Did you ever wonder how that hamburger bun or slice of bread got to your dinner plate? Here's a clue. It was flour before it was made into bread or a bun. But before it was flour, a farmer planted wheat that grew and produced the wheat crop that was made into the flour.

Western Kansas is a good place to grow wheat since this area is primarily "grass country". Grass, and wheat, grows well here due to cold winters, warm summers, and a 150 day growing season on average.

Before wheat can be planted, the soil must be prepared properly. The High Plains area is also called "summer fallow country", meaning that a given field will be planted to a crop, such as wheat, every other year. This system lets the soil "rest" (lay "fallow") and gather a bit more moisture to nourish the crop. The farmer will keep the field free of weeds during 2 summers to store rainfall for the next crop. Normal rainfall on the High Plains is 15 to 20 inches per year. If the weather is favorable, a good crop of wheat can be grown. The farmer has to work 2 years to get that crop. Would you like to work 2 years before you got paid?

This tractor is pulling a "stubble-mulch plow". This tool works a swath 42 feet wide. Farmers call this implement an "undercutter" because it cuts the weeds loose 2-5 inches under the top of the soil. This tractor can pull the undercutter through the field at 6 miles per hour. Those "spikey" things on the back of the undercutter are called "pickers". They roll the weeds over so the roots can't reset into the soil. The farmer can undercut 120 acres of land in a day with this tractor and machine.

When the farmer wants to change fields, he will fold up his undercutter. The undercutter is folded up by using hydraulic cylinders. These are part of the undercutter. Black hoses filled with hydraulic fluid are connected to both the tractor and the undercutter. They are part of the hydraulic system.

The farmer is going up the road with his "farming tools". If that was his last field, he will go park the undercutter and take the tractor to the farmyard. If he has more fields to "work", he will go do that.
The field will need to be worked 2 or 3 more times, depending on how much rain falls and how many weeds grow. Several more implements - all pulled by a tractor - may be used to get the soil ready for planting wheat. Farmers use disc plows, field cultivators, and harrows to get the soil just right for the seed to be planted.

The soil is ready for planting. It is fairly level and smooth, without big clods of dirt, and free of weeds. The farmer is filling the "drill" with seed wheat. The seed wheat is in the back of the red truck. A small auger lifts the seed from the bed of the truck and the seed slides down the spout and into the "seed box" on the grain drill. As the grain drill moves, seeds will drop into slots at the bottom of the seed boxes and slide down toward the soil. The seeds will be dropped in a straight line into a slot cut in the ground by the drill. "Press wheels" will close the slot and press the soil back into place.

"Drilling" wheat is a job for September on the High Plains, which is the best time to plant wheat in this area. The farmer can drill at about 5 or 6 miles an hour. Patience is important when planting since the seeds have to be covered well and planted at just the right depth. If the seeds are planted too close to the surface, they may not be covered by the soil and can be easily eaten by birds or insects. Since the very top of the soil is usually drier, the wheat seeds may not have enough moisture to sprout and grow. If the seeds are planted too deep, the tiny plants may not be able to grow quick enough to reach and break through the surface of the soil and will die before they can get air and light to keep growing.

Once a field is planted, the farmer will fold up his drill and go to another field to continue his planting. If that was his last field, he will take the drill to the farm shop, clean it out, and oil it so it will be ready for the next time he wants to plant wheat.

Think of all this hard work and the expensive machines used the next time you have a sandwich, a piece of cake or pie, a cinnamon roll or a cookie. Enjoy your food - and remember - a farmer grew the wheat for your pleasure.