by Ina, Golden Waves WIFE

Wheat harvest is a busy time in western Kansas. Wheat ripens for harvesting during June and July in this area. Before that time comes, farmers and their families will be getting the combines, trucks, and farm grain bins ready for the big event. They hope for hot, dry weather during the harvest season for the grain threshes and tests best under those conditions.

This combine is making the first "round". A round is one time around any field. At this time, the farmer gets an idea what his crop yield will be. Wheat fields that are clean (don't have any weeds) look like a "sea of gold". Some call wheat "Kansas Gold". Wheat is a pretty crop at any stage but especially at the time of harvest.

Combines are machines designed to cut and thrash (thresh) grain in one field operation. Combines have evolved through the years from those pulled by a tractor to self-propelled machines.

Grain trucks play an important role in wheat harvest. They are used to deliver the wheat to farm storage bins or elevators in town. The truck driver needs to be aware of where the field crossings are, the exhaust system on the truck (a hot exhaust is a fire hazard), and the load limit for the truck. The truck driver must have a real knowledge of his or her truck to operate it successfully.

This truck hauls 600 bushels of wheat when full. It can be taken into the field because the exhaust is vented above the cab. The boy standing at the front of the truck is riding in the truck with his Grandma, who is driving the truck. Farm kids learn a lot about how to operate machines by watching their family members work.

Two combines full of grain at the same time! When both combines are unloading into 1 truck, the truck fills up pretty quickly. These combines each hold 160 to 180 bushels of wheat in their grain tanks.

The grain trucks are lined up at the grain elevator. These grain storage facilities are called "elevators" because the grain is dumped into pits, elevated to the top (sometimes 80 feet or more) and dropped into tall round bins. There the grain is stored and kept in good condition.

After harvest, the grain will be transported to millers and other grain users in the United States and around the world. Kansas is called the "Breadbasket of the World" because the state's farmers plant and harvest a lot of wheat. Usually, Kansas is the number 1 wheat producing state in the United States.

SUPPER TIME! See the long shadows? It's getting close to evening. The vehicle to the right of the grain truck is the "supper wagon". The family member bringing the supper to the harvest crew is part of a support group helping to keep the harvest going smoothly. Since each worker brought a noon meal in an insulated lunch box to the field, it is good to have a fresh meal brought at sundown to refresh the crew. It also gives the workers a few minutes to relax before going back to work. If the weather permits, they will harvest wheat until 11 p.m. or later.

Most farmers eat dinner at noon and supper in the evening.

The blue service pickup to the right of the combine is always in the field with the combines. It carries a supply of fuel for the combines, tools and a few repair parts to service and repair the machines when needed. The combines have to be greased, oiled, and fueled every day. There are many moving parts and all have to be taken care of daily to assure that the machine operates as it was designed. These machines are very expensive to buy, repair, and to operate so the farmer takes especially good care of them at all times.

Can you think of foods that you eat that are made from wheat? Some wheat foods are bread, crackers, cereals, cookies, noodles, pasta, pizza, cakes, piecrusts - and the list goes on! Enjoy the food brought to you by the wheat farmers of Kansas!