FARMERS' HOURS

You should see Earle rise early, work and manage here. He insisted on harrowing the bean ground and using the big cultivator, etc., till it only took 4 1/2 days to lay by the 62 acres of beans . . . . In former years, it would have taken a crew of 6 to 8 men two or three weeks at big wages to do it. Ina Dobson to son Vance, July 30, 1933

The harvesters worked at the neighbor's until about 10:00 last night. At 10:00 this morning they came over the hill and began working in June's field.

When I saw the harvesting operation at the neighbor's Tuesday afternoon, my immediate thought was that I should invite them to lunch, but that's probably the last thing they want. Today's crew comes to work carrying their food into the air conditioned cab of the combine, and I don't think they stop to eat, being highly motivated just to keep moving and finish the job.

Vance Dobson, 1961

But I thought of the old harvest days and how working for a farmer included a big meal at noon -- roast beef or chicken, plenty of potatoes, several vegetables, home-baked bread, and pie for dessert. I can just see Ina rising at 5:00 a.m. to start meal prep on her wood cook stove. In Grandma's day, harvest was physical labor for men and boys. As the process has become more and more mechanized, the job is mostly sedentary. 

Elmer and Myrtle Bell, 1963

And then in the '50s and '60s, when Grandma Ina was gone, my mother took over preparing and serving the noon meal, but things had changed. It was always a hot meal -- no deli sandwiches here -- and she cooked it in her modern kitchen in town and carried it to the farmhouse. No longer were many men required. The crew consisted of my dad, a family helper or two, and perhaps Elmer and Myrtle Bell when Elmer was hired to harvest our wheat. Myrtle told Mother that they were so tired at the end of the day that they just had a bowl of ice cream and went to bed. That noon meal was important.

We probably fed Elmer and Myrtle about three days -- and my! -- Elmer's combine looked huge, but today's machinery would dwarf it. The harvest crew doesn't come to work early, but they will work late, and those big lights moving in the field are a sight to see! We came in at night once when the harvesters were working, and I really thought aliens had landed in the field.

And as the machinery gets bigger and better, the process goes faster and faster. Grandma Ina would marvel that what once took 6 to 8 men two to three weeks now takes just a few  hours. 

We often miss harvest, so I feel privileged to be here today to see this awesome sight. Today's harvesters don't think it's awesome, but Ina does. KW

A buck stands on June's hill, watching the machinery below.