near the end

Of the 75,000 acres of crop we had to cut at the start of the season, we've got 80 acres left (an area about twice the size of Hyde Park). If we get some good weather, it should take us about half a day to finish up. This last little stretch has been a scramble. The equipment is tired, the crew is tired, the corn hasn't dried out properly, we're running out of storage and the snow is wanting to settle in.

We were on track to finish yesterday night but at three o'clock the fuel pump on the combine blew up and it started to snow. We've fixed the combine, but the weather has put us out of action for a couple of days.

The quality of the crop this year has put a lot of strain on the elevators. The yield is the best that it has been in a few years, so the sheer volume of corn to be processed is causing a backlog of trucks. I've heard of some trucks being in line for up to four hours. The boys in Dobbins' crew have been taking their trucks to the elevator at night and sleeping in line in order to get dumped first thing in the morning.

We've been lucky in that most of our grain is being stored in the farmer's bins, but we're running out of space, so we've been taking the odd load to the elevator. Yesterday, my longest wait was just over two hours. I was a bit frustrated when I finally got over the pits. The guy who dumped me was pretty philosophical about it, "you've just got to focus on one truck load at a time". He's right, and we're certainly in a much better position than most, and very close to the end.

Nerves are starting to fray amongst the guys. There's a good vibe between all of us, but we're all keen to finish. Ronny's keen to have a few days off visiting friends in Montana before heading home for Christmas, Pauly is keen to see his family and friends back home, Prydey's looking forward to getting back into his shorts and thongs and Dan's keen for more snow (he's heading up to work at the snow in Canada).

I'm really looking forward to New York. Pauly's giving me a lift via his hometown in Ohio. He and his mate Justin are going to hang out with me for a day or two in the city and then I'm on my own. I can't wait for the space as well as well as a routine that isn't dictated by plants.

Pauly's truck post bog

Trucking in Colorado

I flicked my camera on while we were moving to Eads Colorado in July. By coincidence The Eagles came up on my ipod and I had a road-tripping moment. The Colorado landscape caught me off guard. I guess I was expecting the rockies. The state slogan "Colorful Colorado" left a little bit to the imagination.

Combine Working at Sunset

This is in Onida South Dakota, cutting wheat back in July. The serenity is a little bit spoilt by the sound of a tractor.

I've been going through the videos I've taken throughout the season. There are some random ones that I think are worth putting up. I took this clip in Isabel Kansas back in June. Paul, Lars and I met four of our combines on the road while they were moving fields.

snow

Politics by Wheat & Chaff

It's the eve of the presidential election here. I've kept politics away from the blog but following the election coverage over the last few weeks has stirred me up. The boys would say I'm bit 'moshy' (emotional). Good. It's time to unplug the W&C again.

Whoever takes office, it's going to be an historical election; this country is going to end up with either a black president or a female vice president. A lot of commentators are saying that the election is not about race. They're naive. They may not like it to be about race, but it is.

Where I am at the moment I've come across a lot of animosity toward Barrack Obama. Certainly, South Dakota is traditionally a Republican state, but sadly some opposition is racially charged. It is for this reason that I am pleased that this election is about race. As far as I'm concerned, Obama could be the second worst president in US history; his election would achieve something that is so much bigger than the political responsibility of the President of the United States. For a start it would represent some exposure therapy for those so scared about the prospect of a black guy in office.

Many who are racist base their anger and fear on some valid concerns, even if these concerns surround a small proportion of a particular community. There are some major problems within the African American community in the US and a lot of these problems, especially crime, do adversely effect others. Yet those who put these problems down to the colour of a person's skin fail to acknowledge the source of the problem, that is, the anger and self-depreciation felt by a community that has been downtrodden for centuries. You can claim equality all you like - sure, slavery may have been abolished centuries ago, but prejudice exists. Whether it is culturally induced or just a nasty facet of human nature, it exists; I have felt it and participated in it.

The way I see it, racism in this country is a self perpetuating cycle: the more problems within any minority group, the more prejudice, the more anger, the more problems. Barrack Obama can be the stick in the spokes. If he is elected he will not only be a very public example of an African American who has broken that cycle, but he will have obtained the highest office in the world's most powerful nation.

It's easy for me to take cheap shots a George W here. Truth is, I think he's the kind of guy that I'd love to hang out with on the ranch (there's a great Harold and Kumar scene that explores this scenario - click here to see the clip); he's the kind of crazy cowboy that I've come here to meet. But he's not the kind of guy that you want running this country, simply because he does not understand and represent a large enough proportion of his constituency. Many of his biggest stuff-ups I think stem from this. The fact that Barrack Obama is black does not mean that he is going to serve only black Americans, but he will certainly be much better equipped to represent those (not only African Americans) that I think have been misrepresented for such a long time. In doing this, I think the US will take some huge steps forward (bigger than killing all of the 'terrorisers'!).