Newcomers to the Cove: Harvest Time

Corn. Sweet corn! How Nancy and I love to eat corn on the cob grown here in the Cove! From July until early October, we enjoy delicious kernels of sweet goodness. We buy from several local establishments, trying to determine which we like best – yellow, white, or bicolor.

Last fall Nancy and I watched with fascination as local farmers used giant machines to harvest cornfields near our home. The driver of the John Deere corn harvester methodically completed many rows at a time. As the machine went to and fro, trucks drove alongside collecting the resulting fodder. As one truck bed was filled, another was in the queue ready to take another load. It was seamless and fast. Acres were harvested within minutes, not hours or days. The odd thing was that it was done at night. Admittedly it was barely past dusk but it was, indeed, dark. Did they really need to get that crop in? Was it going to rain? Perhaps it was planned to be taken in on this specific day and the work doesn’t end until the crop is in. Who knows?

Then I remember living in Suffolk, England, which is still very much an agricultural area of the United Kingdom. We saw British farmers harvesting carrots at night as well. I still don’t know why.

As I write this article several months after the corn crop has been harvested, there is a ground cover on the old cornfields which seemingly grew overnight. I remember old timers saying that fields yield more per acre if crops are rotated and then left fallow on the seventh year. I don’t know if that is still true but it seemed to work back then.

Nancy is like her father who always had a big, beautiful garden. He was raised on a farm in Franklin County and the “farmer” in him never left. Nancy also loves to garden, to feel the good, warm earth on her hands. She is very successful and grateful for the delectable results of her hard work. She produces delicious and healthy vegetables for our table.

However, gardening is not farming. Admittedly I know very little about raising crops on a large scale. And the dairy industry is an even bigger mystery to me but I recognize that efficiency in all of agriculture has increased appreciably in my lifetime. With nearly 60,000 farms with almost 8,000,000 acres, “agribusiness” is one of the largest industries in the commonwealth (if not the largest). Today’s farming mechanization is amazing to me.

I remember staying at Grandpap Dick’s small farm as a child for several weeks each summer. Grandpap used horses to farm back then. Later in his life Grandpap’s grown children amassed enough resources to buy a gently used Ford tractor for him. It still took a long time for Grandpap, working alone, to harvest his wheat and corn but it was a great deal quicker than using horses.

It’s difficult to ignore the odor of manure when slurry is sprayed onto nearby fields. It may be offensive to some but to us it is the fragrance of an economic engine that sustains us and provides sustenance to all who enjoy fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats. The smell of manure in the Cove is the smell of success.

Thank you farmers, dairymen, and dairywomen for providing important and rewarding jobs in the Cove. And thank you for all the fresh food (especially Silver Queen!).