Combining Soybeans

When I first moved to Illinois, I wondered why they called the machine that cuts down the corn stalks a combine. After riding my first one last weekend, I learned why. A combine is one machine that does the job of 3 separate machines. For example, in order to harvest soy beans and corn, a farmer used to need a mower, a raker, and a separater. Now, one machine (a combine) does it all. Most combines now even run on GPS, so you don't really even have to steer anymore. One of the teachers I work with has a large soy bean and corn farm. She invited Bruce and I out to ride the combine with Pat since we have never been on one before. It was a fun experience. Contrary to popular belief, farming is not a boring job. I've learned from experience. I was amazed at how many beans they actually harvest. What looks like a small field probably averages about 3600 bushels of soy beans. Some field are even bigger than that. The combine essentially mows up the plants, separates the crop from the stalk and shakes all the beans into the back where they pile up until they are emptied into the truck. We look forward to getting back on the combine when he starts to harvest corn.
Here is a picture of Bruce on the combine.


The air conditioning and radio made it so Pat could enjoy the game while harvesting before we got there. Farming isn't like it used to be.

In case you are wondering about the proportion of the combine machine. Here is a picture of me standing straight up against the wheel.

The head of the combine is too big to drive down the road to the next field. Farmers would have to take the head off the combine, attach it to a trailor on a truck, and pull it to the next field just to put it back on again. Pat said it used to take him half a day to unload and load the head back on. Now, due to the new hydralic system on the combine, it takes him about 5 minutes. Most of that time is spent lining it up right. Combines used to be complicated to fix, but most problems now can be fixed with a couple of nuts and bolts. Not only that, but this combine actually measures the moisture content of the bean and corn. It is pretty neat.

This particular day, Bruce and I sure got our fill of farming. Before the combine experience, Bruce gave a tour of the University dairy to members of our ward. For some reason, unbeknownst to me, people are fasinated with cows. He took them to the milking parlor, the feed bins, the calf pin, and let them milk a cow and stick their arm inside a fistualted cow. The primary children liked the calves the best. That is where they spent the most time. The funny thing is that just because I married a dairy farmer, doesn't necessarily make me an expert on cows. Although I certainly know more than the average person. There are also some things about animals that I don't necessarily like to verbalize that I know. (I know some things mostly because I help Bruce grade tests and assignments from animal science students). I have learned a lot about those dairy animals, and I know more than I ever imagined I would know or need to know. I was asked a lot of questions, and Bruce was quite proud that I knew the answers to most of them. I am getting used to working on a farm, and although it isn't my favorite thing in the world, it does kind of change up my routine to go out there. When Bruce is doing an experiment, I go to the farm quite often. Last week was the first time I have been there in a long time. I am certainly not fasinated with cows, but I sure do like dairy products. Milk fat is definitely a friend, not a foe.