It’s the time of year where a large portion of my daily commute is spent behind slow-moving vehicles with my flashers on, watching combines and grain carts make the slow progression from field to field. Sometimes it involves performing NASCAR-worthy blocks for other drivers who don’t know how to appreciate the perfect pace of a slow two-lane road.

In almost every instance, the buddy seat is playing host to a son or daughter, niece, nephew, grandkid or spouse along for a day spent in walkie-talkie broken conversations, cab snacks and anxious yield-monitoring.

The hype around harvest for a farm family cannot be overstated.

Maybe I feel the almost-addictive pull of a family harvest just a bit more strongly because my first true harvest experiences came during college. In the mid-2010s in Oklahoma, harvest was more exciting for my friends and their families than ever before, thanks to good growing seasons and record wheat prices. For a cattle-kid from Texas, harvest sounded more like an all-access country festival than a time of labor.

Everyone went home to help with the harvest. Our ag-major-only dorm on campus became a ghost town. The five people I knew from a tiny western Oklahoma town – with a graduating class of 12–carpooled together for a long road trip to the fields.

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Despite the hard work involved, the attitude surrounding harvest is almost always jubilant.

People not directly operating harvest equipment also have important roles to play. The logistics of prepping, transporting and cleaning up after a truly epic field crew meal is a talent farm wives have clearly perfected.

In tough seasons, during rain delays or yield disappointments, harvest is always a time where farm families have the chance to reconnect, celebrate growth and reinforce core values and history.

A happy harvest where all can be involved may be one of the best byproducts of modern farm equipment. My childhood experiences with harvest almost all revolve around hay, with old, open-cab tractors raking in a Texas field with temperatures over 100 degrees with at least 80% humidity.

I find the buddy seat of a combine a much more pleasurable experience than tossing square bales on a flatbed or stacking them in the barn. I’m probably not alone in that sentiment.

Regardless of how you earn it, or what crop is dropped off at the end of the day, the tea is still sweet and cold. There are endless reasons to celebrate with those you love – or to reconnect with them after you’ve had an in-field disagreement.

Harvest is certainly a time of hard work. It also provides opportunities for enjoyment and community rare in any other industry. My hope for you this season is good yields, good times and great memories. Happy Harvest!

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