The Boys of Fall

No I'm not talking about the high school football players in the Kenny Chesney song when referring to the boys of fall.

The boys, or I should say the men, of fall I am talking about are the farmers across this great nation who are spending countless hours harvesting the food that feeds the world. The months of September, October, and November are a very busy time on a farm. It is not uncommon for a farmer to work 14 to 16 hours a day, 7 days a week during this time of year. A lot of time is spent away from home and from their families in order to get the crop in. Adam and I have shared a few meals after 10PM just so I have the chance to see him that day.

My men of fall include my husband, father-in-law, grandfather-in-law, my dad, brother, uncle, and Adam's uncles and cousins. I am very proud of all of these men and the work they are doing during this time of year. The next time you see a farmer be sure to thank them for all of their hard work and commitment to providing you with a safe food product.

A few pictures of harvest on the Navinskey farm.

The guys getting ready to move to the next field.

The golden stream of corn being unloaded from the grain

cart into the semi.

Farm efficiency 101: This tractor is hooked up to a grain cart. It is a temporary storage bin with an auger (the arm sticking out). The combine unloads the crop into this cart as it is moving in the field. When the grain cart is full the driver takes it over to the truck and unloads it. This system allows the combine to continue cutting the crop without much downtime spent driving back and forth to the truck to unload.

Working in tandem to get things done.

The view from the back of the comine.

Farmers never really retire. At 78

Adam's grandpa is still driving trucks and

helping out on the farm.

A good shot of Poppa Ed that I snapped

before he jumped in the truck.

Two of the semis waiting to be loaded.

Getting ready to unload into the grain trailer.

The soybeans will be taken from the field and unloaded

into a grain bin.

Harvest Sunset

When the soybeans are cut the seeds are stored in the

hopper of the combine (black part on top). The rest of the plant

is shredded and thrown out of the back of the combine.

The crop residue will be worked into the soil this fall to provide

nutrients for next year's crop.

Things can get pretty dusty.

The Friday night lights of farming.