Wheat Harvest in Kansas, Nebraska

I finished reading "The Children"s Blizzard" a few weeks ago and am thinking of taking a trip across the mid-west following the back roads. I"m thinking of taking Hwy 3 across Iowa and then swinging up into Nebraska and SD. I"d like to see the Sand Hills and any patches of original prairie. I plan to stop at the Willa cather Preserve near Red Cloud; her novels made the prairie come alive. I have a friend in Kansas (Larned) and one in Oklahma (Claremore) that I"d like to see if my money holds out. I"ve always wanted to see the grain harvest. When is the best time to go? I"m torn between summer and fall; I could hunt in the fall but will miss the grain harvest. Any thoughts?

Larry

see about signing on with one of the harvesting crews, that way you can see the harvest and mid west on someone elses dime.

Rick

The first week in July is pretty predictable for wheat harvest. Fall harvest of corn and soybeans is less predictable, but usually runs through October.

BTW, the columnist, George Will, had a piece on the Children's Blizzard a few years ago. The girl, Lena, who lost both feet to frostbite is supposed to be buried in one of two cemetaries within two miles of my house. Only I've never been able to find a grave that matches. I believe they used the last name, "Woebbecke" in the book, but as I recall she was an orphan, then had a couple of sets of foster parents, then got married, so the last name she was buried under is not clear.

George Will said, I believe, she was buried in a cemetary a mile south of Ruby, NE, but I have reason to believe she may have been buried in a different cemetary, a mile from my house. I live a mile east of Ruby.

Actually, the entire town of Ruby consists of a grain elevator, a township hall where we go to vote, and a house the elevator owns and rents to an employee. From what I hear, it was a thriving town a hundred years ago.

I'd like to see more of the Nebraska Sandhills, myself. I once had a fellow work for me who had a daughter and son-in-law who ranched near Valentine, NE. From their house on the ranch, the closest place they could buy a hamburger was 42 miles away. Population density of Arthur County, NE is 2.1 square miles per person, not the other way around as is usual.

Enough rambling. I hope I answered a few questions.

Lessee, Larned is SW of Great Bend. We used to haul combines through there on the way to SW Oklahoma. We harvested farther west in western Kansas but I'm guessing the harvest around Larned would be running in the July 4th time frame, depending on how far along the crop is this spring and summer. Someone on this site who's local to that area would know more details than I do. If you choose the summer harvest and you are driving through there when the machines are running, stop and get a ride in a combine. Most of the guys would be glad to give you a tour, and show off a little to boot. The bigger the head on the combine, the more they will like to show it to you. Try to find a crew with new combines so you can look at the bells and whistles in the cab (wink).

If you want to see the sandhills of Nebraska you might want to take HWY 20 through Sioux City and go west. It's about the best way to go west through northern Nebraska. If you are on HWY 3, which by the way, is only 3 miles from me, you can go to LeMars, catch 75 south and connect with 20 at Sioux City. The true sandhills are a little farther west than Larned is in Kansas and you'll backtrack a little but you'll see more of the wide open country that way. I get excited just talking about the harvest. Wish I could go with you. Jim

One of my favorite drives in Nebraska is highway 20 I especially enjoy the drive from Neligh to Chadron.

If you are crossing Iowa on 3 you could drop down on I29 to south of South Sioux City and pick up highway 20 (you will see all kinds of sand hills on this route) then at Valentine you could take 83 north to I90 then tour the black hills and the sitting bull monument . You could then drop back into Nebraska on 385 down to Chadron.

You would then be in the western part of the state and if you check ahead of time you should be find where the wheat harvesters are at this time and if you keep going south you should be able to find the harvest crews either in Nebraska or Kanas depending on what week of the year it is.

Years ago an old custom harvester told me that if you followed the wheat as it ripened most years you could start down in Texas around the last of April or the first of May and move north at the rate of about 40 miles a week to keep up with the wheat.

My neighbors are a family operated one combine crew; they usually start in northern Texas or southern Oklahoma about the first of May and wind up their harvest about the 2nd week of September in the Jordan, MT area.
Because my neighbors are travelling all summer I keep up on the harvest on this web site.


http://www.allaboardharvest.com/

If you are planning to go down to Red Cloud from the sandhills, be sure to go through Minden on the way down. (Harold Warp) Pioneer Village is a must see. Plan on spending a full day there if you hope to see it all.

Another couple places that might interest you are the Cabela's in Kearney and Stuhr museum just south of Grand Island.

However, the most direct route would be from Bassett down to Kearney. DOUG

I will second the motion to spend a full day at Harold Warp's Pioneer Village at Minden Nb. i spent a full afternoon there a few years back and did not get through it all....an amazing collection of artifacts, antiques and information. Another plus is it located in prime agricultural area with lots to see as you drive to the area.

I would agree to drop down to Sioux City, but I would recommend to take hwy 20 west about 10 miles, then take hwy 12 to Valentine, just as, if not more scenic and will not add much drive time. Along that route you will skirt the bluffs of the Missouri River, the Niobrara river along that route is beautiful, if you take a slight detour to see it, maybe by the town of . Sparks. I have heard Hwy 2 in Nebraska is probably the most scenic in the sandhills, but I have not been on it. Also a previously mentioned must is The Harold Warp museum in Minden. If you have time stop by I am located about 10 miles from the junction of hwy 12 and hwy 20, about halfway in between them. Just shoot me an e-mail

The farm was 11 miles south of Larned (just NE of Belpre and Zook). I can remember one year when I just took over the truck I drove wheat to town on my birthday (June 19), but there were times when I missed out on 4th of July 'cause I was behind the wheel. Last week of June is a pretty good bet. That's assuming that this year's harvest was better than last years, which hardly existed.

Our family farm is about 20 miles north of Great Bend Kansas and our wheat harvest might be anywhere during the second through the fourth week of June, depending on the weather.

Hwy 2 in Nebraska is very pretty, just drove it for the first time a couple weeks ago. Went to visit some friends on there ranch in Hyannis for the first time, awesome country out there.

Flint Hills in Central Kansas- Chase County -Strong City @ U.S. 50 and St Rd 177 (13) is the center of the last remaining grand expanse of the Tall Grass Prairie in Amercia. A book that I would strongly reccomend is: "PRAIRY ERTH" by Wm.Least Heat Moon .A in depth history of the 744 square miles and 3000 people of this area. Historic Farm (Big Barn) and prairie park as well as Cottonwood trees make this a place to see the west as it was.The book is written by an Indian with a love of land and the pioneers who lived in this sparely populated area. Author makes it come alive. Check a library or other for this ( ISBN 0-395-48602-5) book. This and "BLUE HIGHWAYS" are 2 of my all time favorites. Good Travels !

Skip the Kearney Cabella's. It was a big disappointment. It's a warehouse that's been converted into a store, though I do understand there is now an auto museum in or beside the building as well. Any other Cabella's would be more worth stopping at.