Amanda Buus Thomsen – BT Harvesting
“The Road Goes on Forever but the Party Never Ends…” by Robert Earl Keen could be one way to sum up the retreat weekend.
Our harvest season often takes each of us down different roads. To our delight, occasionally our paths cross and allow us to share a cup of coffee or a rare dinner together. Realistically though, we wave as we see another crew pull through the town we’ve been working in, and wish them safe travels.
Retreat weekend gives us all a chance to catch up, to share in fellowship, to visit with sponsors and show off new swag, to vent to others that ‘get it’ and to prepare for the upcoming season and all its challenges. It gives us the opportunity to forge working relationships and help each other out when needed…because that’s what it’s all about, right?
We all run different colors, different number of machines, cut different crops and travel to different states. Some of us only see each other at retreat, some of us talk regularly, but no matter what – we all understand each other. We know what this job and this lifestyle entails and know first-hand how isolating and heavy it can be at times.
Our sponsors may never fully understand what they provide us attendees with when they help fund the retreat, but I hope they know that we all proudly wear their colors and logos. Personally, I can tell you that much to our salesman’s dismay, a New Holland hat may have graced his green showroom floor a time or two. And I didn’t even feel bad about it. Sorry Michael!
“The Road Goes on Forever but the Party Never Ends…” thanks to technology (our group chat) and the support from our sponsors and their understanding of how important our roles as Women in Ag really is.
And just like that…we’re back to reality.
While I was away, work carried on at the shop as normal. We’ve gotten two crew members in and they’ve been busy putting together equipment.
Several northern crews have their new equipment shipped here from the factory for us to put together and get field ready. That way when its harvest time, they stop and pick up their equipment on the way to their first job of the season. Kind of like a win-win for everyone.
You know what else is a win-win? Me re-living old glory days dancing to Robert Earl Keen and you checking him out on YouTube. You can thank me later 😉
The life as a HarvestHER is never boring!
