything that gives you an extra hand is a help. I don’t know if any of the Aussie followers use Gear Keepers or not but I’ve never seen them in Australia. After using them while working on a wonderful harvest crew in the US, we purchased a whole heap to bring home and put in all of our machines. So handy to just grab the UHF mic, say what you need to and not have to worry about hanging it up perfectly – a great little invention!
With many farmers around us finishing up, I start to count the acres (to go). Last year we finished our own crop on December 23rd and went contracting until February (an unusually long harvest for us). We have one paddock of windrowed barley of our own to go and a few hundred acres of contract cutting to do but I’m hopeful we get the whole lot done by the 23rd (which happens to be my birthday) ready to relax and celebrate Christmas!
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".
