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The contents of the “Weekly Feature” page are provided to you for your entertainment, amusement, and perhaps information. Here you may find articles of interest, pictures, historical information on the Club, or whatever shuffles to the top of the pile on our desk. The only defined characteristic of this space is that we will make every effort to change/replace it around the middle of each week. Thank you for visiting, and please stop by again. Click on any photo to see it larger in a separate window.

NOVEMBER 18, 2014

PAYDAY

In the world of the farmer, it’s a long stretch from the beginning of the work “week” until “payday”. The active part of the week begins back in March or April, labors on through the summer, and really heats up (as the weather chills) from September through November or even beyond. It takes that long to get from the investment period to the payoff stage. And yes, it can get pretty slim out there if the timetable or budget runs amok. I am reminded of one of my Dad’s favorite quotes, oft repeated when questioned about how the farming was going. “Damn few money, and a hell of a lot of beans”, was his customary response, probably a line taken from an old “Gunsmoke” episode, in reference to hard times in the old west.

In today’s world of mega-farms, the amount of work that gets compressed into the last couple months of autumn is incredible. In many cases, soybean and corn fields exceed the total acreage of typical family farms back in the early and middle 1950’s. The sheer logistics of harvests on modern farms would simply have been impossible back then. The difference, of course, is in the available technology and equipment for harvest, transport and storage in the 21st century. Combines that would dwarf the biggest of threshing machines wade through heavy crops, mud, and snow, while the operator enjoys a climate controlled environment. Semi-trucks are the preferred method of transport, a source of endless frustration for motorists who utilize the same roadways. Recent years have been reasonably good from the weather standpoint, but 2014 is shaping up to be a real challenge. Wet ground, slow maturity of crops, and now record breaking cold leave would-be harvesters with little regard for those still preaching the gospel of global warming.

Fortunately for those of us in this area, we still do have one little island of tradition left, just enough to keep us well grounded, and to allow the kids/grandkids a little portal through which they can still learn about and appreciate how their ancestors lived and worked. We’re referring, of course to Roger and Tim Birchmeier’s annual “Old Time Days are Back” corn husking day. It’s a tradition that dates back for probably two decades or more, and one that is well worth the effort. They save a patch of corn each year, to be cut with a binder and set into corn shocks for eventual husking and shelling. When the big day comes, and it’s always a crap-shoot with the November weather, many neighbors and friends assemble to help with the project. Various levels of equipment have been used over the years, depending on who and what is available at the time. For one day, corn huskers, shellers, vintage tractors and wagons transform Roger’s yard into a picture post card from the 1940’s. Of course, no harvesting bee is complete without a big meal, and the toolshed serves as the cafeteria for workers and watchers alike. The continuing of the social aspects of the harvest season is perhaps just as valuable as the mechanical component, as memories are both made and shared by young and old alike. Despite the inhospitable weather, the Weekly Feature staff was able to come away with a few photos to document the occasion.


(click individual photos to enlarge)

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