Farmers singing rain rain go away

Posted: Sat 9:56 PM, Oct 05, 2019  | 

Updated: Sat 10:39 PM, Oct 05, 2019

Harvest season is here and it's the busiest time of year for farmers.

At least, that's the way it's supposed to be. But farmers say, the rainy weather is slowing them down.

"Rainy days and Monday's always get us down," seasonal worker Dale Lammi says.

It's weather conditions like Saturday's that have Lammi spending his afternoon inside, and not driving a truck full of sugar beets.

"The rain would stop just about anybody," Lammi says. "I think if you even tried to walk in a field you would have so much greasy-gumbo underneath your shoes, you'd probably have to figure out a way to get back to the road."

During this time of year, haulers and farmers, like Lammi, should be working 12 hour shifts.

"This is my third year driving sugar beet trucks and I haven't seen it this wet ever," Lammi says. "And I'm just a driver, but drivers can't do anything if there are no beets to haul and farmers can't get into the field."

Last week, Lammi and his crew hauled six days in a row, trying to stay ahead of the rainy weather.

And while most farmers say rain is a good thing, Lammi says, "Too much of a good thing, is sometimes not a good thing."

Lammie says they're trying to finish up harvest as fast as possible.
He says if it's too wet for too long, a lot of problems will come about.

"If you can't haul it, then people start to worry," Lammi says. "They worry about root rot, getting the crop in, sugar content and what is going to happen. Not knowing is the hard part."

While he waits, he's staying hopeful.

Lammi sings, "Rain, rain, go away."

So he can get to hauling another day.

Farmers also want you to know that safety is a big concern during harvest season.

They say you should always give trucks hauling for harvest plenty of room and be aware that it takes these heavy trucks a little extra time to stop.

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October 7, 2019 at 09:45AM