Oat harvest in November!?

 November 10th, about 2 months later than average for a typical harvest.  Last week turned out to be so warm and sunny, the field became too soft to run equipment in it, so I waited until we got some sub zero temperature to stabilize the soil.  So minus 2 and sunny, I got the combine harvester out and went to work.

https://youtu.be/krlD0Se2SLA

This aspect of agriculture is the most unfamiliar to me as I have never used the combine in the field, only ensured the unit worked from a mechanical aspect in the yard.  Because my oats were drying by virtue of freezing, the stalks were green near the ground, even though the tops were gold.  Combines don't process green stalks without plugging up, so I did have to learn how to clear some plug-ups.   (Always be sure to power down your equipment and take all safety measures.)

A good crop of this size should yield about 30 times the amount of seed planted.  This late season crop was never going to be a high yielder, but it did give about 4 times the amount planted.

https://youtu.be/u_bTw_sr8yg

Once off the field I needed to unload the tank, so off to the barn to find a bin for storage.  If I keep growing oats, I will need to get a storage bin for sure!  This is a clip of part of the unload.

https://youtu.be/4ZIcfCgfRxI

In the end, the oat straw was a bit too green(damp) to bale, so I took it off the field loose instead of baling it.  Will let it sit in the barn for a week to dry, then bale it and put it up in the mow.

This is the last bit of harvest work for the year.  Snow is coming tonight and now time is going to be used for winter projects, maintenance and planning for 2021.  Farming is indeed dictated by nature; we can only put in our best effort when the weather lets us!