GREENSBURG — For some, Thanksgiving marks the end of the harvest season. This year, thanks to an extended stretch of dry weather, harvest ended earlier than normal.
"This year was the earliest we've gotten done," Greensburg farmer Nick Gauck said. "That was toward the end of October."
It remained virtually rain-free through October, giving farmers plenty of time to get out to collect their crops.
Gauck recalls how work has interrupted his family's holiday meal in past years.
"I remember during Thanksgiving, we'd leave early to finish harvest," he said.
The Gauck family has been on their farm for over 80 years.
Harvest typically extends into November. Even though it was smooth sailing during harvest, the rest of this season had challenges.
More than a foot of rain fell in April and May. That kept Gauck out of the fields for weeks during planting season.
Despite that, crops were planted and grew successfully. Then came September 27 and Hurricane Helene.
"The wind came through here, and it knocked a bunch of corn down," Gauck said.
The corn wasn't a total loss after these 60 miles-per-hour wind gusts, but the farm had to use special equipment to pick the fallen corn up from the ground, which took extra time. Some of the fallen corn was left behind as feed for the cattle.
These are just some of the challenges that leave Gauck thankful for full-grain bins this November.
A farmer's work is never finished. During harvest, he also worked to plant wheat. This will be ready around Fourth of July in 2025.
An early end to harvest also means extra time to bring equipment indoors and fix anything that broke during the season.
In total, Gauck harvested 60,000 bushels of corn and 20,000 bushels of soybeans this year. What does this equate to? Roughly 1,800 tons (or 3.9 million pounds) of corn and 600 tons (or 1.2 million pounds) of beans.
