Harvesting Crops

In case you're a new follower (welcome!), or haven't read much about where I'm from, it's a semi-arid region of the west, which means arid most years. Consequently, we are stictly a ranching operation, and I have never farmed anything in my life.

Last week I got the chance to see a little wheat and barley harvsesting firsthand, and made sure to snap a few photos. There would be more, but the wind came up and they stopped because the plants were so short the wind was blowing more of the grain onto the ground than the combines were picking up.

What I do know about farming is that it and ranching are very dependant on one another, and it's looking like a rough year for much of the country that does farm, which will impact feed prices on the cattle side. The crops in western South Dakota are short and dry, with bushels per acre expected to be low compared to average. To a rancher this means grain prices will likely be high a a results of a supply shortage this fall, and it will cost us more to feed our livestock.

Here's what I saw:



I was also informed that green is king when it comes to equipment.  I'm trusting this is true as the person who educated me has black cattle - a true indication they know their stuff, lol.