Storage sites are a constant hub of activity during harvest. Farmers have a couple of options that they can choose from for their crops: farm storage or industry storage. This picture is an example of industry storage. The company will either buy the crop from the farmer or store the crop until the farmer wants to sell. Notice that at this time of year the volume of crops during harvest may require the crop to be place in outdoor storage piles that will either be covered with tarps for longer storage or moved to other storage sites at a later time.

Pacific Northwest soil has unique properties that are ideally suited to the growing of a diverse set of crops; such as wheat, lentils, chickpeas, dry peas, or edible oil crops. To get a “birds eye” view of the land, going to the top of Steptoe Butte is a must and the landforms that remain from the Ice Age surround it. They are beautiful to behold. Steptoe Butte contains some of the oldest rock in region. This quartzite butte has a 3,612 foot elevation. The surrounding Palouse Hills are made of wind-blown rock that has been pulverized into a powdery silty loess piled up to 200’ deep.

As you drive closer to Steptoe Butte you will see it is used for many purposes that range from the placement of communications towers to a jumping off point for hang gliding. Most of the butte lies within a Washington State Park and there is easy access to the top by using a park road. Bring your camera and a picnic for an enjoyable time.

Look at this breath taking view from the top. You can see for miles in all directions! In this picture you can see the wide variety of harvest stages. In the middle of the picture are fields waiting to be cut. At the bottom are fields that have been harvested. The lines in the crop are the straw rows left by the combines. The brown fields are those that are waiting for fall crop planting.

This is a road that we took on our way from Steptoe Butte to Nelson Farms in Farmington, Washington to watch lentil harvest. This is called a seasonal road. It is used mainly during planting and harvesting times for farmers to get to their fields. It is not paved or maintained with gravel and inclement weather creates poor driving conditions. Seasonal roads are important links for the field to market supply chain.

Here is the lentil field we had come to see harvested. The combine has been working already for several hours on this large field. Nelson Farms are 4th generation farmers and are in the process of bringing on generation 5. I am the sister-in-law/sister of the owners and always try to watch harvest each year. It is fascinating. Farmers are highly educated and trained business people who must deal with variables they can control (planting decisions, marketing decisions, soil sustainability) and those they cannot control (weather). Many area farmers this year received crop damage from heavy wind, rain, and hail storms during July. It is hard to see fields that have been damaged and will not have the yields that earlier they had the potential for.

The July storms hit this field hard and laid the lentil plants over on their sides. The harvest crews found it so extreme in some parts of the field that it required only traveling the field in one direction. Lentil plants are not tall plants. The harvest combine header is set close to the ground to maximize the cut. You can see the dust fly after the combine as it skims the lentil plant off of the ground.

Combines are highly technical machines. The driver controls all of the machine functions from inside the cab. In the hot summer weather, cab air conditioning is a must for the 14 hour days. The driver is constantly monitoring computer screens that detail machine details such as speed and position in addition to crop details such as input and moisture.

The headers have a dual purpose. They scoop the plant and hold the cutting bars. Remember the rolling hills seen from Steptoe Butte, the header on the combines are designed to handle this type of ground. Each header is 40 feet long and has sections that independently conform to the ground.

Look at the hills that these combines harvest! Each combine has leveling apparatus to help with the thrashing of the crop. The driver on steep hills uses great skill and experience to safely and effectively cut the crops. Nelson Farms view their harvest workers as vital to their operation and are delighted to have them year after year.

It is getting late and the field is just about finished. Nelson Farms value land stewardship and plant residue is an important strategy in maintaining a healthy ecosystem. Lentil plants give more than the edible seeds. Each plant has a symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria that allows nitrogen from the air to be fixed in nodules on the plant roots. Nitrogen is the main ingredient in fertilizer. The mature plant has nitrogen in the leaves, stem, roots, and nodules. See the importance of leaving all the plant residue on the ground! The next crop planted in this field will benefit mightily.

The giant combine auger is moving lentils from the combine tank to the waiting farm truck. This auger swings out to off-load the crop and then swings back next to the tank when complete. The combine driver controls the process. I have seen the process happen even during the cutting operation with both pieces of equipment moving forward. It is a well orchestrated event without spillage!

Once a truck is filled it is tarped for travel. It would be a shame to spend all the time and effort of the crop harvest only to have it fly out of the truck as it moves to a storage facility or be damaged with a sudden change in weather. The truck driver has a long lever that cranks the tarp over the top of the truck framework.

In the fading light, all of the combines are lined up ready for the next day’s work and the trucks are headed out of the field with the recently harvested lentils. Farmers have huge investments in machinery and land. They do not breath easy until their crops are in. For now this day is ending and they are set up for the next field tomorrow. The red pick up truck is collecting the combine drivers. Everyone has only one thing on their mind…dinner!

A time honored tradition with many farming operations is a shared meal. Depending on the location of the fields that are being harvested, Nelson Farms will serve at the home site or in the field. Tonight Carol, one of Nelson Farms owners, is serving her prepared meal to the crew on the outside deck because of the pleasant summer weather. Andrew Nelson, generation 5, lives at the home site and is gathering his meal with the assistance of his wife, Kara. She works full time off the farm and ends her day with these additional home duties.

Talk, laughter, and food are important parts in keeping the crew together year after year. Bruce, wearing a white shirt at the table to the left, uses the time to talk about tomorrows plans. Thank you Nelson Farms. It was fun!

Lentils are so nutrient packed! They are important sources of plant protein and fiber. Look at the iron and folate amounts that lentils contribute to healthy and happy lifestyles.

13 Foods has made lentils quick and easy to use. The time consuming and hard work is done in this ready-to-use product. Pardina lentils are a premium lentil variety that hold their shape during cooking and have a delightful nutty taste. Find Pardina!Lentils in your grocer’s freezer. To locate a retailer near you go to: 13Foods.com