Back some 60 years or so, it was common for farmers to get together and harvest their oats.Now, it makes you think about how far we’ve come.
On July 26, 2010, a group of volunteers got together and stepped back in time.... well, kind of.Admittedly, the tractors and wagons that were used were somewhat newer, but our volunteers sure put in a lot of hard work to pick up bundles that had been dumped on the ground after cutting the oats.
Here’s how it works.A binder is pulled behind a tractor.A second person rides on the binder itself whose job it is to see that all bundles are tied properly.The oats are cut and swept into a binder where they are bound together in small bundles and dropped onto a holding tray on the side of the binder.After five or six bundles were on the holding tray, the person operating the binder would flip the tray over and dump the bundles out on the ground.Several men, usually working in pairs, follow behind the binder through the field picking up bundles and stacking them together on end in groups of five to eight, called shocks. This allows air to circulate and the shocks to dry.After sufficient drying time of about five to eight days, the bundles are then picked up and put in wagons to then be fed into a threshing machine, which is like a stationary combine that separates the grain from the plants.
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This was all done in preparation for threshing during Carstens Farm Days which will be held on September 11 and 12, 2010.
Harvesting bundles and the threshing that follows is really an interesting thing to see, and for lots of people, it brings back lots of memories.If you’re ever wanting to see a little history in action, come out and see this for yourself.It will definitely be a learning experience!
Thank you to Wayne Siebels for providing the pictures!
Carstens 1880 Farmstead, Inc. PO Box 302 • Shelby, IA 51570 (712) 544-2341 www.carstensfarm.com
