It is that time of year when it seems like there are not enough hours in the day. Mostly because two-thirds of it is spent chopping corn. The next day is much of the same and so is the next and then the next, until the job gets done.
Last week, I watched outside my farmhouse window, my husband lowering the chopper’s head down to the ground. Then slowly, the corn began disappearing and the chopper-box wagons were being filled. One after another, five wagons were filled every hour. Like clockwork.
Challenges Ahead
That is until the clock breaks. Two things that cost time and money are breakdowns and Mother Nature. This year, Mother Nature just didn’t want to cooperate for us. With the heat index topping 107 degrees, the forecast showed a slight chance of a pop-up shower. With the corn turning quick, we decided to keep going.
Then, during the night, that slight chance of rain turned into a 100% chance, and the pop-up shower equated to nearly an inch of rain. Others in our area received double the amount, so I guess we considered ourselves lucky.
But, truthfully, we just felt sick to our stomachs, knowing how many endless hours of work unfolded only to get rain on it. But, what else can you do besides move forward?
Shifting Focus
The next day, we turned our attention back to the cows and the dairy, as the fields needed to dry out. The following day, I heard diesel engines roar up, as seven tractors started their engines for a full day of work. On the pile, the blade began smoothing over freshly dumped corn silage again, while additional tractors went back and forth over the pile, packing it down for endless hours—too many to count. The other tractors raced down the roads, hauling chopper boxes and filling freshly chopped corn silage.
With a lot of windshield time, my husband, who is the master mind behind our chopping crew and the operator of our chopper, thinks about when the pile will be ready to cover. Any of you that have had the luxury of joining in this job, understand that it certainly isn’t for the faint of hearts. This job is a full cardio workout.
Thankfully this year, we were once again able to count on our local high school varsity football team, who traded in their cleats for work shoes and tossed tires and pulled plastic to tightly seal up 2024’s crop.
Teamwork is what spells dream work. This couldn’t be truer than what it takes to chop 4,000 tons of corn over the span of a few days. I encourage you to extend an invite to your local football, FFA Chapter or whomever to offer a helping hand. Don’t run on empty this harvest season—recruit some young blood to build up your team to get across the finish line.
