Summer's almost gone, but we made it count!

Chris Marklin has kept the sprayer moving all summer.  We sprayed all the soybean ground at planting after we cut the wheat.  We made a post emergence application of roundup for weed control in late July.  In August another pass was made to apply fungicide and insecticide on the soybeans.  The beans look great and should be a good crop if we can miss an early frost.

Our H2A crew leader Jorge.  He has been with us since 1999 and is valuable member of our team.  Jorge is pictured as the men finish up topping the last field of tobacco for the year on July30th.

All the tobacco wagons have to be prepared for cutting season.  We have a lot of wagons and even more tires to repair!  Sherman Marklin is pictured changing a flat.

A field of tobacco after topping.

The first day of tobacco cutting  August 1, 2013.

David Brown, Sherman Marklin, and Kevin Dukes making repairs to a tobacco wagon.

All the rainfall has led to our tobacco getting extremely big and heavy.  It takes a lot of work repairing and maintaining the scaffle wagons we hang the tobacco on in the field to get it to the barns.

Lighting fires in the tobacco barns is a hot job.  We generally fire each barn 3 times about a week long each time.  The heat dries the tobacco down and the smoke sticks to the leaves and makes the dark finish on the leaf.  The finish gives the leaf the desirable qualities of color and flavor for snuff tobacco.

After the tobacco is cut and spiked on the sticks it is loaded on scaffle wagons for transport to the barns.  There are about 850 sticks of tobacco per acre and each wagon will hold 125-150 sticks of tobacco.

Jose Ramirez pictured with a grande las oja de tobacco.

Workers stand on the tiers and hand the tobacco up in the barn.

Slabs in a barn waiting to be fired.

Workers must hand each stick up into the barn to be hung on the tiers for curing.

Sawdust is added on top of the slabs to prepare the barn for firing.

Each plant at this point has been handled at planting, topping, cutting, spiking, and 6 plants are put on each stick.  Each stick will be handled at the field a couple of times and up to 4 or 5 times each going in the barn. 


 

Hardwood slabs (oak & hickory) are covered with sawdust to fire cure tobacco.

Smokey Barns

We are down to the last patch of tobacco and should have it all in the barn by the end of this week!  It's been a long exhausting six weeks for everyone.  Our 24 H2A workers have put in long hot days to get it done and we are grateful for their work ethic and dedication.  No rest for the weary though they will start striping tobacco next week!

Double Crop Soybeans are almost planted.

Panoramic Harvest View

Jake Mitchell pictured planting double crop soybeans.  The beans are no tilled directly into the standing wheat stubble to prevent erosion and keep moisture in the topsoil longer.

The corn crop looks great.  It is loving the rain and cooler temps during pollination.

We have had many rain showers to draw the harvest and planting season out.  We aren't complaining because it is making the corn crop!

That's a Wrap - 2013 Wheat Harvest is FINALLY over!

This year's wheat harvest has been a great one.  Yield and quality have been great.  Much of the wheat yielded in the mid 80's to mid 90's with some fields making a little more.  The test weight has been very high too which means the wheat should make some mighty fine biscuits!

We owe a special thanks to our harvest crew for putting in long days and a few nights to get the job done between the rain showers.  Thank you to Sherman Marklin, Chris Marklin, Randy Barton, Adam Jepson, David Brown and Jake Mitchell for hanging in there doing what it takes.  Thank you to Paul Roark & Sons Trucking for assisting in hauling this bountiful harvest away from the combines too.

The grain cart makes the combines more efficient.  They can keep harvesting without having to take time to drive to the truck and dump grain.

The boys are operators in training.  They love to ride with Gran ( and he likes it  too!)

150 years of harvest experience sharing a ride in the combine.

Randy Barton had to keep moving to keep up with the combines.  Great job Randy!

Sherman and Chris Marklin waiting on their loads.

Unloading on the go increases harvest efficiency too.

A deere at sunset.

Trying to beat the rain!

On the road again.  We would much rather be in the field than on the roads with equipment but it is necessary to get  our work done.  Please slow down and get over if you meet farm equipment on the road for your safety and ours.  Thanks in advance!

Grain System Start Up - Wheat Harvest 2013

We owe a special thanks to Mark & Spenser Sexton and their crew from Grain System Sales & Service for getting the dryer and leg up and running for wheat harvest.  They hung in there after hours and a few weekend days to keep us going after start up.  

Myron Thurman and his guys from Thurman Electric were there by our sides at start up too.  Thanks for the extra effort guys!   

Myron Thurman taking a look see at the control panel on the dryer.

Mark Sexton conferring with  the Thurman Electric Crew.

The first grain going through the new pit and leg.

The first load coming in across the pit.

How's it going Big Sherm!

Chris Marklin unloading his truck load of grain.

Now that the bins are full they put the over head bin up so we can load out and head to Siemer Flour Mill with the wheat.