Can the bean save the day?

Posted in Combine, Cool Photos, Fall Field Work by farmnwife
Oct 05 2010

This little soybean was hanging from a cob web in the combine’s front window. Last year I didn’t have much good to say about beans. Much like most years. But this year has been different. The plants are maturing evenly. The stems are not tough. Plus the yields are pretty good for all the rain we have had. Fortunately, William decided to plant more beans this year. The corn yields are below average. They did not take the wet spring / summer as well as the beans. So hopefully with good yields and a decent price the bean will carry the day. (year)

Tagged as: harvest, soy beans

Beans are a bane not a boon

Posted in Combine, Fall Field Work by farmnwife
Oct 24 2009
I hate harvesting beans.  Then you have the very small window of the “right” time to take them out and it has to be before dusk or they choke the combine. And the stems are green while the moisture tests 9%. Do I need to go on?
I must say the John Deere combine (known affectionately as BGC) has impressed me this year. It really chews thru the beans at a good pace. In my red ones I had to go much slower and pray that the wad of beans didn’t plug it up. Also our last bean head drug up constentally on the left side. I would try everything to adjust it. Dang was that aggrevating. BGC’s head has hardly drug up underneath.
We did run into a problem one night last week. It was after dark and we wanted to fill the semi to take it home. The beans got tough and plugged the head. It really jammed the beans tight. The drive chain broke. The next morning ran to Petersburg got a new chain and a few assundry items, drove back to the field. Put the new chain on and started out. Chain broke again. Noticed the feeder house wasn’t going either. It’s chain was broke also. It turned out the slip clutch on the drive shaft wasn’t working. Instead of it slipping it would shove the beans in ’til the chains broke. William had enough links to fix both chains and get it going. We finished the two fields and started another. Then it rained 2.2 inches. Took the grain platform to Petersburg. They called today that it is ready to go. We’ll pick it up when we can start beans again. Take it right to the field from there. Luckily we only had about 180 acres of beans this year. One full day and we will be done. I have to admit the beans are making in the 50s and the price is up around $10/bushel. So it’s not all bad.
Pray for dry weather!
Tagged as: soy beans