A Lesson in Agriculture--Iowa style!

Harvest time is here in Iowa!  My dad helps a local farmer, Farmer Cal, harvest the crops.  The other day as they were working on the beans, Dad called and asked if the kids could come out for a lesson in agriculture---Iowa style!The massive combine hard at work--better known to Micah as the character Frank from Cars. The soy beans dried and ready!Papa Paul and Micah on their way to the combine.  Katie very graciously insisted that Micah go first--however from the looks of her white face I think a little fear may have played into that!Micah up in the cab with Farmer Cal.  Cal said he was quiet for about a minute and then jabbered the rest of the way full force!Micah and Farmer Cal in the field.  Here is Micah's journal entry for the day:

The combine was the best part.  We got to ride there with Papa in the tractor.  It had a wagon in the back of it full of soy beans.  I really liked the tractor especially the combine.  The combine had these little sawers on the bottom and it had big ones too.  It had a drill inside it.  It wasn't too loud because I had my earplugers in.  I didn't get to steer it or push anything but I got to ride in it.  I saw it sucking up soy beans into a big loader thing and when it comes back it shoots out the soy beans from the loader thing into the wagon.  When it first came over it kind of freaked me out.  I thought it was going to come drill us.  Cal was nice.  I really liked that kind of machine.  I got to ride in it.  It was Frank from Cars.

Katie's turn!  She was a bit reluctant but ended up loving it too.  Farmer Cal said she was quiet for quite a while--that is until he mentioned Spirit the pony--then she got chattery too!  Here is her journal entry...

At the farm I got to ride a tractor.  My Papa Paul drove it.  When we were on the gravel road it wasn't bumpy but when we got onto the dirt it was very bumpy.  We also got to ride a combine. It was huge!  It sucked up soy beans like a tornado.  Cal is a good farmer.  My favorite part is when they shoot the beans into the wagon.  We nearly ran over a rabbit.  We don't know if we ran over it because we couldn't see if it went the other way out of the beans or not--we hope we didn't get it.  It was a lot of fun!

She's not too sure yet. 

Here are Katie and Cal on the home stretch--she's an old pro by now.  Cal made a friend in Katie by slowing down to let the bunnies get out of the way--I have a feeling that is not typical harvest procedure!

The kids and I in front of Frank's "driller".  Micah was not completely convinced that it would not come to life and drill us.  Whew--we made it!Katie and Micah in Papa's tractor--the one he pulls the beans to the elevator in.Micah sporting earplugs.  He reminds me a bit of Frankenstein.Katie's Earplugs!