Badgering corn

Bone-chilling cold wind slapped at my face. It didn’t say hi or playfully nip at my nose. It was rude really. Oh my goodness, that north arctic air was my motivation to stay INSIDE the cab and never leave. 

One of the few visible sunsets this week

In true SD fashion, for weather, the brisk autumn air fled in the night and left the field wide open for the light breeze (30+ mph) from the north. I was overjoyed to open my weather app and read that the outside air felt like 6F but it was actually 23F. Yup, my favorite weather temps for harvest right there. Guess I should’ve packed my parka for work.

It’s been awhile but I’m back in the corn! The rumbling of corn ears passing through the feeder house under my feet is disconcerting, especially when a slug of them run through and play knock-knock along the way. Seeing the shelled corn in the grain tank, a gorgeous dark gold, is so satisfying.

While I was finishing the last round of corn on this field I saw a furry animal running away from me. I thought of hubs and grabbed my phone, swiped for the camera and attempted to get a decent photo. Well, this guy was running away! In this awkward side-to-side lumbering trot. So I did the logical thing and speeded up. I was going 5.5 mph and I didn’t dare look at my screen to see the losses monitors. Still, this animal, which I now realized was an infamous badger, was pulling away from me. I did my best but this is the best photo I got while in a moving combine and a subject that wouldn’t stop and pose. 

Silly badger

 There’s something artistic and beautiful about a well-combined field, be it soybeans, corn or another commodity. I enjoy as each round passes, more corn stalks are chopped and shelled corn blooms in the grain tank and the vista of gleaming, dark gold harvested field expands. 

Clouds shuffled off and an uber bright sun gleamed above. Thankfully, a warmer air had blown in from the south. As the morning wore off I noticed the haze that seemed creep in along the horizon.

Then the moisture on the screen started to creep up. Dad, in the semi, reported that the neighbors were parking and quitting for the day. Well, you can only haul in so much corn at a high moisture (like one truck load) before admitting it’s better to stop for lunch and hope the humidity drops. Apparently the corn was sucking up the air humidity like a child gulps down chocolate milk.

Noon hour goes by and it’s even more hazy outside than when we stopped. So what do you do? Well, I go for coffee. :)

And a big thank you for your service to all veterans for your service. Semper fi.

May your week be the lull before the storm called Thanksgiving, your harvest roll into the finish (if it hasn’t already) and the coffee be plentiful.

Me and the pup