My family, wheat farmers. Whitman County known for their pea and lentils. Yep that is where I am from. We had over 3000 acres of land. Sometimes all of it was planted to some kind of crop. The main crops that we grew was soft white wheat, barley, and then some alfalfa hay.
Summertime was a busy time at our house. I remember all the kids at school talking about the trips and vacations their had gone on with their family's during the summer. At my house summer was harvest time. Lots of work in the long hot sun.
Harvest would start usually around the third week in July, but before that the combines would come out of storage and get ready for the season of cutting. Replacing the cycles on the headers and cleaning out the mouse dropping from the grain elevators. That was just some of the preparation.
Before I learned how to drive truck I had other jobs to do, I helped out where I could. I remember helping my mom make lunches and do laundry for the whole crew while we were at Starbuck, WA. I even had to get up early in the morning and help wash the combine windows before the crew left for the fields.
The jobs changed after I was old enough to learn to drive and also reach the pedals in the trucks. I ran the auger for the grain elevator and then I moved up to driving the trucks. Trucks was what I liked to do, so for quite a few summers that became my job.
It was hot, dirty work but I really enjoyed working with my brother in the field and also proving to myself that I can do it! To this day that has made my work ethic a lot different than others that I have met and worked with.
So ask yourself... Do you know a farmer??
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