Getting Ready

     Pictured below: Amber waves of grain.

     Though it's not so much amber as wheat-colored. Regardless of what color you call it, the wheat is getting ripe.
     Harvest is coming soon here in Owyhee County, so a great deal of effort is going into getting ready. The combines need serviced and some changes need to be made in some of them. For example, the screens need changed. What's a screen, you ask?

     These are screens. Long story short: the screens that are used for one crop (alfalfa in this case) don't work for others (wheat in this case) and need to be switched based on the situation. I'll get a bit deeper into this later...

     The old trucks need serviced too! This retired fire-engine now hauls around various loads around a farm. While it no longer has the vim and vigor required for the fire department, it does a fine job of hauling wheat. It will get a check up and any issues it has will be dealt with alongside it's regular maintenance.
     Theoretically, by taking care of their equipment beforehand, the farmers can avoid any breakdowns which could cause untimely and costly delays. Like the farmers themselves, though, a little wear and tear is common and equipment (and farmers) will sometimes break. Best to be prepared, then, making this just as important a time of year as any other.