Corn, More Corn

Several days ago I shared some harvest images from the 2008 Corn Crop in Clayton County, Iowa. Here you can see some dried corn being loaded for shippment to either a grain elevator for additional storage or direct shipment. Most Corn growers place some of their anticipated harvest under contract in the futures market in anticipation of selling for a higher price rather than direct shipment to the processors or for export during the harvest season.

You can also see the corn dryer located between the storage bins.

Corn Harvest Time - Iowa

As you can ascertain in this view, the favorite color in the Midwest this time of the year is Yellow Gold. Additionally you can quickly see that not all of Iowa is flat Corn Fields. Along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers the land is gently rolling. Note the on the contour corn rows. Farmers plant the crops around the hills to assist in preventing soil erosion. Most of the harvesting equipment is manufactured in the Middle West by the John Deere Company, which is why you see so much "Green."

One more load of corn for the grain bin. Before the corn is stored for the futures market or even shipped direct to the grain processors it must be a specific moisture content. That is why most Iowa Tractor Boys have their own corn drying equipment. This load is headed to the drying infrastructure.

This former Iowa Tractor Boy has fond of memories of helping his Dad pick corn by hand. We used a husking peg and threw the ear corn to a wagon pulled by a team of horses. My, how things have changed.

Soybean Harvest in Northeast Iowa

You are observing a Soybean Harvest in Clayton County, Iowa. An Iowa Tractor Boy is operating this John Deere Combine which features an Air Conditioned Operator's Control Station.
Another View. You can see the dust that this machine produces as it threshes the beans from the vines.
While some may think Iowa is all flat land, you can observe the gently rolling countryside in the background of this picture. Those Counties which border on the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers are known for their hills and small streams.

Now for a bit of information about Soybeans which was gleaned from the World Wide Web:

Glycine max, a legume native to China that has become a major source of vegetable protein and oil for human and animal consumption and for industrial usage. The valued portion of the plant is the seed, which contains about 40% protein and 21% oil. Illinois, Iowa, Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana, Mississippi, Minnesota, Ohio, Louisiana, and Tennessee are the major soybean producers in the United States.