Happy New Year to all

All the best in 2007 and may your grain elevator photo hunts go well!

II - From combine to truck

Once the hopper in the combine is filled with grain (wheat, in this case) the combine operator notifies the truck driver that he/she can come and pick up the load. The trucker pulls alongside the combine and the grain is loaded onto the truck.

From the field to the elevator

Without the farmer seeding the field and harvesting the grain there obviously wouldn't be a need for the prairie grain elevators. I came across some slides I took of harvesting that I've decided to include in the next few blogs--a short series of photos. The first one is of the combine picking up the wheat swath, a common sight in Saskatchewan every Fall.

You can't get there from here

There's an old story of a farmer who was asked for directions by a city slicker. After careful thought the farmer told the man that he couldn't get there from where he was. Sometimes the wide open spaces on the prairies make it seem like one is getting nowhere because the scenery changes so slowly. Here's a photo of a typical straight gravel road with canola and flax fields beside it. Where does the road lead to? Keep driving till you get there.

Reflected elevator

Water and grain don't mix. Rain during harvest is always unwelcome as the grain that's lying in swaths is subject to rot and mold. So, although it makes for nicer photos, this reflection of the Bjorkdale elevator probably doesn't sit well with grain farmers.

Surprise find

While going through some old slides (1996) I came across a photo of an elevator. It turns out to be the Bremen elevator. For some reason we don't have a close up of this elevator. The reflection of the lake and the yellow of the harvested fields makes for an interesting long view of this particular part of Saskatchewan east of Saskatoon.
Happy Boxing Day!

It's a holiday

Enjoy today in whatever way you can
Keeping in mind that to harm no one
One must respect oneself and others
For if we don't, life will be no fun.

Remember, I'm a photographer, not a poet
After reading the above attempt, you'll know it.

Celebrate the moment

It's Christmas Eve for many in the world today, so why not make today, at least, an excuse if you need one, to celebrate the moment and the day by doing something nice for yourself and someone else.
I combined a "distorted" photo of Christmas lights with an elevator photo to make it look "electrifying", as if it had some extra "charge" this time of year.

It's time to be thankfull

It's that time of year to be grateful for what we do have, rather than what we don't have. In keeping with the theme of Saskatchewan grain elevators, I'm thankful that I was able to enjoy the sight of the elevators as long as I did and that I made it part of my "life's work" to take as many photos of them as I could when I did. I missed many that have been taken down, but living with regrets takes too much energy.
I'm celebrating being in a new location with its sights and sounds. I was feeling particularly "creative" yesterday and made the photo I recently took of a rainbow over Nanaimo Harbour into a cut-out kind-of-thing picture.
Let's celebrate every little thing we experience the next few days! After all, it's Christmas!

Sunset sihlouette

Sometimes a sihlouette of a familiar scene gives it a whole new look. This photo of a combine unloading onto a truck captures a common event on the prairies during the fall harvest. It was taken on a farm north of Saskatoon, SK.

Bringing in the swaths

There's an old song we used to sing in church about "bringing in the sheafs". This was a reference to harvesting the old-fashioned way. Nowadays the almost-ripened crops are cut down by swathers and laid in rows to dry rather than bundling the grain into sheafs and having to stack them to dry. This field of swaths is cut beside some standing water. I not only like the design of the swaths but the positioning of drying grain next to water--two things you don't want to mix.

Bins of steel

Steel bins, round and smooth, made loading grain much easier for the farmers. (See yesterday's blog.) These bins are small compared to the newer ones farmers are using these days. The windmill in this photo still stands on a farm north of Saskatoon, SK. It's quite rare as wooden ones such as this one are subject to the elements. Windmills were used to pump water for the farm animals, using wind to drive the pump.

Bins falling down

Farmers have been storing grain in wooden bins for a long time before the steel bins became popular. The problem with square buildings for grain is that a lot of shoveling is required to get the grain to the opening so that the grain auger can do its thing. I get tired just thinking about the shoveling I used to do all the while gagging on the grain dust. These grain bins west of Blaine Lake, SK have seen their better days. We found it humourous to see how they're falling--much like dominoes.

Grain cars wait to be loaded

Grain cars wait to be loaded at the Nipawin-Codette elevator. (Taken June 2003).

Elevator's gone missing

One of the first elevator photos we took was of these two in Borden, SK (August 2001). The next time we drove past Borden the second elevator was missing. It was a reminder of how important it was to take photos quickly in order to catch the remaining ones on film before it's too late.

Railway Crossings

In the quiet of the country it's easy to forget that railway crossings are potentially life-threatening. Driving the same route every day can lead to complacence increasing the chance that a train may be heading your way before you realize it. There are many unmarked crossings, but some have the familiar "X" to warn drivers ahead of time. This crossing near the Bladworth, SK elevator adds an element of caution to the photo. (taken August 2001)

Sunset in Rosetown

The setting sun often offers the photographer lighting that is less intense and more colourful. The row of elevators in Rosetown, SK (August 2001) nicely reflected the late sun. A late sun offers the viewer not only a different view but a different mood, as well.

Framed

We all see the world in different ways. Ask 10 photographers to take pictures of a certain item or place and you'll get at least 10 different results. That's the beauty of life--seeing in many different ways. For that we are all richer. Here's my view of a barn as seen through the door of another barn.

More Saskatchewan gold

Ripened canola crops are a brilliant yellow, which may look like gold to many, especially to the farmers after they bring in a bountiful harvest. This panoramic shot of Carrot River, SK was taken in June 2003.

Is there really gold at the end of a rainbow?

While driving around Saskatchewan to take elevator photos we ran into all kinds of weather. Fortunately, it makes for more interesting photos. At Star City a rainbow was visible and I tried really hard to get a photo of it behind the elevator. I took many pictures but the rainbow didn't show up as well as I would have liked. Here's one result. The only gold at the end of this rainbow may have been a golden crop of wheat.

But this is Biggar

In Saskatchewan the population seems to be stuck at one million inhabitants. The wide open spaces and flat terrain make the sparse population even more evident. The town of Biggar, SK used this to their advantage when many years ago, they posted a sign at the outskirts that read: "New York is big, but this is Biggar". Many small towns have large items constructed on the outskirts to attract tourists-- Biggar has a sign.
The metal siding on the elevator in Biggar (taken August 2001) reflected the sun, making it a brilliant object and an interesting photo, as well.

Towers in Saskatchewan

I thought it was curious that both churches and grain elevators are built for height, but for different reasons. Churches have towers to reach to heaven while grain elevators are built for height to store grain vertically in order to take advantage of gravity for loading purposes.
The juxtaposition of the church and elevator in Wolseley, SK was too good to miss.
(Answer to previous question re crop being harvested: Canola)

Where the deer and the antelope play

In the same area as my previous post we saw an antelope cross the road ahead of us. By the time we got close to it the antelope was walking across a large stubble field. It stopped to look at us as I grabbed my camera to try to get a photo before it was too far away.

Combining the grain

Once the swaths have dried on the ground harvesting can begin. This photo was taken in southern Saskatchewan between Regina and Moose Jaw, south of the Trans Canada highway. The wide open spaces and the flat land make farming easier in some ways. Without hills to climb and trees to avoid, driving in a straight line is possible. Here's a question for you to answer: What crop is being harvested? 1. Wheat 2. Canola 3. Barley 4. Flax 5. Oats 6. Peas 7. Lentils 8. Hemp 9. Other. (Answer coming up soon.)

Wheat swaths, etc.

In Saskatchewan and other places where the growing season is short, almost-ripened grain is cut down and laid in swaths on the field in order to stop the growth of the grain and to speed the ripening and drying of the stalks. The risk farmers take with the grain on the ground is that lots of rain and strong winds can occur after swathing. The crops can't be picked up when it's too damp and if the grain lies on the wet ground too long it begins to grow mold and rot. If the swaths are blown apart the combine may not be able to pick up all the grain. Wet grain can result in a lower grade of wheat or sometimes it can only be salvaged as "feed wheat".
I had some fun with this photo I took of wheat swaths this August (2006).

Canola is a popular crop

When I was growing up on the farm canola, or rape-seed as it was called then, was almost unheard of, at least in our area. It has since become a very common and popular crop to grow. The farmers were able to sell the seeds without having to go through the Wheat Board, if my memory serves me right. That meant that they had to "play the market" by trying to time the sale of the canola at the highest prices. This is similar to trying to time stocks sales to achieve the highest prices. The farmers that were desperate for cash would have to sell when they could and often sold at a loss. The moral of the story? Being a farmer requires a lot of skills, including being good "gamblers".
This photo of canola swaths was taken north of Saskatoon, SK in August 2006.

Elevator annexes

Many grain elevators have annexes attached in order to store more of the grain before shipping. This annex in Hagen, SK shows signs of aging, although my guess is that the sides have become misshapen due to the weight and moisture of the grain.

Yorkton Flour Mill

We discovered this large flour mill in Yorkton, SK when we stayed there overnight on our trip through the prairies. I don't know the history of the flour mill but just by looking at it it's clear that a lot of flour was produced there. If anyone knows the history and current plans for the mill, I'd be happy to add the information to this blog. I've added a link after a brief search for information regarding this mill. There's not much information but a little bit of history is provided. (Click on heading to read the short history piece.)

Farmers store grain, too

When the farmers harvest the grain they can't haul the grain straight to the elevators. They have bins that holds the grain until they're allowed, via the quota system, to sell their grain and transport it to the grain elevators. I took this photo at my brother-in-law's farm this fall at sunset. As I said in an earlier blog, the farmers now require huge trucks to transport the grain. They have to pay truckers to come to the farm, pick up the grain and transport it to the elevator--another major expense for the farmer. It's definitely not the farmers who are making the big bucks.

Elevator row

In Grenfell, SK they're celebrating the history of elevators by displaying a row of elevators to represent many of the grain companies that operated in Saskatchewan over the years. This photo was taken in September 2006.

The train's coming

While photographing elevators we had to drive across or walk across railway tracks to take pictures of the elevators. Quite often trains would be coming through as we were there, so we had to be cautious. The plus side was that the trains added to the photo, as this one did in Watrous, SK. (August 2001).