O-H-I-O: Harvest time!

Harvest Time on Peterson Farms (8th generation farmers)

Thanks to a *very* rainy spring, Ohio planted their crops *very* late.  Last spring that seemed to be the worst thing for the farmers.  However, God has reigned faithful and provided a *bountiful* harvest!  It also means a *very* late harvest.  This turned out to be one of our greatest surprises and adventures on the trip so far...  to be able to participate in the harvest!!!!

We had an amazing field trip coordinator~ Lisa Peterson :)

The semi-truck is dumping the corn into an auger that moves it to a dryer and then into storage bins. 

Oh wait, I've gotten a little ahead of myself... let's go see where this corn comes from.  As the combine harvests the corn, it unloads its hopper into a grain cart that drives along side down the corn rows.  When the grain cart is full, it takes its load to a semi-truck that is waiting at the end of the field.  The grain cart unloads into the semi-truck.  Once the semi is full, it makes its way to the grain bins and there it drops the load into the auger.  The auger then sends the corn to the dryer or straight to the storage bins.  This year, the corn was wet, so into the dryer the load goes first.

We got to ride along in all the machines, seeing each step of the process.  We took turns squeezing to the cabs :)  John and Bob Peterson were so great letting us ride along!

Monty and Jolie walking out to catch a ride--on the combine!

Here comes the combine :)  It harvests 12 rows of corn at a time!  It is one B-I-G machine!

View from the cab...

The combine at work!  (I took this picture from the cab of the grain cart.)

Filling up the grain cart (picture taken from cab of the combine.)

Bob, Monty, and Jolie working the grain cart...Combine crew is John P., Faith, and Daniel.

Combine crew:  John P., Faith, and DT

Faith and DT climbing up for their turn on the grain cart.

I'm LOVING the grain cart and Mr. Bob says I can drive next! :)

The grain cart unloading into the waiting semi-truck.

Mom, this is AWESOME!
(No, the windows aren't covered in bug guts... bees wings are flying through the air!)

Is it our turn to drive the combine??

What a great harvest!!!  We filled up the semi again!!!

Time to take the corn to the dryer and storage bins...

Storage bins!

Dumping the load into the auger...

Corn going into the auger.
Do you see the pink on the ground????  Do you know what that is????

It's BEES WINGS!
It is the red chaff from the part of the corn ear covering the kernel.

Praise the Lord for a bountiful harvest!