We work for peanuts… on purpose

Peanut season is finally over. (well almost over there are still 6 acres that we cannot get picked because of wet areas).   We almost lost our religion, our sanity, and our family relationships but we refuse to let anything get the best of us.  We made a good crop, harvested a pile of peanuts and lived to tell about.  This is our peanut story as I saw it.

Van planting the peanut fields.

After getting the peanuts planted it was all about rain and spraying for weeds and bugs. I did not get a picture of Van spraying. But I know he did it A LOT.  And thank you Jesus we did get rain  A LOT.  But we are not complaining.  Finally we got peanuts!!

 

       

Beautiful green peanut plants.  Now it is time to dig.  We have a 2 row digger (that I am sure came over on the ark) and a 6 row digger (which happens to be my honey’s pride and joy).  Why dig two when you can dig six.           

                                                                                                                                             

                                                                                                                                      

Best digger in these parts and I ain’t talking about the machinery!!!  My man!! 

 

                             

 

Front and rear views from the digger.

   

                                    

Dig!  Dig!  Dig!

 

 

Now we just need lots of sunshine!

 

After the drying its time for picking and grinning.  They pick and I grin!!

Luckily we have two pickers which really comes in handy if one is broke down.  But when they are both running it is nothing but dust, picking, and piles of peanuts going in the hopper!!

Dug rows and picked rows.





                     
              Tandem picking…. Side by Side… Two at a time

  Best dang pickers you will ever find and I ain't talking about the machinery. Van and Adam.
                                         


Dust flying is a good thing.  Good dry soil, dry peanuts, and dust flying means everything is running!!!   I love it when I get to see two dust flying pickers moving at the same time!  (and I ain’t the only one who loves it!!)

Time to dump picked peanuts into the truck.  We did it two ways… straight from the picker’s hopper and using a dump (life saver) wagon.

dumping from the picker

We have two trucks and we  kept our truck driver busy!!!            

                     
There is nothing like a hopper filled to the top with peanuts.

                      
Making room for more!!!  Cameron does a great job as long as he does not get a snake dumped in with him.


The smell of these peanuts in the hot sun is deliciously wonderful.

The dump wagon came in real handy when it was too far to drive the picker all the way back to the truck.
             
         
You can’t be a good driver to do this job… it takes a GREAT driver.  So glad we have one.

      
Adam and Van leveling out the load to pull the tarp over and head to the dryer.

From start to finish it is both a time consuming and a mind consuming  game, with many conflicting players.  We depend on the many changing conditions of equipment, weather, and humans.  We are both honored and proud to be the ones who get to farm God’s land and harvest His agriculture and even grow His animals.  It takes a certain breed and we are that breed.  We are so thankful to be a part of something so wonderful.  The American Farmer… we have been feeding people for decades.