Stephanie Osowski – Olson Farms
The hardest/weirdest thing to date I’ve discovered about working for a farmer? Wheat harvest only lasts 5-6 days. That’s with no hiccups, no breakdowns, just throw them in road gear and BOOK. Which is exactly how it went for us, which I should be happy about…right? But actually, my little harvest brain is saying, “Can’t we just throw the combines on a trailer and move up the road? Go help a neighbor?” Once a harvest girl, always a harvest girl.
The whole “farm girl” title will fall in place with time, I suppose. Our wheat harvest started on a sunny Tuesday and ended on an equally sunny Sunday afternoon. When I say equally sunny, I mean it in the fiercest way. It was 98 degrees with 100 percent humidity. I have to confess; I was in the combine with a fully functioning AC so until I stepped out at the end of the day, it never really had a chance to get to me. Our wheat ran an average of 75 bushels per acre, protein anywhere from 11-14 and weights were coming in pretty consistently at 64 pounds.
Our truck drivers drove by Dairy Queen every load and according to them, the pack of Dilly Bars they purchased for “the rest of the crew” never made it back to the field since they had to be rescued from the heat. By rescued, I mean eaten. But they were running their little trucking hearts out so all’s forgiven.
We are now in the midst of sugar beet pre-pile and on the brink of edible beans. On August 15th, a neighbor had already finished his first edible bean field of the season. These mega-dry conditions are making all the fall crops turn rapidly so we are looking at starting our own edible bean harvest within the next 10 days (give or take). Seems like once fall harvest and school starts, the fall just flies by. Dairy Queen said it best in their radio commercial, “Come get a blizzard before we get a blizzard!”
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".