The Last Pass In Beans

I know I need to get a life, but this picture was very exciting to me! I am sure most other farmers would feel the same way. It is the last pass combining beans in the last field for the 2015 bean harvest. There are three things I will remember for a long time about this bean harvest. First a tremendous crop. It is by far the best crop of beans I have ever produced. Second, it was fun because the weather really was nice with a lot of days with no rain to get it done. Finally, related to the weather, because it was dry there was a lot of dust combining beans. Notice in the picture all the dust from the center of the picture drifting to the right.

Harvesting beans is always a concern with the weather. The beans have to be dry to get all the plant material through the combine. Even with a little dew in the evening you have to quit and wait for it to dry off later the next morning. In addition, you want to run the header on the ground to get those pods lower on the bean plant. There is always the fear of snow. If you do get an early snowstorm all you can do is wait for it to melt and dry off. If it doesn't by spring there will be very few beans left on the plants to harvest.