Harvest Complete

Harvest went very quickly this year.  With the weather as dry as a bone for about a month it was the perfect weather for harvesting.  I don't think there's more than a couple of corn fields still unharvested in the county.  I helped a neighbor with harvest again this year, and it always amazes me how much corn and beans come out of the fields.  The other thing that amazes me is the amount of wildlife that pours out of the corn fields when it's harvested.  Deer, raccoon, opossum, pheasant and rabbits all pour out the end of the rows as the combine pushes through.  What makes it really exciting is the distances that the animals have to go when they run out of the corn to make it to cover.  As farmers have moved away from having cattle and toward specializing in row-crops, farmers have pulled the fences out of their fields which has allowed the farmer to plant right up to their property line.  This has dramatically reduced the amount of brush and grass along the field edges and can mean a half mile or more run, walk or fly to cover.  Not good for the animal breaking for cover with hawks and other predators (including the occasional hunter) waiting for their opportunity at a meal, but for those watching it can be an opportunity to get a great look at some animals that otherwise you may only get a glimpse of at night while driving like raccoon or opossum.  If you have the time and see a combine finishing up a field, grab a pair of binoculars, your kids if you have some, and stick around to watch those last rows of corn come out.  It's usually a fantastic wildlife viewing event worth waiting for.