Bill Poolman's Last Harvest

DAYTON--Bill Poolman has been farming and harvesting soft white wheat in Columbia County for the past fifty-two years. But this year will be his last, said his wife Joanne, who posted a heart-felt tribute to him on Facebook last week.

"I was not prepared for the impact of watching my husband on his antique MH2 make the final cut, the final dump of wheat into the red Dodge truck, or watch him climb out of said combine, for the very last time. It feels like an era has come to an end," she posted.

Like many local farmers, Bill Poolman has a farming pedigree in Columbia County.

Poolman's mother's family, the Elias Muncy family, began farming in 1870 on 340 acres situated between Long Station and Cold Springs Road, said his wife, who has looked into such matters.

Every summer from the time he was twelve or thirteen years old, Bill Poolman has worked his grandfather's farm, continuing in the farming tradition. For the past six years, Poolman has been farming only fifty acres, but not much has changed in his routine.

Every year before harvest Poolman sees to it that his 30-year-old Allis-Chalmers MH2 Gleaner combine is harvest-ready, performs the required moisture level test for acceptance at the elevator, runs a few test cuts, and makes necessary repairs on equipment. When the harvest is over more repairs are made.

This year was no different, his wife said.

On Friday, July 21, the harvest began in earnest, with the help of the Poolman's daughter Julie Poolman-Jackson, and nephew Doug Burkhalter, and things went mostly without a hitch, Joanne Poolman said.

At the end of harvest on July 30, Poolman was "piddling around, making repairs", just as he usually does, but knowing he had just finished his last harvest, said his wife. "We all had tears," she added.

"I will always remember watching Bill in a field, once, when he bent over to fill his hand with dirt. He gently rolled it about, sniffed it, and let it drift from his hand back to the earth. It's hard to explain, but it seemed like a religious rite, in an odd way. It was full of respect for the gift of soil. Then I finally got it. . . Farming is in the blood, just like DNA. It's undeniable," she said on Facebook.

"Bill always thought God meant for him to do this," said added.

As for the Allis-Chalmers MH2 combine/Gleaner, it is now parked on the Poolman property on Hwy. 12 with a for sale sign in the window.

The MH2 may be parked, but this will not be true for Poolman, his wife said. There will be no loose ends for him, she said.

As Poolman sorts out his feelings about being retired from farming, he will continue with his passion for restoring cars. He is currently working on re-restoring a 1970 Plymouth GTX, Joanne said.